UK Visitor Visa for non US Citizens in USA

U.S. citizens do not need a UK visa for tourist or business travel to this country for a stay up to 6 months. A valid U.S. Passport is required.

In addition to the 125 dollar visa fee we payed a 150 dollar expedite fee to the consulate and 175 dollar ABriggs fee per applicant. But its worth every penny when its a travel for your cousins wedding! Thanks to ABriggs expedite visa services, we have got our six month multiple entry UK visit visas in two days. And that is definitely the way to go when time matters. If you are in a hurry and want to use ABriggs here is the one stop Abrigss Link.Their customer service is always available on chat from their website or on phone to answer all your queries or track your passports.

For normal processing which on an average takes a month, you can fill in the form by going to the following link.VISA4UK Link.This is lengthy and tiring and you can always save the application on any page to continue later.Visa4uk will send you an email with the confirmation number and instructions to log back in. If you are applying as a family, you can fill in separate applications and then mail them together.

Print and mail the application along with all the supporting documents listed on Abriggs page to the embassy.You have to mail the documents to the appropriate UK Consulate depending on where you live in the US. Go to this link to find yours.

In addition to the documents listed on the ABriggs page, send them as many supporting documents as you can. Following are the additional documents we have sent.

IRS Returns

Home Lease/Mortgage Document

Copy of the first page of the sponsor’s passport

Wedding Invite

Wedding Certificate






Read the following articles for further details:

1)Employer agreements for Visas and Green Cards

2)Use your EAD ASAP

3)File Your Green Card on Day One

4)Start your company today

5)Tips to start your company

Cents and Dimes:What to do with the change?

Unlike the previous generation we neither know the value of a dime nor do we have the patience to count and use the cents .Never underestimate the value of the change you piled up over the years on the dashboard of your car,in a Coffe cup on your desk or at home.I have just printed my seventy five dollar starbucks gift card from the CoinStar machine for my change.So save the change in a easy to reach and safe location.

As you drop the coins in the tray,the Coinstar machine will sort the change , the amount on screen rolls up as if you won a jackpot on a slot machine in vegas.They charge a 9.8 percent service fee if you want cash for your coins.It can print several other gift cards like Amazon,ToysRUs,Itunes and not just Starbucks for free.It even filters and returns any non US currency which in my case were rupees and euros:) 

You can find a Coinstar machine close to you by going to the following link.Coin Star Locator. 

And the change goes to , CoinStar!

Invoices for Your Corporation

Creating an invoice can’t get any better than using freshbooks.com. Subscribe, Login, Add people/clients, Generate. It’s that easy to create invoices online. Register by going to the following link- Freshbooks subscription link and create a unique url for your company and a login.  

Create a client and  an invoice for the client by entering the hours and the hourly rate leaving the calculations to freshbooks. As this stage the invoice will show up as outstanding. You can print it, save it as a pdf , email it to your client or snail mail it by buying stamps from freshbooks. Tracing back to your invoice change the amount paid as and when the client pays you. The invoice will change to paid status once the payment is complete. Invoices are just one of the many services freshbooks offers. 

Their services are free with a limit of three clients .You can upgrade to go beyond that as your business grows. They also have a reports tab where you can check the payment history etc. Your existing billing or other software's can programmatically integrate with freshbooks using the API they expose.  This is just an introductory article and there are lots of informative articles on the freshbooks blog.

Contacting USCIS :To Expedite or Get Information

You can talk to a USCIS (US Citizenship and Immigration Services) representative using the below details .They will open a service request to either get you more information or to expedite your application process. Have the receipt of your pending case, pen and paper handy before you make the call.

Call 1-800-375-5283; options 1,2,2,6,1

• Enter your receipt number.
• Press 1 (Listen to updated case information)
• Press 3 (To continue to next step)
• Press 4

You call will be transferred to the service center where your case is pending. Then it will be transferred to an Immigration Officer/Representative. He might ask you for the receipt number again and a few more details to create the service request. In case of an expedite request he will read out the expedite criteria and will ask you to choose one you fall in to. Write down the service request number that he reads out for any future correspondence.

Creating as service request does not mean they will expedite you application. USCIS will contact you within five days to a week either by mail or phone to let you know if they are considering your case for expediting or if they need more details.

Here is an excellent article which lists the 12 ways to check your USCIS case status

Read the following articles for further details:

1)Use your EAD ASAP

2)File Your Green Card on Day One

3)Start your company today

4)Tips to start your company

తీహార్ జైల్లో డాడీ

బంగారు కమ్మెల జైలు కిటికీ లోంచి చొరబడి నా కళ్ళు తెరిపించే ప్రయత్నం చేస్తున్న సూర్య కిరనాలనుంచీ తప్పించుకొంటూ మెత్తటి పరుపు మీద ముసుగు మొహం పైకి లాక్కొని కూలరు గాలికి హాయిగా కునుకేస్తున్న నేను టక్ టక్ అన్న శబ్దానికి ఉల్లిక్కి పడి లేచాను.ఒక చేతిలో లాఠితో కానిస్టేబుల్ సౌమ్య  "సార్ లెగండి ,లేట్ అయితే టిఫ్ఫిన్ వుండదు"

ఇక్కడకి ఏ తప్పు చేసి వచ్చానో,ఎలా వచ్చానో నాకు పూర్తిగా గుర్తు లేదు,వచ్చి ముప్పై సంవస్తరాల పైనే అయ్యింది.తెల్లటి టీ షర్టు,పొట్టి నిక్కరు వేసుకొని పరిగెడుతున్న ఆ పిల్లాడు ఎవరు ? అసలు ఇక్కడకి ఏ నేరం చేసి వచ్చాడు? అడుగుదామని ఎంత ప్రయంత్నిచినా ఆగడే.కానిస్టేబుల్ రామయ్యను అడిగితే ,"ఏమో మీకే తెలియాలి" అంటూ వెటకారంగా నవ్వుతున్నాడు.ఈ రోజు ఎలా అయినా వాడి వివరాలు కనుక్కోవాలి.

ఇన్ని సంవస్తరాలు అయినా, తను జైలుకి రాని భుధవారం లేదు.నాకు ఇష్టమయిన తిను బండారాలు,పచడ్లు,పుస్తకాలు వారానికి సరిపడా తెచ్చి వుంటుంది.దేశంలోనే ప్రసిద్ది గాంచిన జైలు కనుక, బద్రత ద్రుస్య తనని లోపలకి పంపేప్పుడు చెప్పులు కూడా వేసుకోనివ్వరు.వాల్లు ఇచ్చిన దుస్తులు వేసుకొని బాంబు స్కానర్ లోంచి లోపలకి వచ్చింది మంజుల.ఎదురుగ్గా కూర్చొని వున్నా మద్యలో ఈ గాజు గోడ ఏమిటో? ఇలా ఫోన్లలొ మాటాడుకోవటం ఏమిటో ? నా కర్మ కాకపొతే.

బోజనానికి నేను మటుకు లైన్ లో నిలుచోవలసిన అవసరం లేదంట.ముసలి వాడిననో? వొకప్పుడు బాగా బతికిన వాడిననో? సౌమ్య ప్లేటు తెచ్చింది.రోజంతా కూలి పని చెయ్యకుండా జైలరు లైబ్రరీ పని అప్పగించాడు.ఈ చిన్న టీవీ కూడా ఆయన ఇచ్చిందే.అప్పుడప్పుడూ బారీ బందో బస్తుతో బంగారు సంకెల్లు వేసి బయటకు తీసుకువెల్తారు.బస్సు ఎక్కుతుంటే లైన్ లో ముందర మల్లీ అదే పిల్లవాడు.ఈ సారి ఎలా అయినా పట్టుకోవాలని పరిగెత్తాను.ధన్ మని తల పై ఎవ్వరో గట్టిగా కొట్టారు.ఉలిక్కి పడి లేస్తే ఎదురుగ్గా తలుపు తెరుస్తూ నిషిత్.

యడం వైపు అబ్బాయి కొనిచ్చిన ల్యాప్టాప్.పక్కనే నెల క్రితం నేను అమెరికా ఫ్లైటులో చదువటానికి అని కొన్న సాక్షి పత్రికలో వో మూల

"సత్యం రామలింగ రాజుకి జైల్లో రాచబోగాలు"

ఆ కానిస్టేబుల్ సౌమ్య, సౌమ్య మా కోడలే,ఆ జైలరు మా అబ్బాయి ,ఆ పిల్లవాడు సందేహం లేదు మా మనవడే.కానిస్టేబుల్ రామయ్య మా వాడి ఫ్రెండు అషోక్ అయ్యి వుంటాడు.ఆ జైలు బోజనానికి లైన్లు వీసాకి వెల్లినప్పటివా? ఆ బాంబు స్కానర్లు ఎయిర్పోర్టు సెక్యురిటీ చెక్ ఏమో?...

ఇంతలో

"ఏమండీ అబ్బాయి వచ్చే టైం అయ్యింది ,మాల్ కి వెల్దాం రెడీ అవ్వండి అంటూ మంజుల"

మరి బంగారు సంకెల్లో?...

Interview Tips:Things to remember

1)Titles

Dress Up Professionally

Not Casual ,Not Gaudy but Formal and Simple

Be Early

This will give you time to relax,revise and settle down.The last minute rush will only add tension and then the chain reaction of disaster.

2)Introduction

State your name with a firm handshake and a smile.Maitain eye contact when you do that and through out the interview.Wish them Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening .Though your technical rounds would have started in the morning ,your HR round might happen in the evening.So  be attentive and wish appropriately.

Record and Remember Their Names

This will show them your attentiveness and memory skills , when they ask you who took your previous rounds or when the HR asks - Who took your technical round ?. Names are also necessary when you follow up later on for the result.Faces are easier to remember than names. So a quick and easy way to remember names is to associate their names with their faces and the combination with someone famous or someone you already know or something funny.The funnier the association the easier to remember.

3)The Intermission

Time in between different rounds of the interview process should be used to relax and concentrate.Here is my article on the topic - stay focussed while you wait.

4)The End - Thank and Note

The end in most cases is a beginning to follow up.So make sure you thank them for their time and get their contact details.Write down the HRs full name ,email address and phone number.Double check and confirm the details you have written down.While you get frustrated and give up as you wait for the result, it could just be a delay due to a required higher management approval.So having the contact details will keep you up to date and give you some peace of mind.

Related Articles


1)First Question on an Interview - Building Your About Me

2)Interview Tips: How to learn about the company

3)7 steps to go Onsite/Abroad on your job

4)Almost There: HR Round Questions and Answers

5)Interview Tips: Stay Focused While You Wait

Wishing for Annajis Health and Request to fellow Indians

Thanks to courageous leaders like Anna Hazare Ji who has brought the nation together for the fight against corruption.Let us all continue supporting those inspiring leaders in every possible manner. But please do not stop there and let these energies go waste in arguing and writing about the corrupt system but act. Act by helping those who are in need for basic necessities like shelter, food and education in your respective villages and towns. Only when we all act together and do our part, will we build a better India. From a better student to a better person, better person to a better village, better village to a better country.Wishing  and Praying for Annajis very good health.

Inspiring Teachers : Importance of quality education

As we fight to curb corruption and fix the system it is also important that the future generations get quality education.One percent of your time and money can make a big difference.Education that will help them understand the current issues,education that will help them think and education that will make them act and resolve.

Together we can.

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Help Students

Hasinis Day Out

Driving from Philly to Jersey ,catching the NJ Transit Train to Penn Station and roaming around the city that never sleeps is not new for us but it is for Hasini.So for a change we hopped on to the NY Sight Seeing buses which took us to the places like China Town which we have never been to.

On our way back, following the protocol we had Pau Baji,Masala Chai at Desi Galaxy and packed Biryani at Dakshin Express.The car won't start otherwise:).Oak Tree Road (Mini India) is just a half mile away from Metro Park Station.


ఫిల్లీ నుంచి కారు లో బయలుదేరి,మెట్రొపార్క్ స్టేషన్ లో నివ్ జెర్సీ ట్రాన్సిట్ రైలు పట్టుకొని పెన్ స్టేషన్ చేరి నివ్ యార్క్ చుట్టేయడం మాకు కొత్తేమీ కాకపోయినా హాసినీ కి ఇది మొదటి సారి.అందుకే ఎప్పట్లా సబ్వేలో కాకుండా హాసినీని మొదటి సారి బస్సు ఎక్కించి, నిదరంటే తెలియని ఈ నగరంలో ఇంతక ముందు వెల్లని ప్రదేశాలు, గైడు మాటలు అప్పుడప్పుడూ వింటూ చూసేసాం.

ప్రొటోకాల్ ఫాల్లో అవుతూ తిరుగు టప్పాలో, దేసీ గెలాక్సీ లో పావూ బాజి తిని,మసాలా చాయ్ తాగి,దక్షిన్ ఎక్స్ ప్రెస్ లో స్పెషల్ బిరియాని ప్యాక్ చేయించాక కాని కారు కదలదు.మెట్రొపార్క్ స్టేషన్ నుంచి ఓక్ ట్రీ రోడ్డు (మినీ ఇండియా) అర మైలే.

Here i come New York!

For a change its a bus this time

Tall

Dark and

Beautiful..

The trinity church

Work in progress - The new WTC

The Brooklyn Bridge

Bull is as busy as the gold markets

China Town Etc

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Interview Tips: How to learn about the company

As mentioned in my previous articles While In Campus, HR Round Questions and Answers ,researching about the company that you are being interviewed for will help you answer some of the tricky HR questions.What you talk about them will show your interest to join them and also your research and presentation capabilities.

 

Gather first hand information about the company from someone who is working for them.The questions you ask should be around - what they do,how big are they ,their recent achievements and the range of salaries they offer.

You can also gather this information from their website.The home page tells you what they do.The About Us section usually shows the technologies they use and how big they are.If the website does not have recent statistical data ,Google for the company name and you will find what you need and more.

Once you know the products they develop and  some statistics from their website and recent press releases will help easily answer questions like the one below. 

Why do you wish to join Infosys? 

Infosys offerings span business and technology consulting, application services, systems integration, product engineering, custom software development to name a few. So I will get to work on a variety of products while leaning different technologies and growing continuously.

Related Articles


1)First Question on an Interview - Building Your About Me

2)7 steps to go Onsite/Abroad on your job

3)Interview Tips:Things to remember

4)Almost There: HR Round Questions and Answers

5)Interview Tips: Stay Focused While You Wait