Otisusenet

Hello,

I was wondering if the following skills/activities can somehow count in an
application for a Green Card that is based on these skills and the applicant's
contribution to the U.S.

- Creation of free/open source software (a few pieces of software). A few
very successful ones if measured by the number of institutions and
companies that use them.

- Publishing of a book for students who want to come to the U.S. for study (and
beyond). The book was published in one of the European countries. One can view this
as helping smart people cross the big pond and live in the U.S., work there, pay
taxes to the IRS, and so on.

- Publishing a few articles in respectable technical publications such as Dr. Dobb's
Journal (http://www.ddj.com/), JavaPro (http://www.javapro.com/), etc.

Could any of these things be used as the basis of one's Green Card application?

Could any other, similar activities be helpful? What would be some other examples
related activities and skills that a potential applicant could use?

Just curious. Thank you.

Maarten W.G. An

    > Could any of these things be used as the basis of one's Green Card application?

Any of the above jobs can be done without having the need for a resident permit to
the United States, and are no

There are plenty of non-U.S. software companies that sell their products to the
United States. There are also thous

Even finding a book publisher that publishes your book in the United States can be
done through online contacts and an occasional visit. There are plenty of foreign
writers that get published in the United States.

    > Could any other, similar activities be helpful? What would be some other examples
    > related activities and skills that a potential applicant could use?

None really, afaik. Perhaps it is possible when you launch your own company in the
United States.... but that requires some serious bulks of money of course.

Maarten

Ingo Pakleppa

On Mon, 15 Jul 2002 17:19:03 -0700, OtisUsenet wrote:

    > Hello,
    >
    > I was wondering if the following skills/activities can somehow count in an
    > application for a Green Card that is based on these skills and the applicant's
    > contribution to the U.S.
    >
    > - Creation of free/open source software (a few pieces of software). A few very
    > successful ones if measured by the number of institutions and companies that
    > use them.
    >
    > - Publishing of a book for students who want to come to the U.S. for study (and
    > beyond). The book was published in one of the European countries. One can view
    > this as helping smart people cross the big pond and live in the U.S., work there,
    > pay taxes to the IRS, and so on.
    >
    > - Publishing a few articles in respectable technical publications such as Dr.
    > Dobb's Journal (http://www.ddj.com/), JavaPro (http://www.javapro.com/), etc.
    >
    > Could any of these things be used as the basis of one's Green Card application?
    >
    > Could any other, similar activities be helpful? What would be some other examples
    > related activities and skills that a potential applicant could use?
    >
    >
    > Just curious. Thank you.

It's possible but probably difficult to do that. You will need to fit into one of the
employment-based categories, and probably need an employer to sponsor you:

EB-3: unskilled worker (not for you) EB-3: skilled worker (probably possible. You'll
need an employer to sponsor you, and your job must require at least a two-year
vocational training. What you are doing probably qualifies, if you can document that
you needed that training. And of course your job must match with your skills (in
other words, if you apply through a job as a nurse, the skills you list won't help at
all). EB-2: advanced degree. You need at least a master's degree, and the job you are
offered must require one. Most people need a job offer, unless you can show that your
job will substantially benefit the United States as a whole, and that this benefit
would not be realized if you had to go through the Labor Certification process. Your
open source contributions could be construed as being in the national interest since
it is part of an effort to break the Microsoft monopoly. But, in all honesty, that
will be a very tough sell!. #EB-1: extraordinary ability or multinational executives.
Most people in this category don't need a job, but you must be truly exceptional and
able to prove it. A major prize such as the Nobel Prize is a way to prove
it. Alternatively, you may also qualify if you meet three out of ten criteria. I
don't recall all of them, but some criteria are: you make very much money (one
attorney told me that under $300k per year for a software engineer, you shouldn't
even bother applying), you serve on a jury that judges the work of others in the
field, you won minor national prizes.

By itself, I expect that the things you list won't get you a Green Card, but they may
serve to enhance an application that is based on something else.

Hope that helps!

Ingo

Rete

If you had the answers enough to write the book telling others how to get here and stay here, why can't you help yourself?

Rete

Paul Helpdesk

If you are outside the country, EB-1A is your only alternative. Your achievements
must have been publicly recognized bringing you national or international acclaim.
Here you do not need a specific job offer as long as you continue working in your
field of expertise after you come to the United States.

If you are in the US or will be coming to US on a work visa, you could then consider
any of the employment based green cards.

You do find a extensive list of green card categories at:

http://www.visapro.com/Green-Cards.asp

Paul @ HelpDesk

Otisusenet

Rete <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
    > Otisusenet wrote:
    > > Hello, I was wondering if the following skills/activities can somehow count in
    > > an application for a Green Card that is based on these skills and the
    > > applicant's contribution to the U.S.
    > > - Publishing of a book for students who want to come to the U.S. for study (and
    > > beyond). The book was published in one of the European countries. One can
    > > view this as helping smart people cross the big pond and live in the U.S.,
    > > work there, pay taxes to the IRS, and so on. Just curious. Thank you.
    >
    >
    >
    > If you had the answers enough to write the book telling others how to get here and
    > stay here, why can't you help yourself?

Heh, interesting question I wrote and published it when I was 18. Its audience are
young people trying to come to the U.S., primarily for school.

Unfortunately, post-university life, visa, and Green Card issues are a
different story.