Immigration Debate

There are many who talk about this list of employers like it is gold for skilled immigrants all over the world who want to migrate and live and work in the US. This is a list that so many other companies and websites charge hundreds of dollars for you to have the privilige to even see it.

Well applications starting on April 1 this year are closing fast and there are millions around the world hunting for the 65,000 opportunities there are for H-1B visas this years (plus the extra 20,000 for US Masters Degree holders).

Imagine the advantage you would have if you knew the employers who were already pre disposed to hire H-1B visas, especially in large numbers. Therefore no need to go the dual process of firstly try to convince them to hire you like a regular applicant but then convincing them to sponsor your US Visa as well. So no more explanations of filings, immigration attorneys, costs, application dates. start dates, etc. These employers are all well aware of what their obligations are in hiring a foreign worker.

This list comprises almost 25% of all the H-1B Visas that were issued last year.

In these tough times a list like this becomes even more priceless and and we don’t want you to be be unfairly forced to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars to others organizations just for this list given you have so many other costs with relocation and setting yourself up in the US in the future.

Incidentally this list can help visa holders on E-3, L-1, J-1 and F-1 Holders on OPT status as well.

So without further delay, this is the definitive list of the Top 10 H-1B Visa Employers Last Year:

10. 1BM (381 Visas)
9. LARSEN & TOUBRO INFOTECH (403 Visas)
8. CISCO SYSTEMS (422 Visas)
7. COGNIZANT TECH SOLUTIONS (467 Visas)
6. ACCENTURE (731 Visas)
5. MICROSOFT (1,037 Visas)
4. TATA CONSULTANCY (1,539 Visas)
3. SATYAM COMPUTER SERVICES (1,917 Visas)
2. WIPRO (2,678 Visas)

AND

1. INFO SYS (4,559 Visas)

There are many ways to legally enter the US including as a tourist, student, worker, family sponsor, lottery winner, diplomat and special cases (i.e. medical). Their aren’t that many ways to illegally enter the US but most illegal Aliens as the US classifies them are, people who have overstayed their pre-determined allowed time on some of the above legal means.

So let us get to this secret formula, that will give you the greatest chance to move and then eventually live permanently in the USA. It is a multi-pronged strategy which you could see you gain success in multiple points which gives you choices. As an immigrant choices are a great thing as the system is so heavily skewed against you succeeding that few ever do because they don’t know this information.

The Green Card or Diversity Visa Lottery

As it stands now each year in around October, the US Government issues about 50,000 Green Cards which means permanent residency to people all over the world in a lottery format. Now there are are a few countries whose citizens are ineligible to enter as the US views this as a way to make the country more diverse from people all over the world and not just one particular part.

The countries that are excluded are determined from the amount of immigrant from those countries as determined by the US State Department in the previous few years. So in recent times, citizens from the UK, China, India, Mexico, Canada among others have been unable to enter the annual lottery.

You can immediately see that this can enhance your chances as there are a lot of people automatically excluded!

Additionally the annual lottery winners are to some degree proportional, meaning you wont have 48,000 winners from one country for example. The State Department website explains this part to some degree but the complete mechanics of it are still unknown.

It is FREE to enter this lottery each year which opens around about early October through early December.
Winners are announced from about April - August the following year and then your Green Card takes effect for the year after.

So for example, if you enter the lottery in October 2009, receive notification by mail you won in May 2010, your Green Card will apply from 2011!

Sometimes foreigners feel like there are like 10 tickets you need to buy just to have the chance to gain entry into the US. Each of these tickets are hugely expensive and none of them guarantee you entry into the country.

Firstly there seems to be so many different layers of application fees related to your job, national security, training, etc. and then optional feels for fast processing which you are strongly advised to get.

Then back home you have fees just to make a visa appointment, then file your application, pay for them to issue your visa and send it back to you. If all that is not enough, then you have to pay of course for your ticket to the US (with still a small chance that Immigration at the border may deny you entry EVEN if you have a visa!

Then in all of these above costs, I have not even mentioned lawyer or attorney fees which often tends to be the biggest of the lot and can run into the many thousands of dollars depending on your case. All of this just wants to make you scream as you wonder whether the so-called ‘land of opportunity’ is only called that because they make so much money off immigrants trying to enter! Well the truth is, despite what the lawyers and the establishment may tell you, a lawyer is not necessary in many cases and even when it may be helpful can be used for small specific purposes and not the whole process. Thus making it a lot cheaper than what it would normally be.

For example with the E3 Visa, the file your employer has to file with the government can be done electronically at no cost and is very simple to fill out that you can even do it for them. With the H1B visa and it’s multi layers of fees, a lawyer may come in handy for the premium filing option if you opt for that but the rest of the process you can certainly handle.

For the J1 and F1 visa, you should not even consider using legal representation given the designated 3rd party sponsor organization like the College or International Exchange Organization will handle most of the so-called legal requirements on your behalf.

I hope all this information helped provides better context on the whole legal and immigration process for you

Immigrant and non-immigrant visas are two different kinds of visas. Immigrant visa allows a person to reside and work on a permanent basis in the US where as the non-immigrant visa applies to those who visit the country on a temporary basis. Students, professionals, medical patients and tourists are some of the people who require the non-immigrant visa in order to visit the country on a temporary basis.

Applying for an immigration green card is an important task for those individuals who wish to permanently reside and work in the US. Making mistakes while filling in the details is very common. But it may complicate the process during process of evaluation of the immigration green card application. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services have a set of filing rules that have to be followed stringently or else the application can be delayed or even denied.

Here are some mistakes that most of the applicants usually make:

Submitting incomplete applications:

While filling the immigration green card application the applicant is required to fill in the correct information. The applicant is also required to submit certain documents like birth certificate, marriage proof and verification letters by employers. You will be in a better position if you submit many documents as it will help to strength the approval for your application.

Unsigned immigration forms

It is a common mistake to submit an unsigned form. It is essential to sign and date the forms while filling in the application. Unsigned forms are usually submitted when you are filling information on behalf of your dependant. It is necessary that they sign their own names if they are adults.

Translation of non-English documents

If you are submitting documents of another language then you are required to attach an English translation along with it. However, it is not necessary for the English documents to be official.

Applying at the wrong immigration category

When you apply for an immigration green card you are supposed to do it through a certain category. These categories have their own criteria that have to be met by you. Therefore, it is necessary to check your eligibility before you apply.

Trusting outdated information

Immigration forms and its related fields keep changing very frequently. While you are applying for an immigration green card it is essential that the information is valid and updated. The United States Citizen and Immigration Service may accept forms that are of older versions but they will certainly not accept fields that are incomplete.

The K1 fiancee visa is a non-immigrant visa for a fiance (e) of a foreign nationality to come to the United States and marry his/her American fiance (e) and reside in the States permanently.

For a K1 non-immigrant petition to be approved, the marriage must be legally acceptable in the particular US state where it is supposed to be held. The USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) also requires the couple to have met in person sometime in the past two years. However, the second requirement has an exception since some cultures do not encourage couples meeting before they are married. Though the K1 fiancee visa is a non-immigrant visa, it allows the foreign fiancee to immigrate to the US and marry an American citizen within 90 days. The fiancee is therefore required to meet some of the immigrant visa requirements.

Following the marriage in the US, the foreign spouse must immediately file Form I-485 Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status with the USCIS. The American partner needs to fill out Form I-864 or the Affidavit of Support for his/her foreign spouse’s lawful permanent resident status (LPR) application. The foreign spouse can also file Form I-765 Application for Employment Authorization with USCIS in order to receive a work permit to be able to work in the United States.

The child of the foreign fiance (e) can receive a derivative K-2 visa through the parent’s K1 fiancee visa petition. The American partner should mention the children in the K1 fiancee petition initially filed with the USCIS. Following the marriage of the foreign fiancee and the American citizen, the child requires a separate form I-485 Application to Register Permanent Residence or to Adjust Status.

Being a non-immigrant visa, the K1 fiancee visa takes lesser time to process. The exact period one has to wait for receiving the visa cannot be ascertained as the time for processing depends on each application and the specific circumstances.