singhsa3
09-08 04:38 PM
You really are getting on my nerves now.
You are no future predictor... How can you say Strive Act is doomed?...
You as well as I know that we need just handful (probably four) of votes to pass this bill.
The rally is being done to lobby for the support. And if those undecided lawmakers come into our camp then we will win and you will LOSE!
Granted Native Americans were here first but at that time America was just a land inhabited by people and it was not a nation. A nation is defined as having the following characteristics (These are UN definitions)
1. Has space or territory which has internationally recognized .
2. Has people who live there on an ongoing basis.
3. Has economic activity and an organized economy. A country regulates foreign and domestic trade and issues money.
4. Has the power of social engineering, such as education.
5. Has a transportation system for moving goods and people.
6. Has a government which provides public services and police power.
7. Has sovereignty. No other State should have power over the country's territory.
8. Has external recognition. A country has been "voted into the club" by other countries.
So America was never a nation before it became America.
Regarding you second point about Columbus, Christopher Columbus was not here look for a promised land, he and other pioneers were here to find trading opportunities. Get your history straight, India was known for Spices and Gold at that time and the pioneer wanted a piece of it. Now India has nothing to offer, other then a piece of its humongous population.
Regarding your points about, starting a company, I have already answered them before
You are no future predictor... How can you say Strive Act is doomed?...
You as well as I know that we need just handful (probably four) of votes to pass this bill.
The rally is being done to lobby for the support. And if those undecided lawmakers come into our camp then we will win and you will LOSE!
Granted Native Americans were here first but at that time America was just a land inhabited by people and it was not a nation. A nation is defined as having the following characteristics (These are UN definitions)
1. Has space or territory which has internationally recognized .
2. Has people who live there on an ongoing basis.
3. Has economic activity and an organized economy. A country regulates foreign and domestic trade and issues money.
4. Has the power of social engineering, such as education.
5. Has a transportation system for moving goods and people.
6. Has a government which provides public services and police power.
7. Has sovereignty. No other State should have power over the country's territory.
8. Has external recognition. A country has been "voted into the club" by other countries.
So America was never a nation before it became America.
Regarding you second point about Columbus, Christopher Columbus was not here look for a promised land, he and other pioneers were here to find trading opportunities. Get your history straight, India was known for Spices and Gold at that time and the pioneer wanted a piece of it. Now India has nothing to offer, other then a piece of its humongous population.
Regarding your points about, starting a company, I have already answered them before
wallpaper JAGUAR XK 150 ROADSTER
thunderbolt
11-11 11:14 AM
Hello guys,
Sorry for this non-immigration related post. We have this sudden, tragic situation that I wanted all of your advice on. Thank you for your time in reading this long post.
We had hired an Indian nanny in NJ who, we learnt after hiring her, is here on a tourist visa. We were paying her $350 per week cash, which is the standard rate around here for nannies (incl. citizens and people on GC). We had liked her when we met her in response to an ad on Sulekha, and we thought an Indian nanny would be good for our first child. She has been with us for about 3 months, and we were intermittently not getting a good feeling with her for some reason. We finally bought a small security camera and installed it yesterday. On the very first day with the camera, we came home and saw the recorded video to find that she is violently hitting the baby on two separate occasions. Needless to say, it has shocked, angered and extremely saddened us. I showed the video to a couple of friends and even they say it is unbearable to watch. This was just the first day of recording and it pains us tremendously to think what all may have happened previously.
She is of course not going to stay with the baby alone anymore, but I want to know what legal options I have to penalize her to the fullest extent, so that she does not do this to anybody else�s small babies. She it seems had come here last year and taken care of someone else�s baby in Hoboken, and I can imagine that their baby also went through this. (This woman and her husband are a ~ 35 year old couple, who have a multiple entry ten year tourist visa; both come here for 6 months every year and work odd jobs like this. They apparently got a (unsponsored) tourist visa after showing a lot of landed property in India).
I specifically want to know if I will have potential problems if I go to law enforcement about this- regarding have employed her (both of us are on H1B visas). I know we have made mistakes and should have done better due diligence in this, and there cannot be any more punishment for us than seeing our 8 month old � who cannot tell us about it when we come home- being beaten on the tapes. We saw this yesterday and have not told her yet. We want to weigh all options before we proceed, but from today onwards one of us is home all the time till Friday. Any advice or opinion is sincerely appreciated. Thanks for reading this long post. And, to all who are thinking of nannies or have one, please learn from our mistakes and closely monitor your child�s safety every day.
Sorry for this non-immigration related post. We have this sudden, tragic situation that I wanted all of your advice on. Thank you for your time in reading this long post.
We had hired an Indian nanny in NJ who, we learnt after hiring her, is here on a tourist visa. We were paying her $350 per week cash, which is the standard rate around here for nannies (incl. citizens and people on GC). We had liked her when we met her in response to an ad on Sulekha, and we thought an Indian nanny would be good for our first child. She has been with us for about 3 months, and we were intermittently not getting a good feeling with her for some reason. We finally bought a small security camera and installed it yesterday. On the very first day with the camera, we came home and saw the recorded video to find that she is violently hitting the baby on two separate occasions. Needless to say, it has shocked, angered and extremely saddened us. I showed the video to a couple of friends and even they say it is unbearable to watch. This was just the first day of recording and it pains us tremendously to think what all may have happened previously.
She is of course not going to stay with the baby alone anymore, but I want to know what legal options I have to penalize her to the fullest extent, so that she does not do this to anybody else�s small babies. She it seems had come here last year and taken care of someone else�s baby in Hoboken, and I can imagine that their baby also went through this. (This woman and her husband are a ~ 35 year old couple, who have a multiple entry ten year tourist visa; both come here for 6 months every year and work odd jobs like this. They apparently got a (unsponsored) tourist visa after showing a lot of landed property in India).
I specifically want to know if I will have potential problems if I go to law enforcement about this- regarding have employed her (both of us are on H1B visas). I know we have made mistakes and should have done better due diligence in this, and there cannot be any more punishment for us than seeing our 8 month old � who cannot tell us about it when we come home- being beaten on the tapes. We saw this yesterday and have not told her yet. We want to weigh all options before we proceed, but from today onwards one of us is home all the time till Friday. Any advice or opinion is sincerely appreciated. Thanks for reading this long post. And, to all who are thinking of nannies or have one, please learn from our mistakes and closely monitor your child�s safety every day.
needhelp!
09-16 10:27 AM
sweet_jungle, can you please update your first post of this thread with directions on what we need to do and within what timeframe?
All people affected by USCIS blocking approvals for current people, lets get organized.
This time USCIS is hiding by not making official announcements.
We need to act as we did last July.
Lets send letters to congressman like zoe lofgren.
NSC is issuing frivolous RFEs as delaying tactics.
I am not seeing similar outrage as we saw last year.
The time to act is now.
All people affected by USCIS blocking approvals for current people, lets get organized.
This time USCIS is hiding by not making official announcements.
We need to act as we did last July.
Lets send letters to congressman like zoe lofgren.
NSC is issuing frivolous RFEs as delaying tactics.
I am not seeing similar outrage as we saw last year.
The time to act is now.
2011 1959 Jaguar XK150 S 3.4
anurakt
12-19 02:24 PM
Originally Posted by khodalmd
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 $100 more
Time : 12/19/06 11.43 ET
Your pledge is over ... see above...it's your turn man. We have 2 new contribution of 50$ or more.
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 $100 more
Time : 12/19/06 11.43 ET
Your pledge is over ... see above...it's your turn man. We have 2 new contribution of 50$ or more.
more...
santb1975
11-28 05:43 PM
have to PM gsc999
qasleuth
03-09 04:48 PM
Donated $50 for this month and $ 25 for the next 5 months.
more...
ps3539
05-11 03:30 PM
i agree that substituted labors move back in the queue.
2010 Jaguar-XK150-Roadster-noir-
sdrblr
08-19 06:10 PM
jsb
What exactly is meant by checking the receipt date online and it is 3 months after the date in the paper? All I see on my 485 is a statement that they have received my response to the RFE...I don't see any receipt date or notice dates on the case status online at USCIS.gov
Just wondering what you mean or am I missing something?
SoP
This message would have been visible to you before you got the RFE (or in other words he is talking about the very first status of your application)
What exactly is meant by checking the receipt date online and it is 3 months after the date in the paper? All I see on my 485 is a statement that they have received my response to the RFE...I don't see any receipt date or notice dates on the case status online at USCIS.gov
Just wondering what you mean or am I missing something?
SoP
This message would have been visible to you before you got the RFE (or in other words he is talking about the very first status of your application)
more...
hpandey
07-10 10:10 AM
I see that the above discussion keeps on going on about EB-2 only. Doesn't anyone at IV care about EB-3 I also . I am sure there are a few EB-3 I people at IV who are suffering from retrogression , myself included.
hair 1954 Jaguar XK 150 Roadster
mirage
03-06 03:46 PM
I sent the email to the 'Country Cap' focus group, lets see how many responds...
more...
JazzByTheBay
09-08 11:31 AM
Signs of a maturing organization and community....
It's always best to put oneself in the other person's shoes and see their point of view, if they have one.
Having said that, I would urge IV members to not respond to such comments with inappropriate language or responses. Remember, this is an organization of "high-skilled professionals", and act like one.
cheers, and see ya'll in DC!
jazz
he is just expressing concern that more action is not taken. i wrote param a pm to explain, also this thread will not continue indefinitely. we do however need to be clear in our stand and in our actions. we should be able to enunciate what we believe without resorting to the kind of vitriol that is thrown at us. personally i am waiting to see that- it's important even to grow as a community and achieve success that we develop this ability. our strength lies in the facts not in any hate or rhetoric.
be rest assured that ip's of those that post such stuff are tracked for action.
It's always best to put oneself in the other person's shoes and see their point of view, if they have one.
Having said that, I would urge IV members to not respond to such comments with inappropriate language or responses. Remember, this is an organization of "high-skilled professionals", and act like one.
cheers, and see ya'll in DC!
jazz
he is just expressing concern that more action is not taken. i wrote param a pm to explain, also this thread will not continue indefinitely. we do however need to be clear in our stand and in our actions. we should be able to enunciate what we believe without resorting to the kind of vitriol that is thrown at us. personally i am waiting to see that- it's important even to grow as a community and achieve success that we develop this ability. our strength lies in the facts not in any hate or rhetoric.
be rest assured that ip's of those that post such stuff are tracked for action.
hot 1958 Jaguar XK 150 Roadster
rockstart
09-29 10:03 AM
All these happend to me on NWA and Lufthansa as well. It is just that day and time.
I have worst experience flying Gulf Air. I have never again used that airline. They treat you like bad and only way to get your rights is to fight and create a scene which I cannot do so best option is to avoid that airline.
I had recent experience with continental the flight got cancelled but the staff was good they immediately gave me tickets to Virgin Atlantic (which was earliest departure) but I had Advanced Parole and so could not take VA. Then I asked if I can get Qatar Airways and they did not ask any questions immediately booked me qatar. So my experience with continental at ticketing desk was awesome but the staff inside was not that great they were just Ok.
I feel Qatar is the best airline to fly. I prefer that one for now.
I have worst experience flying Gulf Air. I have never again used that airline. They treat you like bad and only way to get your rights is to fight and create a scene which I cannot do so best option is to avoid that airline.
I had recent experience with continental the flight got cancelled but the staff was good they immediately gave me tickets to Virgin Atlantic (which was earliest departure) but I had Advanced Parole and so could not take VA. Then I asked if I can get Qatar Airways and they did not ask any questions immediately booked me qatar. So my experience with continental at ticketing desk was awesome but the staff inside was not that great they were just Ok.
I feel Qatar is the best airline to fly. I prefer that one for now.
more...
house 1959 Jaguar XK150 roadster
newuser
06-09 03:23 PM
Great Job by IV.
In fact, I met a fellow IV'ian who joined IV three days ago after learning about it through a friend and came to DC for the advocacy day.
In fact, I met a fellow IV'ian who joined IV three days ago after learning about it through a friend and came to DC for the advocacy day.
tattoo Jaguar XK 150 S Roadster
lacrossegc
11-30 12:34 AM
Guys,
off late we have been getting a steady stream of good news, updates , changes mostly to our favor.
It is not because someone in govt thought of giving us a break (if they did then I say give him/her a promotion/ merit increase what ever)....
It IS because people just like YOU fought for it....
Support IVs efforts ... these guys are putting their heart and soul into it... these guys are trying to help you fight.... these guys are one of YOU.
We ALL share a common goal,
Piece by piece, amendment by amendment, exec order by exec order, slowly but surely they will try and do the best they can to make your lives easier, OUR lives easier.
Please help .... donate to sustain OUR efforts.
off late we have been getting a steady stream of good news, updates , changes mostly to our favor.
It is not because someone in govt thought of giving us a break (if they did then I say give him/her a promotion/ merit increase what ever)....
It IS because people just like YOU fought for it....
Support IVs efforts ... these guys are putting their heart and soul into it... these guys are trying to help you fight.... these guys are one of YOU.
We ALL share a common goal,
Piece by piece, amendment by amendment, exec order by exec order, slowly but surely they will try and do the best they can to make your lives easier, OUR lives easier.
Please help .... donate to sustain OUR efforts.
more...
pictures Jaguar XK150 Roadster #39;1958
sam2006
08-14 12:53 PM
eb3_nepa think you are right
our cases are beeing trans to TSC
LUD 07-28
140 approved TSC
485 NSC 3rd july signed by R.Willimas
NO CC
NO Receipt
our cases are beeing trans to TSC
LUD 07-28
140 approved TSC
485 NSC 3rd july signed by R.Willimas
NO CC
NO Receipt
dresses 1954 Jaguar XK 150 Roadster
go_guy123
04-10 09:31 PM
As many are aware, there was a huge rush to buy and sell pre-approved labors during July-August 2007, when all the priority dates were suddenly made current. Tens of thousands of labors were sold by fraudulent consulting companies to many questionable GC seekers, who hadn�t even started the process till then.
It is those substituted labors which are clogging the pipelines now. Just think, last month EB3-I stood at November 2001. Now it is completely unavailable. It can�t be possibly because so many pending labors with such old priority dates suddenly got cleared this month, and beneficiary of these labors filed 140+485 together. I seriously doubt that a candidate whose labor is pending since such a long time is even keeping that GC process alive. In all likelihood he/she must have moved on in life.
There is only one explanation. These labors were already pre-approved. It is the attached I-140 on these labors that are getting approved rapidly. And the subsequent I-485 petitions on these applications are depleting the visa numbers.
The reason of this post is not to start an argument about the ethics of labor substitution. It is just a FYI post to explain the seemingly inexplicable. The chickens are coming home to roost.
Yes true. A significant chunk of the old PDs now are cases of substituted labor.
Labor substitution was acting like a time machine to go back in time and apply for GC.
People paid as high as 10K to 12K for old labor.
It is those substituted labors which are clogging the pipelines now. Just think, last month EB3-I stood at November 2001. Now it is completely unavailable. It can�t be possibly because so many pending labors with such old priority dates suddenly got cleared this month, and beneficiary of these labors filed 140+485 together. I seriously doubt that a candidate whose labor is pending since such a long time is even keeping that GC process alive. In all likelihood he/she must have moved on in life.
There is only one explanation. These labors were already pre-approved. It is the attached I-140 on these labors that are getting approved rapidly. And the subsequent I-485 petitions on these applications are depleting the visa numbers.
The reason of this post is not to start an argument about the ethics of labor substitution. It is just a FYI post to explain the seemingly inexplicable. The chickens are coming home to roost.
Yes true. A significant chunk of the old PDs now are cases of substituted labor.
Labor substitution was acting like a time machine to go back in time and apply for GC.
People paid as high as 10K to 12K for old labor.
more...
makeup Jaguar XK150 Roadster
rayudu
04-05 07:49 PM
# USCIS has just released their tally of cap filings as of 04/04/2007, Wednesday. In two days (04/02 and 04/03), they received 133,000 unique pieces of mail containing H-1B petitions, which turned out to be lower than 150,000 which they had initially reported. They reached the updated number following a physical count of the mail. Each piece of mail may contain more than one H-1B petition and it will take USCIS a substantial amount of time to open and sort through that volume of mail. It is a good news in a way that at the end, the total may turn out to be less than guestimate in the community and the rate of odds for winning in the lottery may be much more promising than the one initially anticipated in the rumors.
# As of Wednesday, total they sorted out and each type of cases identified were as follows:
* Total Sorted Out: 32,755
* General cap cases: 28,052
* U.S. Master or higher degree cases: 4,703
# The USCIS promises to update report from time time as they continue to sort out the remaining packages.
# As of Wednesday, total they sorted out and each type of cases identified were as follows:
* Total Sorted Out: 32,755
* General cap cases: 28,052
* U.S. Master or higher degree cases: 4,703
# The USCIS promises to update report from time time as they continue to sort out the remaining packages.
girlfriend 1958 Jaguar XK 150 Roadster
harish28
04-05 03:14 PM
Thanks for all the responses and suggestion. All your suggestions mean one thing my filling the H1 this year is near to impossible. well i understand the situatiuon and now i'm in a state to plan my moves.
Firstly can i take my OPT back and continue my current masters?? I sent the forms on say 1st of April..
Sencond, Is this an option that i file my H1 with some firm next year (2008) and after my opt expires join for a Masters/PHD course get a F1 status so that i can stay in the US, then when my H1 comes to act on Oct 2008 can i take that and withdraw from the Masters program and also change from F1 to H1??? Is this possible coz this is what i might plan to do.....
Please help me out. Thanks againg for the responses..
Firstly can i take my OPT back and continue my current masters?? I sent the forms on say 1st of April..
Sencond, Is this an option that i file my H1 with some firm next year (2008) and after my opt expires join for a Masters/PHD course get a F1 status so that i can stay in the US, then when my H1 comes to act on Oct 2008 can i take that and withdraw from the Masters program and also change from F1 to H1??? Is this possible coz this is what i might plan to do.....
Please help me out. Thanks againg for the responses..
hairstyles 1961 Jaguar XK150 roadster - dark blue with top up - rvl
jayleno
02-25 12:44 PM
Sanju...
I appreciate your enthusisam to respond to most of the negetive comments and thats a good thing. Try to contain yourself sometimes...otherwise people might just ignore you as another loud mouth.
ya, lets step-up a poll and have everyone vote, as if this is the US congress. And after voting leave it for someone else to work on this and other "brilliant" idea. There needs to be a reality check. This poll doesn't mean anything unless there are enough people to spend time and energy at every level. But ya, lets setup a poll and have everyone vote, it will give everyone a feel good factor that everyone contributed in the advocacy effort, how? by voting in the pool and not doing anything about how everyone votes.
.
I appreciate your enthusisam to respond to most of the negetive comments and thats a good thing. Try to contain yourself sometimes...otherwise people might just ignore you as another loud mouth.
ya, lets step-up a poll and have everyone vote, as if this is the US congress. And after voting leave it for someone else to work on this and other "brilliant" idea. There needs to be a reality check. This poll doesn't mean anything unless there are enough people to spend time and energy at every level. But ya, lets setup a poll and have everyone vote, it will give everyone a feel good factor that everyone contributed in the advocacy effort, how? by voting in the pool and not doing anything about how everyone votes.
.
sundevil
03-06 01:20 PM
Ironic, this poll is skewed. So we have 40 people saying yes and obviously the other 1000 viewers want to pray. You might drop a 50$ donation in your place of worship for a guesstimate that GOD is taking care of you. But, you dont want to pay 25$ to get a good estimate of when your turn to get GC might be? It is worth every penny to get a little peak into the future so everyone lets get this done.
MahaBharatGC
12-03 05:19 PM
When you get chance, is it possible to post list of documents you produced (indicating original such as employment verification) and copies.
Thanks for sharing info and best of luck!
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.
Thanks for sharing info and best of luck!
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment