http://www.vidagolaw.com/blog A law blog from the Law Office of Vida Gosrisirikul, PC Thu, 04 Mar 2010 21:45:09 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en 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 ... http://www.vidagolaw.com/blog/city-of-chicago-tax-relief-program/ 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.  ... http://www.vidagolaw.com/blog/who-can-i-sponsor-for-a-green-card-updated/ 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 ... http://www.vidagolaw.com/blog/ask-vida-how-do-i-get-a-work-visa/ 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 ... http://www.vidagolaw.com/blog/new-countries-added-to-visa-waiver-program/ 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 ... http://www.vidagolaw.com/blog/uscis-announces-h-1b-cap-reached-on-4808/ 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 ... http://www.vidagolaw.com/blog/options-for-f-1-student-visa-holders-after-graduation-part-ii/ 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. ... http://www.vidagolaw.com/blog/options-for-f-1-student-visa-holders-after-graduation-part-i/ 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 ... http://www.vidagolaw.com/blog/the-basics-of-getting-a-green-card-through-employment/ 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 ... http://www.vidagolaw.com/blog/how-do-i-extend-my-stay/     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 ... http://www.vidagolaw.com/blog/us-state-department-to-increase-application-fee-for-non-immigrant-visa-on-january-1-2008/