perm2gc
07-02 11:21 PM
Thanks for your replies.
My original H1 expired last week. And I do have EAD. But need to bring my spouse in few months on H4. So can i use my EAD while H1 MTR is filed. And then go back on H1.
You cannot use EAD to bring your wife,you need an approved H1.
My original H1 expired last week. And I do have EAD. But need to bring my spouse in few months on H4. So can i use my EAD while H1 MTR is filed. And then go back on H1.
You cannot use EAD to bring your wife,you need an approved H1.
wallpaper Unconditional Love cartoon 1
gemini23
08-02 01:35 PM
Sanju,
This is indeed related to immigration issues, as many people have to get birth affidavits from india to usa and other places. I dont see whats wrong in using IV to discuss this courier issues.
Also, I dont know why would you link this with DC rally. I assume in good faith that people are going to show up at rally if they can, based on their circumstances.
Please do not make generic negative assumptions.
Peace.
People have started using IV forums to report any issue with customer service. Guys, grow-up, participate in IV activity rather than screwing the effort of few good people. I am sure that people who posted on this thread about DHL/UPS/FedEx are not going to show up at the DC rally. Why are you guys wasting the bandwidth and at the same time killing your time? Wish you all the luck in finding something better to do.
This is indeed related to immigration issues, as many people have to get birth affidavits from india to usa and other places. I dont see whats wrong in using IV to discuss this courier issues.
Also, I dont know why would you link this with DC rally. I assume in good faith that people are going to show up at rally if they can, based on their circumstances.
Please do not make generic negative assumptions.
Peace.
People have started using IV forums to report any issue with customer service. Guys, grow-up, participate in IV activity rather than screwing the effort of few good people. I am sure that people who posted on this thread about DHL/UPS/FedEx are not going to show up at the DC rally. Why are you guys wasting the bandwidth and at the same time killing your time? Wish you all the luck in finding something better to do.
nomorelogins
01-28 08:52 PM
@nozerd,
could you please explain the logic/rules.
The logic is that if both parents are Indians even if kid is born in US and travels on US passport as kid they have until the age of 18 to choose.
could you please explain the logic/rules.
The logic is that if both parents are Indians even if kid is born in US and travels on US passport as kid they have until the age of 18 to choose.
2011 Cartoon: love II (medium) by
gman
07-29 02:55 PM
What is your exact job description in labor? I had similar delimma and I took paid consultation and as per the lawyrer, This transition falls into the catagory of "Similar" job so no problem however the biggest IF is your job description in Labor.
Are you looking for specific language? How was similar defined from your attorney?
Job description in Paper posting / ( I don't have I-140 in front of me but i assume the same) is:
SYSTEMS ANALYST
JOB DESCRIPTION:
Systems analysis in connection with development of technical and detailed design including application processes, interfaces and database design. Test, maintain, monitor, and program software applications.
JOB REQUIREMENTS:
1. Bachelor's degree in Computer Science.
2. Education and/or experience must include Visual Basic, SQL, Relational Database, XML, and ASP.
The new job is: Director of Software Development
• Execute the company’s technology architecture and strategy.
• Foster a strong work environment that rewards individual and team efforts and encourages creativity, while maintaining high caliber productivity.
• Prepare detailed project development work plans for scheduled software product releases and ad hoc software development projects.
• Oversee project schedules and supervise staff and consultants assigned to specific projects to ensure high quality results and timely completion of all projects within budgetary guidelines.
• Support the division’s Product Definition group by participating in requirements planning, data modeling, and business process walk-throughs to ensure proper transition from business requirements to development of the required software components.
• Provide leadership and management for a team of SW Engineers, QA Analysts, and additional technology professionals and consultants.
• Implement solutions using modern methods in SOA, OOP/OOD, Enterprise level architecture, and familiarity with UML and Case tools.
• Travel approximately 25% of the time to both in-country and international destinations.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the VP of Software Development
Are you looking for specific language? How was similar defined from your attorney?
Job description in Paper posting / ( I don't have I-140 in front of me but i assume the same) is:
SYSTEMS ANALYST
JOB DESCRIPTION:
Systems analysis in connection with development of technical and detailed design including application processes, interfaces and database design. Test, maintain, monitor, and program software applications.
JOB REQUIREMENTS:
1. Bachelor's degree in Computer Science.
2. Education and/or experience must include Visual Basic, SQL, Relational Database, XML, and ASP.
The new job is: Director of Software Development
• Execute the company’s technology architecture and strategy.
• Foster a strong work environment that rewards individual and team efforts and encourages creativity, while maintaining high caliber productivity.
• Prepare detailed project development work plans for scheduled software product releases and ad hoc software development projects.
• Oversee project schedules and supervise staff and consultants assigned to specific projects to ensure high quality results and timely completion of all projects within budgetary guidelines.
• Support the division’s Product Definition group by participating in requirements planning, data modeling, and business process walk-throughs to ensure proper transition from business requirements to development of the required software components.
• Provide leadership and management for a team of SW Engineers, QA Analysts, and additional technology professionals and consultants.
• Implement solutions using modern methods in SOA, OOP/OOD, Enterprise level architecture, and familiarity with UML and Case tools.
• Travel approximately 25% of the time to both in-country and international destinations.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the VP of Software Development
more...
gultie2k
07-07 01:42 PM
Ganguteli and Saxena...
Even though your intention may be right...the means is not. Hoping for bad of others to get help is SICK!!
Even though your intention may be right...the means is not. Hoping for bad of others to get help is SICK!!
little_willy
05-22 08:46 PM
What will happen to people who already made the move hoping to preserve their priority date from previous employer? Isn't this unfair to these folks. Do you think they may be exempt from this? I wish at least.
more...
gcisadawg
08-11 04:14 PM
bump
done. EB3-I Oct 2003
done. EB3-I Oct 2003
2010 Emo Cartoons In Love. i love;
titu1972
10-29 02:06 PM
You got an EAD for your kid? What is the minimum age for a kid to be eligible for an EAD?
The SSN card will contain a restriction saying "authorized for work only" which would mean the kid should have reached the min age for eligibility to work.
Yes... It will say "Work Authorization Only".
The SSN card will contain a restriction saying "authorized for work only" which would mean the kid should have reached the min age for eligibility to work.
Yes... It will say "Work Authorization Only".
more...
anilsal
01-13 10:47 AM
an infopass. The CIS official has a lot of information as to what is happening with the file. They can tell if someone is working on the file.
If infopass does not work, go via senator and ombudsman.
Best of luck!!
If infopass does not work, go via senator and ombudsman.
Best of luck!!
hair mend the rift in
krishnam70
08-27 06:01 PM
Krishnam70, they require police certificates for any country where you lived in the last 10 (not 5!) years. Also, fingerprints must be sent to FBI to get "certified", and that can take 10-12 weeks nowadays.
NEVER bother the consulate with questions regarding your application status. Give it at least a year since they accept your documents. If you can't wait for so long, google "CAIPS notes" and use this process to get info about your application. However, if you have specific questions regarding your application/situation, the consulate will respond within 1-2 business days. Just make sure to include your file number (you'll be provided with it upon acceptance of your documents) at the top of each email message or response. I notified the consulate about my FBI fingerprints delay and asked some questions specific to my case. When I reviewed my CAIPS notes, I found out that they keep track of all communication, including email.
I'm almost done with my Canadian PR process and moving with my family to Calgary in October.
I am from india and a Canadian PR holder who has done successful landing. I did not provide a police certificate from India. I had lived in the US 4 years before I applied for Canadian PR .If you are applying from the US they do not require you to provide the PC certificate I think. May be you are correct about FBI verification, it used to take 3 weeks to get the fingerprints certified from FBI ( As i said the instructions are on the form so did not elaborate further on that). No phone correspondence with consulate is encouraged/possible during the wait time, all inquiries need to made using the fax/regular mail quoting your file number for reference and yoy will get response. CAIPS is a good way to see the progress but i guess u still need to wait 52 weeks either way to get started.
cheers
NEVER bother the consulate with questions regarding your application status. Give it at least a year since they accept your documents. If you can't wait for so long, google "CAIPS notes" and use this process to get info about your application. However, if you have specific questions regarding your application/situation, the consulate will respond within 1-2 business days. Just make sure to include your file number (you'll be provided with it upon acceptance of your documents) at the top of each email message or response. I notified the consulate about my FBI fingerprints delay and asked some questions specific to my case. When I reviewed my CAIPS notes, I found out that they keep track of all communication, including email.
I'm almost done with my Canadian PR process and moving with my family to Calgary in October.
I am from india and a Canadian PR holder who has done successful landing. I did not provide a police certificate from India. I had lived in the US 4 years before I applied for Canadian PR .If you are applying from the US they do not require you to provide the PC certificate I think. May be you are correct about FBI verification, it used to take 3 weeks to get the fingerprints certified from FBI ( As i said the instructions are on the form so did not elaborate further on that). No phone correspondence with consulate is encouraged/possible during the wait time, all inquiries need to made using the fax/regular mail quoting your file number for reference and yoy will get response. CAIPS is a good way to see the progress but i guess u still need to wait 52 weeks either way to get started.
cheers
more...
jonty_11
07-11 03:07 PM
as long as ur empoyer can show that he is in good standing and can pay u..u shud be OK...
hot emo cartoons in love. emo
aray
09-16 02:48 PM
There is no risk. I recently traveled and came back on AP and I changed jobs and no longer work with sponsoring employer.
There is always a nut case if you are not lucky and will probably cause some grief, but will not stop you from entering US.
surabhi,
At the Port of Entry, were you asked if you are still working for the GC sponsoring employer? Did you have to show any documentation from new employer?
I am planning to travel to India in December on AP. I recently changed jobs.
Thanks in advance.
There is always a nut case if you are not lucky and will probably cause some grief, but will not stop you from entering US.
surabhi,
At the Port of Entry, were you asked if you are still working for the GC sponsoring employer? Did you have to show any documentation from new employer?
I am planning to travel to India in December on AP. I recently changed jobs.
Thanks in advance.
more...
house cartoons in love. in love with
Berkeleybee
02-05 09:28 PM
All,
My point in putting up that post was to make people aware that just the existence of the present PACE bill doesn't get us anywhere.
This issue will be run like a political campaign -- i.e. just like in a political campaign, the other side has a relatively rapid response team that has one job and one job only -- to shoot down, discredit points made by our side on a day to day basis. We and others will hopefully build a coalition that does the same, i.e. responds to these points in the media in a calm, rational,speedy way. We cannot ignore the other side -- that is practically suicide.
My point was not for us to start venting in this forum. Once we start coordinating activities with other groups and our lobbying firm, we can start to pass on any rational, statistics based responses that any of our members come up with.
I feel that calling people names, even the other side, doesn't help. Save that for your buddies or for a non-public forum.
best,
Berkeleybee
My point in putting up that post was to make people aware that just the existence of the present PACE bill doesn't get us anywhere.
This issue will be run like a political campaign -- i.e. just like in a political campaign, the other side has a relatively rapid response team that has one job and one job only -- to shoot down, discredit points made by our side on a day to day basis. We and others will hopefully build a coalition that does the same, i.e. responds to these points in the media in a calm, rational,speedy way. We cannot ignore the other side -- that is practically suicide.
My point was not for us to start venting in this forum. Once we start coordinating activities with other groups and our lobbying firm, we can start to pass on any rational, statistics based responses that any of our members come up with.
I feel that calling people names, even the other side, doesn't help. Save that for your buddies or for a non-public forum.
best,
Berkeleybee
tattoo emo cartoons in love
Dakshini R. Sen
06-26 11:17 AM
Thank You Ms. Sen.
Could you please suggest some other ways to take care of the 3 years pending I-140. i know premium process is one way to go for it & make INS pick the case. But is there any other way?
Thanx in advance
There is a �Streamline� e-mailbox for EB-3 I-140s for AILA attorneys to send inquiries. If EB-3 I-140 case was filed prior to December 31, 2008, AILA attorneys can submit an inquiry to this specific e-mail address provided by the USCIS. This is available only if the case is filed at the Texas Service Center.
So if your case falls under this category please request your attorney to send an e-mail inquiry to this streamline e-mail address and make an inquiry.
Dakshini R. Sen
Attorney at Law
Law offices of Dakshini R. Sen, P.C.
212-242-1677
713-278-1677
Could you please suggest some other ways to take care of the 3 years pending I-140. i know premium process is one way to go for it & make INS pick the case. But is there any other way?
Thanx in advance
There is a �Streamline� e-mailbox for EB-3 I-140s for AILA attorneys to send inquiries. If EB-3 I-140 case was filed prior to December 31, 2008, AILA attorneys can submit an inquiry to this specific e-mail address provided by the USCIS. This is available only if the case is filed at the Texas Service Center.
So if your case falls under this category please request your attorney to send an e-mail inquiry to this streamline e-mail address and make an inquiry.
Dakshini R. Sen
Attorney at Law
Law offices of Dakshini R. Sen, P.C.
212-242-1677
713-278-1677
more...
pictures Cartoon #3 a leopard never
shreekhand
08-03 03:51 PM
Wow! one usually gets an RFE for these, never heard of a NOID for a TB test not taken. I would suggest take a TB test and if it is positive submit the X-ray as well. I guess you should get your approval soon after.
TB test are mandatory now for medicals and these are pretty common RFE to get (again never saw an NOID tho!)
TB test are mandatory now for medicals and these are pretty common RFE to get (again never saw an NOID tho!)
dresses emo cartoons in love. emo love
ssa
11-14 01:51 AM
There is a lot of confusion on this topic - not just on the forums but even among practicing immigration lawyers. Bottom line is there is no clear cut wording in any USCIS rule or memo regarding this particular situation so it's open to interpretation. If your attorney is conservative in interpretation s/he will say use of EAD for any job would void H1B. Others say as long as you do not use EAD for the primary Job for which you have the approved H1B its okay to use EAD for other jobs. My own lawyer is in the later camp - the camp which believes use of EAD for secondary jobs does not constitute violation of H1B terms as long as you continue to work for the H1B sponsoring employer for full time. He is immigration attorney for a very big and prominent high tech company.
Pick one lawyer who you are comfortable with and believe in and do as s/he says. Bad news is anything short of USCIS clarification/memo on this will not end this debate conclusively.
Pick one lawyer who you are comfortable with and believe in and do as s/he says. Bad news is anything short of USCIS clarification/memo on this will not end this debate conclusively.
more...
makeup Cartoon: I think I love you
piyu7444
04-28 03:32 AM
-When do I have to raise Ac21?
- with H1 transfer or after or is it not required legally?
u can use AC21 in 2 ways.
one -change employer with ur H1b
two -change employer with EAD if you have one.
EAD is not necessary for AC21. EAD is a way not to transfer H1b and change employer,but you will need to renew this every year, EAD is temp green card while on H1 status.
If you pass 180 days after 485 filing , it will remain valid if your 140 is approved and is not revoked before 180 days from 485 filing.
- Is it safe to transfer H1 (after 180days) without AC21?
- How will it affect my 485?
I dont think there is such a thing.
-What are the docs to be collected from old employer?
-Can I retail same lawyer for GC while H1 is taken care by new company lawyer?
Dont know, Keep all 140 receipts/notices, 485 receipt notices, consult a lawyer( it will cost 100$ a 30 min session or so)
I m joining new company by changing H1.
Too many questions too little input to take decission. Please provide your expertise advice.
-When do I have to raise Ac21?
- with H1 transfer or after or is it not required legally?
- Is it safe to transfer H1 (after 180days) without AC21?
- How will it affect my 485?
-What are the docs to be collected from old employer?
-Can I retain same lawyer for GC while H1 is taken care by new company lawyer?
Guys - I m running out of time and got to respond to new company soon.
Please provide your inputs.
-Gc04
July 07 filer
Chicago state Chapter
Raising AC21 is your choice, you can raise it as you change a job (either on h1b or EAD) or else you dont tell USCIS about the change until they issue you a RFE. To add to the else part-suppose you do not raise AC21 while changing a job.....USCIS might just issue you your GC without a RFE.
There is no legal requirement to notify USCIS via AC21 about job change. (I am assuming you are changing the job after 180 days)
It is safe to tranfer h1b after 180 days. The only affect on 485 I see is a RFE while USCIS adjudicates your case and would want to know your current employer/job/job description.
You should always keep a copy of LC / I 140 and 485 and you can find a new attny. while h1b is being processed by your new co.
I had my h1b+LC+140 filed by one lawyer (co. lawyer) and then I had my own attny. to file 485/EAD/AP and it just works fine as long as you have all the documents with you from your employer.
Hope this helps...........
- with H1 transfer or after or is it not required legally?
u can use AC21 in 2 ways.
one -change employer with ur H1b
two -change employer with EAD if you have one.
EAD is not necessary for AC21. EAD is a way not to transfer H1b and change employer,but you will need to renew this every year, EAD is temp green card while on H1 status.
If you pass 180 days after 485 filing , it will remain valid if your 140 is approved and is not revoked before 180 days from 485 filing.
- Is it safe to transfer H1 (after 180days) without AC21?
- How will it affect my 485?
I dont think there is such a thing.
-What are the docs to be collected from old employer?
-Can I retail same lawyer for GC while H1 is taken care by new company lawyer?
Dont know, Keep all 140 receipts/notices, 485 receipt notices, consult a lawyer( it will cost 100$ a 30 min session or so)
I m joining new company by changing H1.
Too many questions too little input to take decission. Please provide your expertise advice.
-When do I have to raise Ac21?
- with H1 transfer or after or is it not required legally?
- Is it safe to transfer H1 (after 180days) without AC21?
- How will it affect my 485?
-What are the docs to be collected from old employer?
-Can I retain same lawyer for GC while H1 is taken care by new company lawyer?
Guys - I m running out of time and got to respond to new company soon.
Please provide your inputs.
-Gc04
July 07 filer
Chicago state Chapter
Raising AC21 is your choice, you can raise it as you change a job (either on h1b or EAD) or else you dont tell USCIS about the change until they issue you a RFE. To add to the else part-suppose you do not raise AC21 while changing a job.....USCIS might just issue you your GC without a RFE.
There is no legal requirement to notify USCIS via AC21 about job change. (I am assuming you are changing the job after 180 days)
It is safe to tranfer h1b after 180 days. The only affect on 485 I see is a RFE while USCIS adjudicates your case and would want to know your current employer/job/job description.
You should always keep a copy of LC / I 140 and 485 and you can find a new attny. while h1b is being processed by your new co.
I had my h1b+LC+140 filed by one lawyer (co. lawyer) and then I had my own attny. to file 485/EAD/AP and it just works fine as long as you have all the documents with you from your employer.
Hope this helps...........
girlfriend Every Single Cartoon on
glus
10-21 08:32 PM
All,
I submitted my first application on July 2nd. since I did not get receipt notice till Aug 16th so I filled the second (as back up) one on Aug 16th. Later I did get my receipt notices for July 2nd.
Though, I did put stop payment on the checks for the appliaction filled on Aug 16th but yesterday, I received their receipt notices.
Now, I have two A#s one for July 2nd applications and another one for Aug 16th appliaction.
I was planning to just sit on it and do not respond to finger printing notice or any communciation from USCIS for Aug 16th application and hence causing it to get rejected.
The reason I do not want to communicate with USCIS is that I don't want any confusion and hence anything happen to my July 2nd application.
Is it a right strategy? Please comment.
OK, everyone knows that double I485 was not a good idea. However, many people had done it and I was one who was thinking of it, but did not do it. As per my attorney's advise, stopping a check issued to a governmental entity is not legal. On these grounds, I decided not to file 2nd time.
I guess the best way would be to withdraw the second petition. One can do that by writing a letter stating the reason for withdrawal and sending it to the appropriate service center (with tracking number.) Of course, the reason should be true, "Due to the July Visa Bulletin fiasco and indications that my first I485 could have been lost, I sent out a second application which is should not be considered anymore," or something like that. Withdrawal of the second I485 would, most likely, be the safest way to go about it.
Regards,
I submitted my first application on July 2nd. since I did not get receipt notice till Aug 16th so I filled the second (as back up) one on Aug 16th. Later I did get my receipt notices for July 2nd.
Though, I did put stop payment on the checks for the appliaction filled on Aug 16th but yesterday, I received their receipt notices.
Now, I have two A#s one for July 2nd applications and another one for Aug 16th appliaction.
I was planning to just sit on it and do not respond to finger printing notice or any communciation from USCIS for Aug 16th application and hence causing it to get rejected.
The reason I do not want to communicate with USCIS is that I don't want any confusion and hence anything happen to my July 2nd application.
Is it a right strategy? Please comment.
OK, everyone knows that double I485 was not a good idea. However, many people had done it and I was one who was thinking of it, but did not do it. As per my attorney's advise, stopping a check issued to a governmental entity is not legal. On these grounds, I decided not to file 2nd time.
I guess the best way would be to withdraw the second petition. One can do that by writing a letter stating the reason for withdrawal and sending it to the appropriate service center (with tracking number.) Of course, the reason should be true, "Due to the July Visa Bulletin fiasco and indications that my first I485 could have been lost, I sent out a second application which is should not be considered anymore," or something like that. Withdrawal of the second I485 would, most likely, be the safest way to go about it.
Regards,
hairstyles Emo Cartoons In Love.
Munna Bhai
08-30 07:53 AM
copy of first and last paystubs of all employers?
:eek: :eek:
I can hardly find any paystub beyond 6 months, in my case. I hope and pray that I dont get an RFE like that. Do people really keep all the paystubs they ever received from employers? that is an outrage.
If this is not unfair that what else is?
WOW.......
I think the best way to handle this is, atleast contact couple of attorneys and sit down with them. Go over every single detail, and dont miss out on any papers. Some of the papers you listed, are standard attachements anyways. I wonder why your lawyer didnt submit those along with original form?
These type of issues will come only if at some stage(H1b or GC) USCIS has a red-flag associated with this case(or company).
:eek: :eek:
I can hardly find any paystub beyond 6 months, in my case. I hope and pray that I dont get an RFE like that. Do people really keep all the paystubs they ever received from employers? that is an outrage.
If this is not unfair that what else is?
WOW.......
I think the best way to handle this is, atleast contact couple of attorneys and sit down with them. Go over every single detail, and dont miss out on any papers. Some of the papers you listed, are standard attachements anyways. I wonder why your lawyer didnt submit those along with original form?
These type of issues will come only if at some stage(H1b or GC) USCIS has a red-flag associated with this case(or company).
purgan
11-11 10:32 AM
Randell,
Congratulations on getting the attention of the Times, and your tireless efforts in spreading word of the broken legal immigration system.
===
New York Times
Immigration, a Love Story
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/12/fashion/12green.html
WHEN Kenneth Harrell Jr., an Assemblies of God minister in South Carolina, invited Gricelda Molina to join his Spanish ministry in 2000, it didn’t take him long to realize he had found the woman he had been waiting for. On the telephone and during romantic strolls they talked about their goals, their commitment to God and how many children each would like to have. Six months flew by, and he asked her to marry him.
“She’s a beautiful woman with a beautiful spirit, very gentle, very sincere,” Mr. Harrell said. But Ms. Molina, a factory worker, was also an undocumented immigrant from Honduras, who had crossed into the United States twice, having once been deported. Mr. Harrell, the pastor of Airport Assembly of God church in West Columbia, said he was not too concerned. “Whatever came, we would walk through this path together,” he said.
Mr. Harrell and Ms. Molina, both 35, married in 2001, in a large wedding attended by family from both sides and blessed by pastors in English and Spanish. But the Harrells no longer live together, not because of divorce, but because Mrs. Harrell, now the mother of two sons and four months pregnant with their third child, has been deported. She had applied for legal residency, or a green card, with her new husband as her sponsor, Mr. Harrell said, but she was sent back to Honduras 20 months ago because of her illegal entries and told she would have to wait 10 years to try again.
“Illegals are pouring over the border,” said Mr. Harrell, who has visited his family five times. “We meet them, we fall in love with them, we marry them. And then the government tears your family apart, and they take no responsibility for letting them in, in the first place.”
Falling in love and marching toward marriage is not always easy, but a particular brand of heartache and hardship can await when one of the partners is in this country illegally. The uncertainty of such a union has only been heightened by the national debate over illegal immigration. Whether the new Democratic leadership in Congress will help people like the Harrells remains to be seen.
It is hard to quantify how many people find themselves in Mr. Harrell’s situation, but with stepped-up enforcement in recent years, deportations have increased, and so have fears of losing a loved one in that way. (There were 168,310 removals in 2005, compared with 108,000 in 2000, immigration officials said.)
And that is only one byproduct of love between two people with such uneven places in society, immigration lawyers say. Many relationships strain under the financial burden of hiring lawyers for what can turn into years of visiting government offices, producing pictures, tax records and other evidence of a legitimate marriage in the quest for legalization. And while instances of immigrants faking love for a green card are in the minority, according to immigration officials, some couples feel pressure to marry before they are ready, hoping that marriage will prevent a loved one’s deportation.
Raul Godinez, an immigration lawyer in Los Angeles, said: “I ask people, ‘How much do you love this person? Because immigration is going to test your marriage.’ If you don’t feel it’s going to be a strong marriage, I wouldn’t do it.”
Many people may still believe that obtaining legal status through marriage is easy, because of periodic reports of marriage scams. In a three-year investigation called Operation Newlywed Game, immigration and customs enforcement agents caught more than 40 suspects in California for allegedly orchestrating sham marriages between hundreds of Chinese or Vietnamese nationals and United States citizens. But such fraud occurs in only a minority of cases, federal officials said.
In reality, immigration lawyers said, marrying a citizen does not automatically entitle the spouse to a green card and is only the first step in a long bureaucratic journey. The lawyers noted that changes in the law in the last five years have made this legalization path increasingly difficult, one worth choosing only if true love is at stake. (Other routes include sponsorship by immediate family members or an employer.)
The Harrells said they had no idea how difficult it could be and were shocked when Mrs. Harrell’s application for permanent residence was turned down, leaving them only 12 days to prepare for her departure. In that time, Mr. Harrell said, they decided that the children, now 4 and 3, would go with her. So Mr. Harrell obtained passports for them, and the church held a farewell service.
“It was very traumatic,” he said. “Our whole world was crashing around us.”
In Yoro, in north central Honduras, where Mrs. Harrell and the children live with her parents, she said the older boy constantly asks for his father, begging, “Let’s go to my papa’s house.” She has coped with her own dejection, too. “I know how much work he has over there,” she said by telephone. “He needs his wife.”
But even in the best of circumstances, when an immigrant enters the country legally, couples may have to rearrange their lives and defer their dreams.
Paola Emery, a jewelry designer, and her husband, Randall Emery, a computer consultant in Philadelphia, said they delayed having children and buying a house for the nearly four years it took the government to complete a background check for Mrs. Emery, who had entered the country from Colombia with a tourist visa and applied for permanent residency after they married in 2002.
Mrs. Emery, 27, said lawyers advised them it was not wise for her to risk trouble by visiting her close-knit family in Colombia and then trying to re-enter this country. She said she was absent through weddings, illnesses and even the kidnapping and rescue of an uncle.
“I felt like I was in jail,” Mrs. Emery said.
Officials with the Citizenship and Immigration Services in the Homeland Security Department say that delays lasting years are rare, but some immigration lawyers say they see clients who wait three to four years for security clearance. Mrs. Emery and her husband, 34, sued Homeland Security over the delays, and she was finally cleared last May. By then Mr. Emery had helped form American Families United, a group of citizens who have sponsored immediate family members for immigration, and which advocates immigration-law change to keep families together. Immigration Services officials say they are not out to impede love or immigration. Nearly 260,000 spouses of citizens received permanent residency through marriage last year, out of 1.1 million people who became permanent residents, according to the Immigration Services office. “The goal is to give people who are eligible the benefit,” said Marie T. Sebrechts, its spokeswoman in Southern California. She said the agency does not comment on individual cases.
When a legal immigrant is sponsored by an American spouse, she said, the green card can be obtained in as little as six months. But with complications like an illegal entry, laws are not that benevolent, Ms. Sebrechts said. In those cases, the immigrant usually must return to the home country and wait 3 to 10 years to apply for residency, though waivers are sometimes granted.
Such obstacles are far from the minds of couples when they meet. And for some, so is the idea to question whether the beloved feels equally in love with them.
Sharyn T. Sooho, a divorce lawyer and a founder of divorcenet.com, a Web site for divorcing couples, said she has represented American spouses who realized too late that the person they married was more interested in a green card than in living happily ever after. “They feel conflicted, used and abused,” she said. “It’s a quick marriage, and suddenly the person who was so sweet is turning into a nightmare.”
But more often, said Carlina Tapia-Ruano, the president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, couples marry before they are ready because “there’s fear that if you don’t do this, somebody is going to get deported.”
Krystal Rivera, 18, a college student in Los Angeles, and her boyfriend fall into this group. Ms. Rivera is set on marrying in April 2008, even as she worries that it may put too much pressure on the relationship.
“I never wanted to follow the Hispanic ritual of getting married early,” said Ms. Rivera, a native of Los Angeles whose parents emigrated from Mexico.
She said she fell in love at 13 with a Mexican-born boy who sang in the church choir with her. “He started poking me, and I said ‘Stop it!’ ” she remembered.
Ms. Rivera is still in love with the boy, now 19, who was brought into the country illegally by his mother when he was 12. He goes to college and wants to become a teacher, while she hopes to become a doctor.
But for those plans to work, Ms. Rivera said, she needs to help him legalize his status. She said she has witnessed his frustration as he dealt with employers who didn’t pay what they owed him or struggled to find better jobs than his current one as a line cook. Because of his illegal status, he is unable to get a driver’s license or visit the brothers he left in Mexico. “We want to be normal,” Ms. Rivera said.
The Harrells, too, have decided to take charge. After months of exploring how to reunite the family and spending thousands of dollars on lawyers, Mr. Harrell has decided to leave his small congregation, sell his house and join his wife in Honduras. He will be a missionary for his church for a fraction of the $40,000 a year he makes as a minister.
Congratulations on getting the attention of the Times, and your tireless efforts in spreading word of the broken legal immigration system.
===
New York Times
Immigration, a Love Story
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/12/fashion/12green.html
WHEN Kenneth Harrell Jr., an Assemblies of God minister in South Carolina, invited Gricelda Molina to join his Spanish ministry in 2000, it didn’t take him long to realize he had found the woman he had been waiting for. On the telephone and during romantic strolls they talked about their goals, their commitment to God and how many children each would like to have. Six months flew by, and he asked her to marry him.
“She’s a beautiful woman with a beautiful spirit, very gentle, very sincere,” Mr. Harrell said. But Ms. Molina, a factory worker, was also an undocumented immigrant from Honduras, who had crossed into the United States twice, having once been deported. Mr. Harrell, the pastor of Airport Assembly of God church in West Columbia, said he was not too concerned. “Whatever came, we would walk through this path together,” he said.
Mr. Harrell and Ms. Molina, both 35, married in 2001, in a large wedding attended by family from both sides and blessed by pastors in English and Spanish. But the Harrells no longer live together, not because of divorce, but because Mrs. Harrell, now the mother of two sons and four months pregnant with their third child, has been deported. She had applied for legal residency, or a green card, with her new husband as her sponsor, Mr. Harrell said, but she was sent back to Honduras 20 months ago because of her illegal entries and told she would have to wait 10 years to try again.
“Illegals are pouring over the border,” said Mr. Harrell, who has visited his family five times. “We meet them, we fall in love with them, we marry them. And then the government tears your family apart, and they take no responsibility for letting them in, in the first place.”
Falling in love and marching toward marriage is not always easy, but a particular brand of heartache and hardship can await when one of the partners is in this country illegally. The uncertainty of such a union has only been heightened by the national debate over illegal immigration. Whether the new Democratic leadership in Congress will help people like the Harrells remains to be seen.
It is hard to quantify how many people find themselves in Mr. Harrell’s situation, but with stepped-up enforcement in recent years, deportations have increased, and so have fears of losing a loved one in that way. (There were 168,310 removals in 2005, compared with 108,000 in 2000, immigration officials said.)
And that is only one byproduct of love between two people with such uneven places in society, immigration lawyers say. Many relationships strain under the financial burden of hiring lawyers for what can turn into years of visiting government offices, producing pictures, tax records and other evidence of a legitimate marriage in the quest for legalization. And while instances of immigrants faking love for a green card are in the minority, according to immigration officials, some couples feel pressure to marry before they are ready, hoping that marriage will prevent a loved one’s deportation.
Raul Godinez, an immigration lawyer in Los Angeles, said: “I ask people, ‘How much do you love this person? Because immigration is going to test your marriage.’ If you don’t feel it’s going to be a strong marriage, I wouldn’t do it.”
Many people may still believe that obtaining legal status through marriage is easy, because of periodic reports of marriage scams. In a three-year investigation called Operation Newlywed Game, immigration and customs enforcement agents caught more than 40 suspects in California for allegedly orchestrating sham marriages between hundreds of Chinese or Vietnamese nationals and United States citizens. But such fraud occurs in only a minority of cases, federal officials said.
In reality, immigration lawyers said, marrying a citizen does not automatically entitle the spouse to a green card and is only the first step in a long bureaucratic journey. The lawyers noted that changes in the law in the last five years have made this legalization path increasingly difficult, one worth choosing only if true love is at stake. (Other routes include sponsorship by immediate family members or an employer.)
The Harrells said they had no idea how difficult it could be and were shocked when Mrs. Harrell’s application for permanent residence was turned down, leaving them only 12 days to prepare for her departure. In that time, Mr. Harrell said, they decided that the children, now 4 and 3, would go with her. So Mr. Harrell obtained passports for them, and the church held a farewell service.
“It was very traumatic,” he said. “Our whole world was crashing around us.”
In Yoro, in north central Honduras, where Mrs. Harrell and the children live with her parents, she said the older boy constantly asks for his father, begging, “Let’s go to my papa’s house.” She has coped with her own dejection, too. “I know how much work he has over there,” she said by telephone. “He needs his wife.”
But even in the best of circumstances, when an immigrant enters the country legally, couples may have to rearrange their lives and defer their dreams.
Paola Emery, a jewelry designer, and her husband, Randall Emery, a computer consultant in Philadelphia, said they delayed having children and buying a house for the nearly four years it took the government to complete a background check for Mrs. Emery, who had entered the country from Colombia with a tourist visa and applied for permanent residency after they married in 2002.
Mrs. Emery, 27, said lawyers advised them it was not wise for her to risk trouble by visiting her close-knit family in Colombia and then trying to re-enter this country. She said she was absent through weddings, illnesses and even the kidnapping and rescue of an uncle.
“I felt like I was in jail,” Mrs. Emery said.
Officials with the Citizenship and Immigration Services in the Homeland Security Department say that delays lasting years are rare, but some immigration lawyers say they see clients who wait three to four years for security clearance. Mrs. Emery and her husband, 34, sued Homeland Security over the delays, and she was finally cleared last May. By then Mr. Emery had helped form American Families United, a group of citizens who have sponsored immediate family members for immigration, and which advocates immigration-law change to keep families together. Immigration Services officials say they are not out to impede love or immigration. Nearly 260,000 spouses of citizens received permanent residency through marriage last year, out of 1.1 million people who became permanent residents, according to the Immigration Services office. “The goal is to give people who are eligible the benefit,” said Marie T. Sebrechts, its spokeswoman in Southern California. She said the agency does not comment on individual cases.
When a legal immigrant is sponsored by an American spouse, she said, the green card can be obtained in as little as six months. But with complications like an illegal entry, laws are not that benevolent, Ms. Sebrechts said. In those cases, the immigrant usually must return to the home country and wait 3 to 10 years to apply for residency, though waivers are sometimes granted.
Such obstacles are far from the minds of couples when they meet. And for some, so is the idea to question whether the beloved feels equally in love with them.
Sharyn T. Sooho, a divorce lawyer and a founder of divorcenet.com, a Web site for divorcing couples, said she has represented American spouses who realized too late that the person they married was more interested in a green card than in living happily ever after. “They feel conflicted, used and abused,” she said. “It’s a quick marriage, and suddenly the person who was so sweet is turning into a nightmare.”
But more often, said Carlina Tapia-Ruano, the president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, couples marry before they are ready because “there’s fear that if you don’t do this, somebody is going to get deported.”
Krystal Rivera, 18, a college student in Los Angeles, and her boyfriend fall into this group. Ms. Rivera is set on marrying in April 2008, even as she worries that it may put too much pressure on the relationship.
“I never wanted to follow the Hispanic ritual of getting married early,” said Ms. Rivera, a native of Los Angeles whose parents emigrated from Mexico.
She said she fell in love at 13 with a Mexican-born boy who sang in the church choir with her. “He started poking me, and I said ‘Stop it!’ ” she remembered.
Ms. Rivera is still in love with the boy, now 19, who was brought into the country illegally by his mother when he was 12. He goes to college and wants to become a teacher, while she hopes to become a doctor.
But for those plans to work, Ms. Rivera said, she needs to help him legalize his status. She said she has witnessed his frustration as he dealt with employers who didn’t pay what they owed him or struggled to find better jobs than his current one as a line cook. Because of his illegal status, he is unable to get a driver’s license or visit the brothers he left in Mexico. “We want to be normal,” Ms. Rivera said.
The Harrells, too, have decided to take charge. After months of exploring how to reunite the family and spending thousands of dollars on lawyers, Mr. Harrell has decided to leave his small congregation, sell his house and join his wife in Honduras. He will be a missionary for his church for a fraction of the $40,000 a year he makes as a minister.
sanju
01-26 02:12 PM
Lonjourney,
Any update, what did your lawyer say? What did you end up doing?
Any update, what did your lawyer say? What did you end up doing?
Няма коментари:
Публикуване на коментар