hemasar
05-24 10:10 AM
I thought this would be the most appropriate place to post.
I am on my 3rd year of H1-B (non-technical field), just moved to a new company and was going to start my process toward getting a gc in the next month or so. Now, with all of this, I am very confused.
Do you folks think that it is most appropriate to sit tight and wait to see what happens? or to just go for it now?
I'd appreciate your input, as I have to make a decision soon.
If your employer is sponsoring your GC (LC and I140 by spending their money) then go for it.
I am on my 3rd year of H1-B (non-technical field), just moved to a new company and was going to start my process toward getting a gc in the next month or so. Now, with all of this, I am very confused.
Do you folks think that it is most appropriate to sit tight and wait to see what happens? or to just go for it now?
I'd appreciate your input, as I have to make a decision soon.
If your employer is sponsoring your GC (LC and I140 by spending their money) then go for it.
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hebron
06-21 12:23 PM
suggestions? ^^^^^^^
gene-O
10-20 05:57 PM
Still looking for a knowledgeable response specifically to the questions asked.
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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.
more...
gcwait2007
07-20 11:26 AM
Another simple option - Enjoy some time with her, take her to different places and forget about this craziness that is going around. After marriage, man, believe me, you will get enough time to browse through immigration related web site.
Nice suggestion, buddy :p
New Delhi Embassy still have Aug 2007 dates available
Nice suggestion, buddy :p
New Delhi Embassy still have Aug 2007 dates available
joshraj
10-03 02:44 PM
Lets Keep Our fingers Crossed :) and PRAY :)
more...
jonty_11
07-16 07:09 PM
It would help if you guys provide ur PDs to get an idea what PD folks are getting CP interview calls?
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JunRN
12-18 08:07 AM
AC21 is quite tricky. There is no hard and fast rule that if the ONET number is similar, USCIS will automatically rule in favor of the change. IO's will still look at the details of each job requirements and will check if it matches the requirements in the Labor Certification.
ONET number will somehow help specially if it falls under one category or number and the new job title is listed as sample. But remember, USCIS will still look at the details and will not rely on just the title.
ONET number will somehow help specially if it falls under one category or number and the new job title is listed as sample. But remember, USCIS will still look at the details and will not rely on just the title.
more...
garry_kay
06-20 11:52 AM
Finally This Is My Turn To Rejoice. My Lawyer Email Me Saying That She Got Off From Phone From Dol And My Lc Is Approved.
1)how Long It Takes For The Physical Paper To Arrive? Do We Need That Physical Paper To File For 140 And 485?
2)the Online Status Still Shows "in Process"
Gurus, Please Help Me
Congrats!! Do you know when your case was activated from the backlog center - the day when your lawyers got the recruitment activation notice?
1)how Long It Takes For The Physical Paper To Arrive? Do We Need That Physical Paper To File For 140 And 485?
2)the Online Status Still Shows "in Process"
Gurus, Please Help Me
Congrats!! Do you know when your case was activated from the backlog center - the day when your lawyers got the recruitment activation notice?
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abhijitp
06-21 02:48 PM
Also : 140 gets rejected in following cases:
1. Degree compatability
2. Exp + degree in EB2
3. Financial ability of firm - this only with bad records
i dont see any other reason why 140 should be rejected i am not over optimistic but any one can comment on these it would great.
BigBoy, it can get an RFE bcos of insufficient evidence to support "EB-2". A rejection can also happen for trivial reasons e.g. my labor cert was first rejected for a typo (incorrect date), and we had to re-file a week later.
I spoke to my attorney/HR and they are ok to premium process my first I-140 (which is categorized incorrectly as EB-3 by the paralegal, although the covering letter for that I-140 clearly says EB-2.)
But my Successor in interest application cannot be premium processed as the original labor app was attached to the first I-140. Apparently there is a rule you can only premium process an I-140 which has the original labor cert attached.
When I asked my attorney if USCIS will return the original labor cert at the end of the first I-140 decision, she said NO, it is not returned!! Is this true? I was hoping to at least get hold of that original labor cert, so that if the I-140 is somehow rejected then I could use the original labor cert to file a new I-140 successor in interest application under premium processing.
Comments/suggestions welcome.
Thanks!
Abhijit
1. Degree compatability
2. Exp + degree in EB2
3. Financial ability of firm - this only with bad records
i dont see any other reason why 140 should be rejected i am not over optimistic but any one can comment on these it would great.
BigBoy, it can get an RFE bcos of insufficient evidence to support "EB-2". A rejection can also happen for trivial reasons e.g. my labor cert was first rejected for a typo (incorrect date), and we had to re-file a week later.
I spoke to my attorney/HR and they are ok to premium process my first I-140 (which is categorized incorrectly as EB-3 by the paralegal, although the covering letter for that I-140 clearly says EB-2.)
But my Successor in interest application cannot be premium processed as the original labor app was attached to the first I-140. Apparently there is a rule you can only premium process an I-140 which has the original labor cert attached.
When I asked my attorney if USCIS will return the original labor cert at the end of the first I-140 decision, she said NO, it is not returned!! Is this true? I was hoping to at least get hold of that original labor cert, so that if the I-140 is somehow rejected then I could use the original labor cert to file a new I-140 successor in interest application under premium processing.
Comments/suggestions welcome.
Thanks!
Abhijit
more...
485Mbe4001
11-14 06:48 PM
ask him to fax you the copy of the letter he got from BEC, something is not right here. Show it to another lawyer. Looks like he made a mistake when he filed for your labor.
My RIR is rejected. My LC is still pending.
My lawyer says it is moved to TR queue
If My case is moved to TR queue, does it mean very significant delay in getting my LC? Because in such a case this is my breaking point.Ready to quit and give up after these years and years if pain
My RIR is rejected. My LC is still pending.
My lawyer says it is moved to TR queue
If My case is moved to TR queue, does it mean very significant delay in getting my LC? Because in such a case this is my breaking point.Ready to quit and give up after these years and years if pain
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123456mg
07-25 07:58 PM
Come on Saroj76, I know you were drunk when you posted this message that has nothing to do with the discussion thread. I wonder to see if you are doing a kind of advertisement for this lawyer in this forum. Just to let you know, this is not meant for advertisement of your buddies but a serious discussion. You are hereby warned.
He handled my case from OPT, to H1B, to Green Card. He is a very professional lawer and very responsible. He replies emails right away and answers phone calls. On the top of that his fees are much less compared to all these big law firms. I was really satisfied and impressed by his service. I would have stayed with him but my company got bought out by another big firm, so I had to switch the law firm. Check out his website.
http://webberlaw.com/
He handled my case from OPT, to H1B, to Green Card. He is a very professional lawer and very responsible. He replies emails right away and answers phone calls. On the top of that his fees are much less compared to all these big law firms. I was really satisfied and impressed by his service. I would have stayed with him but my company got bought out by another big firm, so I had to switch the law firm. Check out his website.
http://webberlaw.com/
more...
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gcdreamer05
03-13 10:11 AM
congrats man , have fun put up a big party rock and roll and jump man jump....... after so many years u got ur green..........
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imm_pro
08-15 05:33 PM
Couldn't resist opening a new thread and sharing this with fellow IVians.
We got our green cards today. It is actually green (in the back).
Another announcement is that I recently relocated to northern Mississippi. Would like to join up with other state chapter members. I am willing to coordinate with the group in Memphis TN.
Thanks IV. I and my spouse benefited a lot from the July 2007VB and the work IV did concerning it. So, I will do more than just stick around but continue to be active as usual. The system is still broken and we will have to work to fix it.
Hearty Congratulations..and please continue to support IV
We got our green cards today. It is actually green (in the back).
Another announcement is that I recently relocated to northern Mississippi. Would like to join up with other state chapter members. I am willing to coordinate with the group in Memphis TN.
Thanks IV. I and my spouse benefited a lot from the July 2007VB and the work IV did concerning it. So, I will do more than just stick around but continue to be active as usual. The system is still broken and we will have to work to fix it.
Hearty Congratulations..and please continue to support IV
more...
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somegchuh
06-11 12:49 PM
I assume you mean "Be prepared for some grilling ....".
I don't see why US would care if I am returning back in a week with a valid GC. I can imagine canadians asking me if I have abandoned my canadian PR status or not.
For some grilling by both CBP in the US and also their Canadian counterpart. You should've surrendered the Canadian PR or US GC based on where you wanted to live permanently. It's not illegal to be a PR of both countries, but if the Canadians know and if you've claimed any sort of health insurance in Canada, they'll send you a bill for it. All this is not to scare you, but first hand experience of my cousin who lives on the border and works for a Detroit based company.
I don't see why US would care if I am returning back in a week with a valid GC. I can imagine canadians asking me if I have abandoned my canadian PR status or not.
For some grilling by both CBP in the US and also their Canadian counterpart. You should've surrendered the Canadian PR or US GC based on where you wanted to live permanently. It's not illegal to be a PR of both countries, but if the Canadians know and if you've claimed any sort of health insurance in Canada, they'll send you a bill for it. All this is not to scare you, but first hand experience of my cousin who lives on the border and works for a Detroit based company.
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ram04
10-20 08:43 PM
If your new company is paying the fee use company attorney else stick with old attorney.
Make sure the new attorney is good and capble of handling your case.
I have followed first option in my case which is similar to yours and ofcourse my new corporate attorney is equally good.
Hope this helps to decide further.
Make sure the new attorney is good and capble of handling your case.
I have followed first option in my case which is similar to yours and ofcourse my new corporate attorney is equally good.
Hope this helps to decide further.
more...
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sammyb
09-04 05:31 PM
I already got a denial of my wife's application and had to pay $585 for the MTR :mad: ... that would be a nice source of revenue for the agency...
They have to advance the dates down the line to get more fees in order to keep the dumdums employed at the USCIS.........
That does not mean it translates into GCs.....its just more people get EADs and APs and continued revenue for USCIS.
I also won't be surprized if the fees go up in the next round.
Also until the CIR is passed there is no way they will eliminate the backlog as that will mean giving up their "cash cows"===a.k.a "us".......
Here is what I beleive will happen until amnesty is enacted(whether we like it or not our fate is tied to the illegals):
1. Dates will be moved forward and backward randomly to get more fees from new and old suckers like us(everytime the dates move fwd they raise our hopes and we hang on longer).....they don't want us to leave...they just want us to keep paying for their jobs...so as Obama says......"keep the HOPE train alive" even if its not moving an inch.
2. Increase the fees.....
3. Increase the rate of denials: more denials mean more MTRs mean more revenue......
Its a business and you will do whatever to survive.........nothing personal........
They have to advance the dates down the line to get more fees in order to keep the dumdums employed at the USCIS.........
That does not mean it translates into GCs.....its just more people get EADs and APs and continued revenue for USCIS.
I also won't be surprized if the fees go up in the next round.
Also until the CIR is passed there is no way they will eliminate the backlog as that will mean giving up their "cash cows"===a.k.a "us".......
Here is what I beleive will happen until amnesty is enacted(whether we like it or not our fate is tied to the illegals):
1. Dates will be moved forward and backward randomly to get more fees from new and old suckers like us(everytime the dates move fwd they raise our hopes and we hang on longer).....they don't want us to leave...they just want us to keep paying for their jobs...so as Obama says......"keep the HOPE train alive" even if its not moving an inch.
2. Increase the fees.....
3. Increase the rate of denials: more denials mean more MTRs mean more revenue......
Its a business and you will do whatever to survive.........nothing personal........
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lazycis
04-17 04:51 PM
see http://bibdaily.com/pdfs/Pegasus%203-31-08.pdf
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dontcareanymore
06-18 02:38 PM
I am assuming your GC is "employment based".
If so , the basis of your GC application and hence I485 is your employment. The moment you don't have employment , you loose the basis for your application.
By applying for the benefits , you are risking your application for GC. I thought there was a case where a person got denial based on their application for unemployment benefits.
If so , the basis of your GC application and hence I485 is your employment. The moment you don't have employment , you loose the basis for your application.
By applying for the benefits , you are risking your application for GC. I thought there was a case where a person got denial based on their application for unemployment benefits.
saileshdude
07-26 07:58 PM
It is best that you never be out of job. If you lose job, try to get one ASAP. It normally takes a month or two to get one if you work hard and try
Hi Chandu
Were you able to talk to any good immigration attorney regarding what happens if I-140 is revoked. You can PM me to let me know.
Thanks.
Hi Chandu
Were you able to talk to any good immigration attorney regarding what happens if I-140 is revoked. You can PM me to let me know.
Thanks.
StuckInTheMuck
07-11 12:27 PM
I was not aware that you needed an FP for EAD renewal as well. Could you please clarify?
You can get EAD without FP (the card will say "Fingerprint not available"), but if you e-file your renewal application, you will get a call for FP (paper-filing renewal does not require FP). As I said, I deliberately e-filed for that FP call so I can get into the local USCIS office, and then persuade them to take my I485 FP as well.
You can get EAD without FP (the card will say "Fingerprint not available"), but if you e-file your renewal application, you will get a call for FP (paper-filing renewal does not require FP). As I said, I deliberately e-filed for that FP call so I can get into the local USCIS office, and then persuade them to take my I485 FP as well.