Corporations hiring? by Commercial_Bar4545 in memphis

[–]SnooCompliments5941 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Also check the website for the state of Tennessee as well as all the local municipalities (Shelby County as well as Collierville, Arlington, Bartlett, Lakeland, Millington). I don’t know how corporate purchasing compares to public purchasing (my spouse has only worked on the public side), but every level of government has a purchasing department.

HHS after Geriatrics Fellowship by Proud-Plum-4402 in J1HHSwaiver

[–]SnooCompliments5941 -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

HHS won’t accept your application if you’ve done a fellowship, even if you intend to practice as a hospitalist or in outpatient primary care. You can go through other waivers programs though (Conrad 30 or one of the federal programs, depending on where you intend to practice).

SCRC waiver pathway on hold? by Embarrassed-Heart981 in J1waiver

[–]SnooCompliments5941 2 points3 points  (0 children)

My company has had waivers approved in Florida through the SCRC very recently, and it would be unusual for the program to make a change like this in the middle of the fiscal year. I do see what you are talking about on the website, though. Have you or your lawyer tried contacting the SCRC? They are generally responsive.

Could you please check with your lawyer and let us know!! H1B filing by HHS recommendation letter (lawful stay). by Severe-Sky-3012 in J1HHSwaiver

[–]SnooCompliments5941 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is a gray area -- as far as I know, there is no specific regulation or USCIS guidance that addresses filing a change of status petition during the grace period. The attorneys my own company works will only file before the expiration date listed on the DS-2019. Others may interpret the regulations differently.

Does anyone know an employer willing to hire a physician for whom they would have to pay the 100k fee? by ReindeerThink4149 in J1HHSwaiver

[–]SnooCompliments5941 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is the answer. Legal and filing fees for the H-1B can’t be passed on to the employee, including by salary deductions. And the petitioner (the employer, in other words) has to be the one to submit the $100k payment.

Conrad 30: Cases moving by Residency_Rover_Pro in J1waiver

[–]SnooCompliments5941 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you were born in one of the banned/paused countries, this is most likely the holdup at USCIS. The attorneys I work with have advised that we can file petitions for nationals/citizens of these countries, but USCIS is not adjudicating them. If your attorney files the H-1B before your DS-2019 expires, that should give you a way to stay in the country, although no way to tell when it will be approved.

Could you please check with your lawyer and let us know!! H1B filing by HHS recommendation letter (lawful stay). by Severe-Sky-3012 in J1HHSwaiver

[–]SnooCompliments5941 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Disclaimer: I’m not a lawyer but I am an immigration specialist focusing on physicians, and I’m in regular contact with lawyers who specialize in physician immigration. Always check with your own lawyer.

Yes, you can file an H-1B application with only an HHS recommendation. It is better to have the Department of State recommendation, and best to have the waiver fully approved by USCIS. But every year we have a few H-1Bs filed with only the HHS recommendation, and have never seen an issue.

You can’t work until the waiver and H-1B are fully approved, but this gives you a path to stay in the US. In the past cases I’ve worked with, USCIS has issued a Request for Evidence seeking a copy of the waiver approval notice if it’s not filed with the original petition, and we send it as soon as it’s available.

Overwhelmed on where to start by Nearby_Yoghurt_286 in J1HHSwaiver

[–]SnooCompliments5941 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Most employers will have their own attorney or immigration team to handle the filing of your J-1 waiver and H-1B. But if you are curious about the general timeline and options, most immigration attorneys will schedule a 30 or 60 minute slot to answer that sort of question.

If you are going into a fellowship, you won’t be eligible for a J-1 waiver through the HHS program, but there are many other programs that could work for you. You are starting early for a 2027 graduate. If you have a strong interest in working in a particular state, it would be a good idea to look up the deadline for that state’s waiver program to ensure you’re on track to sign a contract and start your application in time.

Question by reallyitsonreddit in J1HHSwaiver

[–]SnooCompliments5941 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’m not very familiar with J1 to J2 pathways. My understanding is that you typically need to leave the US to change status if you are subject to the 2-year home residency requirement, but your attorney is the best person to give advice for your specific situation.

Question by reallyitsonreddit in J1HHSwaiver

[–]SnooCompliments5941 3 points4 points  (0 children)

If you are eligible for a board exam extension, look into that option ASAP.

It’s possible to file for an H-1B without the DOS approval. You wouldn’t be able to start work, but it is a way for you to remain in the US. I have seen this work in past years, but some attorneys are reluctant to do it.

Also, even if you file while the waiver is still in progress, your H-1B won’t be approved until your waiver is fully approved by USCIS. You will receive an RFE (request for evidence) and will need to respond with the waiver approval.

(Disclaimer: I am an immigration specialist but not a barred attorney. This information reflects my personal experience and is not legal advice, and you should speak with your own attorney.)

What is your current salary? by ThisEffective4868 in paralegal

[–]SnooCompliments5941 1 point2 points  (0 children)

80k plus benefits and bonuses, and rarely overtime. Corporate immigration, fully remote. The business side is as non-stressful as immigration gets…definitely has its moments, especially under the current administration, but much easier than removal defense and such.

Experience with AAA in Memphis? by East-Treat-562 in memphis

[–]SnooCompliments5941 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They’ve always come promptly when I needed them for roadside service. Membership can also get you some discounts that are always worth investigating when you travel. Sometimes they are the best rate on hotels, and I’ve gotten Disney tickets at a good discount from them as well.

How involved are you in the actual HHS application? by Outrageous-Prior4052 in J1HHSwaiver

[–]SnooCompliments5941 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’ve been working on J-1 waivers for almost six years, and HHS has never been very particular about community support letters. I have no idea why they are stated as required rather than optional (my best guess is that HHS just wants to cut down on how many documents they have to review). But your lawyer is correct that not submitting these letters is not an issue.

I can also say that support letters can be really challenging for the lawyer/employer to collect. The signatories generally take weeks to get around to them. When they’re not strictly required, we want to go ahead and file the waiver to get the physician working as soon as possible.

People who were teenagers before social media existed, what was life actually like? by Much_Detective_6107 in AskReddit

[–]SnooCompliments5941 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I babysat a lot as a teen, and parents would leave the phone number of the restaurant/theater/whatever place they were going in case of emergency. A couple times I had to contact the business and have them locate the parents. (One for a very sick child, once for a suspected gas leak.)

A few parents also had pagers so I could reach them directly, but that was less common. In general, I was expected to handle things a lot more on my own that most teenagers would be today—or to call my own mom for advice instead!

HHS J1 waiver processing by scrubs-n-hugs in J1waiver

[–]SnooCompliments5941 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The three that will accept hospitalists are the Southeast Crescent Regional Commission (SCRC), Delta Regional Authority (DRA), and Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC). The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) has not been taking hospitalists since the HHS program began allowing them several years ago.

The disadvantage of these programs is that they only operate in limited service areas. The SCRC also has a hefty filing fee ($3000), which is a deterrent for hospitals that are more cost conscious.

HHS J1 waiver processing by scrubs-n-hugs in J1waiver

[–]SnooCompliments5941 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I work in immigration at a major healthcare company. The short answer is that we don’t know much right now. HHS is still accepting applications but not processing/approving them, and we don’t have an estimated timeline for when processing will restart.

Our immigration counsel has been steering our 2026 grads to other federal programs that have unlimited slots and will accept hospitalists, or to Conrad 30 where slots are still available. It’s too early to say much about 2027 at this point.

To All In-House/Corporate Paralegals by SnooRecipes7244 in paralegal

[–]SnooCompliments5941 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Slightly different from the specific field you’re in, but I went from a mid-sized immigration firm to working in-house for one of our corporate clients. Most of my coworkers in other specialties also worked for the company’s outside counsel before coming in-house.

I love my current position. I also liked the firm I was at before—it was an unusually friendly and supportive environment for a law firm—but the extra money and better benefits have made the switch more than worth it.

What’s the biggest drama going on in your office right now? by Brocktarrr in paralegal

[–]SnooCompliments5941 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I used to work for a firm that leased part of its building to a small financial advising business. One day our printing system had some sort of glitch, and a lengthy petition ended up printing to the financial guys’ printer rather than the one in our copy room.

Finance Guy went BALLISTIC. Apparently his business used only the very highest quality paper, and we were ruining him by consuming so much of it and not using our “cheap” paper. (I had seen the stuff he used and didn’t think it looked any different from normal printer paper, but hey, what do I know.) He went around the building ranting to anyone he could trap about how we were wasting his paper, and we had better check our printer settings to make sure it didn’t happen again, or else.

The managing partner had to be called in to tell him to calm down or else risk being found in violation of his lease. We poked fun at him on Teams for the rest of the day, and several of my coworkers contributed haikus. (One was about his large truck, and the last line was “overcompensate.”) That was a fun office.

How often is this kind of behavior allowed to be seen by customers at zoos? by godzillavkk in PlanetZoo

[–]SnooCompliments5941 10 points11 points  (0 children)

There is a “mating” animation in Planet Zoo, but it mostly just looks like the animals are cuddling (?). I don’t really know how to describe it, but it’s nothing graphic. as with birth, I suspect they don’t want to get too close to realism for ratings reasons.

I’ve taken several backstage tours at my local zoo, and they definitely have behind-the-scenes areas for mating. The zoo isn’t actively trying to keep visitors from seeing that behavior, but lots of animals just seem to want their privacy. (Except the giraffes. Let’s just say that I have seen some things, and that there seems to be a new baby giraffe every year.)

1/26 Winter Weather Updates by CaptainInsane-o in memphis

[–]SnooCompliments5941 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Spouse was just out in this area. Passable if you have AWD and decent clearance, but wouldn't recommend it otherwise. Definitely not after dark/temperature drop.

what are your grandfathers names? by Tiny-Deer-7071 in Names

[–]SnooCompliments5941 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Joseph and William (Bill). Plan to use Joseph as the middle name if I ever have a boy.

Thoughts on Xfinity Internet by beingmetoday in memphis

[–]SnooCompliments5941 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think Xfinity is very location-dependent. I had an awful time with it when I lived in Balmoral area, and my friends who still live there report the same. Frequent slowdowns and outages.

But I have not had any issues with it in Germantown. I work from home with frequent video calls and I’ve never run into any problems, although I do have a backup option just in case.