jayleno
11-20 09:22 PM
Great oppurtunity(....I mean bump).
ksrk
06-29 03:36 PM
Has anybody recently applied for a Schengen Visa, if yes, can you please let me know what you did for the travel insurance. The insurance from my employer (Humana) says they cover international but do not have a letter that states the same and Swedish consulate website says the letter should specifically say "International Coverage".
What are my options. Can you guys suggest where I can buy the insurance from.
I used TravelGuard. It was perfectly suited for the Schengen visa application. It cost ~$30 for the coverage amount the visa requires. There might be others, but this worked really well for me.
What are my options. Can you guys suggest where I can buy the insurance from.
I used TravelGuard. It was perfectly suited for the Schengen visa application. It cost ~$30 for the coverage amount the visa requires. There might be others, but this worked really well for me.
GreenCard4US
08-21 02:22 PM
Thank you very much for your quick reponse. Can I invoke AC21 now when an RFE is pending? Also, since I had already joined company C when I applied for 485, can I still invoke AC21. Do I reply to the RFE first and then invoke AC 21 or as part of RFE can I invoke AC21? Thanks again.
spicy_guy
03-28 11:45 PM
If you are on H1 and employer is not paying weather or not you are on bench, you must report that to DOL. There is a form w-4 (I don't exactly remember the form).
Employee must be paid ALL THE TIME on H1. Period.
That's the law.
Problem for you is, technically you will be out of status if you are not paid.
Employee must be paid ALL THE TIME on H1. Period.
That's the law.
Problem for you is, technically you will be out of status if you are not paid.
more...
jags_e
08-30 02:58 PM
There is a main article on the reverse brain drain in EE Times and it mentions the IV's September 18 rally too.
The link is http://www.eetimes.com/news/latest/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=314X3PTACJUWMQSNDLOSK HSCJUNN2JVN;?articleID=201802703
EE Times: Latest News
Green-card red tape sends valuable engineers packing
Disenchanted with life in immigration limbo, San Antonio resident Praveen Arumbakkam is abandoning his American dream and returning to his native India.
A senior programmer at a fast-growing IT company, Arumbakkam volunteered for the Red Cross in Texas after Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005. He worked on disaster recovery management software to locate displaced persons, track donations and organize aid distribution.
He had hoped to start a nonprofit disaster recovery management solutions company in the United States, but now he's decided he doesn't want to wait any longer for his green card.
When professionals such as Arumbakkam give up on the States, it creates serious economic consequences, said Vivek Wadhwa, lead author of a study on the subject released last week.
"We've set the stage here for a massive reverse brain drain," said Wadhwa, Wertheim Fellow at Harvard Law School's Labor and Worklife Program.
By the end of fiscal 2006, half a million foreign nationals living in the U.S. were waiting for employment-based green cards, according to the study, released by the nonprofit Kauffman Foundation. Titled "Intellectual Property, the Immigration Backlog, and a Reverse Brain-Drain," the study was based on research by Duke, Harvard and New York University. If spouses and children are included, the number exceeds 1 million.
The study looked at the three main types of employment-based green cards, which cover skill-based immigrants and their immediate families. Including pros- pective immigrants awaiting U.S. legal permanent resident status but living abroad, the numbers hit almost 600,000 in the first group and almost 1.2 million in the second.
The number of available green cards in the three categories totals approximately 120,000. "If there are over a million persons in line for 120,000 visas a year, then we have already mortgaged almost nine years' worth of employment visas," said study author Guillermina Jasso, an NYU sociology professor.
The report also notes that foreign nationals were listed as inventors or co-inventors on 25.6 percent of the international-patent app-lications filed from the United States in 2006, up from 7.6 percent in 1998.
U.S. companies bring in many highly skilled foreigners on temporary visas and train them in U.S. business practices, noted Wadhwa, an executive in residence at Duke University's Pratt School of Engineering. Those workers are then forced to leave, and "they become our competitors. That's as stupid as it gets," he said. "How can this country be so dumb as to bring people in on temporary visas, train them in our way of doing business and then send them back to compete with us?"
Many in the engineering profession argue that American tech employers take advantage of the work visa system for their own benefit. They state that though there is plenty of American engineering talent available, employers use the programs to hire cheaper foreign labor.
And others counter the concern that large numbers of foreign residents will depart America. Most immigrants who have waited years for green cards will remain firm in their resolve, given the time and effort they have already invested, believes Norm Matloff, a computer science professor at the University of California at Davis. "People are here because they want to be here," he said. "They place a high value on immigrating."
But while Arumbakkam wants to be here, he has had enough of waiting. And his story is typical of those foreign-born tech professionals who return home.
In July 2001, the then 27-year-old Arumbakkam arrived on a student visa to get his master's in information technology at Clarkson University in Potsdam, New York. He has a bachelor's degree from the highly ranked University of Madras in southern India.
Arumbakkam said he "pretty much loved the society and the infrastructure for advanced education" in the States. In the post-Sept. 11 climate toward foreigners, however, he found it difficult to get work. After sending out countless resumes, he took an internship in Baltimore, followed by a job in Michigan.
That post didn't bring him any closer to his goal of permanent residency, however. He next took a job in San Antonio and insisted his employer secure him a green card. About that time, the government established an "application backlog elimination" center. "My application went straight into this chasm. I don't know what happened after that," he said. "That was pretty much a blow."
In 2005, he landed his current job, where he's happy with the work environment and the salary. His employer applied for a green card when the government rolled out an online system that was supposed to streamline the process.
But since then, with two applications in the works, Arumbakkam has been waiting-and waiting. In the meantime, his work status can't change, meaning no pay raises or promotions.
Page 2 of 2
Arumbakkam knows plenty of others in the same boat. In early 2006, he ran across Immigration Voice, a nonprofit national group that supports changes in immigration law affecting highly skilled workers. The 22,000-member organization includes professionals in a wide range of fields, from engineers and doctors to architects. Many have families, and all are stuck in the legal process.
"I heard horror stories," said Arumbakkam. One is the tale of a quality assurance engineer employed by a midsized consulting firm in Oklahoma working with Fortune 50 companies. The Indian engineer was hired at a salary that was 30 percent lower than he expected. This was in exchange for the promise that his employer would file a green card application. He was told the money would go to attorneys' fees.
For four years, the engineer asked about his application and was repeatedly told it was coming along. The employer blamed the slow progress on the law firm. In fact, the employer had never filed the application. Finally, the engineer found other work and restarted his efforts to obtain permanent residence.
In another case, a senior strategic projects manager who has an engineering background and is working for a Fortune 100 company has been waiting 13 years for his green card, Arumbakkam said.
That manager, also Indian, applied for permanent residency in Canada at the same time he applied for it in the States. After 18 months, Canada offered it to him and his family. His wife and children moved to Vancouver, B.C., where he visits regularly while waiting for a change in his U.S. residency status.
Indians in the United States often have too much trust in their employers and lack knowledge of resources that could help them understand their immigration options, Arumbakkam said. He plans to attend an Immigration Voice rally in Washington on Sept. 18 to urge congressional action on immigration.
But he isn't optimistic. "I just feel that I'm getting pushed further down as far as my career is concerned," he said.
...................
The link is http://www.eetimes.com/news/latest/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=314X3PTACJUWMQSNDLOSK HSCJUNN2JVN;?articleID=201802703
EE Times: Latest News
Green-card red tape sends valuable engineers packing
Disenchanted with life in immigration limbo, San Antonio resident Praveen Arumbakkam is abandoning his American dream and returning to his native India.
A senior programmer at a fast-growing IT company, Arumbakkam volunteered for the Red Cross in Texas after Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005. He worked on disaster recovery management software to locate displaced persons, track donations and organize aid distribution.
He had hoped to start a nonprofit disaster recovery management solutions company in the United States, but now he's decided he doesn't want to wait any longer for his green card.
When professionals such as Arumbakkam give up on the States, it creates serious economic consequences, said Vivek Wadhwa, lead author of a study on the subject released last week.
"We've set the stage here for a massive reverse brain drain," said Wadhwa, Wertheim Fellow at Harvard Law School's Labor and Worklife Program.
By the end of fiscal 2006, half a million foreign nationals living in the U.S. were waiting for employment-based green cards, according to the study, released by the nonprofit Kauffman Foundation. Titled "Intellectual Property, the Immigration Backlog, and a Reverse Brain-Drain," the study was based on research by Duke, Harvard and New York University. If spouses and children are included, the number exceeds 1 million.
The study looked at the three main types of employment-based green cards, which cover skill-based immigrants and their immediate families. Including pros- pective immigrants awaiting U.S. legal permanent resident status but living abroad, the numbers hit almost 600,000 in the first group and almost 1.2 million in the second.
The number of available green cards in the three categories totals approximately 120,000. "If there are over a million persons in line for 120,000 visas a year, then we have already mortgaged almost nine years' worth of employment visas," said study author Guillermina Jasso, an NYU sociology professor.
The report also notes that foreign nationals were listed as inventors or co-inventors on 25.6 percent of the international-patent app-lications filed from the United States in 2006, up from 7.6 percent in 1998.
U.S. companies bring in many highly skilled foreigners on temporary visas and train them in U.S. business practices, noted Wadhwa, an executive in residence at Duke University's Pratt School of Engineering. Those workers are then forced to leave, and "they become our competitors. That's as stupid as it gets," he said. "How can this country be so dumb as to bring people in on temporary visas, train them in our way of doing business and then send them back to compete with us?"
Many in the engineering profession argue that American tech employers take advantage of the work visa system for their own benefit. They state that though there is plenty of American engineering talent available, employers use the programs to hire cheaper foreign labor.
And others counter the concern that large numbers of foreign residents will depart America. Most immigrants who have waited years for green cards will remain firm in their resolve, given the time and effort they have already invested, believes Norm Matloff, a computer science professor at the University of California at Davis. "People are here because they want to be here," he said. "They place a high value on immigrating."
But while Arumbakkam wants to be here, he has had enough of waiting. And his story is typical of those foreign-born tech professionals who return home.
In July 2001, the then 27-year-old Arumbakkam arrived on a student visa to get his master's in information technology at Clarkson University in Potsdam, New York. He has a bachelor's degree from the highly ranked University of Madras in southern India.
Arumbakkam said he "pretty much loved the society and the infrastructure for advanced education" in the States. In the post-Sept. 11 climate toward foreigners, however, he found it difficult to get work. After sending out countless resumes, he took an internship in Baltimore, followed by a job in Michigan.
That post didn't bring him any closer to his goal of permanent residency, however. He next took a job in San Antonio and insisted his employer secure him a green card. About that time, the government established an "application backlog elimination" center. "My application went straight into this chasm. I don't know what happened after that," he said. "That was pretty much a blow."
In 2005, he landed his current job, where he's happy with the work environment and the salary. His employer applied for a green card when the government rolled out an online system that was supposed to streamline the process.
But since then, with two applications in the works, Arumbakkam has been waiting-and waiting. In the meantime, his work status can't change, meaning no pay raises or promotions.
Page 2 of 2
Arumbakkam knows plenty of others in the same boat. In early 2006, he ran across Immigration Voice, a nonprofit national group that supports changes in immigration law affecting highly skilled workers. The 22,000-member organization includes professionals in a wide range of fields, from engineers and doctors to architects. Many have families, and all are stuck in the legal process.
"I heard horror stories," said Arumbakkam. One is the tale of a quality assurance engineer employed by a midsized consulting firm in Oklahoma working with Fortune 50 companies. The Indian engineer was hired at a salary that was 30 percent lower than he expected. This was in exchange for the promise that his employer would file a green card application. He was told the money would go to attorneys' fees.
For four years, the engineer asked about his application and was repeatedly told it was coming along. The employer blamed the slow progress on the law firm. In fact, the employer had never filed the application. Finally, the engineer found other work and restarted his efforts to obtain permanent residence.
In another case, a senior strategic projects manager who has an engineering background and is working for a Fortune 100 company has been waiting 13 years for his green card, Arumbakkam said.
That manager, also Indian, applied for permanent residency in Canada at the same time he applied for it in the States. After 18 months, Canada offered it to him and his family. His wife and children moved to Vancouver, B.C., where he visits regularly while waiting for a change in his U.S. residency status.
Indians in the United States often have too much trust in their employers and lack knowledge of resources that could help them understand their immigration options, Arumbakkam said. He plans to attend an Immigration Voice rally in Washington on Sept. 18 to urge congressional action on immigration.
But he isn't optimistic. "I just feel that I'm getting pushed further down as far as my career is concerned," he said.
...................
MetteBB
05-11 04:01 PM
Oh... I didnt realise. Well atleast now he has some to chose from, i dont mind ;)
�
Just passing time anyway. Messed up my Flash MX 2004 instalation and can't get it to work again.... :( (which has nothing to do with stamps I know... nm)
/mette
�
Just passing time anyway. Messed up my Flash MX 2004 instalation and can't get it to work again.... :( (which has nothing to do with stamps I know... nm)
/mette
more...
nolud
02-11 03:33 PM
I received a letter from uscis/DHS on Jan 28.
It was in response to my request about my wifes I-485 being in namecheck for a long time.
The response stated:
"The review of our records indicate that the investigation into your background has been completed. The processing of your case has been delayed because the requirement review is still in process."
Does this mean that the namecheck has been completed?
What is "requirement review"?
Did anyone else get this type of letter?
Wifes Case dates:
PD - Jul 2003
Interview Date - Jan 4 2006
Type - Family based ( on marriage )
Info Pass - Sep 2007
Last FP - Oct 2007
LUD - 10/2007 ( probably because of FP )
Current Status:
On October 7, 2003, we received this I485 APPLICATION TO REGISTER PERMANENT RESIDENCE OR TO ADJUST STATUS, and mailed you a notice describing how we will process your case. Please follow any instructions on this notice. We will notify you by mail when we make a decision or if we need something from you. If you move while this case is pending, call customer service. We process cases in the order we receive them. You can use our processing dates to estimate when yours will be done. This case is at our NATIONAL BENEFITS CENTER location. Follow the link below to check processing dates. You can also receive automatic e-mail updates as we process your case. Just follow the link below to register.
Note: If this is the wrong forum/area, please advise where is this question best suited for...
Thanks to ALL
It was in response to my request about my wifes I-485 being in namecheck for a long time.
The response stated:
"The review of our records indicate that the investigation into your background has been completed. The processing of your case has been delayed because the requirement review is still in process."
Does this mean that the namecheck has been completed?
What is "requirement review"?
Did anyone else get this type of letter?
Wifes Case dates:
PD - Jul 2003
Interview Date - Jan 4 2006
Type - Family based ( on marriage )
Info Pass - Sep 2007
Last FP - Oct 2007
LUD - 10/2007 ( probably because of FP )
Current Status:
On October 7, 2003, we received this I485 APPLICATION TO REGISTER PERMANENT RESIDENCE OR TO ADJUST STATUS, and mailed you a notice describing how we will process your case. Please follow any instructions on this notice. We will notify you by mail when we make a decision or if we need something from you. If you move while this case is pending, call customer service. We process cases in the order we receive them. You can use our processing dates to estimate when yours will be done. This case is at our NATIONAL BENEFITS CENTER location. Follow the link below to check processing dates. You can also receive automatic e-mail updates as we process your case. Just follow the link below to register.
Note: If this is the wrong forum/area, please advise where is this question best suited for...
Thanks to ALL
newhandle
03-05 08:17 PM
If it is through your Spouse then do not have to worry? What was period of this of this work? If it is only this year some CPA can do magic
As I mentioned earlier, my case is family-based. I'm in F1 visa status so the 245 provision doesn't apply to me. The period of work is hard to calculate. Since I never actively participated in my own business, I don't recall ever working for more than a few hours each month.
I suppose the question boils down to this: Should I, or shouldn't I disclose my self employment to CIS?
As I mentioned earlier, my case is family-based. I'm in F1 visa status so the 245 provision doesn't apply to me. The period of work is hard to calculate. Since I never actively participated in my own business, I don't recall ever working for more than a few hours each month.
I suppose the question boils down to this: Should I, or shouldn't I disclose my self employment to CIS?
more...
fromnaija
03-08 05:53 PM
Did you file to change to H4 after your H1 transfer was rejected? If you did not, you might want to talk to a lawyer as you may probably be out of status.
Hi,
My husband filed I485 in August 2007 and included me as derivative. I also hold H1B visa from January 2005. I entered US in H4 visa in 2001 and later converted to H1. My questions and concerns are will the immigration officer will dig into my employment history starting from Jan 2005 till now and ask for paystubs and w2 etc. I submitted 3 months paystubs along with I485 form. Is that just enough? I have sleepless nights nowadays. This is my situation. Employer A who got me H1B initially in 2005 could not get me a project continuously for about one year. So later I tranferred my H1 to another company B. Company B got me project and started working for company B after a long gap. Subsequently my H1 tranfer to company B was rejected during Feb 2007 due to some reason. Since I was in a project, company B again filed for another H1 transfer through it's another sister company C in March 2007. Got RFE and because of abondonment it was also rejected in October 2007. While I filed I485, I submitted 3 months paystubs of company C. My concern is will I be scrutinized by the immigration officer while processing my I485? Please experts, your suggestion and help is much appreciated.
Hi,
My husband filed I485 in August 2007 and included me as derivative. I also hold H1B visa from January 2005. I entered US in H4 visa in 2001 and later converted to H1. My questions and concerns are will the immigration officer will dig into my employment history starting from Jan 2005 till now and ask for paystubs and w2 etc. I submitted 3 months paystubs along with I485 form. Is that just enough? I have sleepless nights nowadays. This is my situation. Employer A who got me H1B initially in 2005 could not get me a project continuously for about one year. So later I tranferred my H1 to another company B. Company B got me project and started working for company B after a long gap. Subsequently my H1 tranfer to company B was rejected during Feb 2007 due to some reason. Since I was in a project, company B again filed for another H1 transfer through it's another sister company C in March 2007. Got RFE and because of abondonment it was also rejected in October 2007. While I filed I485, I submitted 3 months paystubs of company C. My concern is will I be scrutinized by the immigration officer while processing my I485? Please experts, your suggestion and help is much appreciated.
illinois_alum
07-13 08:43 PM
Why does everyone think it can only be something that the USCIS has the power/authority to act on by themselves. It's been almost two weeks since this fiasco started and they may have been meeting with the right people to put something together.
Because in the 2 weeks since - there has been no bill introduced in either the House or Senate. Moreover, the bill would have to be "debated" and then passed in both houses and then signed by Bush. After Bush signs it, it would come into effect after a certain time period.
Because in the 2 weeks since - there has been no bill introduced in either the House or Senate. Moreover, the bill would have to be "debated" and then passed in both houses and then signed by Bush. After Bush signs it, it would come into effect after a certain time period.
more...
paskal
02-14 07:49 PM
I wished too :), though i am happy helping Paskal in his efforts now :)
the immediate task at hand is to collect letters for the admin. reform campaign
legislation will happen at it's own pace as we all know by now.
http://www.helpniloufer.org/
this wonderful blog created by needhelp! will make it easy..find a template, addresses to mail and oodles of inspiration!!
the immediate task at hand is to collect letters for the admin. reform campaign
legislation will happen at it's own pace as we all know by now.
http://www.helpniloufer.org/
this wonderful blog created by needhelp! will make it easy..find a template, addresses to mail and oodles of inspiration!!
chee
02-15 10:11 AM
My I140 is pending since MAR 07 (waiting for almost a year)from NSC...still no LUD or decision...its very frustrating:confused:
more...
glus
07-17 04:46 PM
Guys,
August visa bulletin does not look good, but see point D which states that I485 in in JULY will be accepted.
D. JULY EMPLOYMENT-BASED VISA AVAILABILITY
After consulting with Citizenship and Immigration Services, the Visa Office advises readers that Visa Bulletin #107 (dated June 12) should be relied upon as the current July Visa Bulletin for purposes of determining Employment visa number availability, and that Visa Bulletin #108 (dated July 2) is hereby withdraw
http://www.travel.state.gov/visa/frvi/bulletin/bulletin_3269.html:D
August visa bulletin does not look good, but see point D which states that I485 in in JULY will be accepted.
D. JULY EMPLOYMENT-BASED VISA AVAILABILITY
After consulting with Citizenship and Immigration Services, the Visa Office advises readers that Visa Bulletin #107 (dated June 12) should be relied upon as the current July Visa Bulletin for purposes of determining Employment visa number availability, and that Visa Bulletin #108 (dated July 2) is hereby withdraw
http://www.travel.state.gov/visa/frvi/bulletin/bulletin_3269.html:D
saimrathi
08-10 04:07 PM
Can't attend.. Contributed $100 towards the cause..
more...
Hopeful123
05-19 06:45 PM
Has anybody in this group(i.e. whose I-140 was transferred to TSC from NSC recently) seen any movements in their case? I am in the same boat, I-140 filed May'07 at NSC and moved to TSC in Apr'08. I saw one more related thread but haven't seen any approvals recently.
http://immigrationvoice.org/forum/showthread.php?t=18566
Please do update if you have any recent updates. Thank you
http://immigrationvoice.org/forum/showthread.php?t=18566
Please do update if you have any recent updates. Thank you
mundada
09-05 04:54 PM
no you do not have to wait.
more...
SeanDell
06-04 10:35 PM
?
I_need_GC
10-24 11:33 AM
Ok Guru's I am in an awkward situation. My GC got approved some time in Aug 2008. But before the approval of my GC my wife in india applied for H4 visa based on my H1b. The consulate approved her H4 and stamped it on her passport last month. Even though I am on GC now. i have files I-824 for her Follow to Join.
Now the question I have is.
1- Can she travel to US on that H4 (the visa stamp is valid till 2010)?
2- If the CBP agents at the aiport let her in the country can I file for her I-485 and have her wait here on AOS?
Let me know what you guys think. On mountain crossed and still more hills keep coming.
Now the question I have is.
1- Can she travel to US on that H4 (the visa stamp is valid till 2010)?
2- If the CBP agents at the aiport let her in the country can I file for her I-485 and have her wait here on AOS?
Let me know what you guys think. On mountain crossed and still more hills keep coming.
pyrosleepy
04-30 02:58 PM
Not Yet...But murthy.com says they are considering to reinstate PP for I-140. Check murthy.com for more information on this
I did not see it in murthy.com. Can you please paste the link or the text.
Thanks,
I did not see it in murthy.com. Can you please paste the link or the text.
Thanks,
check_rd
11-06 05:39 PM
Yes i had also applied OCI for my child about 6 months back and was denied since we parents hold indian citizenship. Does anybody know that registering every 6 months is a must ? Some of my friends have permanentely gone back to India i am not sure what they are doing though since there kids hold US Citizenship. Any infomation on this will be helpful.
Pineapple
08-05 11:53 PM
I put in "maybe", because I'm not sure of my schedule.. (I have to travel monday to friday..every freaking week.. I hate it more than you can imagine, but I don't have a choice there).. if my schedule changes, I'll be there for sure. I've updated my profile.
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