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A PROPOSED SOLUTION TO THE AMERICAN MORTGAGE CRISIS

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foreign degree evaluations for EB-2 and EB-3 visas to the United States. After careful analysis, this expert on international education has chosen to support a proposal first presented on the Immigration Voice chat board. This proposal could help to significantly relieve America’s current housing problem while encouraging billions of dollars in economic growth.

Workers holding employment-based visas are already residing within the United States. Those applying for permanent resident status have been living in the United States for more than five years. All have professional degrees in their fields of employment, and a sizable percentage hold Master Degrees or PhDs. None are taking American jobs; these visas are issued precisely because no U.S.workers are available to do the work required by the sponsoring businesses and organizations.

The average income earned by workers holding EB visas is $65,000 yearly. The majority of these individuals have good or excellent credit ratings, and secure incomes. They are highly motivated to purchase homes and settle in family friendly neighborhoods. Unfortunately, however, they remain in limbo while they are waiting for the USCIS to approve their green card applications.

In fact, some workers are forced to wait for up to seven years before receiving a response to their application. They hold foreign credentials U.S. equivalency of professional degrees, and are workers critically needed by our society, yet they wait to learn whether they have the right to remain in this country!

More than 200,000 immigration visa numbers have been lost as workers wait for their application to be processed. This has resulted in millions of lost dollars for the economy. In the meantime, approximately 800,000 wage earners wait to see whether they will be permitted to remain in the United States. Consider, for example, the possibility that half of these persons wish to purchase a home.  If they were permitted to make a 20 percent down payment on a private home (and the average cost of a home in the U.S. today is approximately 200,000), this would result in a net financial gain of 1.6 billion dollars in immediate gain for American banks!

Immigrants are highly motivated to succeed and make themselves part of the culture that welcomes them to remain in their country. Offer your support for a solution that works for potential immigrants as well as for the U.S. economy today. The 30 years needed to pay off most mortgages will allow these persons to more than demonstrate their commitment to the stability of the U.S. economy. Finally, these stable, risk-free mortgages will help to reverse the downward spiral into which our housing market has slumped and help it to soar upward again.]]>

Foreign Degree Evaluations: EB visas, H1-B visas, and the Recession

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U.S. economy is in a recession, or that that recession has affected financial markets worldwide. This in turn has seriously affected the number of people seeking foreign degree evaluations. More and more people are trying to ensure their job security or explore new employment options after cutbacks and mergers have left many without positions.

People with foreign education credentials, including foreign degrees from college or high school, are usually required to prove the U.S. equivalency of their degrees to potential employers in the United States. This is also true for people seeking work or employment-based (EB visas), as well as for those persons who want to go back to college to earn an advanced degree.

Additionally, the rate at which H1-B visa numbers are filled this year may be affected by the current economic state. Many companies are extremely dependent on the use of temporary foreign workers to meet their labor needs. Because H1-B visas are issued on a first-come, first-serve basis to qualified applicants with sponsors, it is possible that those companies most depended on this source of labor may decide to start filing as soon as possible.

There has been discussion of increasing the cap on the number of H1-B visas issued. Moreover, persons such as Janet Napolitano, whom President Obama has nominated for a cabinet post, are in favor of increasing the number of H1-B visas offered each year. Due to the recession, however, proposals such as these may face a lot of resistance as Americans increasingly protest the presence of foreign workers when U.S. jobs are in short supply and high demand.

These protestors, though, need to remember that employment-based visas such as the EB visas and H1-B visas are offered to foreign workers who fill American jobs that cannot be filled by U.S. workers. These people either have specialized education or experience that U.S. employers require and cannot find in this country. American workers are not in fact being denied jobs because of these non-immigration visas; they lack the qualifications to fill these jobs.

It’s impossible to predict what will happen as President Obama takes office and begins to enact his planned policies. The effect of these policies on EB and H1-B visas remains to be seen. Hopefully, he will introduce policies that increase the availability of U.S. jobs, while maximizing the availability of temporary employment to American companies. The citizens of this country are waiting anxiously to see what will happen.]]>

New Requirements for TN Visa Applicants

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NAFTA), a special visa qualification was offered to citizens of Canada and Mexico who qualify for temporary employment positions that can be categorized into certain professional classifications as defined by the NAFTA agreement. This immigrant visa is known as the TN visa, and includes a wide variety of positions in diverse fields such as social work, accounting, science, mathematics, and nursing. These visas are issued for one-year durations, but can be extended indefinitely.

In order to qualify for a TN visa, a candidate must have at least the U.S.equivalency of a Bachelor Degree in the professional area for which he or she applies. To prove that the foreign degree is equivalent, a foreign education credentials evaluation must be done by a qualified agency, such as Career Consulting International. These educational evaluations are then submitted, along with other documentation, to USCIS officials to determine whether the visa application will be approved or denied.

Professionals who apply for TN Visas may apply for TD visas to allow spouses or dependents to accompany them and reside with them during their stay in the United States. People who hold TN visas, however, may not seek employment within the United States. Canadian citizens are referred to as TN-1 Visa applicants, while citizens of Mexico are designated as TN-2 applicants. The most recent change in policy directly affects TN-2 visa applicants. The application process differs between Canadian and Mexican citizens, however. TN-1 Visa applicants may apply for this immigrant visa either at a US-Canada border crossing, or at most Canadian international airports. In this case, the TN visa may be granted on the day upon which the candidate submits the visa application, a foreign education credentials evaluation report, and accompanying documentation.

Recently, the procedure has changed for citizens of Mexico applying for TN-2 Visas through the Matamoras, Mexico Consulate. Although this change has not yet been reflected on the consulate’s website, these new changes became effective on September 10, 2008. Visa applicants must now call for an appointment or schedule one online at the consulate website, located athttp://matamoros.usconsulate.gov/matamoros/nafta_visas_tn.html.

Previously, applicants were able to submit their foreign education credentialsand evaluation reports prior to the interview. This is no longer true. Now, applicants are required to submit their foreign credential evaluations and other documents at the time of the interview appointment with the consulate.

The employer is still required to submit the employee’s work credentials to theUSCIS to demonstrate that the employee is qualified for the TN-2 Visa. Only after approval may the employee schedule an appointment to have his or her visa stamped at the consulate. The employee’s start date will only be determined after these steps have been completed.]]>

New Requirements for TN Visa Applicants

Press

NAFTA), a special visa qualification was offered to citizens of Canada and Mexico who qualify for temporary employment positions that can be categorized into certain professional classifications as defined by the NAFTA agreement. This immigrant visa is known as the TN visa, and includes a wide variety of positions in diverse fields such as social work, accounting, science, mathematics, and nursing. These visas are issued for one-year durations, but can be extended indefinitely.

In order to qualify for a TN visa, a candidate must have at least the U.S.equivalency of a Bachelor Degree in the professional area for which he or she applies. To prove that the foreign degree is equivalent, a foreign education credentials evaluation must be done by a qualified agency, such as Career Consulting International. These educational evaluations are then submitted, along with other documentation, to USCIS officials to determine whether the visa application will be approved or denied.

Professionals who apply for TN Visas may apply for TD visas to allow spouses or dependents to accompany them and reside with them during their stay in the United States. People who hold TN visas, however, may not seek employment within the United States. Canadian citizens are referred to as TN-1 Visa applicants, while citizens of Mexico are designated as TN-2 applicants. The most recent change in policy directly affects TN-2 visa applicants. The application process differs between Canadian and Mexican citizens, however. TN-1 Visa applicants may apply for this immigrant visa either at a US-Canada border crossing, or at most Canadian international airports. In this case, the TN visa may be granted on the day upon which the candidate submits the visa application, a foreign education credentials evaluation report, and accompanying documentation.

Recently, the procedure has changed for citizens of Mexico applying for TN-2 Visas through the Matamoras, Mexico Consulate. Although this change has not yet been reflected on the consulate’s website, these new changes became effective on September 10, 2008. Visa applicants must now call for an appointment or schedule one online at the consulate website, located athttp://matamoros.usconsulate.gov/matamoros/nafta_visas_tn.html.

Previously, applicants were able to submit their foreign education credentialsand evaluation reports prior to the interview. This is no longer true. Now, applicants are required to submit their foreign credential evaluations and other documents at the time of the interview appointment with the consulate.

The employer is still required to submit the employee’s work credentials to the USCIS to demonstrate that the employee is qualified for the TN-2 Visa. Only after approval may the employee schedule an appointment to have his or her visa stamped at the consulate. The employee’s start date will only be determined after these steps have been completed.]]>

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