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GaramChai.com >> Book >> Section 1
US Immigration and Visas
US,
the “land of immigrants” has historically welcomed settlers
from around the world with open arms. A majority of Americans
trace their ancestry back to England, Ireland, Europe and
Africa; some to South America, Asia, and increasingly India.
The
first recorded immigrant to the US was Annie Moore, a 15year
old Irish girl who passed through Ellis Island on Jan. 1,
1892. Since then millions of "huddled masses yearning
to breathe free", as described on the nearby Statue of
Liberty, landed on the shores of America, hoping to strike
it rich in the land of honey and milk. Of course, contrary
to popular myth, the streets were not paved with gold as an
old Italian story posted in Ellis Island museum states: "I
came to America because I heard the streets were paved with
gold. When I got here, I found out three things: First, the
streets were not paved with gold. Second, they weren't paved
at all. Third, I was expected to pave them." At its peak
in 1907, Ellis Island was handling more than 11,000 immigrants
a day.
The
Indian Diaspora in the US is historic, dating back to over
a century, began when peasants from Punjab began appearing
on the west coast, seeking work in Washington’s lumber mills
and California’s vast agricultural fields. Interestingly,
back in 1907, Indians were the victims of a racial riot in
Bellingham, Washington; And after that, the Asiatic Exclusion
League and other associations attempted to prevent further
immigration from India. The Immigration and Naturalization
Act of 1965, set a quota of 20,000 immigrants from each country.
The majority of Indians arriving during that period were professionals.
This was also the height of cold war, when the US needed scientists,
technocrats and doctors. English-speaking Indian professionals
with a solid background and education were welcomed with open
arms. Subsequently many more came to the US under family reunification
preferential categories. In decades since then, America has
seen an influx of Indian students with solid grounding in
the sciences who came here for higher education and decided
to call this country home -- a saga poignantly portrayed by
Anurag Mathur in his novel “Inscrutable Americans”.
The
nineties saw an influx of Indian software professionals (a.k.a.
H1 visa holders) who came here to meet the insatiable demand
for computer specialists who could not only fix the Y2 bugs
and help in the dot.com boom, but also work in hundreds of
thousands of data-centers and IT departments across the country.
Not surprisingly, Indian techies can be found in almost all
the states and major cities, working for companies ranging
from Fortune five hundred giants to small utilities and government
bodies.
Young
professionals from India still aspire to partake in the globalization,
and wish to go abroad either as professionals or to study.
In order to visit any foreign country, including the US, Indians
need a document a.k.a. visa, which grants the holder entry
for a specific purpose. One cannot travel abroad without a
visa. A is visa issued to people who wish to be in the U.S.
on a temporary basis, for example, tourism, medical treatment,
business, temporary work, or study. The visa issuance by western
nations is extremely regulated and one would needs to be prepared
to jump through a number of hoops to acquire the coveted stamp
on one’s passport.
In
the next few sections of the book, we will examine the intricacies
involved in acquiring a student visa, H1 work visa and employment
based green card. However, we will not be looking at B1 (business)
and L1 (intra-company transfer) visas since they involve complex
regulation and are issued selectively, generally petitioned
by the companies. We will also not be going over family based
visa’s and sponsorship of green cards.
Historic Data on Immigration from India to the US
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Year
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Numbers
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1891
- 1900
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68
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1901 - 1910
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4,713
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1911 - 1920
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2,082
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1921 - 1930
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1,886
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1931 - 1940
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496
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1941 - 1950
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1,761
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1951 - 1960
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1,973
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1961 - 1970
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27,189
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….
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….
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1987
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27,803
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1988
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26,268
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1989
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31,175
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1990
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30,667
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1991
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45,064
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1992
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36,755
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1993
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40,121
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1994
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34,921
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1995
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34,748
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1996
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44,859
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1997
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38,071
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(Data
Extracted from INS Statistics. More recent Statistics
are posted on GaramChai.com
Student
Visas
Thousands
of students from India make an annual trek to the shores of
the US during the fall, hoping to get educated in some of
the best universities around. What started as a “brain drain”
of the students from elite institutions in India in the sixties
has become a “routine migration”. Education opportunities
exist in a wide range of institutions in the US – from Ivy
leagues to small-town community colleges. The emphasis on
higher education, along with the glamour associated with a
“US degree” motivates Indian students to seek admission in
the US. American universities welcome foreign students
with open arms, considering them as an excellent source of
steady revenue, especially since international students are
expected to pay inflated fees.
Preparation
for the trip begins over a year in advance with most students
applying to universities by December. This is required because
the admission decisions in most universities in the US are
completed by early spring. Students applying to universities
in the US need to get adequate scores on standardized tests
like GMAT/GRE, TOEFL etc. The scores and their role in the
admission process is highly subjective since the universities
also take into consideration a number of other aspects like
academic history, scholarships, awards, published papers,
work experience etc. To hedge their chances, students apply
to at least a dozen universities. It is only after the gets
an admission from the university that she can apply for a
visa since the “Form I-20” required by the embassy is issued
by the college, school or university.
The
coveted F1 (or M1) visa is perhaps one of the most important
documents that a student needs to acquire and is generally
given after an in-person interview at the local embassy or
consulate. June, July, and August are the busiest months in
most consulates, and interview appointments are the most difficult
to get during that period. To allow time to overcome any unforeseen
problems that might arise, students are encouraged to apply
for their visas several weeks before they plan to travel.
INS
defines a Student – “As a nonimmigrant class of admission,
an alien coming temporarily to the United States to pursue
a full course of study in an approved program in either an
academic (college, university, seminary, conservatory, academic
high school, elementary school, other institution, or language
training program) or a vocational or other recognized nonacademic
institution.”
The
documentation requirements for students seeking an F1 are
quite rigorous and subjective. Also, because each student’s
personal and academic situation is different, two students
applying for same visa may be asked different questions and
be required to submit different documents. All applicants
for a student visa must provide:
Ø A Form I-20 obtained from a U.S. college, school or
university. The form must also be signed by the student and
by a school official.
Ø A completed nonimmigrant visa application form (OF-156)
with photographs.
Ø A passport valid for at least six months after your
proposed date of entry into the United States;
Ø A receipt for visa processing fee.
All applicants should also be prepared to provide:
Ø Transcripts and diplomas from previous institutions
attended;
Ø Scores from standardized tests required by the educational
institution such as the TOEFL, SAT, GRE, GMAT, etc.;
Ø Financial evidence that shows you or your parents who
are sponsoring you have sufficient funds to cover your tuition
and living expenses during the period of your intended study.
When a
person enters the United States on a student visa, he will
usually be admitted for the duration of the student status.
That means one may stay as long as one is a full time student,
even if the F-1 visa in the passport expires while in America.
However, if the student departs the U.S. with an expired visa,
she will need to obtain a new one before being able to return
to America and resume studies. A student visa cannot be renewed
or re-issued in the United States; it must be done at an Embassy
or Consulate abroad. The most accurate and up-to-date
information on visas’ can be found at the US department of
state website at http://travel.state.gov/visa/
Higher
education in the US is an expensive proposition, but the returns
can be tremendous, especially when one considers the long-term
growth and career opportunities. It is hard to set an exact
dollar amount, but the tuition and fees for an MS degree alone
could range anywhere between $20,000 and $80,000. Add to this
living expenses, air tickets etc and the total tally can add
up. There was a time, back in the sixties when demand for
students, especially from the burgeoning defense research
industry was huge. Flush with research funds, universities
were able to sponsor talented scholars from around the globe.
This is not true anymore. Aid or student grants are extremely
hard to come by, especially for foreign students.
On landing
in the US, students not only grapple with their course work
but also cope with the change in culture, lifestyle etc. A
tremendous support network in the form of Indian Student Associations
(ISA’s) exists in universities across the country. Volunteers
who offer informal support, advice and networking for newly
admitted students run the associations, which are generally
affiliated with individual universities. Many ISA’s
also maintain websites with lists of members. Prospective
students in India find it convenient to shoot off e-mails
to their peers in the US. (A list of ISA’s is attached in
the appendix.) ISA’s also provide opportunities for Indian
students to network, socialize and maintain a semblance of
Indianness in a far-away land. This network also has fringe
benefits in the form of help with logistics, finding roommates
etc.
Many students
in India may be hesitant to contemplate education in the US,
especially after the incidents of Sept 11th. Since
a number of suspected terrorists came here on student visas,
the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and US consulates
across the world have become overcautious while scrutinizing
applications. However, scholars with a genuine interest in
higher education have and will always been welcome. The US
government and educational institutions are still continuing
the policy of welcoming foreign students, albeit after an
extra round of scrutiny.
H1-B
Work Visas
Those
intending to come and work in the US need a work-visa, also
called H1 B visa, which is issued to professionals. Many in
India, especially those in the field of software have heard
of H1, but most people are either bewildered by, or are totally
ignorant of the intricacies involved in the H1-B process.
In this article, chapter, we will to shed some light on the
process.
Each nation
in the world has highly protective laws in place to safeguard
the livelihood and to secure work for their citizens. Incidentally,
even India is highly protective of its workforce, and it is
extremely difficult for a foreigner to legally come and work
anywhere in the country. Needless to say, Western nations
have been highly protective of their workers and do not want
hordes of foreigners taking away their jobs. The exception
to this rule has been with respect to computer professionals.
In the late eighties and early nineties, Western countries
started reaping the benefits of large-scale computerization
and automation. This in turn increased their productivity
and bolstered their economy. However, they were not prepared
for the sudden increase in demand for programmers, analysts
and software professionals needed to build, maintain and manage
their systems.
A number
of countries including the US, UK and Canada realized the
need for software professionals and as a ‘stop gap’ measure
relaxed their labor laws to allow the entry of foreigners
with these specialized skills. In the US, companies are allowed
to bring temporary workers on a visa known as the ‘H1-B’.
In other countries, a work visa is known by different names;
for instance, in the UK and Singapore, it is called the ‘work
permit’. By whatever name it is called, one thing is common,
it is a “temporary” visa that allows a foreigner to live and
work in the country for a specified period of time, after
which the visa holder is expected to return to their native
lands.
During
the surge in the economy that we experienced in the nineties,
H1-B helped employers access a huge pool of worldwide workforce,
talented in computer systems design, analysis and testing.
There was also a surge in demand for people who could fix
the Y2K bug along with the demand from the burgeoning dot.com’s.
India, incidentally managed to bag over 50 per cent of H1-B
visas’ during 1998 to 2000.
The H1-B
documentation process begins when an employer petitions the
US government, requesting permission to allow a prospective
employee to come, live, and work in the US. This application
process is archaic and complex and is generally done by specialized
attorneys hired by the company. The processing times for the
visa approval process is extremely unpredictable. Although
most immigration attorneys have a ballpark estimate of the
current processing time, it is extremely difficult to predict
how long a particular case is going to take.
One of
the most important aspects of the H1-B visa is its extremely
restrictive nature. After a person comes to the US on a H1-B,
he/she is expected to work for that employer who had sponsored
the paperwork. Switching jobs would mean going through the
same process with the new employer. After the expiry of the
visa or on termination of employment, the person is expected
to leave the country, unless they can find another employer
willing to sponsor a H1-B. Employees coming to the US on H1
visas are allowed to bring their spouse and children along.
They are issued dependent visa’s (a.k.a. H4 visas’). Even
H4 visas are highly restrictive since a person in the country
on a dependent visa is not allowed to work.
Most employers
in the US are either unaware of or unwilling to jump the legal
hoops to get an employee sponsored on H1-B. There are a number
of software houses that are adept at this process. An interesting
list of top sponsors in the US can be found in the appendix.
Because of the complex maze one must go through, a number
of body shoppers have a field day sponsoring H1-B visas’,
placing the employees at client sites and skimming off profits.
Some have even gone as far as to compare it with indentured
labor; this is partly the fault of gullible youngsters in
India and elsewhere who succumb to the ‘Get to US quick’ schemes
promoted by unscrupulous middlemen.
The H1
boom of the nineties was unplanned for and the downturn was
equally unpredictable. Between 1997 and 2000, it is estimated
that nearly half of the H1’s issued by the US government went
to Indians. After the end of Y2K and dot.com burst, demand
for H1 techies started tapering off. The economic recession
has aggravated this situation with many more loosing their
jobs. H1 holders were mortified to find that they would have
to pack up and leave the US if their employment was terminated
and they were “out of status”. In a slowing economy, many
employers are unwilling to sponsor new visas and hence many
people are finding it hard to switch jobs after being laid
off. If there is any good coming out of the US slowdown,
it is the fact that the tribe of body-shoppers is slowly vanishing.
This is not to say that jobs for H1-B visa holders will vanish,
but that employers will become more selective of the people
they employ and they will increasingly bypass smaller middlemen.
The flip
side of the US slowdown is that many more companies are willing
to outsource their software systems. Large Indian software
houses like Infosys, TCS, Wipro, HCL, CBSI etc will continue
to bag large projects in the US and will send a number of
employees on H1-B. Some industry pundits are also predicting
that outsourcing (of large projects) to India will continue
to grow, leading to lesser reliance on H1-B.
One thing
is for sure, although H1-B visa is not going away anytime
soon, but the means of “get to the US quick” is definitely
undergoing a change. Although the fate of H1B visa is uncertain,
and at the time of writing this book, people from India are
still coming to the US, one thing is certain, H1 as a “get
to the US quick” means is undergoing a sea change. When the
economic cycle changes course, there will be a renewed demand
for quality software professionals. Although the floodgates
may not be reopened, the US will still need to invite scores
of professionals from India and elsewhere.
Points
to remember about H1
- The application
for H-1B visa involves a very complex process, generally
done by the employer’s lawyers.
- The employer
is legally required to pay for the cost of sponsoring the
visa.
- It can
be sponsored for a maximum period of six years after which
the employee must leave the country.
- If employment
is terminated during any time, the employer must give the
employee an air ticket with all the wages/salary due.
- H1-B
employees cannot be kept on “Bench without pay”. They must
be paid during the bench period.
H1
visa, although flexible enough to enables workers to come
to the US and work for employers, is still highly restrictive
since employees are allowed to work only for the employer
who sponsored the initial paperwork. Switching jobs is extremely
cumbersome. Because of changing market conditions, employees
sometimes find themselves out of jobs or look for greener
pastures. H1 employees need to look for employers who will
sponsor their paperwork (new H1 visa applications) before
they can change jobs. Many Indians prefer to apply for the
coveted green card that gives residents a more permanent status
in the US. In the next section, we will look at the nuances
of applying for green cards, especially the employment based
green card filing.
Green Card: live and work in the US without
restrictions
In the
previous chapter, we looked at H1 visas and the temporary
work status that it bestows on the holder. H1 visa, although
very useful to companies that wish to employ foreigners, is
designed to be extremely restrictive. Many employees who come
to the US on H1 visas realize that working in the US involves
an element of uncertainty. People want to be in control of
their life and career and want to have the flexibility to
change jobs if things are not going their way. In a hire-and-fire
work culture, with the cloud of layoffs looming over the tech
sector, it makes sense for today’s Gold-Collar workers to
seek an element of independence and flexibility. This is especially
true for those working for small employers and body-shops.
What does one do if one wants to live and work in the US without
restrictions? The answer is: Acquire a permanent resident
status (a.k.a Green Card). There are different ways
to apply for a green card including sponsorship by family
members, employers, applying as a refugee etc. In this section
I will deal mainly with employment based sponsorship of green-cards.
The legal
definition of green card holder is a person who is a permanent
resident alien in the US. INS defines a Permanent Resident
Alien as “An alien admitted to the United States as a lawful
permanent resident. Permanent residents are also commonly
referred to as immigrants; however, the Immigration and Nationality
Act (INA) broadly defines an immigrant as any alien in the
United States, except one legally admitted under specific
nonimmigrant categories (INA section 101(a)(15)). An illegal
alien who entered the United States without inspection, for
example, would be strictly defined as an immigrant under the
INA but is not a permanent resident alien. Lawful permanent
residents are legally accorded the privilege of residing permanently
in the United States. They may be issued immigrant visas by
the Department of State overseas or adjusted to permanent
resident status by the Immigration and Naturalization Service
in the United States”.
A Green
Card allows one to permanently live and work in the US. Except
for some jobs that require ‘security clearance’ and US citizenship
(for example, working for FBI), a Green Card holder is allowed
to work for any employer, even at McDonalds as a cook or waiter.
This is the kind of flexibility that most employees desire
when contemplating acquiring a Green Card. Of course, there
are other fringe benefits that come with a Green Card. One’s
spouse and children acquire the same status and are free to
live and work. Incidentally, spouses of H1 visa holders are
not allowed to work, unless they can get an employer to sponsor
their own H1 visa, which is another story altogether.
Having
a Green Card has another advantage. In the US, most of us
even those on H1 visas’ pay Social Security taxes. This tax
is supposed to assure the payee a “pension” of a specified
sum of money when they turn 59. The catch is that, to receive
Social Security, one must be residing in the US or should
have worked and paid taxes in the US for at least 10 years.
H1 holders are not allowed to remain in the US for more than
six years, so they forfeit all the benefits when they return
home. Green Card holders who work in the US for at least ten
years, on the other hand, are eligible for Social Security
benefits.
If Green
Cards bestow so many benefits, why don’t most people get one,
instead of continuing on H1 visa? The answer lies in the application
process. A typical application involves the most archaic and
cumbersome paper trails one can envisage. US Government’s
Immigration and Naturalisation Service (INS) states, “If you
want to become an immigrant based on the fact that you have
a permanent employment opportunity in the United States, or
if you are an employer that wants to sponsor someone for lawful
permanent residency based on permanent employment in the United
States, you must go through a multi-step process.” The document
also found on http://www.ins.gov/graphics/services/residency/employment.htm
goes on to describe the five stages:
- First,
foreign nationals and employers must determine if he/she
is eligible for lawful permanent residency under one of
INS’ paths to lawful permanent residency.
- Second,
most employment categories require that the U.S. employer
complete a labour certification request.
- Third,
INS must approve an immigrant visa petition, (a.k.a. the
I-140 stage).
- Fourth,
the State Department must give the applicant an immigrant
visa number. Until recently most Indians faced a big bottleneck
in acquiring a visa number since each country was given
a ‘quota’ and Indians in each category were not allowed
more than 7500 visa’s.
- Fifth,
if the applicant is already in the United States, he or
she must apply to adjust to permanent resident status after
a visa number becomes available.
Needless
to say, many employers balk at the prospect of going through
this complicated processing, hoping to retain the employee
after he acquires a Green Card. This is especially true in
the current economic climate where employers are looking to
cut costs and streamline their operations. Specialised immigration
attorneys generally handle the paperwork involved in the Green
Card process which can cost upwards of six to eight thousand
dollars. One of the most ludicrous aspects of the application
is the second stage where the company’s lawyer has to petition
to the labour department claiming that the employee is nothing
short of a rocket scientist.
Even if
an employer is willing to sponsor a Green Card application,
the process can drag on for years. The author’s employment-based
green card application sponsored by his employer took nearly
three years to process. The application is not easily transferable
and if one were to switch to another employer, the clock gets
reset. Some employers, especially body-shops use the Green
Card process as a lure to keep employees on a tenterhook.
Given the uncertain business environment in which we live,
waiting for a green card to be processed can be extremely
stressful. With a lot of lobbying from employers and H1 holders,
lawmakers and Senators have realised the ludicrous amount
of time it takes for Green Card application to be processed.
They have been working to help streamline the process. A number
of bills have been passed that require INS to streamline their
operations.
US is
not the only western nation to attract qualified foreigners
with green-cards. Apart from the US, a number of other countries
also provide ‘permanent resident’ status to foreigners. Singapore,
Canada and Australia are by far the most ‘immigrant friendly’,
especially for Indians. The application process for these
countries is also not as expensive and time consuming as that
of the US Green Card application. Canada is by far the most
generous country in the world when it comes to attracting
permanent residents, especially those with good education
and technical backgrounds. They have a “point system” and
if a person qualifies with the minimum number of points, he
or she is considered. The processing time for applications
is also relatively short a few months as opposed to the US
Green Card that can drag on for years.
As
the world becomes more global and Indians move to various
countries around the world, establish themselves, and launch
new careers, they are finding opportunities where others might
not even consider looking. Many credit the Indian immigrant
community for the success of Silicon Valley. Even with all
the bottlenecks associated with the application process, a
Green Card is perhaps one of the most potent tools an individual
can acquire while working to further one’s career in a foreign
land.
There
are a number of other ways to acquire the coveted US permanent
residency. Apart from an employment based sponsorship, one
can have a relative sponsor the application. People from
certain designated countries (not India) are eligible to take
part in what is popularly known as the “green card lottery”
. Refugees also have a different application process. Each
of the application processes is so complex and archaic that
it would require a book to describe.
Employment-Based
Immigration
The
US Immigration and Nationality Act provides a yearly minimum
of 140,000 employment-based immigrant visas, which are divided
into five preference categories. The eligible categories for
an employment-based immigration include:
- Employment First Preference (E1)
Priority
Workers receive 28.6 percent of the yearly worldwide limit.
All Priority Workers must be the beneficiaries of an approved
Form I- 140, Immigrant Petition for Foreign Worker, filed
with INS. Within this preference there are three sub-groups:
1)
Persons of extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education,
business, or athletics. Applicants in this category must have
extensive documentation showing sustained national or international
acclaim and recognition in the field of expertise. Such applicants
do not have to have a specific job offer so long as they are
entering the U.S. to continue work in the field in which they
have extraordinary ability. Such applicants can file their
own petition with the INS, rather than through an employer;
2)
Outstanding professors and researchers with at least three
years experience in teaching or research, who are recognized
internationally. No labor certification is required for this
classification, but the prospective employer must provide
a job offer and file a petition with the INS;
3)
Certain executives and managers who have been employed at
least one of the three preceding years by the overseas affiliate,
parent, subsidiary, or branch of the U.S. employer. The applicant
must be coming to work in a managerial or executive capacity.
No labor certification is required for this classification,
but the prospective employer must provide a job offer and
file a petition with the INS.
- Employment Second Preference (E2)
Professionals
Holding Advanced Degrees, or Persons of Exceptional Ability
in the Arts, Sciences, or Business receive 28.6 percent of
the yearly worldwide limit, plus any unused Employment First
Preference visas. A job offer is required and the U.S.
employer must file a petition on behalf of the applicant.
There are two subgroups within this category:
1)
Professionals holding an advanced degree, or a bachelors degree
and at least five years progressive experience in the profession;
2)
Persons with exceptional ability in the arts, sciences, or
business. Exceptional ability means having a degree of expertise
significantly above that ordinarily encountered within the
field.
Skilled
Workers, Professionals Holding bachelors degrees and Other
Workers. All Third Preference applicants require an approved
I-140 petition filed by the prospective employer. All such
workers require a labor certification, or evidence that they
qualify for one of the shortage occupations in the Labor Market
Information Pilot Program. There are three subgroups within
this category:
1)
Skilled workers are persons capable of performing a job requiring
at least two years' training or experience;
2)
Professionals with a baccalaureate degree are members of a
profession with at least a university bachelor's degree; and
3)
Other workers are those persons capable of filling positions
requiring less than two years' training or experience.
Special
Immigrants receive 7.1 percent of the yearly worldwide limit.
All such applicants must be the beneficiary of an approved
I-360, Petition for Special Immigrant, except overseas employees
of the U.S. Government who must use Form DS-1884. There are
six subgroups:
1) Religious workers coming to carry on the vocation of
a minister of religion, or to work in a professional capacity
in a religious vocation, or to work for a tax-exempt organization
affiliated with a religious denomination;
2) Certain overseas employees of the U.S. Government;
3) Former employees of the Panama Canal Company;
4) Retired employees of international organizations;
5) Certain dependents of international organization employees;
and
6) Certain members of the U.S. Armed Forces.
Employment
Creation Investors receive 7.1 percent of the yearly worldwide
limit. All applicants must file a Form I-526, Immigrant Petition
by Alien Entrepreneur, with the INS. To qualify, an alien
must invest between U.S. $500,000 and $1,000,000, depending
on the employment rate in the geographical area, in a commercial
enterprise in the United States which creates at least 10
new full-time jobs for U.S. citizens, permanent resident aliens,
or other lawful immigrants, not including the investor and
his or her family. A detailed description of the visa process
can also be found on the US government website at http://travel.state.gov/visa_services.html#emp
In
this section of the book, we looked at some of the most common
ways by which Indians – students and employees – can get visas
to come to the US. We also looked at the nuances involved
in applying for a green card that gives individuals a right
to permanently work and live in America. The information in
this section, although accurate at the time of writing is
meant as a guideline only. It is not legal information and
the readers are advised to contact competent lawyers and legal
experts before contemplating filing for a visa. There are
a number of other kinds of visas like B1 (business visas),
L1 (Intra-company Transferee visas) and tourist/visitor visas
that are also issued to foreigners. We have not looked at
those visas since they are highly subjective and require a
different set of documentation. There are a number of useful
reference websites and books that go over the intricacies
involved in issuance of American visas and the current rules
and regulations.
People
from all over the world prepare for months, getting all the
documents in order to seek the coveted American visas that
will help them partake in the wealth creation opportunity
that the American market affords. The allure of life in the
US is its wealth and economy built on a foundation of over
two centuries of stable democratic governance. No wonder it
is the de facto superpower not only in global economics but
in global politics and international affairs too. Those moving
to the US need to be aware of the nuances of finance and money
making in the US. The standard of living in the US, compared
to that in India is manifold. Hence even the saving potential
gets magnified when Indians move to the US. In the next section,
we will look at various aspects of finances including
earning, savings, income taxes, entrepreneurship and credit
management.
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