Any restrictions to travel outside USA

Hi,

I am currently working on H4-EAD and now waiting for the H1-B 2019 lottery result. My H4 visa and EAD both are valid until 2020.

Once (and if) my H1-B application gets selected in the lottery

  1. Would my H4 visa expire automatically after selection in the lottery?

  2. Are there any restrictions on travelling outside of the country in between April to October?

Thanks.

Your H-4 status will not be impacted merely upon selection of H-1B cap petition in the H-1B lottery. You need to check if the H-1B cap petition was filed as a Change of Status, or a loose petition. If it was filed as a Change of Status, your status will change to H-1B with effect from the approval validity date given in the H-1B approval notice. Also, any travel outside the U.S. while the H-1B case is pending will cancel the Change of Status request.You must check with your Immigration Attorney before undertaking any travel outside the U.S. while the H-1B cap case is pending.

Excellent response. Having such well informed visitors to this site is a true privilege.

Thanks Rose for answering my question. I was not planning on traveling outside of the country while my H1-B case is pending. By the way, what exactly is considered as a loose petition?

Thanks,
Ketki