Tricky scenario - premature H1B renewal.

vinod_k_iyer

Registered Users (C)
I have 3 years of H1B left from my original 6-year period. However, I will be working from our India office for 1-2 years. I am trying to figure out how I can use this expat-like option to have my H1B visa renewed to a fresh 6-year validity once I return to US. I am willing to go through the H1B cap if needed. Please note, my H1B has technically not expired throughout my stay in India since the H1B clock is supposed to freeze when you are outside US.

My questions are:

- Can we get a fresh 6-year H1B validity using the 1-year-outside-US trick even say 2-3 years before the H1B actually expires?
- The law seems to say that if I have been counted against the H1B cap in the past 6 years, I can't be counted against it again if I refile for an H1B. Does this mean that if I stay outside US for 1+ years in my 3rd year of H1B, then when I refile for a renewal, I get a 6-year fresh H1B validity AND I don't have to go through a cap? OR, will I just get an H1B extension for the remainder of my original 6-year period without any fresh 6-year validity?
- If I have more than a year of stay outside US in a discontinuous manner (no single stay of more than a year, but all the stays together add up to 1 year), can I use that in anyway to renew my H1B by 6years?

Basically, how can I make the most out of my ability to be on an US payroll, on H1B, while actually working outside US from an India office for 1+ years.

Any authoritative info/comments on this would be great!

Thanks,
Vinod.
 
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