Now females need the new ( and controversial for the desire to administer it to girls in 6ith grade) HPV vaccine!

Green card applicants have been required to have vaccinations for the following:

mumps, measles, rubella, polio, tetanus and diphtheria toxoids, pertussis, influenzae Type B (HIB), hepatitis B, varicella, pneumococcal, and influenza.

Now, begining August 1st 2008, approval of I-485 needs these extra vaccines:

rotavirus, hepatitis A (for young children), meningococcal, human papillomavirus (HPV) ( recommended for females 11 to 26 ) and zoster vaccines ( (for shingles- needed for those over 60 years of age )

As such, the Form I-693, Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record, has been revised to reflect the new vaccination requirements. The revised ( June 5, 2008 edition of Form I-693 for medical examinations) to be completed, must be used for medical exams completed on or after August 1, 2008.

More informations:

CDC vaccines page

Information for Surgeons

If you are one of those caught by the US mortgage crisis, as a good number of Americans have been, there are some options that might help you out.

A. The October FHA deal

By October 2008, the FHA deal is coming into force. The new regulation may enable you to transfer your mortgage over to FHA, with better terms. There are strict conditions, but you can survive it.

B. I do not qualify for the new FHA deal

If you know for sure you are bound to loose your house, or have negative equity in your home, it may be better to just walk away from the mortgage. But before you do so, first make sure some things are certain:

• you have a place to live
• you have a decent vehicle to last you at least five years, and
• you know that your home qualifies ( business or secondary homes may not qualify ).

Advantages of letting the bank take back “their” house are:

• If you have negative equity, you do not owe on that balance
• saves you on making payments that are not making any dents in your debt

Of course, you have to dig in for the 7 (seven ) years that you will be having negative reports on your credit file.

More about the FHA deal

To qualify:

1. You must live in your home
2. Your loan must have been issued between January 2005 and June 2007.
3. You must be spending at least 31% of your gross monthly income on mortgage debt.
4. You can be up to date or in default, but you must prove that you will not be able to keep paying your existing mortgage

To Apply

-Contact your current mortgage servicer or go directly to an FHA-approved lender for help.

The Department of Immigration and Citizenship have made their annual adjustment of most of their visa application fees. The new fees came into effect from 1 July 2008 and were applied to the majority of Australian visas.

Notable increases: (others increased by 2.3 percent):

• The tourist visa fee will increase from $75 to $100 for those making an application outside of Australia.
• Temporary visa application fees will increase from $190 to $250.
• Skilled visa fees have also increased from $2060 to $2105.
• Working holiday visa fees have increased by $5, from $190 to $195.
• The Resident Return Visa doubled from $120 to $240.

More info, see DIAC website