needhelp!
06-11 05:52 PM
A Great Big Thank You to all of you who have been Contributing to enable IV to organize an event of this proportion.
My sincere gratitude for the countless hours/days/weeks/months that IV leadership has donated in doing the background work and getting the advocacy days put together. Special thanks to Aman, Himanshu, Pratik, Anu, Jay, Sivkanth, Gopal, Puneet, Kiran, Meenal, Prasad, Bimal, Vikrant, Devang, Ravi, Renji, Ameet & all the DC folk who arranged for out-of-staters to stay in their homes and helped with all the logistics. I got to witness your contributions first-hand. Thank You to your families who supported you and to all the other volunteers working remotely and finally to the ones that I inadvertently left out, a humongous thanks to you too! Kudos to the member from California who attended the event despite having a sick baby at home. Many many attendees have made many many personal sacrifices to come for this event and they are worthy of applause.
At first, I was hesitant to join because I hadn't been as actively involved in the past months; there was too much personal stuff going on that needed to be dealt with; too much work load, and taking vacation now meant I would have to take unpaid leave when I needed it later. Plus the cost of tickets and getting away from family responsibilities. I thought I could escape with a $ contribution and let someone else do the real work. However, a few phone calls later, I realized how lame all this sounded when people that didn't need to be doing this were working hard for my issues and volunteering for an effort of which I was going to be a beneficiary. It helped that we had a team of members from Texas chapter who had already come forward to go to DC and others were contributing to enable more members to participate.
Many conference calls were organized by IV leadership right up to the day of the event and many volunteers made hundreds of phone calls to request our members to participate and represent their state and districts. After all, members of congress are working to solve issues that are most affecting their own constituents and having members from their own district coming to DC carries a lot of weight. Many IV members I spoke with had some problem or another and couldn't make it, and then there were few that really wanted to help out in any way they could. In the background, meetings were being sought from both Senate and House representatives, and confirmations were coming in right up to the last minute.
Situation Room on Sunday:
Got to the Situation Room in Hyatt on Sunday afternoon. Nervous excitement was in the air. Meeting new faces & reconnecting with old ones brought back memories of September 2007 and the atmosphere of college festivals. Training sessions were already in progress, followed by mock sessions which I thought were a terrific idea. There were printers set up and volunteers were at work printing business cards and IV information materials and arranging them into folders. Another row of tables had been set up for signing in, IV coordinator & state chapter leaders were matching up meetings with team members , reaching out to members to confirm their attendance and new members were pouring in throughout the day and evening. Pictures were being taken and posted on the blog. Past and present USCIS Ombudsman visited us there and supported us and spent time talking to us one on one. There were a couple of people that had joined IV just a few days ago and now participating in Lobby Day. Then there was my DC host who was not going to be able to participate in the meetings, but the energy of the situation room got to him and made him change his decision. And how couldn't it! I stayed there helping out until midnight, but a few folks didn't leave until the wee hours of dawn. I must confess that IV Situation Room is THE most fun thing to do in DC. For those of you who missed it, I hope Congress does nothing and you get another chance when IV plans this again. (just kidding...)
Monday - Day 1 of Advocacy:
We met in situation room in the morning. Everyone picked up their schedules for the day and were off to a day of true grass-roots work of educating Congressional staff of our issues and proposing solutions. The most important part was telling our own stories of how the process is affecting our lives and driving talent out of the country. The staff members were very polite and listened carefully to our points. Not one of them argued against any of our issues. The support was there, although we did hear things about political climate causing the delay in action on part of Congress. I was done with meetings at 4 pm on Monday and we walked across the Capitol and onto New Jersey Avenue enjoying the perfect DC weather on our way back to the Situation Room. Folders had to be prepared for the next day and schedules created as well, since there were some last minute meetings coming in & some members not able to make it for the next day. We also had to pack and move and set up the new room upstairs since we switched rooms in the Hyatt. Once again, we got out of there at 3.30 am, and had to get back in by 9am.
Tuesday - Day 2 of Advocacy
Another full day of meetings was in store for everyone. We had fewer members on Tuesday since a lot of them had gone back on Monday and a lot of members did at least a few meetings by themselves. By this time we were all experts at the message we needed to deliver. Once again the response was similar. Some of the offices gave us leads into other representatives that might be able to champion the issue. Some of them were supportive of administrative fixes that could be done while Congress contemplates on larger fixes. Tuesday was the first time I had meetings on both the House and Senate side and we walked through the Capitol to get to the other side. There is a little mini train you can ride and the building has impressive murals and architecture. But we had very little time to appreciate those in detail. I had the opportunity to meet one Senator himself and it was a whole new feeling being face-to-face and talking to someone that shapes American future laws everyday and is directly going to vote on my issue. This is what democracy was all about, and IV was the enabler providing me the opportunity to be heard on the Hill.
Tuesday - Congressional Reception
This was held in the Capitol itself, we had leading lawyers attend as well as Ombudsman and Congressional staff and lobbyists. There was some nice food to be enjoyed by all, informal discussions, humor and brainstorming for the future. After the 2 hour reception many had flights to catch and rest of us went back to wrap up in the Situation room and brainstorm for the future.
At the end of it all, I was a little sad to leave all the excitement and return to "normal" life. But there is tons of work to be done in local chapters and those of us who have been to DC know how important it is to go and seek out the members from each and every constituency from our state, get members to come forward and talk to the media, and finally raise funds so that we can continue lobbying Congress to fix this problem.
Thank You IV for providing us with this platform to get our voices heard where it matters the most. Go IV!
My sincere gratitude for the countless hours/days/weeks/months that IV leadership has donated in doing the background work and getting the advocacy days put together. Special thanks to Aman, Himanshu, Pratik, Anu, Jay, Sivkanth, Gopal, Puneet, Kiran, Meenal, Prasad, Bimal, Vikrant, Devang, Ravi, Renji, Ameet & all the DC folk who arranged for out-of-staters to stay in their homes and helped with all the logistics. I got to witness your contributions first-hand. Thank You to your families who supported you and to all the other volunteers working remotely and finally to the ones that I inadvertently left out, a humongous thanks to you too! Kudos to the member from California who attended the event despite having a sick baby at home. Many many attendees have made many many personal sacrifices to come for this event and they are worthy of applause.
At first, I was hesitant to join because I hadn't been as actively involved in the past months; there was too much personal stuff going on that needed to be dealt with; too much work load, and taking vacation now meant I would have to take unpaid leave when I needed it later. Plus the cost of tickets and getting away from family responsibilities. I thought I could escape with a $ contribution and let someone else do the real work. However, a few phone calls later, I realized how lame all this sounded when people that didn't need to be doing this were working hard for my issues and volunteering for an effort of which I was going to be a beneficiary. It helped that we had a team of members from Texas chapter who had already come forward to go to DC and others were contributing to enable more members to participate.
Many conference calls were organized by IV leadership right up to the day of the event and many volunteers made hundreds of phone calls to request our members to participate and represent their state and districts. After all, members of congress are working to solve issues that are most affecting their own constituents and having members from their own district coming to DC carries a lot of weight. Many IV members I spoke with had some problem or another and couldn't make it, and then there were few that really wanted to help out in any way they could. In the background, meetings were being sought from both Senate and House representatives, and confirmations were coming in right up to the last minute.
Situation Room on Sunday:
Got to the Situation Room in Hyatt on Sunday afternoon. Nervous excitement was in the air. Meeting new faces & reconnecting with old ones brought back memories of September 2007 and the atmosphere of college festivals. Training sessions were already in progress, followed by mock sessions which I thought were a terrific idea. There were printers set up and volunteers were at work printing business cards and IV information materials and arranging them into folders. Another row of tables had been set up for signing in, IV coordinator & state chapter leaders were matching up meetings with team members , reaching out to members to confirm their attendance and new members were pouring in throughout the day and evening. Pictures were being taken and posted on the blog. Past and present USCIS Ombudsman visited us there and supported us and spent time talking to us one on one. There were a couple of people that had joined IV just a few days ago and now participating in Lobby Day. Then there was my DC host who was not going to be able to participate in the meetings, but the energy of the situation room got to him and made him change his decision. And how couldn't it! I stayed there helping out until midnight, but a few folks didn't leave until the wee hours of dawn. I must confess that IV Situation Room is THE most fun thing to do in DC. For those of you who missed it, I hope Congress does nothing and you get another chance when IV plans this again. (just kidding...)
Monday - Day 1 of Advocacy:
We met in situation room in the morning. Everyone picked up their schedules for the day and were off to a day of true grass-roots work of educating Congressional staff of our issues and proposing solutions. The most important part was telling our own stories of how the process is affecting our lives and driving talent out of the country. The staff members were very polite and listened carefully to our points. Not one of them argued against any of our issues. The support was there, although we did hear things about political climate causing the delay in action on part of Congress. I was done with meetings at 4 pm on Monday and we walked across the Capitol and onto New Jersey Avenue enjoying the perfect DC weather on our way back to the Situation Room. Folders had to be prepared for the next day and schedules created as well, since there were some last minute meetings coming in & some members not able to make it for the next day. We also had to pack and move and set up the new room upstairs since we switched rooms in the Hyatt. Once again, we got out of there at 3.30 am, and had to get back in by 9am.
Tuesday - Day 2 of Advocacy
Another full day of meetings was in store for everyone. We had fewer members on Tuesday since a lot of them had gone back on Monday and a lot of members did at least a few meetings by themselves. By this time we were all experts at the message we needed to deliver. Once again the response was similar. Some of the offices gave us leads into other representatives that might be able to champion the issue. Some of them were supportive of administrative fixes that could be done while Congress contemplates on larger fixes. Tuesday was the first time I had meetings on both the House and Senate side and we walked through the Capitol to get to the other side. There is a little mini train you can ride and the building has impressive murals and architecture. But we had very little time to appreciate those in detail. I had the opportunity to meet one Senator himself and it was a whole new feeling being face-to-face and talking to someone that shapes American future laws everyday and is directly going to vote on my issue. This is what democracy was all about, and IV was the enabler providing me the opportunity to be heard on the Hill.
Tuesday - Congressional Reception
This was held in the Capitol itself, we had leading lawyers attend as well as Ombudsman and Congressional staff and lobbyists. There was some nice food to be enjoyed by all, informal discussions, humor and brainstorming for the future. After the 2 hour reception many had flights to catch and rest of us went back to wrap up in the Situation room and brainstorm for the future.
At the end of it all, I was a little sad to leave all the excitement and return to "normal" life. But there is tons of work to be done in local chapters and those of us who have been to DC know how important it is to go and seek out the members from each and every constituency from our state, get members to come forward and talk to the media, and finally raise funds so that we can continue lobbying Congress to fix this problem.
Thank You IV for providing us with this platform to get our voices heard where it matters the most. Go IV!
wallpaper hair 2010 Chicago White Sox:
gctest
09-16 10:06 AM
If I was to determine your employment category by looking at this post... it would be EB3.
You speak like a third class individual, must have travelled in third class compartment all your life, and now you are in third preference category..... Honestly i don't envy you.
Moderators please do not respond to such people. I am happy you closed the thread.
If he wants to use his freedom in the free country, he is free to poop in the lobby of his employer's office in front of everyone, center of the local mall and enjoy his freedom in the free country.
We should not allow such selfish people who want to divide the community
You speak like a third class individual, must have travelled in third class compartment all your life, and now you are in third preference category..... Honestly i don't envy you.
Moderators please do not respond to such people. I am happy you closed the thread.
If he wants to use his freedom in the free country, he is free to poop in the lobby of his employer's office in front of everyone, center of the local mall and enjoy his freedom in the free country.
We should not allow such selfish people who want to divide the community
gauravsh
08-12 03:03 PM
I decided to move to india now. I have I140 cleared and having a permanent job. But enough is enough!
I started looking openings at india 2 weeks ago and most probably will get a offer from a US financial giant having IT shop at bangalore.
I think this is right decision at this time.
Any suggestions/feedback guys?
I started looking openings at india 2 weeks ago and most probably will get a offer from a US financial giant having IT shop at bangalore.
I think this is right decision at this time.
Any suggestions/feedback guys?
2011 Chicago White Sox MLB Stadium
vin13
02-25 12:58 PM
Is IV only for those who have filed I485?
I gave my opinion and people gave me lot of reds. There is a majority here who already have EAD and have filed I485. You people do not care for those who are less fortunate and struggling in the early stages of the process. If July 07 had not happened, all of you would be asking for I485 filing option today.
By giving reds to people who disagree you will drive people away and make IV only for those who have filed I485 and not for the entire EB immigration people.
Get real. I am not saying this because i have a EAD. Are you saying that no improvement is good enough unless it helps you at this moment.
This change proposal will also help you when you get to this stage. Try to understand, this may be possible without much legislative intervention.
I gave my opinion and people gave me lot of reds. There is a majority here who already have EAD and have filed I485. You people do not care for those who are less fortunate and struggling in the early stages of the process. If July 07 had not happened, all of you would be asking for I485 filing option today.
By giving reds to people who disagree you will drive people away and make IV only for those who have filed I485 and not for the entire EB immigration people.
Get real. I am not saying this because i have a EAD. Are you saying that no improvement is good enough unless it helps you at this moment.
This change proposal will also help you when you get to this stage. Try to understand, this may be possible without much legislative intervention.
more...
akhilmahajan
02-07 09:27 PM
Ok, i had the same problem.
Surname: blank
Given Name: First Last.
But in all US documents had it correctly distinguished. Recently when i renewed my passport i got it fixed at NY. You DO NOT NEED a news paper ad for this kind of change. I went to NY Indian consulate personally to ask this question as no one was lifting the phone. The person over there gave me a special form to fill it out and get it notarized. I did all of that and they printed the name correctly. Another guy had same problem, he did not even filled out that form, but they corrected his name as well. I was surprised how lenient these guys are.
Me and the other guy were joking on the way back in train because they did it for him without the special application, its like they don't care what name you have, " do you want Tom Cruise, i will write Tom Cruise - no problem at all, or even better, we will give you passports with empty name column, you fill it up with whatever you want :) "
Don't worry guys, this change is easy and this does not impact 485 as well, as long as you have always reported your correct name in your other USCIS documents. THEY KNOW that internationals have their names goofed up in their passports. Its not new for them.
Hope this helps.
The form which needs to be filled and notarized is it on the website?
I will be driving from boston to NY, so have no idea about NY.
If you can let me know that will be great, as i am planning to go on the 18th of FEb, i.e next monday.
Thanks a lot.
Surname: blank
Given Name: First Last.
But in all US documents had it correctly distinguished. Recently when i renewed my passport i got it fixed at NY. You DO NOT NEED a news paper ad for this kind of change. I went to NY Indian consulate personally to ask this question as no one was lifting the phone. The person over there gave me a special form to fill it out and get it notarized. I did all of that and they printed the name correctly. Another guy had same problem, he did not even filled out that form, but they corrected his name as well. I was surprised how lenient these guys are.
Me and the other guy were joking on the way back in train because they did it for him without the special application, its like they don't care what name you have, " do you want Tom Cruise, i will write Tom Cruise - no problem at all, or even better, we will give you passports with empty name column, you fill it up with whatever you want :) "
Don't worry guys, this change is easy and this does not impact 485 as well, as long as you have always reported your correct name in your other USCIS documents. THEY KNOW that internationals have their names goofed up in their passports. Its not new for them.
Hope this helps.
The form which needs to be filled and notarized is it on the website?
I will be driving from boston to NY, so have no idea about NY.
If you can let me know that will be great, as i am planning to go on the 18th of FEb, i.e next monday.
Thanks a lot.
Leo07
12-03 03:13 PM
<<<<<<<<<bump>>>>>>>>>>>>>
more...
vicks_don
04-11 09:19 AM
USCIS UPDATES COUNT OF FY 2008 H-1B CAP FILINGS
WASHINGTON � U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced an updated number of
filings today as the counting of H-1B petitions received on April 2 and 3 continues. On April 3, USCIS
announced that it had received enough petitions to meet the congressionally mandated cap for fiscal year
2008 (FY 2008) and that it would conduct a computer-generated random selection of cap-subject petitions
filed on Monday (April 2) and Tuesday (April 3) to determine which cases would be accepted for processing.
As of April 9, USCIS has determined that approximately 119,193 of the H-1B petitions received on April 2
and 3 are subject to the FY 2008 congressionally mandated cap.
USCIS received on April 2 and 3 a total of approximately 12,989 cases requesting an exemption from the FY
2008 H-1B cap because they were filed on behalf of aliens holding a master�s degree or higher from a U.S.
institution. USCIS can now announce that the cap of 20,000 on these exempt cases remains open and that
USCIS will continue to monitor these filings.
USCIS will provide regular updates as the processing of FY 2008 H-1B cap cases continues.
Is this the final number or interim number while the counting is going on.
WASHINGTON � U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced an updated number of
filings today as the counting of H-1B petitions received on April 2 and 3 continues. On April 3, USCIS
announced that it had received enough petitions to meet the congressionally mandated cap for fiscal year
2008 (FY 2008) and that it would conduct a computer-generated random selection of cap-subject petitions
filed on Monday (April 2) and Tuesday (April 3) to determine which cases would be accepted for processing.
As of April 9, USCIS has determined that approximately 119,193 of the H-1B petitions received on April 2
and 3 are subject to the FY 2008 congressionally mandated cap.
USCIS received on April 2 and 3 a total of approximately 12,989 cases requesting an exemption from the FY
2008 H-1B cap because they were filed on behalf of aliens holding a master�s degree or higher from a U.S.
institution. USCIS can now announce that the cap of 20,000 on these exempt cases remains open and that
USCIS will continue to monitor these filings.
USCIS will provide regular updates as the processing of FY 2008 H-1B cap cases continues.
Is this the final number or interim number while the counting is going on.
2010 CHICAGO WHITE SOX VS NEW YORK
msp1976
02-03 09:09 PM
I have to first think of the words that I have to search for. Alisa has already picked on me that I don't even know ROW, RIR, Schedule A. This is not very useful for me.
Is there a Java Specification kind of book that I can start from begining to end? Thanks.
No one wants to pick on you...Please do not take the jabbing too seriously...We are all in this together..
Well the law code is kind of written in this fashion only...The cornell education site is better...Or just for the sake of how the numbers are devided between EB1/2/3 you can read the visa bulletin...It has a simplified breakup..
My comment about 'goobledegook' was not a criticism of your abilities...It was about the complexity of immigration code....Well you see..we all have to hire attorneys because of this complexity and no one is at fault...Am just trying to help in any way I can....
http://travel.state.gov/visa/frvi/bulletin/bulletin_3111.html
Is there a Java Specification kind of book that I can start from begining to end? Thanks.
No one wants to pick on you...Please do not take the jabbing too seriously...We are all in this together..
Well the law code is kind of written in this fashion only...The cornell education site is better...Or just for the sake of how the numbers are devided between EB1/2/3 you can read the visa bulletin...It has a simplified breakup..
My comment about 'goobledegook' was not a criticism of your abilities...It was about the complexity of immigration code....Well you see..we all have to hire attorneys because of this complexity and no one is at fault...Am just trying to help in any way I can....
http://travel.state.gov/visa/frvi/bulletin/bulletin_3111.html
more...
hsd31
06-20 09:10 AM
Following up on my previous post. Here is the format for the ad and the affidavit. We went to the DC embassy to get the name changed and they have next day (business days only) passport-by-mail service. I don't think they have same day service.
Actual correct name: <corr_first_name> <corr_last_name>
Current Name on passport: <first_name_pp>
Name in US docs (Visa, SSN, Drivers Lic.):
<first_name_us> FNU _OR_ <first_name_us> <first_name_us>
Format of the ad we placed in Indian newspaper (TOI) and local US newspaper:
I, <first_name_pp> AKA <first_name_us> FNU AKA <first_name_us> <first_name_us> d/o <dads_name> R/o <indian_address/us_address> have changed my name to <corr_first_name> <corr_last_name>.
Format of Affidavit from India (on Rs. 10 Non Judicial Stamp Paper):
AFFIDAVIT
I, <first_name_pp>, D/o <dads_name>, R/o <indian_address>, do hereby take oath and solemnly declare as under:-
1. That I have declared my name as <first_name_us> <first_name_us> earlier.
2. That I have declared my name as <first_name_us> FNU earlier.
3. That now I want to change my name from <first_name_pp> to <corr_first_name> <corr_last_name>.
4. That in future I may be called as <corr_first_name> <corr_last_name> for all purposes
DEPONENT
VERIFICATION:
Verified at <city_name> on this <date> that the contents of the above affidavit are true and correct to the best of my knowledge and belief.
DEPONENT
The deponent above is the person whose name is being changed. Since my wife was here and the affidavit was to be made in India, my mother-in-law signed on my wifes behalf ...you know what I am saying... (ah! the things you can get done in India)
We found out at the embassy that we could have used our India issued marriage certificate (which had my wifes correct name) and avoid doing all this. Placing the ad, getting the affidavit and posting it to US all took a total of 1 week. We went to the DC embassy early on a Friday and we got the passport with the name changed via mail by Monday.
Another friend of mine got the same thing done via the mail-in service. It took him 2 weeks to get the passport back.
Hope this helps.
Actual correct name: <corr_first_name> <corr_last_name>
Current Name on passport: <first_name_pp>
Name in US docs (Visa, SSN, Drivers Lic.):
<first_name_us> FNU _OR_ <first_name_us> <first_name_us>
Format of the ad we placed in Indian newspaper (TOI) and local US newspaper:
I, <first_name_pp> AKA <first_name_us> FNU AKA <first_name_us> <first_name_us> d/o <dads_name> R/o <indian_address/us_address> have changed my name to <corr_first_name> <corr_last_name>.
Format of Affidavit from India (on Rs. 10 Non Judicial Stamp Paper):
AFFIDAVIT
I, <first_name_pp>, D/o <dads_name>, R/o <indian_address>, do hereby take oath and solemnly declare as under:-
1. That I have declared my name as <first_name_us> <first_name_us> earlier.
2. That I have declared my name as <first_name_us> FNU earlier.
3. That now I want to change my name from <first_name_pp> to <corr_first_name> <corr_last_name>.
4. That in future I may be called as <corr_first_name> <corr_last_name> for all purposes
DEPONENT
VERIFICATION:
Verified at <city_name> on this <date> that the contents of the above affidavit are true and correct to the best of my knowledge and belief.
DEPONENT
The deponent above is the person whose name is being changed. Since my wife was here and the affidavit was to be made in India, my mother-in-law signed on my wifes behalf ...you know what I am saying... (ah! the things you can get done in India)
We found out at the embassy that we could have used our India issued marriage certificate (which had my wifes correct name) and avoid doing all this. Placing the ad, getting the affidavit and posting it to US all took a total of 1 week. We went to the DC embassy early on a Friday and we got the passport with the name changed via mail by Monday.
Another friend of mine got the same thing done via the mail-in service. It took him 2 weeks to get the passport back.
Hope this helps.
hair the Chicago White Sox at
neverbefore
12-03 04:10 AM
We had our AOS interview this week at LA USCIS office. We are EB2-I, PD 02/06, Filed 08/07, RD 10/07, I-140 approved 12/06. Reason for interview was a double failure to get clear FPs for spouse. This necessitates a police clearance certificate from the city of residence and upon our lawyer's advise, we went armed with two of these, one from each of the two cities we have lived in during the 5 previous years.
Getting a Police Clearance Certificate entails just going and requesting it at their counter. Their charges are reasonable ($11 and $19.50 for us) and in one case we got it after a few minutes of wait and in the other, had to return the next day to collect it.
We reached a couple of minutes late at the mapped location of the USCIS building, courtesy our unfamiliarity with downtown areas including LA and terrible freeway traffic. I dropped off my spouse and kid at a building which had bold signs saying "Passport", "Immigration" and like (on our right as we went on Los Angeles St from Aliso St to Temple St). I went to find a parking space meanwhile. Just as I was returning from an uncomfortably long circuitous tour of the area, I got a call from my spouse telling me that that building was not the right one. Our GPS had finished guidance just at that particular crossing (Los Angeles St and Temple St) btw. Through some good people there, we got a clue about the long lines in a nearby building (diagonally across), which is where I dropped them off then and again went on a parking hunt. I wish I had also carried a map printout of this area.
I managed to find a parking some 6 blocks away and was walking back with some bags which is when my spouse called to say that this was indeed the right building and gave me further directions.
I sprinted across a narrow side street when it was bereft of traffic even though the pedestrian light was unfavorable. This act of mine earned me a citation from a peace officer obviously watching from a hiding place for people who are more used to pedestrian crossings with buttons. Here I was just not sure as to when to expect the light to turn in my favor, with obvious thoughts of the delay playing on my mind. Thankfully, I still reached upstairs well before our names were called.
The security at the downstairs entrance was airport-like except that they did not ask me to take my shoes off. They allowed me everything I was carrying including my cellphone and laptop.
I duly reached the waiting room upstairs and found my family. By this time, my spouse had already submitted the interview notices to the personnel there. Our lawyer had advised us to stick a note therewith saying that all of us are a family and should therefore be seen together. We forgot this but my spouse mentioned this verbally. This had the desired effect, thankfully.
After a wait of about 2 hours, we were called up and went inside to an IO's office. I do have to mention here that the security officer outside was very nice and friendly.
The IO was courteous and asked us to take an oath of truth before we sat down. She asked us if we had our attorney with us. Since we did not, she made us sign a waiver saying that we did not object to being interviewed sans our attorney. She then proceeded to ask us for our government-issued IDs. We handed her our Indian passports and California DLs. She went through our applications and asked us simple questions like:
..What is your child's name?
..How old is your child? (two separate times from each of us)
..What is your child's DOB?
..What is your home address? (two separate times from each of us)
..What is your home phone number? (two separate times from each of us)
..What do you do for your employer? Describe.
..Does your job require you to have the educational qualification that you have? Why?
..What is your father's full name?
..What is your mothers full name?
..What is your DOB?
..When does your H1B visa expire?
..When did you last enter the US? (It helped us tremendously that we had a prepared note of our arrival-departure record)
The IO then took out the original I-94s from our passports and stapled them to our files. She then observed that both of us were on H1B and had had I-140s from our respective employers. She said that the other I-140 process (which is pending btw) could not be kept alive while the beneficiary was getting their AOS as a dependent on their spouse's process. She had us write a letter requesting withdrawal of that I-140 process, which she said she will keep on hold till we got our immigrant visas.
Some documents that she asked for copies of from us included paystubs from 3 previous months, letter of employment verification from our employers, university degrees (or diplomas as she called them), our and our kid's birth certificates and our marriage certificate. We voluntarily put our mortgage statements on the table which she did not take more than a cursory glance at.
She did not ask us for our tax returns, joint photographs or university transcripts. However, it is always better to have these around, imho.
We were missing some documents, so she permitted us to go out for a couple of hours to get their copies and grab some lunch. She handed us a signed form which she instructed us to show the security personnel for them to either let us in or to drop off the document copies for her. In this case, she did see us again even though we were delayed by an extra 20 minutes.
The IO then let us know that all processing was done from our side and all that we needed to do was to wait for our priority date to become current, which is when the USCIS would allot us the immigrant visas. We could also, if we so wished, make an inquiry with the USCIS once our date became current, she said.
She then returned us all our originals (I wish I had made a checklist of these for my ease). Courtesy a wonderful post on IV by gimme_GC2006, I remembered to ask the IO for our original I-94s. She asked us if we intended traveling before we got our green cards. I replied that we had no existing plans but that this was probably the only time we were getting to meet her. She smiled at that and gave us back our I-94s after making copies for herself. I requested a copy from her of the letter for I-140 withdrawal and she obliged.
That was it. She wished us good luck and we thanked her. The security officer outside was once again his pleasant self and we walked out feeling elated.
I have some useful information for folks who go to the USCIS office on 300 N Los Angeles St in LA. If you take the Los Angeles St exit from US-101, you will cross Aliso St followed by Temple St. This USCIS building is the one on your left side as you go from Aliso to Temple. There is an underground parking for LA mall bang opposite the USCIS building before you hit Temple St. After you pass Aliso, turn to your right into this parking. You can take the escalator up later and then cross Los Angeles St on foot to reach USCIS. I advise to not disregard the pedestrian lights in this area as police officers aggressively monitor and cite jaywalkers here.
If the LA parking lot is full, continue on Los Angeles St past Temple and turn left on to First St. Keep going for about a quarter mile and you will find parking on your right. This place is $6.00 for the day. Unfortunately I forgot the cross street here but if you hit Alameda St on First St, you would have gone too far. From Google maps, it appears that that cross street is Central Ave. You will see large parking signs as you approach this decrepit unkempt street-level parking yard.
There is another parking option which you would prefer over this however. Go from Aliso toward Temple on Los Angeles St. Turn left on Temple and you will find this $8.00 parking immediately past San Pedro St. If you find this lot full, go on down to Alameda St, turn right and then right again on First St to find the $6.00 parking lot.
If you need help with documents, there is a post office store which even does photographs, in the LA mall across from the USCIS building. If you need internet access, your best bets are Fedex Kinko's and Office Depot on the crossing of Second St and Central Ave. Kinko's is on the NW corner and Office Depot is on the NE corner. This Office Depot has a Starbucks next to it. Parking at Office Depot is decent and free with validation. Office Depot will give you free wifi but they do not broadcast their SSID and I do not feel it ethical to disclose it here. Just go talk to them if you need it. It is slow though, like 11 Mbps. Office Depot will accept emailed docs from you to print right away and also will accept faxes for you. It is a very hospitable place for someone who gets nightmares in downtown areas.
You can find some passable eating joints in the LA mall area across from USCIS building.
Hope this post comes in handy for people. Good luck folks.
Getting a Police Clearance Certificate entails just going and requesting it at their counter. Their charges are reasonable ($11 and $19.50 for us) and in one case we got it after a few minutes of wait and in the other, had to return the next day to collect it.
We reached a couple of minutes late at the mapped location of the USCIS building, courtesy our unfamiliarity with downtown areas including LA and terrible freeway traffic. I dropped off my spouse and kid at a building which had bold signs saying "Passport", "Immigration" and like (on our right as we went on Los Angeles St from Aliso St to Temple St). I went to find a parking space meanwhile. Just as I was returning from an uncomfortably long circuitous tour of the area, I got a call from my spouse telling me that that building was not the right one. Our GPS had finished guidance just at that particular crossing (Los Angeles St and Temple St) btw. Through some good people there, we got a clue about the long lines in a nearby building (diagonally across), which is where I dropped them off then and again went on a parking hunt. I wish I had also carried a map printout of this area.
I managed to find a parking some 6 blocks away and was walking back with some bags which is when my spouse called to say that this was indeed the right building and gave me further directions.
I sprinted across a narrow side street when it was bereft of traffic even though the pedestrian light was unfavorable. This act of mine earned me a citation from a peace officer obviously watching from a hiding place for people who are more used to pedestrian crossings with buttons. Here I was just not sure as to when to expect the light to turn in my favor, with obvious thoughts of the delay playing on my mind. Thankfully, I still reached upstairs well before our names were called.
The security at the downstairs entrance was airport-like except that they did not ask me to take my shoes off. They allowed me everything I was carrying including my cellphone and laptop.
I duly reached the waiting room upstairs and found my family. By this time, my spouse had already submitted the interview notices to the personnel there. Our lawyer had advised us to stick a note therewith saying that all of us are a family and should therefore be seen together. We forgot this but my spouse mentioned this verbally. This had the desired effect, thankfully.
After a wait of about 2 hours, we were called up and went inside to an IO's office. I do have to mention here that the security officer outside was very nice and friendly.
The IO was courteous and asked us to take an oath of truth before we sat down. She asked us if we had our attorney with us. Since we did not, she made us sign a waiver saying that we did not object to being interviewed sans our attorney. She then proceeded to ask us for our government-issued IDs. We handed her our Indian passports and California DLs. She went through our applications and asked us simple questions like:
..What is your child's name?
..How old is your child? (two separate times from each of us)
..What is your child's DOB?
..What is your home address? (two separate times from each of us)
..What is your home phone number? (two separate times from each of us)
..What do you do for your employer? Describe.
..Does your job require you to have the educational qualification that you have? Why?
..What is your father's full name?
..What is your mothers full name?
..What is your DOB?
..When does your H1B visa expire?
..When did you last enter the US? (It helped us tremendously that we had a prepared note of our arrival-departure record)
The IO then took out the original I-94s from our passports and stapled them to our files. She then observed that both of us were on H1B and had had I-140s from our respective employers. She said that the other I-140 process (which is pending btw) could not be kept alive while the beneficiary was getting their AOS as a dependent on their spouse's process. She had us write a letter requesting withdrawal of that I-140 process, which she said she will keep on hold till we got our immigrant visas.
Some documents that she asked for copies of from us included paystubs from 3 previous months, letter of employment verification from our employers, university degrees (or diplomas as she called them), our and our kid's birth certificates and our marriage certificate. We voluntarily put our mortgage statements on the table which she did not take more than a cursory glance at.
She did not ask us for our tax returns, joint photographs or university transcripts. However, it is always better to have these around, imho.
We were missing some documents, so she permitted us to go out for a couple of hours to get their copies and grab some lunch. She handed us a signed form which she instructed us to show the security personnel for them to either let us in or to drop off the document copies for her. In this case, she did see us again even though we were delayed by an extra 20 minutes.
The IO then let us know that all processing was done from our side and all that we needed to do was to wait for our priority date to become current, which is when the USCIS would allot us the immigrant visas. We could also, if we so wished, make an inquiry with the USCIS once our date became current, she said.
She then returned us all our originals (I wish I had made a checklist of these for my ease). Courtesy a wonderful post on IV by gimme_GC2006, I remembered to ask the IO for our original I-94s. She asked us if we intended traveling before we got our green cards. I replied that we had no existing plans but that this was probably the only time we were getting to meet her. She smiled at that and gave us back our I-94s after making copies for herself. I requested a copy from her of the letter for I-140 withdrawal and she obliged.
That was it. She wished us good luck and we thanked her. The security officer outside was once again his pleasant self and we walked out feeling elated.
I have some useful information for folks who go to the USCIS office on 300 N Los Angeles St in LA. If you take the Los Angeles St exit from US-101, you will cross Aliso St followed by Temple St. This USCIS building is the one on your left side as you go from Aliso to Temple. There is an underground parking for LA mall bang opposite the USCIS building before you hit Temple St. After you pass Aliso, turn to your right into this parking. You can take the escalator up later and then cross Los Angeles St on foot to reach USCIS. I advise to not disregard the pedestrian lights in this area as police officers aggressively monitor and cite jaywalkers here.
If the LA parking lot is full, continue on Los Angeles St past Temple and turn left on to First St. Keep going for about a quarter mile and you will find parking on your right. This place is $6.00 for the day. Unfortunately I forgot the cross street here but if you hit Alameda St on First St, you would have gone too far. From Google maps, it appears that that cross street is Central Ave. You will see large parking signs as you approach this decrepit unkempt street-level parking yard.
There is another parking option which you would prefer over this however. Go from Aliso toward Temple on Los Angeles St. Turn left on Temple and you will find this $8.00 parking immediately past San Pedro St. If you find this lot full, go on down to Alameda St, turn right and then right again on First St to find the $6.00 parking lot.
If you need help with documents, there is a post office store which even does photographs, in the LA mall across from the USCIS building. If you need internet access, your best bets are Fedex Kinko's and Office Depot on the crossing of Second St and Central Ave. Kinko's is on the NW corner and Office Depot is on the NE corner. This Office Depot has a Starbucks next to it. Parking at Office Depot is decent and free with validation. Office Depot will give you free wifi but they do not broadcast their SSID and I do not feel it ethical to disclose it here. Just go talk to them if you need it. It is slow though, like 11 Mbps. Office Depot will accept emailed docs from you to print right away and also will accept faxes for you. It is a very hospitable place for someone who gets nightmares in downtown areas.
You can find some passable eating joints in the LA mall area across from USCIS building.
Hope this post comes in handy for people. Good luck folks.
more...
anurakt
12-19 10:49 AM
Friends,
Since inception of IV, I contributed four time total $400. To encourage members who have not contributed so far, I have following deal.
Five members who are first time contributing more than $50 each should post here. After I will have information about five new members' contribution, I will contribute $100 more
Time : 12/19/06 11.43 ET
khodalmd, good show...join the Gang !! Let's see if this forum has any fire left after the Session phone jamming campaign....:D :D
Since inception of IV, I contributed four time total $400. To encourage members who have not contributed so far, I have following deal.
Five members who are first time contributing more than $50 each should post here. After I will have information about five new members' contribution, I will contribute $100 more
Time : 12/19/06 11.43 ET
khodalmd, good show...join the Gang !! Let's see if this forum has any fire left after the Session phone jamming campaign....:D :D
hot Chicago White Sox MLB Stadium
legal_alien_007
07-05 09:29 PM
Good idea.. definitely worth a try
Just sent some
Just sent some
more...
house Chicago White Sox
bombaysardar
07-17 10:20 PM
There are so many 'Thank you' threads running and its hard to keep track of everything. Anyways, I posted this elsewhere and am proud to post it again here. Read on....
I was just curious as to how many from Core Team will benefit from today's news. So I looked at the core team's GC details and here is the summary:
1. 8 out of 12 Core Team Members WILL NOT BENEFIT from today's news.
2. Because 6 of them are stuck in BEC
3. 2 of them are in the final stages of their GC.
But still they fought for this cause and never ever felt 'Why should I care'! Tears came running down when I looked at the details. You are just awesome. Though I am thankful today...I am thankful for the day I found this site and am thankful to god almighty for giving me an opportunity to know you all and work with you guys.
I also sincerely hope and wish that you all will get out of the mess you are in right now and we are with you till the end.
I totally agree. I dont know if I were in their position, if I would take the initiative and interest to aggressively pursue this.
Hats off to the Core team!!
I was just curious as to how many from Core Team will benefit from today's news. So I looked at the core team's GC details and here is the summary:
1. 8 out of 12 Core Team Members WILL NOT BENEFIT from today's news.
2. Because 6 of them are stuck in BEC
3. 2 of them are in the final stages of their GC.
But still they fought for this cause and never ever felt 'Why should I care'! Tears came running down when I looked at the details. You are just awesome. Though I am thankful today...I am thankful for the day I found this site and am thankful to god almighty for giving me an opportunity to know you all and work with you guys.
I also sincerely hope and wish that you all will get out of the mess you are in right now and we are with you till the end.
I totally agree. I dont know if I were in their position, if I would take the initiative and interest to aggressively pursue this.
Hats off to the Core team!!
tattoo Chicago White Sox 17 x 40
lost_in_migration
04-26 10:57 AM
20,000 - 18,747 = 1253 more to go
more...
pictures Chicago White Sox @ San
Jitamitra
09-17 06:21 PM
Leadership-
Most of the senior members and Admins either have left IV or not able to spend enough time together to plan and organize action plans for the community. This is what I feel we are missing. We are acting alone although we are part of community.
We need to come together and keep ourselves focussed on common issues related with congress bills, retrogression, IV Agendas and road-map for coming months or years.
I mostly see pappu from core IV leadership. Where are other folks. If current leaders cannot lead us in the future, we need to find someone who could.
Again, my intention is not question anyone's hard work, but I am not seeing the same momentum and focus we had year back.
Most of the senior members and Admins either have left IV or not able to spend enough time together to plan and organize action plans for the community. This is what I feel we are missing. We are acting alone although we are part of community.
We need to come together and keep ourselves focussed on common issues related with congress bills, retrogression, IV Agendas and road-map for coming months or years.
I mostly see pappu from core IV leadership. Where are other folks. If current leaders cannot lead us in the future, we need to find someone who could.
Again, my intention is not question anyone's hard work, but I am not seeing the same momentum and focus we had year back.
dresses the Chicago White Sox at
msp1976
02-04 01:26 PM
that's right the actual law had two words that could change the actual meaning of how they are supposed to do it (ie., vertical versus horizontal). Some people (i was one of them) thought that at such a stalemate in the words that coomon sense should prevail. Common sense would dictate that skill would prevail over diversity.
However; the rules were always such that there was never any horizontal spillover but rather vertical. The main thing that changed was that the unused visas from row could be used by retrogressed countries quarterly rather then annually.
That is why USCIS never published the regulations for AC21...They are sure as hell that their ass is gonna get sued...whatever regulations they propose... Now it is a miracle that no one has sued them....May be they are waiting for someone to sue them....
However; the rules were always such that there was never any horizontal spillover but rather vertical. The main thing that changed was that the unused visas from row could be used by retrogressed countries quarterly rather then annually.
That is why USCIS never published the regulations for AC21...They are sure as hell that their ass is gonna get sued...whatever regulations they propose... Now it is a miracle that no one has sued them....May be they are waiting for someone to sue them....
more...
makeup Chicago White Sox Stadium Map
logiclife
12-20 03:52 PM
Guys,
Looks like my pledge will never ever happen :rolleyes: I am itching to press that button to send $500, but the forum is not helping the cause.....
Come on IVians ..... Is it so difficult to make you adults understand that the thurst we need year would be the biggest...do you want the tech lobbyist to increase only H1B's (remember they have lot of money). Guys we will lost in the crowd if don't prepare ourselves for the forthcoming face offs next year. We are closing in on the traget, but only thing which can make it happen is more members and more money.
Hi,
Please hang on to 10 more days. We will probably send out a newsletter asap about this marathon so that people not visiting forums will hear about it and contribute.
Looks like my pledge will never ever happen :rolleyes: I am itching to press that button to send $500, but the forum is not helping the cause.....
Come on IVians ..... Is it so difficult to make you adults understand that the thurst we need year would be the biggest...do you want the tech lobbyist to increase only H1B's (remember they have lot of money). Guys we will lost in the crowd if don't prepare ourselves for the forthcoming face offs next year. We are closing in on the traget, but only thing which can make it happen is more members and more money.
Hi,
Please hang on to 10 more days. We will probably send out a newsletter asap about this marathon so that people not visiting forums will hear about it and contribute.
girlfriend Boston Red Sox Fenway Stadium
nosightofgc
11-28 03:26 PM
Just contributed another one time $100. Keep up the good work IV.
hairstyles CHICAGO WHITE SOX GOLD STADIUM
cloud 9
05-11 05:21 PM
Talk about present and future. Use good language, bad language shows your mentality
I was asking a question as to what should be done to people who already got their GC thru Labor Sub, since someone said that all the subs of 2007 should get the I-140 filing date as the priority date. I care only about the present and future. This is what I meant when I asked the question.
Sorry, if I could not write it properly for you to understand.
I was asking a question as to what should be done to people who already got their GC thru Labor Sub, since someone said that all the subs of 2007 should get the I-140 filing date as the priority date. I care only about the present and future. This is what I meant when I asked the question.
Sorry, if I could not write it properly for you to understand.
geniousatwork
08-13 02:52 PM
Congrats!
coolie123
07-24 02:38 PM
having less no. of hours in monthly payslip counted towards out of status?
(or)
without payslip is counted towards out of status?
(or)
without payslip is counted towards out of status?
