F1 to H1, and F1 visa about to expire

[codesmash101]

Hi,

I came to US on F1 visa in 2009, and got my H1B visa approved last year. My F1 visa is set to expire in 2 months, but my H1B approval notice came with a new I-94 that will be valid until Sep 2016.
My question is, do I need to get my Visa restamped, or leave US for any other reason since my Visa is about to expire?
Does the I-94 that came with H1 approval notice count as valid, since it is Not signed by an immigration officer?

In general, I would not like to go to India unless required by Immigration law.

Thanks,
Viz.

[raghvi]

Hi,

I came to US on F1 visa in 2009, and got my H1B visa approved last year. My F1 visa is set to expire in 2 months, but my H1B approval notice came with a new I-94 that will be valid until Sep 2016.
My question is, do I need to get my Visa restamped, or leave US for any other reason since my Visa is about to expire?
Does the I-94 that came with H1 approval notice count as valid, since it is Not signed by an immigration officer?

In general, I would not like to go to India unless required by Immigration law.

Thanks,
Viz.

You dont need to go for a stamping as you automatically moved to H1 from H1 effective date. And the new I-94 that came with the Change of Status is valid. But as and when you do go out of US, you would need to get a new visa stamped outside US in order to be allowed re entry into US.

Also, you may not be allowed to go to India via some European countries as they need a valid US visa in order to use their country as transit points.

This is my opinion not legal advice.

[codesmash101]

Thanks Raghvi.