USCIS took a baby step this week to expand premium processing services to include Form I-140, Petition for Alien Worker, for a limited group of H-1B workers. However, it is an important step nonetheless. Expedited processing of I-140 may become critical in some cases, including H-1B extension beyond the 6-year limit, or changing jobs before … Read more
A front page story from the New York Times revealed that the U.S. military is planning to recruit nonimmigrants – people in the U.S. on temporary visas – to join the armed forces. The benefit? Become a citizen in as little as six months. Considering that it can easily take 5+ years to obtain a … Read more
A bank was betting that housing price would continue to skyrocket, forever! It wasn’t the case, as it turned out, so the bank lost a lot of money. Then the government stepped up and handed them a check. What is next? Bank executives get million-dollar bonuses and H-1B workers get hammered. The $787 billion stimulus … Read more
The U.S. Postal Service has announced that the price of a first-class stamp will increase to 44 cents, starting May 11, 2009. The new postage is for the first ounce of a First-Class mail – the most common type for mailing letters, payment checks, etc. The forever stamps will continue to be sold at 42 … Read more
Remember last year’s economic stimulus payment? The $600 per person, $300 per child, tax rebate check from the IRS? Well, if you didn’t receive the full amount in 2008, there is a good chance that you will be eligible for a recovery rebate this year. According to IRS: People who fall into the categories described … Read more
Recently I bought a new laptop and also upgraded my noisy workstation. They both came pre-loaded with Windows Vista (64-bit Premium and 32-bit Basic). Believe it or not, it took a bit of getting-used-to, but I actually liked the operating system! Maybe it is because the factory-installed Vista doesn’t have many of the headaches that … Read more
January of 2009 is brutal for working Americans. A bunch of big-name companies announced new massive layoffs. Actually some are going through maybe their Nth round of workforce reduction already. Take a look at this table below (source: MSN/WSJ): Company Announcement date Jobs cut % of work force Circuit City 1/16/2009 34,000 100 Caterpillar 1/26/2009 … Read more
I have been thinking about starting a blog on immigrationroad.com for quite some time now. It is trendy. It adds a personal touch. And it opens a door for our visitors to participate. But it also means more work. More work to get the blog up and running, and even more to keep it fresh … Read more
