Hi,
I am planning a trip to Sri Lanka next week. I am currently in the states in H-1B status. This is going to be my first trip since I got my visa and also going to be a trip I am making in 6 years. I started filling out the DS-156 form and got stumped on the question which says "have you ever violated the terms of a visa, or been unlawfully present in, or deported from the United States (Answer: Yes or No)" There was a time I spent in the US out of status (back then I was in F-1 status between 2000 and 2001) Then, INS reinstated me in December 2002 making me lawful again. After that, I got my H-1B thru my employer in June 2003. Now, my question is what should be my answer to that question...Should I say "Yes" since I violated the terms at one point in my stay or Should I say "No" since INS reinstated me? BTW, in DS-156 application it says "answering Yes wont lead to an automatic denial of visa" Please get back to me ASAP, if possible, as I am leaving next week on January 15th. I really appreciate your input on this.
Thank you,
tsunami
I am planning a trip to Sri Lanka next week. I am currently in the states in H-1B status. This is going to be my first trip since I got my visa and also going to be a trip I am making in 6 years. I started filling out the DS-156 form and got stumped on the question which says "have you ever violated the terms of a visa, or been unlawfully present in, or deported from the United States (Answer: Yes or No)" There was a time I spent in the US out of status (back then I was in F-1 status between 2000 and 2001) Then, INS reinstated me in December 2002 making me lawful again. After that, I got my H-1B thru my employer in June 2003. Now, my question is what should be my answer to that question...Should I say "Yes" since I violated the terms at one point in my stay or Should I say "No" since INS reinstated me? BTW, in DS-156 application it says "answering Yes wont lead to an automatic denial of visa" Please get back to me ASAP, if possible, as I am leaving next week on January 15th. I really appreciate your input on this.
Thank you,
tsunami