If you live in the City of Chicago and you own your home, you may be eligible for a rebate from the City for anywhere from $25 to $200. The amount you can apply for depends on how much your tax bill increased from 2008 to 2009 and also your income. Click on the link for more details.
http://webapps.cityofchicago.org/PropertyTaxReliefWeb/org/cityofchicago/taxgrant/web/begin.do
The deadline is March 31, 2010, so act fast! ...
The topic of who a green card holder or a U.S. Citizen may sponsor seems to be a very popular one. Thus far, it has drawn the most comments and questions to date. I wrote the original post in December 2007 to help folks identify which relatives they could sponsor. That information has not changed, so make sure you read that post. What does change from time to time are the current wait times. Current wait times or "priority dates" are updated every month by the State Department in a document known as the Visa Bulletin. Times can advance, but they can also go backwards which can be very ...
Since I launched my website almost a year ago, I frequently get questions that come to me via my "Ask Vida" button. I personally answer these questions from visitors to my website and thought it would be helpful to post some commonly asked questions here and share the answers with everyone.
One of the most common questions is, "How do I get a work visa?" Work-based visas normally require the sponsorship of an employer. Therefore, you generally have know the company you will be working for before you can obtain a work visa because they have to submit the application letting USCIS ...
President Bush announced this past week that nationals from the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, the Republic of Korea, Lithuania and the Slovak Republic will be added to the list of Visa Waiver eligible countries. The Visa Waiver Program allows visitors from approved countries to travel to the U.S. for business or pleasure for 90 days or less without having to obtain a visa. Twenty-seven countries currently on the list are: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, the ...
As expected, fiscal year 2009's H-1B cap was quickly reached. Read USCIS's April 8, 2008, announcement below.
USCIS Reaches FY 2009 H-1B Cap
WASHINGTON – U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today that it has received enough H-1B petitions to meet the congressionally mandated cap for fiscal year 2009. USCIS has also received more than 20,000 H-1B petitions filed on behalf of persons exempt from the cap under the “advanced degree” exemption. Before running the random selection process, USCIS will complete initial data entry for all filings received during ...
This is Part II in a three-part series on options for F-1 students after graduation and OPT. Part I focused on H-1B visas. Part II focuses on other non-immigrant visa options including L-1 Intra-Company Transferee visas and O-1 Persons with Extraordinary Ability visas.
Since the L-1 visa requires that the employee must have been employed by the foreign employer for at least one year out of the last three years, it may not be likely for a student to have had this prior experience, but it is possible. Requirements for the L-1 visa follow:
Non-Immigrant Visas: L-1- Intra-Company ...
Congratulations! You've finished your studies and you've finished your optional practical training period (OPT). What now?
This is the first part in a three-part series.
Non-Immigrant Visas - The H-1B Skilled Worker Option
An H-1B visa is a nonimmigrant visa which allows U.S. employers to employ highly skilled temporary workers. H-1B workers are admitted for an initial period of three years, which may be extended for an additional three years. In some cases an extension beyond the six-year limit is allowed.
Basic Requirements
1) The position must be a "specialty ...
In an employment-based permanent residence (green card) process, both employer and employee must qualify under U.S. immigration laws. On the one hand, the U.S. employer needs to demonstrate that there are no U.S. Citizens or permanent residents in the state who are ready, willing and able to do the work that the foreign employee is being hired to do at the prevailing wage. On the part of the employee, he/she must demonstrate that he/she is qualified for the position in terms of either academic, work experience or a combination of both.
There are 3 steps to obtaining a Green Card ...
Overview
When you enter the U.S. on a nonimmigrant visa, such as on a visitor (B), student (F1), temporary worker visa (H-1B; L; E etc.), you are allowed to be present in the U.S. for a specific purpose and for a limited time period.
The time period allowed will typically be stamped by a U.S. immigration inspector after the inspector has examined your passport and visa. The inspector will provide you with a Form I-94 (Arrival/Departure Record) which is normally a white card stapled inside your passport. This record should indicate when you must leave the U.S. When you leave the U.S. ...
The U.S. State Department has announced an increase in the application fees for a U.S. non-immigrant visa. Effective January 1, 2008, fees will increase from $100 to $131. The increase is related to the cost of new security measures. The full text of the State Department's release is provided below:
Application Fees for Non-Immigrant Visas to Increase On January 1, 2008
Effective January 1, 2008, the application fee for a U.S. non-immigrant visa will increase from $100 to $131. This increase allows the Department to recover the costs of security and ...
