Dear Rajiv,
I would like to say my BIG "thank you" to the Mathew/Aruna team. I posted message early after my I 140 was flawlessly done. Now finally I and my family reached very important milestone - we received our Green Cards in the mail. What I can say - the excellent job of the Rajiv's team and a bit of luck I got the whole process PERM-EAD/AP-I140-I486 for a little bit more that 8 months. Not a single RFE. Not a single hiccup. That can only speak of how professional all the paperwork was prepared. I HIGHLY recommend Rajiv's company. If you want to put your fate in good hands, you can count on this company. Always with good advice, with excellent open communication channels and ready to get in action to serve better its clients.
Now that my journey reached its final destination and there are new prospective on the horizon, I will continue to spread the word about this excellent company –
The Law Offices of Rajiv S. Khana.
Good luck to every one.
Signing out.
Nick
: Dear Rajiv:
I really appreciate the diligent work that you and your team put into my case.
The fact that we didn't get any RFEs for my I-140 and I-485 petitions, in spite of having my previous I-140 petition and the MTR denied by USCIS, shows clearly that you know the way to present material to USCIS so that it doesn't leave any questions/doubts in their minds that we qualify to stay in this country. I believe this is the result of your analysis of each case meticulously and preparing the supporting documentation according to the nature of the case, rather than following a cookie cutter formula like lot of other attorneys. I have seen my previous attorney do it and lot of friends' attorneys doing this. The standard statements I have heard so many times... "We don't need to submit that document now. We can submit that if USCIS asks for it". Forget about sending the documents to USCIS, they don't even let us know that we may need a piece of document and ask us to have it ready. Everything seems to be reactive, rather than proactive. No wonder USCIS takes so long to process some applications. They have to ask for every piece of information and at some point, they might even deny the petition for lack of clear evidence.
For all people who are going through the long and painful process of getting GC, there is only one advise I would like to give. Try to have a highly experienced immigration attorney like Rajiv on your side from day one. It is really hard to correct the mistakes done by other attorneys later. A petition filed with all the necessary paperwork, in the correct form and order will save you from a lot of heartache later on. Even if your company doesn't reimburse for the expenses, it's worth paying for it from your pocket.
And Rajiv, I would like to make a small suggestion to your staff too. While both my I-140 petition (re-filing) and H-1B extension petitions were being processed at the same time (during Dec 05 - Jan 06 timeframe), when your staff asked for copies of the same documents multiple times, it was getting on my employers nerves. The rant I kept on hearing from my company's HR people was, 'we just mailed/faxed them that document last week. Why are they asking for another copy again?'. Members of different teams didn't seem to have any idea that another petition is being handled by a person in the same office and that those documents already exist in another folder in the same office. A few small notes tagged to the files or consolidation of documents for each client might make the experience even more pleasant.
Thank you so much for your help and attention. I wouldn't even think of going to any other attorney for any future immigration related work I might have.
Regards,
Ravi
I have a question on the new very scary and confusing interoffice memo (May 6, 2009) that the acting associate director of USCIS issued regarding unlawful presence. I am currently on EAD/AP since the expiration of my 6 years of H1-b visa on september 3, 2008 with my I-140 approved and my I-485 (PD-october 2, 2004, EB2) pending. According to the example 2 (page 10) of this memo-, anybody with an expired non-immigrant visa is subject to deportation even though his I-485 was filed properly when that person was in proper non-immigrant status and the petition is still pending. My understanding was that once an AOS is filed, I am authorized to stay here and work on EAD and go in and out of USA on AP until that petition is denied. When did this law change?
That example does not make any sense. It appears to be more a clarification of a concept - NOT practice. Do NOT worry. You are fine. If someone has not already done so, I will write USCIS next week after reviewing the entire 51 page memo carefully. Do NOT lose sleep over this.
I am currently on H1B extension (7th year ; with pending I-485 under NIW, and approved Advanced Parole & EAD) dating an American citizen. We want to get married in India. If I were to leave my current job in October 2009, and go to India (for making marriage arrangements), is it advisable to:
1. First get engaged here in the US and file for fiancé Visa while I am in US (and then travel to India) in order to re-enter US on a legal status.
2. Also do we have to get married in US again in order to provide proper legal marriage documentation and to file family based I-485 as spouse.
NIW applicants get their green card based upon an expectation of employment - not employment (unless you are a physician). So, if you have a job offer in your area of expertise, your travel on AP is fairly safe.
A legal marriage in India is fully recognized in USA.
a). I am an associate professor at XXX State University. Beginning August, 2009 (in two weeks time), I am planning on going for a one-year unpaid professional leave of absence. During the leave I will be in India. However I would technically still be employed by my University. Meanwhile, I have an approved I-140 (EB-2) - I-485 pending.
b). What happens if I get my green card while I am on leave (I am going to India)? Can I still receive it legally? If I can legally accept the green card, can I change my address on the USCIS web site and give my relative's address? We currently live in California and our case is is handled by Nebraska Center. Given this scenario, should we give the address of our relatives in California, or is it O.K. to give the address of our relative who lives in New Jersey?
c). At the time I filled the I-485 for myself and my wife, my wife was pregnant and could not get one of the immunizations (I think it was MMR). Now I am afraid that when we are out of the country we might get a medical RFE for my wife. Is it possible for us to get the immunizations done by a USCIS authorized doctor, and send the report to the USCIS in anticipation of the RFE? If yes, then which form should be fill/take to the doctor?
a). The first issue would be whether or not you still have a "permanent job" that would qualify you for a green card. In situations of long vacation, questions could be raised whether or not the green card job is indeed permanent; if so, who will do it in your absence; what is the reason for your leave; are you terminating your relationship with your employer, etc. If you have good answers to all these questions, you are fine.
First of all; I would like to thank the entire Team member who has worked in my case. Special Kudos goes to my case manager 'Aruna Marthi'; she did absolutely fabulous job to get me through this whole process. The time, and efforts you guys have given me the only reason of this case successful. Can you believe it, I got my whole process completed within 6 months and I-485 got approved in less than 2 months.
Thanks again for all of your efforts.
Regards:
BK