I am 19 years old and I have been living in this country for 14 years. Due to my status I am struggling in college. I cannot pay my tuition and I am forced to work full time. I have a 3.8 GPA but no scholarship or loans to show for it. My goal is to become a doctor. I volunteer countless hours at hospitals because I enjoy helping people and I love being around doctors. Although many students get paid to work in laboratories and conduct research, I do it for free because I am not a permanent resident or a citizen.
The process of E-filing was easy !!. The ASC took only 10 min for the photos and Finger Prints.
Advantages of E-File:
- Enter the data yourself => so NO chance of Typo errors by TSC. Make sure YOU do not make typo / name swapping errors : See : http://forums.immigration.com/
- Pay by CC ; => you can immediately see that the Money has safely been charged. (Hey earn some credit card miles ..or points !! See Below : about Security Code when using Credit Card ) http://forums.immigration.com/
- Get Recipt # instantly.
First of all my thanks to everyone who posted their comments and precious suggestions to help ppl makin their ways easier in immigration process. Below is my complete timeline of applying and getting J1 waiver.
Nov. 8, 2006 - Forms and affidavits got notarised to be sent to CGI Houston
Nov. 9, 2006 - Sent to CGI Houston for attestation
Nov. 10, 2006 - CGI Houston Recieves Documents and passport
Dec. 5, 2006 - Attested Documents return back to me (to be sent to authorities in India)
hi all,
i think my experience might help others so i m writing it down.
my husband and i came to toronto canada on sep, 6th 2005 (yes
2 days ago).
we had our interview appointment on sep, 7 9:00 am.
my husband came to US from pakistan in 1999 on a student visa. He did his masters and then got a job in Houston. He is a mechanical enigineer.
we got married in 2002 and got our first H1 stamped from islamabad, pakistan.
Hello All,
Heres my experience on the CP
Flew to India on June 12th (Interview Date June 26th) Since you have to submit documents to VFS 7 working days prior to Interview.
Flew Virgin Atlantic ti Mumbai and went straight to VFS from the Airport. They are open from 8.00am - 12.00 and 1.00pm - 3.00pm
Documents Submited to VFS
- Copy of the first, second, last page of the current passport, copy of all us visa's in the current passport.
There is no need for old passports and copies of all pages.
Hello,
I finally received my Green Card yesterday. My wife got hers 2 weeks ago. Here are the filing dates.
I-140 (EB1) filed in July 2006 (Approved in 2 weeks)
I-485 sent to NVC in September 2007
Interview notification from Chennai US Consulate on January 17, 2007
Interview at Chennai on February 12, 2007
Received the passports on February 20, 2007
Validation stamp in the passport on February 28, 2007
Welcome Letter (wife) on March 6, 2007
Green Card (wife) received on March 7, 2007
The Immigrant Visa looks like a H1B1 visa stamp but the information is obviously different. The embassy also hands out a packet with top right part perforated. It has a white paper on the front which has your picture and information on it.
I landed at Chicago O'Hare airport at about 3:15 PM. While in the plane, I had filled only the customs forms and not the I-94 white form. After landing, I went to the New Immigrant line. The officer looked at the IV and took the packet from me. He sent me to the NSEERS special registration line.
Release Date
12/05/2025
New vetting center will focus on powerful screening resources to keep America safe
Release Date
12/04/2025
Maximum validity periods of some Employment Authorization Documents will be reduced
WASHINGTON – U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services updated its Policy Manual to reduce the maximum validity period for Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) for certain categories of aliens. This update also incorporates changes to EAD validity periods made by recent legislation to ensure proper vetting and screening of aliens.
USCIS is updating USCIS Policy Manual Volume 1, Part C to deter the filing of frivolous claims and provide operational consistency. This update clarifies that the Department of Homeland Security generally will not take biometrics of detained aliens unless they are in removal proceedings and have a pending application or petition filed with the Executive Office for Immigration Review. This guidance is effective immediately and applies to requests pending or filed on or after the publication date.
Rajiv S. Khanna, US Immigration attorney, provides free immigration help by hosting a free community conference call for US immigration-related questions every Thursday. You can post questions for the call if you are a member of our US Immigration forums. Membership is immediate and lifelong. Walk-ins are also permitted.
Last Updated: December 3, 2025
As of December 15, the Department will expand the requirement that an online presence review be conducted for all H-1B applicants and their dependents, in addition to the students and exchange visitors already subject to this review. To facilitate this vetting, all applicants for H-1B and their dependents (H-4), F, M, and J nonimmigrant visas are instructed to adjust the privacy settings on all of their social media profiles to “public.”
Published by: The Times of India - December 04, 2025
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/us-to-scan-social-media-of…
Quotes and Excerpts from Rajiv in the article:
Rajiv S. Khanna, managing attorney at Immigration.com expressed dismay that a country which professes to be a shining beacon of free speech does not appreciate it.
December 23, 2025
The Department of Homeland Security has finalized regulations that fundamentally change how H-1B cap registrations will be selected, effective for the FY 2027 lottery (registration opening around March 2026). Under the new weighted selection process, registrations for higher-paid workers will have significantly better chances of selection than those for lower-paid workers.