Apply for L1 extension from US or India

[rkpandey]

Hi,

I am currently in US on L1 Visa which is valid till Jan 2012. My employer is applying for my L1 visa extension, off late I have heard some rejection cases for the same and I just wanted to know if someone in this forum knows if I stand a better chance of approval if I apply for extension from here or if I go to India and have an interview conducted.

I was leaning towards going to India for an Interview as I feel then I can explain to them why my job is a specialized responsibility.

I have to decide on this urgently, your help would be much appreciated, thanks.

[immihelp]

You have to apply for L1 status extension in the U.S.

What you do in India is L1 visa stamp for that extension for travel purpose, after you already get the status extension in the U.S.

[rkpandey]

Thanks a lot for your prompt reply!! Sorry for appearing to be pesky, but I still have a couple of questions:

1) What is the success rate for L1 extension approval? I have heard a lot of horror stories off-late, my employer was originally applying for an H1, but they are saying that since the limit has been reached for this year, I should either apply for L1 extension or wait till April 2012 for new H1.

2) I also wanted to know that if my L1 extension is denied, does it have any impact on my H1 petition which I would then place.

3) Also, what is the total time it may take for me to know the final status of my L1 extension request?

4) Would it be a good idea to say apply in Jan and then wait till April for the result, and then even if it is denied, I can apply for H1 from here (is it a sound strategy??)

Thanks for being so patient and reading all the queries.