Vatives galleries

Hi,
Which bank offers best interest rate for fixed deposit in india.?
What is treasury bond?? How could we invest in it?

Check here

http://www.ratekhoj.com/fixed-deposits/nri-fixed-deposits/fdresults.php?post=Submit+your+choices&duration=all+periods&inst%5B%5D=Public+Sector+Banks&amt=deposit+amounts+less+than+Rs.+15+lakhs&citizentype=non-senior&sorttype=rate&sortorder=DESC&filewrite=0

just curious to know what is the reason that 22 people till now didn't vote for the question ... what do you think could be the reason ...

Whether it is logical or not, whether we like it or not, the issues of illegal and legal immigration are intrinsically tied up (to the disadvantage of skilled workers, of course:-()

Anyhow, this appeared in today's Wall Street Journal...it may forbode a taste of things to come..or not come..this one focusses on the DREAM Act which is geared to provide in-state tuition to illegal immigrants..

---------------
Should Illegal Immigrants Get Tuition Help?

States' Varying Stances on College-Education Benefit Illustrate Congress's Overhaul Task
By JUNE KRONHOLZ
February 22, 2006; Page A4

WASHINGTON -- An emotional state-level dispute over college tuition shows how tough it will be for Congress to overhaul immigration laws and extend citizenship benefits to the country's estimated 11 million illegal immigrants.

Four years ago, California passed a law granting in-state tuition to students who were in the U.S. illegally but had graduated from a California high school. Eight other states followed, allowing illegal immigrants to attend public colleges for in-state student fees -- usually less than half what out-of-state students pay.

DiAnna Schimek, a Democrat who heads the Nebraska Senate's education committee, says she has pushed for an in-state tuition bill for illegal immigrants as a matter of compassion and economic calculation. "These children didn't bring themselves" but were brought by their parents, she says. "It's only a good investment on our part to make certain they are productive citizens."

But attitudes have been hardening as an estimated 400,000 illegal immigrants flood in yearly. "That's an alarm to the people here ... it's a drain on the economy," says Rep. Glenn Donnelson, a Utah Republican who heads an education committee in his state.

So while some legislators want to extend tuition benefits to illegal immigrants in their states, others are calling for laws to deny the benefit -- or take it back.

Lawmakers in Utah, Kansas and New Mexico -- which passed in-state tuition benefits only two or three years ago -- now are waging uphill fights to repeal them. Massachusetts legislators last month rejected a bill to offer in-state tuition benefits to illegal immigrants.

Six states are considering measures that would deny in-state tuition, tuition waivers or state scholarships to illegal immigrants. In New York, which offers in-state tuition to illegal immigrants, and Virginia, which recently passed a law offering benefits to some, bills have been introduced to bar illegal immigrants from attending public colleges.

Meanwhile, lawsuits challenging in-state tuition for illegal immigrants have been filed in California and in Kansas. "There's something wrong with giving a benefit to an illegal that we don't even give to citizens of other states," says state Rep. Becky Hutchins, a Kansas Republican leading a repeal effort there.

The tuition laws generally require illegal immigrants to have attended a local high school for three years, to have graduated or earned a high-school equivalency and to sign an affidavit promising to legalize their immigration status as soon as they are eligible.

Promoters expect few students to actually take up the benefit. Dropout rates are high and academic scores generally are low among Hispanics, who account for the majority of illegal aliens. And even in-state tuition, which averages about $5,500 this year, may be out of reach for children whose parents typically hold minimum-wage jobs.

Kris Kobach, a University of Missouri law professor who brought a federal suit against the Kansas program, says 221 illegal immigrants are enrolled in Kansas public colleges this year, and that even when the benefit becomes widely known, the number probably wouldn't exceed 2,700.

Even so, in-state tuition laws have become flashpoint among some voters who feel they haven't any other way to protest illegal immigration. Federal laws allow illegal immigrants to use emergency medical services, and a 1982 Supreme Court decision entitles their children to public education through high school.

Rod Adair, a New Mexico state senator who introduced unsuccessful legislation to repeal his state's immigrant-tuition benefit, says he was acting "in response to my constituents. They're frustrated."

Prof. Kobach's suit contends Kansas's in-state tuition benefit violates a federal law that prohibits states from giving any benefit to an illegal alien that they don't also extend to all U.S. citizens.

Among his plaintiffs, Heidi Hydeman, an Iowa native, says she was charged out-of-state tuition by the University of Kansas, though she lived in Kansas for six years and paid Kansas income tax for three years while attending the school. "I thought it was unfair," says Ms. Hydeman.


Mr. Donnelson, the Utah legislator, says Utah would face a $34 million bill if a similar suit were filed there, and current out-of-state students were refunded the difference between in-state tuition and the nonresident tuition they pay.

But legislators' doubts go beyond that. Although illegal immigrants who get the tuition benefit pledge to legalize their status, there is almost no way they can do that under current laws. And even with a college degree, there is almost no way for illegal immigrants to legally get a job.

For years, congressional supporters have promoted a measure, called the Dream Act, that would clear up those problems. States would be allowed to offer in-state tuition to illegal-immigrant students who, in turn, could become citizens.

In 2003, almost half the Senate cosponsored the Dream Act. But the Dream Act's prospects have faded, and this year its pivotal supporter, Utah Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch, withdrew as a sponsor. "Realistically, the Dream Act will not pass" and should be included in an overhaul of immigration laws, he said.

But the tensions fueling opposition to in-state tuition laws are the same ones making it hard for Congress to pass immigration overhaul. A coalition of pro-business Republicans, Democrats, immigrant-rights groups and labor unions wants new federal laws that would let illegal immigrants eventually become citizens.

They are being stymied, however, by social conservatives, who worry about being culturally overwhelmed by immigrants, and by Republican national-security hawks, who are demanding that Washington cut off illegal immigration first. The tension prevented the U.S. House from taking up immigration overhaul last year, and is complicating the Senate's efforts to pass it this year.

Write to June Kronholz at june.kronholz@wsj.com

I have an MS degree, so IF the SKIL is passed, my PD will become current. However, I guess the earliest time for SKIL to be passed is Oct, if it is ever passed.

Does the SKIL bill apply only to MS, or MBA too ?

EB3I- PD Sep-2006
EAD stuck in name check :-(

this means EVERYONE should go with EAD

Nice. It appears that according to the link below:

http://immigration-information.com/forums/showpost.php?p=18946&postcount=28

The EAD doesn't get invalid when AOS is denied and will be valid till its expiration date.

On the other hand, it appears that there is an advantage to switching to EAD prior to the 6 year H1 expiration to stop the H1 clock. In situation where a AOS is incorrectly denied, a change of status from EAD to H1 for the remainig time can be helpful.

Thoughts?

Bump

YTH.

Meanwhile, my lawyer today emailed & confirmed that the h1b will be valid even after using AP to travel and one can also renew or transfer the h1b. Even after the current I-94 expires obtained using AP, if one has still valid EAD or H1B I-797, he/she will be in status. However she also said that this is tricky situation and she could not find any CIS memo.

HOPE THIS WILL STILL SOLVE MANY PEOPLE'S DOUBTS.

Now I see no reason why anyone should NOT use AP to travel. Why should ANYONE waste money and time for restamping and take a small chance???

However as "Ramba" said in post# 27, it is still a small chance as no one knows what is exactly the CIS rules.


I agree..

This is one of the important threads. It's really time to cleanse the system and imbibe faith in the employer/employee relationship.

We do see such threads on the forum occasionally where the employee is being cheated/asked to sign a contract/is not being paid on bench/employer is threatening etc etc... There are several instances where members have posted negative comments about consulting companies and how employees are unhappy working for them.

Is this really true?

I want to understand the reasons why people are not filing lawsuits against such companies yet? Why are we not reporting them to DOL and USCIS? Especially after filing I485 and expiry of 6 months, people are in a better position to file lawsuits against such employers.

IV can help only if people are willing to be helped and ready to take action.

If this system needs to be cleansed, then why aren't we doing it?

WaldenPond is too nice to answer your question. Personally, I wouldn't consider it obligatory to answer a specific question by someone who cannot volunteer due to "Personal Reason", whatever that may mean. If you cannot volunteer, cannot participate in IV's action items, cannot contribute, then you are most welcome to use IV's portal to get answers to your questions or get other kind of information - but do not expect updates from anyone as your right!

IV is not a top-down organization and if you think that it is becoming like Immigration Portal then partially it is due to people like you who do not want to participate but just want 'updates'.

I completely disagree with your message here. You dont even know what the personal reason for not participating in a state chapter is. I, for one, am unable to join a state chapter, because , the nearest chapter is 400 miles and 2 states away. What good would it do to me to join something that I can never be part of. I wanted to start a state chapter here in my place, but I couldnt find any useful resources on how to do it. May be eb3_nepa has some reasons like it.

Like you said, IV is not a top-down organization, which means everyone is responsible for everyone. I dont see anything wrong with eb3_nepa's questions. He wanted to know what is going on. I am sure there are lots of people around here who has the same questions.

The Admin Fixes letter campaign was a good initiative. But, the target date got moved twice, and now I dont even know when the end date is.

May be IV should be a top-down organization. Any organization as big as IV would probably be better served with a Top Team. That team could probably elected by the community. I am confident, that most of our members wouldnt even mind spending a few extra bucks to pay a honarary amount to this team for their efforts and time. Then there will be more structure and accountability and action going on around here.

I came to know about IV pretty late. When I did learn about IV and joined IV, I was a very enthusiastic participant. Of late, I do believe IV is fading away. I dont see so many activities going on around here. Like eb3_nepa and few others said, IV is right now becoming just another Immigration portal. It is starting to lose its identity.

After doing all the hard work to gather a mass or like minded people, it will be shameful, if IV drifts away from its stated aim. So, may be it is time for every member, including core members like you to refect upon things and come up with ways to make this organization more transparent and more accessible for people like me.

Like Waldenpond said, it is probably not wise to list all the items going on in the portal. The work around to that would be, we can add another membership type which is more restrictive. This membership group will have only members whose identities have been verified. Once this group is created, IV can post all the happenings accessible to them. This will help people like me who are unable to be part of any state chapter to know what is happening at IV. Keep our sprits high.

Thank you

I am already financially/emotionally drained out due to my accident. I guess its going to be deja-vu for me again.

Now I have hardly any money in my bank accounts(around 14K to be precise), and no house , which seems to be a good news and they cannot rip off much.

Only questions I have now are:
1. Any idea generally how long these things can go on?
2. During the trial will there be any restrictions on leaving the country (In genuine emergency situations)?
3. In the worst case if I am willing to give-up my GC..would it still make sense for us(my spouse and 2 kids) to go thru all this emotional stress all over again by staying here and thinkign about what will happen tomorrow...?
One more suggestion:
1. Start withdrawing cash from bank accounts and leave the cash with someone whom you trust.
2. US can put pressure Indian counterpart to freeze your Indian bank accounts, hence don't tranfer monies in any of your or your wife's accounts.
3. Keep liquid cash on hand (not even in bank's safe deposit box)

Just thinking out loud.
Hang in there.

GCCovet

1) having gc is a privilege not a right.

If you bring in a worker with a path to citizenship and make the laws so ambiguous that even after 10 years he/she does not know when to reach the destination in that path is a violation of basic human rights.

2) US has every right to choose whom they want to have in their country.

The choice kind of goes back and forth. Getting H1b - yes You can work...Delaying/Rejecting GC...No can't work. It may be rejected without even the fault of the individual. Path to citizenship is an eyewash...there is not path to citizenship for a foreign worker at individual level.

4) Considering the number of fraud's committed by Indian ....

Punish the guilty and do not stereotype. USCIS report says only 20% of H1b is bad.

5) We all have best back up....Saare Jahan Se Achha....



This might come as a surprise to some of you, but someone needs to say it out loud. GET A LIFE FOLKS!!!! there is more to life then EB, GC and all. it seem all we desi's can think of is how to get a green card so we can live here with peace and never have to worry bout getting laid off or anything.

Few points:

1) having gc is a privilege not a right.

2) US has every right to choose whom they want to have in their country.

3) If getting PR or citizenship of a western country is the goal there are many countries which have a fair point based system.

4) Considering the number of fraud's committed by Indian body shoppers and people who use them, i am not surprised USCIS is extra careful when it comes to Indian applications. Anyone who got his wife with no exp with software dev an h1b visa from some cheat in Jersey knows what i am talking bout . My freind got his wife an H1 after showing she knew software testing even though her major was fine arts and all she was good at was web surfing :)

5) have a back up. i came here in 2001 as student and have seen it all. I am on h1b since 2004. i knew we have too many people whose sole aim in life is a American GC. to avoid becoming one of those who check processing dates first thing in morning, i applied for Canadian PR, got it in 8 months and i am not even gonna bother applying for labor, i-140 and all those precious life controlling documents.

Wake up friends, you have options. Don't let your life depend on you application status.

Nitin

We will get a lot of coverage if this actually gets asked

Thanks for editing. signed.

Abhijit, you are correct about the quotation marks. Unfortunately I had to create a new petition since I couldn't modify the old one as it was already signed. I guess I messed up and overstated certain things in the old petition.
Sincere apologies. Please sign new petition.

http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/loudobbs

smisachu,
Thanks for that Info, here is my requirement
I am on H1B and plan to have my own company as a trader to trade stocks.
I will be the owner and wish to draw profits, may not have employee in my company for now(please advice, if i need to)
I need inputs to know what type of company should that be (LLC, S Corporation.. e.t.c.)?
Is it advisable to have a GC holder/citizen as partner?
What form of income should i withdraw(salary/profits/dividends/Interest..) How is the income considered when i file my taxes?
I am not aware of anyone who can sponsor my H1 as a trader atleast for now, if i get the right opportunity, i am open for that
Thanks again

1. If you want to trade stocks only, with your own capital ,then set up a LLC or C corp. If you trade other people�s capital then maybe become a RIA.
2. If you form a llc you become a employee of your own company (say managing director, CIO etc) and sponsor your own H1.
3. You can have a fixed salary and a draw, which is what a typical trader gets. Draw is a percentage of the profits you generate by trading.
4. You don�t need a gc/Citizen as a partner.
5. The company/fund makes money by trading securities and the earnings are retained by the company, you draw salary and bonus.
6. You file taxes as a regular employee would.
7. You might be able to get H1 from a day trading firm, a day trading firm is not a market maker. They trade company capital and typically you have to post some risk capital based on which they will provide you leverage and provide you with equipment etc. You don�t get a salary, just a draw.

But let me ask you something; I am not aware of your expertise in the markets so forgive me if I sound patronizing.
1. Do you have a seven figure capital pool? You will need at least 1MM if you want to make a living trading.
2. Are you aware of the equipment and ECN and direct access software needed assuming you are technical trader.
3. Do you have a prime broker who is going to provide you leverage and settlement? If you have not decided consider Interactive Brokers.
4. What kind of risk management software will you be using?

If you are in the NY/Nj area I suggest try day trading at a firm posting risk capital (typically 10K) then decide if you want to do this full time. It will also help sharpen your skills. If you want I can recommend a few. They will not sponsor H1 though, you will have to have some consultant do that for you.

Where did you get the information that it would take a year and half. Is it just a guess!!!

Being largely ignorant of law, I wouldn't guess. Comment 34 on this thread and elsewhere on other threads.

I will continue to contribute to IV even I get my GC in few months (highly unlikely) until the goals of IV are met. Also salutations and big thanks to the spouses and families of IV core. Their contribution and sacrifice is unsung, but in my opinion their sacrifice of their loved ones time and spending all savings for good cause is remarkable in itself. A big applause to the families of IV core for being so understanding.

Hello All,

I just wanted to start a new thread to discuss career options for those who have been on H1b for 6+ years.
1. Being on H1 more than 6 years and waiting for GC means you have been stuck in the same job for several years.
2. You can't start a masters because you are not sure if you will ever be able to complete it
3. You have kids who are already growing up.
4. Your wife has been waiting to start working for years now.

So feel free to discuss anything related to these issues here. Let's exchange ideas and everyone can make informed decisions for long term :)

Guys I am ready to pay my dues to core....If you want I can start a thread to track the payment only for the core members. Lemme know what do you think.

Zoooom & Anzerraja:
The core membership may be modest and may not want to speak out much on this issue. It becomes our prerogative to drive this.

Lets do this. Zooom do you mind opening a separate thread, "Reimburse past expenses to Aman & other IV Core members" or something like that. Please post a message asking people to "pledge" an amount towards that effort. Can you two drive this effort. I am also available for assistance.

We will update members who pledge how to finalize their pledge by any of the following methods based on subsequent expert advice:
1) Should they contribute to IV directly
2) Send a personal check to Aman.
3) Other method like IV reimbursing Aman and others from the common donation corpus.

I know out of 3000 members, atleast 2500 would be looking at some forums in this site and posting some messages. WHy dont we show some single, double, triple,... up to 5 stars next to the username based on the contributions.

up to 10$ one star,
up to 50$ 2 stars,
up to 100$ 3 starts,
500 4 stars
more than 500 5 stars,

Atleast this will motivate(I should not say this), but will have some effect and will make those guys to contribute.

I will talk to admin if its possible to rate the users and display the ratings. The only problem here is, its not always possible to connect the user-ids to the contributors. Contributors go to paypal or mail a check, so we know their real names. However, on paypal site they are not required to put their user-ids. The only way to connect them would be to manually match the email addresses on the Immigration voice registration and emails addresses on paypal. However, there is not guarantee that people consistently provide same email to site registration and paypal. On top of that, some contributors are not registered users. Some people visit the site, contribute money but going to paypal or mailing a check, but they are not required to register and many of them dont register.

This is perfect time, IV core team members has to concentrate to push this bill in all its possible means. I am sure political climate is in favor of CIR bil in capito hill. Infact most of americans want this to be done to collect lot of taxes.