guyfromsg
10-04 09:37 PM
17. The US consulates and CBP are Googling you!
Thanks for sharing the info. This part is really scary. I know potential employers are doing it. Can't believe CBP is doing it. You mean they will do it when you hand over the passport and I-94 at the airport and make a decision on that. WOW
Thanks for sharing the info. This part is really scary. I know potential employers are doing it. Can't believe CBP is doing it. You mean they will do it when you hand over the passport and I-94 at the airport and make a decision on that. WOW
smidreb
07-30 01:13 PM
Hi all,
One of my friend is separated (not divorced) from her husband.
can she file 485 by herself. Does she needs anything latest doc from her husband. She does have all the copies of his documents.
She is thinking she can work if she gets EAD. She does not have anybody here are back home except her mom. Please suggest a solution
One of my friend is separated (not divorced) from her husband.
can she file 485 by herself. Does she needs anything latest doc from her husband. She does have all the copies of his documents.
She is thinking she can work if she gets EAD. She does not have anybody here are back home except her mom. Please suggest a solution
sammyb
03-28 04:35 PM
Do they entertain such request - any positive (or negative) experience ... appreciate ... will be in India during May and planning to go for stamping ... mine is a 2006 job change/extension case and was wondering if the I129 made it to the PIMS or not :confused:...
I got this from different website(not sure if I can quote here).
Before going /planning for a perticular consualte, you can email the consulate with a i797 copy asking them to check if it exists in their system. If it doesn't then they will request concerned athorities to make it available in system so that you won't get stuck with PIMS delay. So far I have heard mexico/canada consualte responding to emails positively.
I will be mailing(canada consulate) them soon. Will keep you updated if i hear anything from them. if it works..its indeed a good options for us.:D
I got this from different website(not sure if I can quote here).
Before going /planning for a perticular consualte, you can email the consulate with a i797 copy asking them to check if it exists in their system. If it doesn't then they will request concerned athorities to make it available in system so that you won't get stuck with PIMS delay. So far I have heard mexico/canada consualte responding to emails positively.
I will be mailing(canada consulate) them soon. Will keep you updated if i hear anything from them. if it works..its indeed a good options for us.:D
ps57002
09-14 06:37 PM
Can we somehow promote on another tri state radio...rbcradio.com I missed out on listening to this one...
more...
learning01
04-12 12:33 PM
As I had already posted in the news article thread (http://immigrationvoice.org/forum/showpost.php?p=8552&postcount=225), this is an exhaustive article with a bold and thought provoking headlines. The article can be accessed here - http://www.newsobserver.com/104/story/427793.html
Many skilled foreigners leaving U.S.
Exodus rooted in backlog for permanent status
Karin Rives, Staff Writer
When the Senate immigration bill fell apart last week, it did more than stymie efforts to deal with illegal immigration.
It derailed efforts to deal with an equally vexing business concern: a backlog in applications for so-called green cards, the coveted cards that are actually pink or white and that offer proof of lawful permanent residency.
Many people now wait six years or longer for the card. There are 526,000 applications pending, according to Immigration Voice, an advocacy group that tracks government data.
Lately, this has prompted an exodus of foreign workers who tired of waiting, to return home or go further afield. With the economies in Asia and elsewhere on the rise, they can easily find work in the native countries or in third nations that are more generous with their visas.
"You have China, Russia, India -- a lot of countries where you can go and make a lot of money. That's the biggest thing that has changed," said Murali Bashyam, a Raleigh immigration lawyer who helps companies sponsor immigrants. "Before, people were willing to wait it out. Now they can do just as well going back home, and they do."
Mike Plueddeman said he lost three employees (one a senior programmer with a doctorate) at Durham-based DynPro in the past two years because they tired of waiting for their green cards.
All three found good jobs in their home countries within a few weeks of leaving Durham, said Plueddeman, the software consultancy's human resource director.
"We are talking about very well-educated and highly skilled people who have been in the labor force a long time," he said. "You hate losing them."
This budding brain drain comes as the first American baby boomers retire and projections show a huge need for such professionals in the years ahead. U.S. universities graduate about 70,000 information technology students annually. Many people say that number won't meet the need for a projected 600,000 additional openings for information systems professionals between 2002 and 2012, and the openings made by retirements.
"We just don't have the pipeline right now," said Joe Freddoso, director of Cisco Systems' Research Triangle Park operations. "We are concerned there's going to be a shortage, and we're already seeing that in some areas."
Cisco has advertised an opening for a data-security specialist in Atlanta for several months, unable to find the right candidate. Freddoso believes the problem will spread unless the government allows more foreign workers to enter the country, and expedites their residency process.
However, not everybody believes in the labor shortage that corporations fret about.
Critics say that proposals to allow more skilled workers into the country would only depress wages and displace American-born workers who have yet to fully recover from the dot-com bust.
"We should only issue work-related visas if we really need them," said Caroline Espinosa, a spokeswoman with NumbersUSA, a Washington, D.C., group pushing for immigration reduction. "There are 2.5 million native born American workers in the math and computer field who are currently out of work. It begs the question whether we truly need foreign workers."
She added that the immigration backlog would be aggravated by raising the cap for temporary and permanent visas, which would make it harder for those who deserve to immigrate to do so.
Waiting since 2003
Sarath Chandrand, 44, a software consultant from India, moved with his wife and two young daughters from Raleigh to Toronto in December because he couldn't live with more uncertainty. He applied for his green card in early 2003 and expects it will take at least two more years to get it.
His former employer continues to sponsor his application for permanent residency, hoping that he will eventually return. But Chandrand doesn't know what the future will hold.
"I miss Raleigh, the weather, the people," he said in a phone interview. "But it's a very difficult decision to make, once you've settled in a country, to move out. You go through a lot of mental strain. Making another move will be difficult."
Canada won him over because its residency process takes only a year and a half and doesn't require sponsorship from an employer.
The competition from Canada also worries Plueddeman, who said several of his employees are also applying for residency in both countries. "They'll go with whoever comes first," he said.
And it's not just India and Canada that beckon. New Zealand and Australia are among nations that actively market themselves to professionals in the United States, with perks such as an easy process to get work visas.
New Zealand, with a population of 4 million, has received more than 1,900 applications from skilled migrants and their families in the past two years, said Don Badman, the Los Angeles marketing director for that country's immigration agency. Of those, about 17 percent were non-Americans working in the United States.
Badman's team has hired a public relations agency to get the word out. They have also run ads in West Coast newspapers and attended trade shows, mainly to attract professionals in health care and information technology.
Dana Hutchison, an operating room nurse from Cedar Mountain south of Asheville, could have joined a hospital in the United States that offers fat sign-on bonuses. Instead, she's in the small town of Tauranga, east of Auckland, working alongside New Zealand nurses and doctors.
"It would be hard for me to work in the U.S. again," she said. Where she is now, "the working conditions are so fabulous. Everybody is friendly and much less stressed. It's like the U.S. was in the 1960s."
Limit of 140,000
Getting a green card was never a quick process. The official limit for employment-based green cards is 140,000 annually.
And there is a bottleneck of technology professionals from India and China. They hold many, if not most, of all temporary work visas, and many try to convert their work visa to permanent residency, and eventually full citizenship. But under current rules, no single nationality can be allotted more than 7 percent of the green cards.
In his February economic report, President Bush outlined proposals to overhaul the system for employment-based green cards:
* Open more slots by exempting spouses and children from the annual limit of 140,000 green cards. Such dependents now make up about half of all green card recipients, because workers sponsored by employers can include their family in the application.
* Replace the current cap with a "flexible market-based cap" that responds to the need that employers have for foreign workers.
* Raise the 7 percent limit for nations such as India that have many highly skilled workers.
After steady lobbying from technology companies, Congress is also paying more attention to the issue. The Senate immigration bill had proposed raising the annual cap for green cards to 290,000.
Kumar Gupta, a 33-year-old software engineer, has been watching the legislative proposals as he weighs his options. After six years in the United States, he is considering returning to India after learning that the green card he applied for in November 2004 could take another four or five years.
Being on a temporary work visa means that he cannot leave his job. Nor does he want to buy a home for his family without knowing he will stay in the country.
"Even if the job market is not as good as here, you can get a very good salary in India," he said. "If I have offers there, I will think of moving."
Let's utilize this write up and start quoting the link in our personal comments / emails to other news anchors, commentators, blogs etc.
I thought this deserves it's own thread. Please comment and act.
Many skilled foreigners leaving U.S.
Exodus rooted in backlog for permanent status
Karin Rives, Staff Writer
When the Senate immigration bill fell apart last week, it did more than stymie efforts to deal with illegal immigration.
It derailed efforts to deal with an equally vexing business concern: a backlog in applications for so-called green cards, the coveted cards that are actually pink or white and that offer proof of lawful permanent residency.
Many people now wait six years or longer for the card. There are 526,000 applications pending, according to Immigration Voice, an advocacy group that tracks government data.
Lately, this has prompted an exodus of foreign workers who tired of waiting, to return home or go further afield. With the economies in Asia and elsewhere on the rise, they can easily find work in the native countries or in third nations that are more generous with their visas.
"You have China, Russia, India -- a lot of countries where you can go and make a lot of money. That's the biggest thing that has changed," said Murali Bashyam, a Raleigh immigration lawyer who helps companies sponsor immigrants. "Before, people were willing to wait it out. Now they can do just as well going back home, and they do."
Mike Plueddeman said he lost three employees (one a senior programmer with a doctorate) at Durham-based DynPro in the past two years because they tired of waiting for their green cards.
All three found good jobs in their home countries within a few weeks of leaving Durham, said Plueddeman, the software consultancy's human resource director.
"We are talking about very well-educated and highly skilled people who have been in the labor force a long time," he said. "You hate losing them."
This budding brain drain comes as the first American baby boomers retire and projections show a huge need for such professionals in the years ahead. U.S. universities graduate about 70,000 information technology students annually. Many people say that number won't meet the need for a projected 600,000 additional openings for information systems professionals between 2002 and 2012, and the openings made by retirements.
"We just don't have the pipeline right now," said Joe Freddoso, director of Cisco Systems' Research Triangle Park operations. "We are concerned there's going to be a shortage, and we're already seeing that in some areas."
Cisco has advertised an opening for a data-security specialist in Atlanta for several months, unable to find the right candidate. Freddoso believes the problem will spread unless the government allows more foreign workers to enter the country, and expedites their residency process.
However, not everybody believes in the labor shortage that corporations fret about.
Critics say that proposals to allow more skilled workers into the country would only depress wages and displace American-born workers who have yet to fully recover from the dot-com bust.
"We should only issue work-related visas if we really need them," said Caroline Espinosa, a spokeswoman with NumbersUSA, a Washington, D.C., group pushing for immigration reduction. "There are 2.5 million native born American workers in the math and computer field who are currently out of work. It begs the question whether we truly need foreign workers."
She added that the immigration backlog would be aggravated by raising the cap for temporary and permanent visas, which would make it harder for those who deserve to immigrate to do so.
Waiting since 2003
Sarath Chandrand, 44, a software consultant from India, moved with his wife and two young daughters from Raleigh to Toronto in December because he couldn't live with more uncertainty. He applied for his green card in early 2003 and expects it will take at least two more years to get it.
His former employer continues to sponsor his application for permanent residency, hoping that he will eventually return. But Chandrand doesn't know what the future will hold.
"I miss Raleigh, the weather, the people," he said in a phone interview. "But it's a very difficult decision to make, once you've settled in a country, to move out. You go through a lot of mental strain. Making another move will be difficult."
Canada won him over because its residency process takes only a year and a half and doesn't require sponsorship from an employer.
The competition from Canada also worries Plueddeman, who said several of his employees are also applying for residency in both countries. "They'll go with whoever comes first," he said.
And it's not just India and Canada that beckon. New Zealand and Australia are among nations that actively market themselves to professionals in the United States, with perks such as an easy process to get work visas.
New Zealand, with a population of 4 million, has received more than 1,900 applications from skilled migrants and their families in the past two years, said Don Badman, the Los Angeles marketing director for that country's immigration agency. Of those, about 17 percent were non-Americans working in the United States.
Badman's team has hired a public relations agency to get the word out. They have also run ads in West Coast newspapers and attended trade shows, mainly to attract professionals in health care and information technology.
Dana Hutchison, an operating room nurse from Cedar Mountain south of Asheville, could have joined a hospital in the United States that offers fat sign-on bonuses. Instead, she's in the small town of Tauranga, east of Auckland, working alongside New Zealand nurses and doctors.
"It would be hard for me to work in the U.S. again," she said. Where she is now, "the working conditions are so fabulous. Everybody is friendly and much less stressed. It's like the U.S. was in the 1960s."
Limit of 140,000
Getting a green card was never a quick process. The official limit for employment-based green cards is 140,000 annually.
And there is a bottleneck of technology professionals from India and China. They hold many, if not most, of all temporary work visas, and many try to convert their work visa to permanent residency, and eventually full citizenship. But under current rules, no single nationality can be allotted more than 7 percent of the green cards.
In his February economic report, President Bush outlined proposals to overhaul the system for employment-based green cards:
* Open more slots by exempting spouses and children from the annual limit of 140,000 green cards. Such dependents now make up about half of all green card recipients, because workers sponsored by employers can include their family in the application.
* Replace the current cap with a "flexible market-based cap" that responds to the need that employers have for foreign workers.
* Raise the 7 percent limit for nations such as India that have many highly skilled workers.
After steady lobbying from technology companies, Congress is also paying more attention to the issue. The Senate immigration bill had proposed raising the annual cap for green cards to 290,000.
Kumar Gupta, a 33-year-old software engineer, has been watching the legislative proposals as he weighs his options. After six years in the United States, he is considering returning to India after learning that the green card he applied for in November 2004 could take another four or five years.
Being on a temporary work visa means that he cannot leave his job. Nor does he want to buy a home for his family without knowing he will stay in the country.
"Even if the job market is not as good as here, you can get a very good salary in India," he said. "If I have offers there, I will think of moving."
Let's utilize this write up and start quoting the link in our personal comments / emails to other news anchors, commentators, blogs etc.
I thought this deserves it's own thread. Please comment and act.
cagedcactus
05-04 06:57 AM
As I said it was work of a fellow member. But I dont see why you cant use the same letter. If you think this is a good format, please go ahead and use it.
thanks.....
thanks.....
more...
willIWill
07-16 01:06 PM
now this is weird... aside from the poster's main question: why does uscis want proof of *continuous employment* since the poster filed for 485? all they should care about is the future job... isnt that right? why do they want employment history?
willIWill, can you please post the exact wording on your RFE regarding that point?
Chi_shark,
Here is the second point 'verbatim':
2. Please submit proof of your continuous employment authorization/maintaining status in the U.S. from 10/1/07 to the present. Such evidence may include copies of:
• Copies of both sides of your Form 1-94 Arrival/Entry Document;
• Copies of both sides of your Form I-20A-B/I-D (F-l students and dependants);
• Copies of both sides of your Form IAP-66;
• Copies of any Form 1-797 approval notice/notice of action;
• Copies of the pages in your passport which show U.S. visas. Immigration admission stamps or other endorsements;
• Copies of any and all Employment Authorization documents issued to you by this Service.
Please provide verification of your F-l nonimmigrant status in the form of letters and transcripts from any and all colleges/universities that you have attended. The letter(s) from the educational institutions should identify your inclusive dates of attendance, if you maintained full-time student status, along with a point of contact and phone numbers for verification purposes.
Photocopies of these documents must be clear and readable. It may be necessary to use a color copier to ensure quality copies.
willIWill, can you please post the exact wording on your RFE regarding that point?
Chi_shark,
Here is the second point 'verbatim':
2. Please submit proof of your continuous employment authorization/maintaining status in the U.S. from 10/1/07 to the present. Such evidence may include copies of:
• Copies of both sides of your Form 1-94 Arrival/Entry Document;
• Copies of both sides of your Form I-20A-B/I-D (F-l students and dependants);
• Copies of both sides of your Form IAP-66;
• Copies of any Form 1-797 approval notice/notice of action;
• Copies of the pages in your passport which show U.S. visas. Immigration admission stamps or other endorsements;
• Copies of any and all Employment Authorization documents issued to you by this Service.
Please provide verification of your F-l nonimmigrant status in the form of letters and transcripts from any and all colleges/universities that you have attended. The letter(s) from the educational institutions should identify your inclusive dates of attendance, if you maintained full-time student status, along with a point of contact and phone numbers for verification purposes.
Photocopies of these documents must be clear and readable. It may be necessary to use a color copier to ensure quality copies.
fromnaija
03-18 04:17 PM
So it automatically changes the status from H4 to EAD. I have also confirmed this the officer about the status, he confirmed that the status will automatically changed to EAD. So H4 no longer exists for spouse if the spouse carried H4 earlier.
Not true. Applying for and getting EAD and SSN does not invalidate H4; using the EAD to work does.
Not true. Applying for and getting EAD and SSN does not invalidate H4; using the EAD to work does.
more...
jayleno
02-01 04:28 PM
Kumar...if you are joking please put a smiley either before or after you exclamations. Tell me if you are not...I will join right away :). Who in the world doesn't want to become a "star quickly"?? :)
Start doing AmWay or QuickStar. That is the best thing a person can do !!!!!!
Start doing AmWay or QuickStar. That is the best thing a person can do !!!!!!
raysaikat
01-20 07:47 PM
According to federal law, if you've had coverage for 6 months prior to changing your coverage to the new insurance, they can't refuse to cover pre existing conditions. They may try, I just had to fight this out with CIGNA. They lost. However if you let your coverage lapse, you can get hit with this.
If you are talking about HIPAA, then that generally applies to group plans (offered by your employer), not individual plans that we are talking about in this thread.
If you are talking about HIPAA, then that generally applies to group plans (offered by your employer), not individual plans that we are talking about in this thread.
more...
desi3933
06-18 12:26 PM
can you guys suggest how to proceed with my cases... where i am totally screwed up.
When I started to work in usa I was working for an employer in NJ after an year I got a better job offer and started to work for another employer(for whom I have been working for last 2 years).
Last Month I applied for my I140 with current employer work experience letter and co-worker letter (of my ex-employer in NJ). Now that I have an RFE for my I140 requesting me to send employer experience letter of my ex-employer. When I called up my ex-employer he was rude to me and firmly denied to provide any letter and hanged up the phone. Due to this RFE I am not able to proceed with my I485. Please let me know how to proceed...Thanking you all in advance.
Please consider asking your lawyer/attorney to send format request for Employment Verification (include job title, Duration, Salary and Skill set) by certified mail and a copy of the request be e-mail.
----------------------------------
Permanent Resident since May 2002
When I started to work in usa I was working for an employer in NJ after an year I got a better job offer and started to work for another employer(for whom I have been working for last 2 years).
Last Month I applied for my I140 with current employer work experience letter and co-worker letter (of my ex-employer in NJ). Now that I have an RFE for my I140 requesting me to send employer experience letter of my ex-employer. When I called up my ex-employer he was rude to me and firmly denied to provide any letter and hanged up the phone. Due to this RFE I am not able to proceed with my I485. Please let me know how to proceed...Thanking you all in advance.
Please consider asking your lawyer/attorney to send format request for Employment Verification (include job title, Duration, Salary and Skill set) by certified mail and a copy of the request be e-mail.
----------------------------------
Permanent Resident since May 2002
krothapalli
10-07 01:25 PM
Yes! We should gather and get the ball rolling in Arizona. Now, I don't see lot of activity from AZ in IV.
more...
Canadian_Dream
11-30 02:18 PM
Can you put the exact working of the status ?
Is it one of the following ?
Current Status: Notice mailed welcoming the new permanent resident.
or
Current Status: Document mailed to applicant.
or
something else.
Is it one of the following ?
Current Status: Notice mailed welcoming the new permanent resident.
or
Current Status: Document mailed to applicant.
or
something else.
john2255
10-20 06:24 AM
Look at the profile...... join date and no. of posts.
So whats the problem. I was active till 2007, till the special immigrant visas are over and retrogression set in for Schedule A workers, nurses and physical therapists. I was in my country till now, and Immigration voice sign in template don't have any option to register for people who are out of United states.
When I was active I always did my best to share my knowledge and help the people.
I supported and advocated for general visa recapture and special legislative initiatives for Schedule A workers. I was an active member of Schedule A workers sub group of Immigraton voice.
I hope I am clarified. I humbly request for valuable advices to decide on my situation. Once again thank you all for your advices.
So whats the problem. I was active till 2007, till the special immigrant visas are over and retrogression set in for Schedule A workers, nurses and physical therapists. I was in my country till now, and Immigration voice sign in template don't have any option to register for people who are out of United states.
When I was active I always did my best to share my knowledge and help the people.
I supported and advocated for general visa recapture and special legislative initiatives for Schedule A workers. I was an active member of Schedule A workers sub group of Immigraton voice.
I hope I am clarified. I humbly request for valuable advices to decide on my situation. Once again thank you all for your advices.
more...
EkAurAaya
05-22 04:54 PM
at the rate my lawyer is going, i will be lucky if it gets filled before June 30th! :D so rest assured I'm filing after 10th!
santb1975
02-14 12:03 AM
These are lengthy but...
Have you heard of the issues faced by Higly skilled Legal Immigrants in US?. Visit Immigration Voice.org
Are you a Highly Skilled Legal Immigrant unable to use your skills and serve United States?
Have you heard of the issues faced by Higly skilled Legal Immigrants in US?. Visit Immigration Voice.org
Are you a Highly Skilled Legal Immigrant unable to use your skills and serve United States?
more...
vegasbaby
02-19 07:23 PM
I thought this might be of your interest.
Home - Upgrading to EB2: Can I use the same job? (http://www.immigration-information.com/forums/content/155-upgrading-to-eb2-can-i-use-the-same-job.html)
Home - Upgrading to EB2: Can I use the same job? (http://www.immigration-information.com/forums/content/155-upgrading-to-eb2-can-i-use-the-same-job.html)
gimme Green!!
07-31 02:06 PM
My understanding is once you use the EAD, your H4 & H1 status is no longer valid and you cannot have the H visas for backup. Hence the need to get AP, etc, rathgere than reenter on H visa. Check with an attorney.
I have a question, if H4 use EAD for employment and is allowed to keep her H4 status , how come a H1b who still work full time for his sponsor employer looses his H1B status when he finds a part-time job using EAD ?
I have a question, if H4 use EAD for employment and is allowed to keep her H4 status , how come a H1b who still work full time for his sponsor employer looses his H1B status when he finds a part-time job using EAD ?
.JPG "Madrid+vs+arcelona+live")
lahiribaba
07-05 04:58 PM
I live in SF Bay area.
Not that I am getting paranoid, I suspect social issues if economy worsens..Rising crime and other social issues do come up in tough economic conditions.
Recently one of my friends was targeted in a racial abuse, something which was unheard in the area where I live in. I see gang signs allover the area where I live. It was not like that one year ago.
Bull***t!
Not that I am getting paranoid, I suspect social issues if economy worsens..Rising crime and other social issues do come up in tough economic conditions.
Recently one of my friends was targeted in a racial abuse, something which was unheard in the area where I live in. I see gang signs allover the area where I live. It was not like that one year ago.
Bull***t!
immig4me
04-14 08:17 AM
Problem is they do not report it on froum or tracker, and leave the forum for ever... because they know there will be a lot of people asking questions or making them miserable by trying to prove them wrong... go figure...
Be + ive...
True Story!!!:cool:
Very true! They will count their blessings and forget the bad taste of long waits.......
I am not sure that gc's without pds happen though
Be + ive...
True Story!!!:cool:
Very true! They will count their blessings and forget the bad taste of long waits.......
I am not sure that gc's without pds happen though
laborinbacklog
09-29 09:03 AM
We have taken indian jewellary with us when we travelled to India. I dont think it is a problem and you dont have to declare it in customs. I think if you are carrying cold in the form on coins or bars, you will have to pay customs. I dont remember but it says in the customs form that personal jewellary need not be mentioned. I would check the india's customs website.
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