Aug/100
US Education and H1B
- H-4 spouses and defendant children can attend school on a full- or part-time basis.
- The same rules hold for most other nonimmigrant statuses, with the exception of F-2s.
- Individuals with pending adjustment-of-status (I-485) cases can also attend school.
Mar/100
Job Advert:IPA-Kenya
Position: Deputy Project Manager
Start Date: April/May 2010
Location: Busia, Kenya with flexibility to travel/relocate to Kisumu, Nairobi or
elsewhere in Kenya if the work requires
Application Deadline: 11 April 2010
About Innovations for Poverty Action
IPA is a non‐profit organization that creates and evaluates approaches to solving development
problems and disseminates information about what works and what does not to policymakers,
practitioners, investors and donors around the world.
Jul/090
Most desirebale degrees
According to a recent survey from the National Association of Colleges and Employers, which tracks college graduates’ job offers, the top 15 highest-earning college degrees all have one thing in common — math skills. Specifically, they are in science, engineering and math.
Here is the list:
Keep that in mind as you seek study opportunities.
Jul/090
US DV Lottery 2010 Status Check Available online
The DOS has provided an online status check for those who applied for DV-2010
To use the online system, you must:
- the confirmation number received following submission of the DV lottery application.
- The name and birth date information.
Selection alone does not grant individuals or immediate family members U.S. permanent residence. You must move forward either to adjust their status to permanent residence in the United States, or to complete consular processing for an immigrant visa at the appropriate U.S. consulate abroad within the time-frames required by law. You must meet general requirements for these procedures, as well as requirements for the DV lottery. More people are granted winner letters than ultimately receive permanent residence under the DV program.
The online form is at the dv lottery site at http;//www.dvlottery.state.gov/ESC/
Jul/091
Exchange Visitor Skills List – 2009
New Skills list out for those seeking J-1 visa.
The Exchange Visitor Skills List is a list of fields of specialized knowledge and skills that are deemed necessary for the development of an exchange visitor’s home country. When you agree to participate in an Exchange Visitor Program, if your skill is on your country’s Skills List you are subject to the two-year foreign residence (home-country physical presence) requirement, which requires you to return to your home country for two years at the end of your exchange visitor program. This requirement under immigration law is based on Section 212(e) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, as amended.
The 2009 Skill List applies to all Exchange Visitors starting June 28, 2009. Exchange Visitors who entered the U.S. prior to June 28 continue to be governed by the list that was in affect when they entered on the J-1 visa.
Look here for the full list that applies to you.
Aug/080
New Vaccinations and Revised Medical Form for Green Card applications
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:
Jul/080
Did you know you can walk away from your mortgage, unscarthed?
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:
- You must live in your home
- Your loan must have been issued between January 2005 and June 2007.
- You must be spending at least 31% of your gross monthly income on mortgage debt.
- 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.
May/080
Working while on F1/J1 (Student) Visa
International students are allowed employment during the studies in the United States ( limits this employment to 20 hours per week or less during the academic year). This employment is strictly on-campus ( limited to the University – based, on campus employment.)
International students are never authorized – except via specific USCIS permission, to work off campus. To get this authorization, you normally apply for a work permit or the Employment Authorization Document, EAD, from the USCIS. The EAD approval may take up to 6 months or longer.
Prior to beginning any employment on campus, all students must have a Social Security Number (SSN). To request a SSN, a students needs to contact the International Office ( normally referred to as ISO) to make such requests. SSN Approvals generally takes from 10 to 15 days.
Upon successfully attainment of a SSN, the student must then fill out the I-9 before starting employment.
Always ask with the ISO for possibilities of work opportunities on/off campus. Plan accordingly, especially for off campus work, as the EAD may take longer than the stipulated 6 months. Note that is also generally not easy for undergraduates to be allowed to work off campus during their first semester/year of study.
Apr/080
OPT be 29 months for STEM students
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security released today an interim final rule extending the period of Optional Practical Training (OPT) from 12 to 29 months for qualified F-1 non-immigrant students. The extension will be available to F-1 students with a degree in STEM( science, technology, engineering, or mathematics ) who are employed by businesses enrolled in the E-Verify program.
Another aspect of the rule responds to the situation in which an F-1 student’s status and work authorization expires before he or she can begin employment under the H-1B visa program. The interim final rule addresses this problem by automatically extending the period of stay and work authorization for all F-1 students with pending H-1B petitions. The rule will also implement certain programmatic changes, including allowing students to apply for OPT within 60 days of graduation.
To be eligible for an OPT extension, an F-1 non-immigrant student must:
- Currently be participating in a 12-month period of approved post-completion OPT;
- Have successfully completed a degree in (STEM) included in the DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List from a college or university certified by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program;
- Be working for a U.S. employer in a job directly related to the student’s major area of study;
- Be working for, or accepted employment with, an employer enrolled in U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ E-Verify program. E-Verify is a free, internet-based system operated in partnership with the Social Security Administration that helps employers to determine the employment eligibility of newly-hired employees; and
- Properly maintain F-1 status.
Mar/081
H1B visa cap in April 1st 2008
Update: Both the 20,000 and General Cap met by application date.
The USCIS issued a final rule for the H1B selection process for FY 2009.
(i) Multiple H1B Filings for an Employee by same employer prohibited, but an individual may be the beneficiary of multiple petitions filed by different companies.
(ii)The first 20,000 H1B petitions received for foreign nationals who have a U.S. master’s or higher degree are exempt from the regular 65,000 H1B cap.
(ii) If both the 20,000 and 65,000 caps are reached in the first five business days of filing, there will first be a lottery of the cases requesting the advance degree cap, then a lottery of all remaining cases.