felix31
06-05 03:16 PM
I agree. Such delays are forcing several professionals to consider Australia and Canada. Its a loss to this country and gain for other countries since they have favourable immigration laws. However it is really tough to uproot ourselves and go some place else and start over. Canada still does not have a good economy and job prospects as in USA, thus the struggle is going to be hard for you if you were to look for a job.
Pappu,
I guess the uprooting thing depends on many other issues....
E. G. My husband changed 6 consulting companies - worked on projects all over US and we lived in 6 US states before finally settling down with the present employer who started hubby's GC.
However the retro thing is ruining everything (just like so many others here - we are not an exception).
In less than a year I will have a state teaching certification and will be just a step or two away from my Masters in ED.
Will that help me? No, sir!
We cant file I-485..and change of status to H1 for me is out of question (been on H4 6yrs).
So, in our case - moving to Canada is much like moving to another State...
Not a big deal...It certainly will not be the first time to rent U-haul. :)
What will be different is that once we land we will both be immigrants, free of employer's grip and never ending retro.
It is true we may not have a job in Canada for some time, but I believe the peace of mind will be priceless..
I dont mind tranfering teaching cert (its possible), even taking a few extra courses if they require me to do so. We can even move gradually, I will find a job first and then he will move.
Both my husband and I care to much for each other to continue suffering in the US, under these conditions. He is not happy, since I suffer professionaly and will only loose whatever skills I am getting now. (Alrready lost too much not working in the past 6 yrs).
If one spouse suffers and is not happy, how can the other be content?
He is under constant pressure of working longer and harder, God forbid new recession and job layoffs - I can't work, so who will support the family?? :eek:
We had enough difficulties in the past and transfered enough companies to finally draw aline and say - this is enough.
I would LOVE to work, BUT - as H4 - I can only dream about that.
Even with Canada's economy not doing so well and other obstacles you mentioned, just being able to work, start our own business is going to give us an enormous relief.
Guys - dont get me wrong, I am all for US green card and we support IV efforts monetarily and otherwise, BUT, if no immigration reform emerges, we will move to Canada.
In the next 2 yrs (while Canadian PR gets processed) we will know exactly how things stand.
Pappu,
I guess the uprooting thing depends on many other issues....
E. G. My husband changed 6 consulting companies - worked on projects all over US and we lived in 6 US states before finally settling down with the present employer who started hubby's GC.
However the retro thing is ruining everything (just like so many others here - we are not an exception).
In less than a year I will have a state teaching certification and will be just a step or two away from my Masters in ED.
Will that help me? No, sir!
We cant file I-485..and change of status to H1 for me is out of question (been on H4 6yrs).
So, in our case - moving to Canada is much like moving to another State...
Not a big deal...It certainly will not be the first time to rent U-haul. :)
What will be different is that once we land we will both be immigrants, free of employer's grip and never ending retro.
It is true we may not have a job in Canada for some time, but I believe the peace of mind will be priceless..
I dont mind tranfering teaching cert (its possible), even taking a few extra courses if they require me to do so. We can even move gradually, I will find a job first and then he will move.
Both my husband and I care to much for each other to continue suffering in the US, under these conditions. He is not happy, since I suffer professionaly and will only loose whatever skills I am getting now. (Alrready lost too much not working in the past 6 yrs).
If one spouse suffers and is not happy, how can the other be content?
He is under constant pressure of working longer and harder, God forbid new recession and job layoffs - I can't work, so who will support the family?? :eek:
We had enough difficulties in the past and transfered enough companies to finally draw aline and say - this is enough.
I would LOVE to work, BUT - as H4 - I can only dream about that.
Even with Canada's economy not doing so well and other obstacles you mentioned, just being able to work, start our own business is going to give us an enormous relief.
Guys - dont get me wrong, I am all for US green card and we support IV efforts monetarily and otherwise, BUT, if no immigration reform emerges, we will move to Canada.
In the next 2 yrs (while Canadian PR gets processed) we will know exactly how things stand.
wallpaper disturbed personal ackgrounds
Green.Tech
04-08 03:45 PM
Hi,
How many EB3 cases with PD before Dec 01 pending.
My PD is Oct 21st, 01, EB3 (India)
485 Filed in Jun'07, No LUD's since Aug'07
Too many... :)
How many EB3 cases with PD before Dec 01 pending.
My PD is Oct 21st, 01, EB3 (India)
485 Filed in Jun'07, No LUD's since Aug'07
Too many... :)
chanduv23
11-14 09:40 PM
Super..if you are all charged up join your state chapter today and brainstorm with your peers and lets fight this together..but first things first JOIN YOUR CHAPTER..
He is in the Tri State Chapter and hope we will see some action from him soon :)
He is in the Tri State Chapter and hope we will see some action from him soon :)
2011 Disturbed
coolmanasip
07-19 09:49 AM
If we submit tax returns with 485 AOS application then do CIS check those to see what exsumptions we have taken etc??? One of my friend by mistake took hope credits coupld yrs ago and is terrified that CIS may catch this if he sends the tax returns so he has been fighting with his attorney about not sending it!! both he and his wife are earning and no dependents. Any thoughts on the situation??
I told him checking the tax returns is not CIS's function!! That is IRS.......he should relax. By the way, what happens if he approaches IRS saying it was an honest mistake and pays off the exsumption he took.
I told him checking the tax returns is not CIS's function!! That is IRS.......he should relax. By the way, what happens if he approaches IRS saying it was an honest mistake and pays off the exsumption he took.
more...
StarSun
05-03 02:29 PM
I and a bunch of friends want to join the state chapter for Alabama, but I could not find the details. I also searched in the State chapter page:
ImmigrationVoice.org - Immigration Voice State Chapters (http://immigrationvoice.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=72&Itemid=52)
Could someone provide the details?
Thank you
There is no current chapter for Alabama, so if you and your friends would like to start one, please contact me, and I will help you. Unlike what is posted in the thread, members in AL don't have to physically meet to conduct activities. Call me.
ImmigrationVoice.org - Immigration Voice State Chapters (http://immigrationvoice.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=72&Itemid=52)
Could someone provide the details?
Thank you
There is no current chapter for Alabama, so if you and your friends would like to start one, please contact me, and I will help you. Unlike what is posted in the thread, members in AL don't have to physically meet to conduct activities. Call me.
Munna Bhai
08-23 12:04 PM
I wish it was like that, but it amazes me how many times I have to give the exact same information to all government agencies. They have no clue or contact between each other unfortunately.
For example, why do I have to give all my information on all forms, even within USCIS? And why do I have redo my fingerprints every year? My fingers don't change.
And why can people get a new drivers license or hide in another state from where the drivers license was issued?
The only thing that should be needed to apply for a i485 should be your social #. The rest of the information they should already KNOW... Why should you give it? Then they will have to check that you gave the right information on the paper, not focusing on if the information is correct... It is just opening up for fraud.
So until they get their information straight, don't underestimate how much data you have to give them over and over again... and how slow the process will be because of that.
Swede is correct, you need to have all the documents...here is the classic couple of case:
a)One person was deported as he was not able to show the document and immigration department didn't had.
b)One person is in H1b (was in F1) but RMV asked for F1 I-20 as that was what stamped on the passport.
c)Another case, H1b was not extended to 3 years even though this person stayed outside USA for around 11 months. Even after submitting docs, got only 2 years extension
So you are free to conclude..
For example, why do I have to give all my information on all forms, even within USCIS? And why do I have redo my fingerprints every year? My fingers don't change.
And why can people get a new drivers license or hide in another state from where the drivers license was issued?
The only thing that should be needed to apply for a i485 should be your social #. The rest of the information they should already KNOW... Why should you give it? Then they will have to check that you gave the right information on the paper, not focusing on if the information is correct... It is just opening up for fraud.
So until they get their information straight, don't underestimate how much data you have to give them over and over again... and how slow the process will be because of that.
Swede is correct, you need to have all the documents...here is the classic couple of case:
a)One person was deported as he was not able to show the document and immigration department didn't had.
b)One person is in H1b (was in F1) but RMV asked for F1 I-20 as that was what stamped on the passport.
c)Another case, H1b was not extended to 3 years even though this person stayed outside USA for around 11 months. Even after submitting docs, got only 2 years extension
So you are free to conclude..
more...
win_or_win
11-01 11:14 PM
ok , here is the best ..
Mujhe Nind Na aaye , nind na aaaye hai , mujhe chen na aaye ,chane na aaye ...
YouTube - Mujhe neend Na Aaye - Dil (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypMIhmEfK2w)
Another one but really goes with it ,
Aisi deewangi dekhi nahin ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXmL7WpMyu4&feature=related
Mujhe Nind Na aaye , nind na aaaye hai , mujhe chen na aaye ,chane na aaye ...
YouTube - Mujhe neend Na Aaye - Dil (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypMIhmEfK2w)
Another one but really goes with it ,
Aisi deewangi dekhi nahin ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXmL7WpMyu4&feature=related
2010 disturbed bandphotobucket
seahawks
07-20 01:40 AM
[QUOTE=jack_suv]Hi all,
After reviewing many posts I wanted to summarize the pros and cons of filing i-485 when one is a bachelor or bachelorette, i.e. single.
purely comical...
Getting green card is freedom
Getting married means no freedom..
just kidding..I am married and loving every moment!
After reviewing many posts I wanted to summarize the pros and cons of filing i-485 when one is a bachelor or bachelorette, i.e. single.
purely comical...
Getting green card is freedom
Getting married means no freedom..
just kidding..I am married and loving every moment!
more...
uma77
10-17 09:12 PM
thank you duttasurajit for the link.
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whitecollarslave
08-14 03:15 PM
How long have you been on H1? Can you find a new job and transfer your H1 to a new employer? Your employer is legally bound to pay you the salary listed in LCA for H1. You do need to show evidence that you worked for your employer.
Collect all evidence that you can about your employment, salary, contracts, etc. Have copies of timesheets, all email correspondence, pay stubs, any written evidence about how your employer did or did not pay you. Keep evidence of you actually working during the time, copies of approved timesheets would be very helpful.
I am not sure how much money is in question here, but I would talk to a good attorney who understands immigration law as well as employment law in your state. Labor laws differ slightly from state to state. What state are you from?
Collect all evidence that you can about your employment, salary, contracts, etc. Have copies of timesheets, all email correspondence, pay stubs, any written evidence about how your employer did or did not pay you. Keep evidence of you actually working during the time, copies of approved timesheets would be very helpful.
I am not sure how much money is in question here, but I would talk to a good attorney who understands immigration law as well as employment law in your state. Labor laws differ slightly from state to state. What state are you from?
more...
jsb
10-29 04:04 PM
I've done it. Well, basically my attorney sent a notice to the USCIS, but I think you can do it too by sending a simple letter to the Service Center. There is no form for that as far as I know.
It is clear to change from 'old' or 'new' attorney, but there is nothing mentioned for 'no attorney'. I think best is to call USCIS and find out the best way to do it.
It is clear to change from 'old' or 'new' attorney, but there is nothing mentioned for 'no attorney'. I think best is to call USCIS and find out the best way to do it.
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indio0617
05-01 12:04 PM
If i check the dates for the I140 at Texas service center............. it say october, 2006............ but here we have few ppl who have been approved from november, februray,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
is it like something random, or USCIS holds a lottery ............. i am just curious........
Yes, It is definitely yet another lottery.
Only one thing seems predictable with USCIS. All processes are slipping into gross in-efficeiencies, be it LC, I-140, name checks, 485 or citizenship. We can also credit them with having invented a very infamous terminology "retrogression".
is it like something random, or USCIS holds a lottery ............. i am just curious........
Yes, It is definitely yet another lottery.
Only one thing seems predictable with USCIS. All processes are slipping into gross in-efficeiencies, be it LC, I-140, name checks, 485 or citizenship. We can also credit them with having invented a very infamous terminology "retrogression".
more...
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uma001
04-22 03:38 PM
Thanks a lot for the response.
My extension got approved for 3 years without any RFE in 3 business days.
Here are the details...
Processing Type: Premium Processing
Receipt Number: EAC-XX-XXX-XXXXX
Applied for : 3 years(Based on Approved I-140)
Approved for : 3 years(2010 to 2013)
Fedex date: 04/08/2010
Receipt Notice Date: 04/12/2010
RFE Date: N/A(No RFE)
RFE Responded Date: N/A
Status: Approved
Approved Date: 04/15/2010
Model :Employer(Desi Consulting)--> Vendor--> Client
Submitted all docs which I have mentioned in the beginning of this thread/topic.
Again submitted client & vendor letter without end dates. Also just submitted
contract papers between employer & vendor, had not submitted any purchase/work order.
Regards.
Congrats hpk. Looks like USCIS started giving approvals for 3 years instead of 1 year
My extension got approved for 3 years without any RFE in 3 business days.
Here are the details...
Processing Type: Premium Processing
Receipt Number: EAC-XX-XXX-XXXXX
Applied for : 3 years(Based on Approved I-140)
Approved for : 3 years(2010 to 2013)
Fedex date: 04/08/2010
Receipt Notice Date: 04/12/2010
RFE Date: N/A(No RFE)
RFE Responded Date: N/A
Status: Approved
Approved Date: 04/15/2010
Model :Employer(Desi Consulting)--> Vendor--> Client
Submitted all docs which I have mentioned in the beginning of this thread/topic.
Again submitted client & vendor letter without end dates. Also just submitted
contract papers between employer & vendor, had not submitted any purchase/work order.
Regards.
Congrats hpk. Looks like USCIS started giving approvals for 3 years instead of 1 year
tattoo Soon disturbed merchandise
friend99
08-12 12:08 AM
Thanks a lot for the replies! I am going to wait and see and hope for the best as I know sending any contradicting document at this point will just make matters worse.
Thanks a lot!
Thanks a lot!
more...
pictures as a nice Disturbed dates
ashshef
09-11 06:40 PM
There has been a understanding that the number of EB cases (EB2+EB3) with PD of 2005 is very less compared to previous years (close to 8000 i believe). If thats the case and assume 2004 cases are cleared why didnt the VB make more advance movements?
I could be off by a few hundred, but I believe the per country quota caps EB2-I to about 2600. Keeping in mind that the least number of cases was likely in the period of Apr-Aug, due to the new process and uncertainity around Perm, that would still mean a lot of cases in the first quarter and last quarter of 2005. That would still mean slow progress through the first quarter of 2005 before we see significant movement.
I wouldn't be surprised if there is no movement or negative movement in the next couple of months, before they hit the next quarter. I don't anticipate them getting too far before they are ready for the spillover at the end of FY2010.
I know of atleast 3 big companies which were not filing Perm till atleast Sep 2005. But they had a lot of filings in the last 2 weeks of March.
I could be off by a few hundred, but I believe the per country quota caps EB2-I to about 2600. Keeping in mind that the least number of cases was likely in the period of Apr-Aug, due to the new process and uncertainity around Perm, that would still mean a lot of cases in the first quarter and last quarter of 2005. That would still mean slow progress through the first quarter of 2005 before we see significant movement.
I wouldn't be surprised if there is no movement or negative movement in the next couple of months, before they hit the next quarter. I don't anticipate them getting too far before they are ready for the spillover at the end of FY2010.
I know of atleast 3 big companies which were not filing Perm till atleast Sep 2005. But they had a lot of filings in the last 2 weeks of March.
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whoever
07-19 10:49 AM
anyone help!
more...
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WeShallOvercome
12-26 03:27 PM
I am not able to find the alien ship which I parked at JFK when I came here. Is it with NASA or the CIA?
;)
Check out the USCIS headquarters and look for the junk yard there..
;)
Check out the USCIS headquarters and look for the junk yard there..
girlfriend disturbances disturb
smartboy75
12-05 03:25 PM
I know that applying for citizenship is not mandatory..you can have a PR and continue to be so for as long as you like....Is there a shell life for PR ...can you keep renewing it indefinitely ?
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amsgc
07-07 09:50 PM
Very good, shabaash!!
Because of A. Holes like you, H1B visa holders get a bad name. And look at your gall, you are publicly announcing an intent to commit deciet.
IV Core and company: Please remove this thread - we do not want to provide more fodder to anti-immigrants.
And as for you moron, yes, you will get into trouble if you think you can dick around with govt. agencies.
Grow up!!!!!!!!
Hi,
I will be applying for LC in a few days. So, I want to clarify something.
My ad says MS + 1 yr of experience.
Question 1: My 1 yr will be prior to my MS so can i use this experience ?
Question 2: If so Can I show that experience worked back in my country from my very close freind who runs a small software company ?
He is willing to give me any kind of experince letter and if USCSI calls ready to answer them.
But just wondering what will be the consequences of doing this. Obviously I can't show any paystubs or W2 forms for that 1 yr.
What are the other evidences that I may require for this other than employer verification letters ?Please reply, emergency !
In which stage in GC will they look sriously (does in conitnue till i-485 stage ?)
Because of A. Holes like you, H1B visa holders get a bad name. And look at your gall, you are publicly announcing an intent to commit deciet.
IV Core and company: Please remove this thread - we do not want to provide more fodder to anti-immigrants.
And as for you moron, yes, you will get into trouble if you think you can dick around with govt. agencies.
Grow up!!!!!!!!
Hi,
I will be applying for LC in a few days. So, I want to clarify something.
My ad says MS + 1 yr of experience.
Question 1: My 1 yr will be prior to my MS so can i use this experience ?
Question 2: If so Can I show that experience worked back in my country from my very close freind who runs a small software company ?
He is willing to give me any kind of experince letter and if USCSI calls ready to answer them.
But just wondering what will be the consequences of doing this. Obviously I can't show any paystubs or W2 forms for that 1 yr.
What are the other evidences that I may require for this other than employer verification letters ?Please reply, emergency !
In which stage in GC will they look sriously (does in conitnue till i-485 stage ?)
GodHelpUs
03-21 10:48 AM
I am really shocked on looking at this article.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/21/nyregion/21immigrant.html?hp
An Agent, a Green Card, and a Demand for Sex
Article Tools Sponsored By
By NINA BERNSTEIN
Published: March 21, 2008
No problems so far, the immigration agent told the American citizen and his 22-year-old Colombian wife at her green card interview in December. After he stapled one of their wedding photos to her application for legal permanent residency, he had just one more question: What was her cellphone number?
Skip to next paragraph
Enlarge This Image
Uli Seit for The New York Times
Isaac R. Baichu, 46, an adjudicator for the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, was arrested after he met with a green card applicant at the Flagship Restaurant, a diner in Queens. He is charged with coercing oral sex from her.
Audio A Secret Recording
Enlarge This Image
Uli Seit for The New York Times
The Flagship Restaurant, where Mr. Baichu met with a green card applicant.
The calls from the agent started three days later. He hinted, she said, at his power to derail her life and deport her relatives, alluding to a brush she had with the law before her marriage. He summoned her to a private meeting. And at noon on Dec. 21, in a parked car on Queens Boulevard, he named his price � not realizing that she was recording everything on the cellphone in her purse.
�I want sex,� he said on the recording. �One or two times. That�s all. You get your green card. You won�t have to see me anymore.�
She reluctantly agreed to a future meeting. But when she tried to leave his car, he demanded oral sex �now,� to �know that you�re serious.� And despite her protests, she said, he got his way.
The 16-minute recording, which the woman first took to The New York Times and then to the Queens district attorney, suggests the vast power of low-level immigration law enforcers, and a growing desperation on the part of immigrants seeking legal status. The aftermath, which included the arrest of an immigration agent last week, underscores the difficulty and danger of making a complaint, even in the rare case when abuse of power may have been caught on tape.
No one knows how widespread sexual blackmail is, but the case echoes other instances of sexual coercion that have surfaced in recent years, including agents criminally charged in Atlanta, Miami and Santa Ana, Calif. And it raises broader questions about the system�s vulnerability to corruption at a time when millions of noncitizens live in a kind of legal no-man�s land, increasingly fearful of seeking the law�s protection.
The agent arrested last week, Isaac R. Baichu, 46, himself an immigrant from Guyana, handled some 8,000 green card applications during his three years as an adjudicator in the Garden City, N.Y., office of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, part of the federal Department of Homeland Security. He pleaded not guilty to felony and misdemeanor charges of coercing the young woman to perform oral sex, and of promising to help her secure immigration papers in exchange for further sexual favors. If convicted, he will face up to seven years in prison.
His agency has suspended him with pay, and the inspector general of Homeland Security is reviewing his other cases, a spokesman said Wednesday. Prosecutors, who say they recorded a meeting between Mr. Baichu and the woman on March 11 at which he made similar demands for sex, urge any other victims to come forward.
Money, not sex, is the more common currency of corruption in immigration, but according to Congressional testimony in 2006 by Michael Maxwell, former director of the agency�s internal investigations, more than 3,000 backlogged complaints of employee misconduct had gone uninvestigated for lack of staff, including 528 involving criminal allegations.
The agency says it has tripled its investigative staff since then, and counts only 165 serious complaints pending. But it stopped posting an e-mail address and phone number for such complaints last year, said Jan Lane, chief of security and integrity, because it lacks the staff to cull the thousands of mostly irrelevant messages that resulted. Immigrants, she advised, should report wrongdoing to any law enforcement agency they trust.
The young woman in Queens, whose name is being withheld because the authorities consider her the victim of a sex crime, did not even tell her husband what had happened. Two weeks after the meeting in the car, finding no way to make a confidential complaint to the immigration agency and afraid to go to the police, she and two older female relatives took the recording to The Times.
Reasons to Worry
A slim, shy woman who looks like a teenager, she said she had spent recent months baby-sitting for relatives in Queens, crying over the deaths of her two brothers back in Cali, Colombia, and longing for the right stamp in her passport � one that would let her return to the United States if she visited her family.
She came to the United States on a tourist visa in 2004 and overstayed. When she married an American citizen a year ago, the law allowed her to apply to �adjust� her illegal status. But unless her green card application was approved, she could not visit her parents or her brothers� graves and then legally re-enter the United States. And if her application was denied, she would face deportation.
She had another reason to be fearful, and not only for herself. About 15 months ago, she said, an acquaintance hired her and two female relatives in New York to carry $12,000 in cash to the bank. The three women, all living in the country illegally, were arrested on the street by customs officers apparently acting on a tip in a money-laundering investigation. After determining that the women had no useful information, the officers released them.
But the closed investigation file had showed up in the computer when she applied for a green card, Mr. Baichu told her in December; until he obtained the file and dealt with it, her application would not be approved. If she defied him, she feared, he could summon immigration enforcement agents to take her relatives to detention.
So instead of calling the police, she turned on the video recorder in her cellphone, put the phone in her purse and walked to meet the agent. Two family members said they watched anxiously from their parked car as she disappeared behind the tinted windows of his red Lexus.
�We were worried that the guy would take off, take her away and do something to her,� the woman�s widowed sister-in-law said in Spanish.
As the recorder captured the agent�s words and a lilting Guyanese accent, he laid out his terms in an easy, almost paternal style. He would not ask too much, he said: sex �once or twice,� visits to his home in the Bronx, perhaps a link to other Colombians who needed his help with their immigration problems.
In shaky English, the woman expressed reluctance, and questioned how she could be sure he would keep his word.
�If I do it, it�s like very hard for me, because I have my husband, and I really fall in love with him,� she said.
The agent insisted that she had to trust him. �I wouldn�t ask you to do something for me if I can�t do something for you, right?� he said, and reasoned, �Nobody going to help you for nothing,� noting that she had no money.
He described himself as the single father of a 10-year-old daughter, telling her, �I need love, too,� and predicting, �You will get to like me because I�m a nice guy.�
Repeatedly, she responded �O.K.,� without conviction. At one point he thanked her for showing up, saying, �I know you feel very scared.�
Finally, she tried to leave. �Let me go because I tell my husband I come home,� she said.
His reply, the recording shows, was a blunt demand for oral sex.
�Right now? No!� she protested. �No, no, right now I can�t.�
He insisted, cajoled, even empathized. �I came from a different country, too,� he said. �I got my green card just like you.�
Then, she said, he grabbed her. During the speechless minute that follows on the recording, she said she yielded to his demand out of fear that he would use his authority against her.
How Much Corruption?
The charges against Mr. Baichu, who became a United States citizen in 1991 and earns roughly $50,000 a year, appear to be part of a larger pattern, according to government records and interviews.
Mr. Maxwell, the immigration agency�s former chief investigator, told Congress in 2006 that internal corruption was �rampant,� and that employees faced constant temptations to commit crime.
�It is only a small step from granting a discretionary waiver of an eligibility rule to asking for a favor or taking a bribe in exchange for granting that waiver,� he contended. �Once an employee learns he can get away with low-level corruption and still advance up the ranks, he or she becomes more brazen.�
�Despite our best efforts there are always people ready to use their position for personal gain or personal pleasure,� said Chris Bentley, a spokesman for Citizenship and Immigration Services. �Our responsibility is to ferret them out.�
When the Queens woman came to The Times with her recording on Jan. 3, she was afraid of retaliation from the agent, and uncertain about making a criminal complaint, though she had an appointment the next day at the Queens district attorney�s office.
Mr. Baichu was arrested as he emerged from the diner and headed to his car, wearing much gold and diamond jewelry, prosecutors said. Later released on $15,000 bail, Mr. Baichu referred calls for comment to his lawyer, Sally Attia, who said he did not have authority to grant or deny green card petitions without his supervisor�s approval.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/21/nyregion/21immigrant.html?hp
An Agent, a Green Card, and a Demand for Sex
Article Tools Sponsored By
By NINA BERNSTEIN
Published: March 21, 2008
No problems so far, the immigration agent told the American citizen and his 22-year-old Colombian wife at her green card interview in December. After he stapled one of their wedding photos to her application for legal permanent residency, he had just one more question: What was her cellphone number?
Skip to next paragraph
Enlarge This Image
Uli Seit for The New York Times
Isaac R. Baichu, 46, an adjudicator for the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, was arrested after he met with a green card applicant at the Flagship Restaurant, a diner in Queens. He is charged with coercing oral sex from her.
Audio A Secret Recording
Enlarge This Image
Uli Seit for The New York Times
The Flagship Restaurant, where Mr. Baichu met with a green card applicant.
The calls from the agent started three days later. He hinted, she said, at his power to derail her life and deport her relatives, alluding to a brush she had with the law before her marriage. He summoned her to a private meeting. And at noon on Dec. 21, in a parked car on Queens Boulevard, he named his price � not realizing that she was recording everything on the cellphone in her purse.
�I want sex,� he said on the recording. �One or two times. That�s all. You get your green card. You won�t have to see me anymore.�
She reluctantly agreed to a future meeting. But when she tried to leave his car, he demanded oral sex �now,� to �know that you�re serious.� And despite her protests, she said, he got his way.
The 16-minute recording, which the woman first took to The New York Times and then to the Queens district attorney, suggests the vast power of low-level immigration law enforcers, and a growing desperation on the part of immigrants seeking legal status. The aftermath, which included the arrest of an immigration agent last week, underscores the difficulty and danger of making a complaint, even in the rare case when abuse of power may have been caught on tape.
No one knows how widespread sexual blackmail is, but the case echoes other instances of sexual coercion that have surfaced in recent years, including agents criminally charged in Atlanta, Miami and Santa Ana, Calif. And it raises broader questions about the system�s vulnerability to corruption at a time when millions of noncitizens live in a kind of legal no-man�s land, increasingly fearful of seeking the law�s protection.
The agent arrested last week, Isaac R. Baichu, 46, himself an immigrant from Guyana, handled some 8,000 green card applications during his three years as an adjudicator in the Garden City, N.Y., office of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, part of the federal Department of Homeland Security. He pleaded not guilty to felony and misdemeanor charges of coercing the young woman to perform oral sex, and of promising to help her secure immigration papers in exchange for further sexual favors. If convicted, he will face up to seven years in prison.
His agency has suspended him with pay, and the inspector general of Homeland Security is reviewing his other cases, a spokesman said Wednesday. Prosecutors, who say they recorded a meeting between Mr. Baichu and the woman on March 11 at which he made similar demands for sex, urge any other victims to come forward.
Money, not sex, is the more common currency of corruption in immigration, but according to Congressional testimony in 2006 by Michael Maxwell, former director of the agency�s internal investigations, more than 3,000 backlogged complaints of employee misconduct had gone uninvestigated for lack of staff, including 528 involving criminal allegations.
The agency says it has tripled its investigative staff since then, and counts only 165 serious complaints pending. But it stopped posting an e-mail address and phone number for such complaints last year, said Jan Lane, chief of security and integrity, because it lacks the staff to cull the thousands of mostly irrelevant messages that resulted. Immigrants, she advised, should report wrongdoing to any law enforcement agency they trust.
The young woman in Queens, whose name is being withheld because the authorities consider her the victim of a sex crime, did not even tell her husband what had happened. Two weeks after the meeting in the car, finding no way to make a confidential complaint to the immigration agency and afraid to go to the police, she and two older female relatives took the recording to The Times.
Reasons to Worry
A slim, shy woman who looks like a teenager, she said she had spent recent months baby-sitting for relatives in Queens, crying over the deaths of her two brothers back in Cali, Colombia, and longing for the right stamp in her passport � one that would let her return to the United States if she visited her family.
She came to the United States on a tourist visa in 2004 and overstayed. When she married an American citizen a year ago, the law allowed her to apply to �adjust� her illegal status. But unless her green card application was approved, she could not visit her parents or her brothers� graves and then legally re-enter the United States. And if her application was denied, she would face deportation.
She had another reason to be fearful, and not only for herself. About 15 months ago, she said, an acquaintance hired her and two female relatives in New York to carry $12,000 in cash to the bank. The three women, all living in the country illegally, were arrested on the street by customs officers apparently acting on a tip in a money-laundering investigation. After determining that the women had no useful information, the officers released them.
But the closed investigation file had showed up in the computer when she applied for a green card, Mr. Baichu told her in December; until he obtained the file and dealt with it, her application would not be approved. If she defied him, she feared, he could summon immigration enforcement agents to take her relatives to detention.
So instead of calling the police, she turned on the video recorder in her cellphone, put the phone in her purse and walked to meet the agent. Two family members said they watched anxiously from their parked car as she disappeared behind the tinted windows of his red Lexus.
�We were worried that the guy would take off, take her away and do something to her,� the woman�s widowed sister-in-law said in Spanish.
As the recorder captured the agent�s words and a lilting Guyanese accent, he laid out his terms in an easy, almost paternal style. He would not ask too much, he said: sex �once or twice,� visits to his home in the Bronx, perhaps a link to other Colombians who needed his help with their immigration problems.
In shaky English, the woman expressed reluctance, and questioned how she could be sure he would keep his word.
�If I do it, it�s like very hard for me, because I have my husband, and I really fall in love with him,� she said.
The agent insisted that she had to trust him. �I wouldn�t ask you to do something for me if I can�t do something for you, right?� he said, and reasoned, �Nobody going to help you for nothing,� noting that she had no money.
He described himself as the single father of a 10-year-old daughter, telling her, �I need love, too,� and predicting, �You will get to like me because I�m a nice guy.�
Repeatedly, she responded �O.K.,� without conviction. At one point he thanked her for showing up, saying, �I know you feel very scared.�
Finally, she tried to leave. �Let me go because I tell my husband I come home,� she said.
His reply, the recording shows, was a blunt demand for oral sex.
�Right now? No!� she protested. �No, no, right now I can�t.�
He insisted, cajoled, even empathized. �I came from a different country, too,� he said. �I got my green card just like you.�
Then, she said, he grabbed her. During the speechless minute that follows on the recording, she said she yielded to his demand out of fear that he would use his authority against her.
How Much Corruption?
The charges against Mr. Baichu, who became a United States citizen in 1991 and earns roughly $50,000 a year, appear to be part of a larger pattern, according to government records and interviews.
Mr. Maxwell, the immigration agency�s former chief investigator, told Congress in 2006 that internal corruption was �rampant,� and that employees faced constant temptations to commit crime.
�It is only a small step from granting a discretionary waiver of an eligibility rule to asking for a favor or taking a bribe in exchange for granting that waiver,� he contended. �Once an employee learns he can get away with low-level corruption and still advance up the ranks, he or she becomes more brazen.�
�Despite our best efforts there are always people ready to use their position for personal gain or personal pleasure,� said Chris Bentley, a spokesman for Citizenship and Immigration Services. �Our responsibility is to ferret them out.�
When the Queens woman came to The Times with her recording on Jan. 3, she was afraid of retaliation from the agent, and uncertain about making a criminal complaint, though she had an appointment the next day at the Queens district attorney�s office.
Mr. Baichu was arrested as he emerged from the diner and headed to his car, wearing much gold and diamond jewelry, prosecutors said. Later released on $15,000 bail, Mr. Baichu referred calls for comment to his lawyer, Sally Attia, who said he did not have authority to grant or deny green card petitions without his supervisor�s approval.
jay1ram2
11-23 02:19 PM
Well Said.
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