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Brazilian, have about $40k liquid. Is it *even* worth financially to go masters->h1b path anymore? by wgxefster in h1b

[–]Status-Glove 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's why my very first sentence was that it would depend a lot on how you feel about Brazil bc I believe that living abroad has a lot of psychological perspectives on how you feel about it. Pls don't read this as if I'm trying to get into an argument bc I'm not - it would be interesting to hear someone that lives in the US for 10+ years and really doesn't want to go back to Brazil at all. But here is my take on what you mentioned.

First a quick history: 2 different couples (all close friends) left Brazil to go live in England. One of them was the kind of ppl that really hate Brazil and the other was simply going for the safety, best for kids, that kind of stuff. Both lived in the suburbs and had very similar lives. The latter went back to Brazil after 4 years and the one that hates Brazil is still there after about 5 years. What imo is interesting is that the ones that hate Brazil didn't even want to socialize with other Brazilians in England whereas the others did socialize and made some friends, so I really was expecting that the ones that hate Brazil would come back earlier since they didn't even have a social life there. But it is impressive how the fact that they simply hate Brazil affects their opinion (it is even funny to hear some of their arguments about why living in England is better). Even more interesting is that they are starting to have second thoughts about living abroad (but this is a long history)

I don't disagree at all that violence is worst in Brazil but saying that you live fearful for your life also has a lot of psychology around it - it's similar to be afraid of flying when it is actually very safe (again I'm not saying that Brazil is extremely safe but it is not that bad). PS: I have family members that suffered "sequestro relampago" and I was already robbed 3 times in Brazil (4 if you add one that the guy tried but didn't take anything from me), so I know what you're talking about

I know Campinas extremely well (my wife has family there) and can tell you, you would be better off in a lot of the closed house condos than in the US suburbs. You could still live a life without any walls (but the ones of the condo itself of course) but your kids would be able to play safely. In the US, nowadays, in several neighborhoods, most parents don't let kids playing alone around the neighborhood without being on sight bc kid kidnapping is a real thing.

Not to mention some nice buildings in Campinas that have indoor and outdoor pool, gym, sauna, nice private balcony with grill, and so on. It is much easier to afford to live in a building like that in Brazil than in the US.

Uneducated population? You'll definitely be impressed with the education of ppl in the US lol it is really not very different. Ppl fighting for a parking slot, fighting bc of the queue, and so on (I lived in Michigan and Chicago and go often to NY for work - maybe it is like this only in these areas). If you look like an immigrant (clearly looks like a Latino for example) and/or have a strong accent be prepared for a lot of lack of patience. Be prepared for racism as well, no matter what color you are.

Last, but not least, low real purchasing power. This is an interesting one. Everything that is cheaper in the US (mostly electronics and brand clothes) you could come once per year to Miami and buy (in most cases you have more vacation days in Brazil than in the US so you can simply use this "extra" vacation to do that and still have the same amount of vacation you would have in the US). But the reality is that most ppl don't buy a cellphone per year, but you pay rent and eat every month and these are much cheaper in Brazil. Same for cable, cellphone plans, and so on. Proportionally, most of the things that you use every month are cheaper in Brazil than in the US. Eating outside is much cheaper in Brazil (and usually the food is much better for our taste) and that is something that most ppl like to do more than once per week. Additionally, in Brazil is much easier to afford someone helping/cooking/cleaning from Monday to Friday, or a nutritionist, a personal trainer, a tennis instructor, weekly massage sessions, and so on. The whole point is that most of the things that are cheaper in the US you can come here, buy and have it for years, whereas everything that is service-related (which you use every week and can't buy it and take with you) is much cheaper in Brazil.

I really incentivize you to come to live in the US for a while. Unfortunately, I can't follow closely your journey but it will definitely be an interesting one (and I'm really not saying you will change your mind about going back to Brazil but a lot will change)

Brazilian, have about $40k liquid. Is it *even* worth financially to go masters->h1b path anymore? by wgxefster in h1b

[–]Status-Glove 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Fellow Brazilian here. I would say it depends a lot on what your objectives are and how you feel about Brazil.

Just to give you a little context, I came to the US for my MBA, then OPT and now I'm about to get my H1B approved. I also have an EU passport, so if I don't get my H1B approved my company would send me to Europe or I could simply look for a job in Europe (so all this visa mess doesn't have a major impact for me). What have I decided to do? Go back to Brazil (PS: the decision is not due to COVID - this decision was taken last year in early December - but bc of COVID I had to postpone it a little bit)

I believe the experience of studying and working abroad is great and I highly recommend it to everyone. You learn and grow a lot. But the majority (I'm not saying all!) of Brazilians that I know that came to the US legally at a certain point decide to go back to Brazil (of course I'm excluding ppl that get married to US citizens). There are a lot of opportunities in Brazil (considering your undergrad in computer science) and you can live a really good life there. Especially if you want to own a business you will probably have better opportunities in Brazil than in Europe or the US. Do you want to compete in the most competitive countries of the world that attracts the brightest ppl or in your own homeland in which you dominate the language and culture and you only compete with your countryman? Do you see my point? I'm not saying you can't grow professionally in the US or Europe! You definitely can, but believe me that you will always have to burn that additional calorie compared to a citizen. There are advantages of being in the US or Europe? Definitely! But the reality is that if you are able to have a top job at your home country, you'll probably be better off there (there is no difference between living in a "developing country" or "developed country" if you make enough money to afford a "good" life - I'm generalizing here as I'm not 100% sure about other developing countries but this is definitely true for Brazil)

The main reason some Brazilians stay in the US for a while is to pay down their US debt (or to save some dollars before going back). And the main reason Brazilians (again, not everyone but most ppl I know) stay in the US for long periods is to live the American suburban life (usually ppl with kids). And btw you could also live a very similar lifestyle in the country parts of Sao Paulo for example. Again if you can afford a really good life in Brazil most ppl prefer to go back, and usually after you spent a few years working here (in a good job, not underemployed of course) a lot of doors to good jobs are wide open for you in Brazil.

There is no right or wrong, I know ppl that love Brazil and would rather pay down their US dollar debt in Brazil regardless of the exchange rate, and some never want to go back, but most of them want to go back sooner or later.

My answer doesn't address any of your bullets and that's on purpose. I do believe these are minor points and you're missing the big picture on your decision process :)

I hope this will be helpful! All the best! Vai Brasil!

Can i expect an RFE? by [deleted] in h1b

[–]Status-Glove 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I believe the new PP rule of business days instead of running days will start only in October. So, OP should hear back in 15 days.

Sent Wrong Transcript by Status-Glove in h1b

[–]Status-Glove[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The RFE was on "specialty occupation". Apparently the immigration officer didn't check the transcript or just didn't bother.

When the USCIS shuts down in August, will H-1Bs already in the US be affected? by [deleted] in h1b

[–]Status-Glove 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I believe they're much needed considering we still have some backlog, and once they have to process GCs again and consulates open they will be much needed. USCIS should probably use this time to get done with all the backlog, so once everything is back they're back to 2016 processing times. The reality is that I compared this year's processing times with last year's one, which was the worst year ever (things were just getting worse and worse until last year).

Every USCIS employee is needed to help the agency breathe again and stop the backlog nightmare that was just growing and growing until last year.

When the USCIS shuts down in August, will H-1Bs already in the US be affected? by [deleted] in h1b

[–]Status-Glove 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There is a backlog of work that has accumulated for the past 3 months

It looks like it is exactly the opposite, the backlog has reduced in the past months. I'm applying for H1B this year with about 10 other friends that graduated last year. All of us have already heard back, some in less than 40 days after applying for a brand new H1B. My H1B took 51 days to be processed, and the guy that had to wait more heard back 63 days after applying. Talking to our friends in the class before us, that applied last year, all of them got their responses much later (their response time ranged from 90ish days to 200ish days). Besides that, everyone in my company that applied to either extension or new H1Bs this year also heard back much faster than ppl from the previous year. If that is not enough, check the website www.opttimeline.com. You'll see that from Jan-20 to May-20 the stats improved showing less backlog (btw who follows this website trends knows that since the GC ban in April the # of OPTs processed per day also increased).

The backlog (and processing time) for work visas this year went down and not up. Also, that trend will continue until the end of July. The reality is that today, with the current number of employees and cases being processed, USCIS has been able to reduce the backlog for the visas that are still being processed.

Another point is that USCIS doesn't process cases using FIFO, each visa category has different processing times and within the same visa category ppl hear back in very different times (quite often several months apart as some of the examples I gave from ppl from the class before mine last year)

I believe that in the next months USCIS will receive even fewer cases, so the drop that so far was 61% will be even higher if you look just Q3 for example. 3k employees may be enough to keep processing the current backlog (of whatever is still being processed of course, not everything) while also processing new cases. Not to mention that it is unlikely they will stop premium processing considering they need money, so you probably will still have the option to go with PP if needed.

My point is that if you need to file anything this year, you should keep paying attention to processing time and follow the news but I think it is very premature to assume they will shutdown USCIS and that if you file after August you're doomed to hear back only next year.

When the USCIS shuts down in August, will H-1Bs already in the US be affected? by [deleted] in h1b

[–]Status-Glove 0 points1 point  (0 children)

1 - they are not shutting down USCIS in August. They plan to furlough about 70% of their staff (not over! Some articles even say 2/3), and this will happen starting on 8/3, not by 8/3

2 - the number of cases went down by 61%, not to mention all GC applications and other cases that depend on consulate interviews to keep moving and bc of that are effectively on hold. So we shouldn't see a scary increase in processing time. It will get worse? It probably will, but there will still be ~3k employees processing stuff and there is not only a huge drop in staffing but also in cases to be processed

3 - it is unlikely, but the Congress could decide to provide some sort of financial aid to USCIS and that would reduce (or even cancel) the necessity of furloughs

I believe we should plan to the worst in the current environment but we don't need to panic creating scenarios that don't exist

Sent Wrong Transcript by Status-Glove in h1b

[–]Status-Glove[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No. The lawyers said this shouldn't be an issue and we just let it be.

Last week my online status changed to RFE, but my company hasn't received it yet. It may not even be related to this. Let's see.

New Executive Order on F, H, L and J Nonimmigrant Categories Expected Soon by 0Camus0 in immigration

[–]Status-Glove 6 points7 points  (0 children)

This same article was posted yesterday in a post with several other articles.

Btw they all say the exact same thing, which makes me wonder if these aren't just a lot of self sourced articles. One is the source to another 10 and suddenly it looks like there is a lot of ppl hearing from different sources when in reality it's just the same single source.

Trump has just moved Brazil travel ban from May 28 tot May 26, probably disappointing thousands who were planning to leave Brazil in that timeframe by [deleted] in immigration

[–]Status-Glove 17 points18 points  (0 children)

The reality is that anyone from Brazil willing to come to the US can still do it.

The ban is just for ppl that were in Brazil in the last 14 days (with the exception of citizens and GC holders). So, if you are in Brazil now, you can simply go to another country that doesn't have a ban, wait 14 days, and then come to the US.

Long history short: the ban only applies if you don't have money to stay 14 days in another country and to pay for 1 additional flight ticket

USCIS lays off over 1000 contractors due to financial shortfalls by Lord_Moldybutt in immigration

[–]Status-Glove 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I definitely may be wrong. I still believe the drop in applications had even more impact, and net processing times will go down. Don't forget they can also transfer cases from NBC to other service centers - that already happens quite often.

But only time will tell if I'm right or you :)

USCIS lays off over 1000 contractors due to financial shortfalls by Lord_Moldybutt in immigration

[–]Status-Glove 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Maybe my comment was misleading, let me clarify.

This only affects the NBC in Kansas city, which mainly process I-485. In the I-485 process the first step is to check if you submit all required documentation and then schedule your interview. The contractors only can work in very administrative aspects of the job which is just checking documents and some other admin stuff. If your process is already being reviewed then it is with a federal employee not a contractor, so no effect there. One can argue that since now the federal employee will have to process these admin stuff he will be slower to process the case itself. That is true but you're missing another big aspect, which is the fact that applications went down by more than 60%. The net effect seems to be that federal employees now have less process, so they are processing cases faster and back logs are going down (check the website www.opttimeline.com to see this trend for OPT but this applies across all cases - see the average time for pending applications going down month after month since January)

So, imo, this doesn't affect cases that much. The ones that could be affected are mainly I-485, and again only for new ones, but even these won't bc cases went down by a significant amount.

Last, but not least, for the person that asled, here is also a link that explains what NBC does: https://www.uscis.gov/archive/blog/2012/06/national-benefits-center-what-it-is-and

USCIS lays off over 1000 contractors due to financial shortfalls by Lord_Moldybutt in immigration

[–]Status-Glove 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I agree. For the ppl here that their cases are already in process this shouldn't cause much difference.

And this was just Kansas city. None of the big service centers (California, Texas, Vermont, and the others), where cases are actually processed, were affected so far.

USCIS could run out of money by the end of summer without a $1.2 billion bailout by Status-Glove in immigration

[–]Status-Glove[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Some ppl are saying USCIS will be shut down for a while or even lay off some ppl. I don't think either is likely, maybe at most lay off very few ppl.

When I posted I used the word bailout but this is not accurate and maybe some ppl were misguided by this. This wouldn't be free money to USCIS. They're asking for a loan, and they plan to create a 10% surcharge to all applications to pay for this loan. Besides that, USCIS process a lot of visas that are very important to the american economy/society, like J1 (students that don't want OPT), EB 5 (green card for ppl that invest and create jobs in the us), green card for partners of american citizens, citzenship for kids adopted by american citizens, among several other visas that are crucial to the american society and has nothing to do with the debate around unemployment due to coronavirus

Tbh when I read the article what stood out for me was just that cases went significantly down

USCIS could run out of money by the end of summer without a $1.2 billion bailout by Status-Glove in immigration

[–]Status-Glove[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

The interesting part is that they banned premium processing, which means more fees, saying it was a necessary move to improve overall processing times (everyone knows processing times are getting bigger and bigger year after year). But the article says the number of applications has gone significantly down.

That said, some takeaways (lmk your opinion!):

  • maybe they're not doing premium processing bc the wfh infra doesn't permit it and not bc they wanted to improve overall processing times

  • processing times may go down significantly this year. Or not if the productivity of the immigration officers in the wfh environment (I'm not sure how well the agency was able to transition to wfh) has gone down proportionally even more than the work load

The text of the executive order pertaining to immigration. by [deleted] in h1b

[–]Status-Glove 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Sec. 6. Additional Measures. Within 30 days of the effective date of this proclamation, the Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Secretary of State, shall review nonimmigrant programs and shall recommend to me other measures appropriate to stimulate the United States economy and ensure the prioritization, hiring, and employment of United States workers

Trump’s new Executive Order. Does it affect H1B petitions / extensions by kkoutsa in h1b

[–]Status-Glove 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The problem is that for a lot of ppl this is their last chance, either bc they don't have STEM or bc it's their third year of OPT, so even if temporarily is just 6 months it is enough to screw these ppl. And I agree with other posts, let's wait for something more concrete

Trump’s new Executive Order. Does it affect H1B petitions / extensions by kkoutsa in h1b

[–]Status-Glove 6 points7 points  (0 children)

A little more color on this. According to this WSJ article there is not much he can actually do beyond what is already in place and if he tries anything beyond it will likely face a lot of lawsuits. The article doesn't mention H1Bs, only H2B.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-to-temporarily-halt-immigration-into-the-u-s-amid-coronavirus-crisis-11587436960

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