An interesting and surprisingly a quick journey....
Got H1 approved in feb 2000 valid upto sept 2002 from company A ( a typical consulting comp). Started working for a client (a dot com). Never thought about GC, b'cos we always wanted to go back home. Comp A felt I am going to leave him, b'cos I did not start the GC process. So just for the heck of it we said ok, start it, and Comp A files Labor in Nov 2000. And the same month I had to rush back home (India) on an emergency and came back only in Feb 2001. By then the economy has turned down and the dot com was shutting down. Comp A was not able to find another client. So I stood jobless.
Learnt a lesson during the job hunt, that being in status on H1 was sooooooooo very difficult. Companies wound'nt sponsor H1, will not do corp to corp, they have preferred vendors etc. etc... Felt very bad that I should have started my GC process sooner, and might have got EAD or something..
Luckily I managed to find a job with Comp B who did my H1 transfer in April 2001. Managed the transfer with the last paystub that comp A gave dated in April ( a meager amt). Comp A and I had very good relations. Comp A was happy that I found a job for myself. Meanwhile my spouse loses job, and goes through the same hardships of the H1 hassle. It started to hammer on our heads that GC was so important, if not for permanent residency atleast to find jobs. Spouse manages to find a job in a month - How lucky we were ! After a couple of months I asked comp B if they would start my GC process, and they said I have to wait for 6 months. To start GC with spouse's company, we had to pay the attorney fees. We are still thinking if we should spend for this when we are not so keen on it....
Meanwhile the good news arrives - Labor thru comp A got approved in June 2002. Since I was in the good books of comp A, they agreed to continue the process provided I pay for it. So we analysed the situation, went through the threads of this forum, reading about GC for future job, and were convinced that we could give it a try. And decided to go with comp A, moreover one stage was over. Comp A filed I-140 in August 2001 (15th I think) and <ding> <dong> October 1st I-140 got approved for CP (45 days record speed). I was surprised, and did not expect anything like that. We decided to go for AOS and not CP. Then we did medical, and filled out the forms for 485 (mentioning that I was working for comp B - feeling very confused, if it was okay..), and sent everything to comp A by Nov 1st, and they said they would file the papers. Later called NVC to stop the CP process but they said they have already sent papers to the embassy in India.
Here we go again... on Nov 1st Comp B announces a huge layoff with 60-day notice period. So I will not be an employee of comp B after dec 31st 2001. So the job hunt begins, the same hassles of H1... This time I was more serious in getting some company to do corp to corp and luckily again - found one in feb 2002 ! So did a H1 transfer back to comp A, though the initial H1 was still valid. Note this point - because the attorney said it was better to do the H1 transfer, since there will be questions about the period when I was not paid by comp A (the period I was working for comp B). And during both the H1 transfers I stated to work immediately after the papers were sent to VSC INS, just with the Fedex receipt.
Comp A had delayed the I-485 filing and my RD and ND turned out to be Feb 7th and 25th of 2002. I relaxed a bit b'cos I was proving the fact about GC for future job (joined comp A again), and just wanted to keep it going until the GC process was over. The EADs and APs came thru pretty soon. But never used those. Then FP got done. And luckily again (too much luck uh ?) - case transferred to Baltimore on 5th August 2002. Interview scheduled on sept 17th 2002, and same day got it stamped.
My interview details have been posted on this thread
http://www.immigrationportal.com/showthread.php?postid=350190#post350190
And yesterday ( Oct 3rd 2002 ) we got the cards too...(If not for luck !) Though the process was started with least interest, it swept us through like a breeze. Things fell in place at right times. Now I feel relaxed, not that I am a permanent resident for the next 10 years, but just that I have no status hassles. No pressure to find jobs within 30/60 days, no disappointments when recruiters talk nicely and then say we don't sponsor H1...blah blah
I would like to profusely thank this forum, which has been a guiding light through the process.
Good Luck to you all !!
PD Nov 2000
Labor approved June 2001 (NJ)
I-140 filed Aug 15th, approved Oct 1st (approved for CP - did nothing about it)
I-485 Rd feb 7th, ND feb 25th 2002
Transferred to baltimore 5th August 2002
Interview on Sept 17th 2002
Cards received Oct 3rd 2002
The complete process took a little less than 2 years
Got H1 approved in feb 2000 valid upto sept 2002 from company A ( a typical consulting comp). Started working for a client (a dot com). Never thought about GC, b'cos we always wanted to go back home. Comp A felt I am going to leave him, b'cos I did not start the GC process. So just for the heck of it we said ok, start it, and Comp A files Labor in Nov 2000. And the same month I had to rush back home (India) on an emergency and came back only in Feb 2001. By then the economy has turned down and the dot com was shutting down. Comp A was not able to find another client. So I stood jobless.
Learnt a lesson during the job hunt, that being in status on H1 was sooooooooo very difficult. Companies wound'nt sponsor H1, will not do corp to corp, they have preferred vendors etc. etc... Felt very bad that I should have started my GC process sooner, and might have got EAD or something..
Luckily I managed to find a job with Comp B who did my H1 transfer in April 2001. Managed the transfer with the last paystub that comp A gave dated in April ( a meager amt). Comp A and I had very good relations. Comp A was happy that I found a job for myself. Meanwhile my spouse loses job, and goes through the same hardships of the H1 hassle. It started to hammer on our heads that GC was so important, if not for permanent residency atleast to find jobs. Spouse manages to find a job in a month - How lucky we were ! After a couple of months I asked comp B if they would start my GC process, and they said I have to wait for 6 months. To start GC with spouse's company, we had to pay the attorney fees. We are still thinking if we should spend for this when we are not so keen on it....
Meanwhile the good news arrives - Labor thru comp A got approved in June 2002. Since I was in the good books of comp A, they agreed to continue the process provided I pay for it. So we analysed the situation, went through the threads of this forum, reading about GC for future job, and were convinced that we could give it a try. And decided to go with comp A, moreover one stage was over. Comp A filed I-140 in August 2001 (15th I think) and <ding> <dong> October 1st I-140 got approved for CP (45 days record speed). I was surprised, and did not expect anything like that. We decided to go for AOS and not CP. Then we did medical, and filled out the forms for 485 (mentioning that I was working for comp B - feeling very confused, if it was okay..), and sent everything to comp A by Nov 1st, and they said they would file the papers. Later called NVC to stop the CP process but they said they have already sent papers to the embassy in India.
Here we go again... on Nov 1st Comp B announces a huge layoff with 60-day notice period. So I will not be an employee of comp B after dec 31st 2001. So the job hunt begins, the same hassles of H1... This time I was more serious in getting some company to do corp to corp and luckily again - found one in feb 2002 ! So did a H1 transfer back to comp A, though the initial H1 was still valid. Note this point - because the attorney said it was better to do the H1 transfer, since there will be questions about the period when I was not paid by comp A (the period I was working for comp B). And during both the H1 transfers I stated to work immediately after the papers were sent to VSC INS, just with the Fedex receipt.
Comp A had delayed the I-485 filing and my RD and ND turned out to be Feb 7th and 25th of 2002. I relaxed a bit b'cos I was proving the fact about GC for future job (joined comp A again), and just wanted to keep it going until the GC process was over. The EADs and APs came thru pretty soon. But never used those. Then FP got done. And luckily again (too much luck uh ?) - case transferred to Baltimore on 5th August 2002. Interview scheduled on sept 17th 2002, and same day got it stamped.
My interview details have been posted on this thread
http://www.immigrationportal.com/showthread.php?postid=350190#post350190
And yesterday ( Oct 3rd 2002 ) we got the cards too...(If not for luck !) Though the process was started with least interest, it swept us through like a breeze. Things fell in place at right times. Now I feel relaxed, not that I am a permanent resident for the next 10 years, but just that I have no status hassles. No pressure to find jobs within 30/60 days, no disappointments when recruiters talk nicely and then say we don't sponsor H1...blah blah
I would like to profusely thank this forum, which has been a guiding light through the process.
Good Luck to you all !!
PD Nov 2000
Labor approved June 2001 (NJ)
I-140 filed Aug 15th, approved Oct 1st (approved for CP - did nothing about it)
I-485 Rd feb 7th, ND feb 25th 2002
Transferred to baltimore 5th August 2002
Interview on Sept 17th 2002
Cards received Oct 3rd 2002
The complete process took a little less than 2 years
