bbb1969

so what your saying is any thing submitted in August, lets say approx 6 weeks back will be looked at in the near future, so they are taking 8 weeks approx, as for the person being on holiday, they must have a couple of other clerks, surly!!!!!!!!!!!!

krizzy

We came here for work..........the company hubby worked for was going under in the UK.......so we had to move because there was no Telcoms work for miles...........someone he knew had move to the Cape in MA........and phoned up and asked if hubby would like a job in the USA....we had been looking at Canada......we had ruled out moving to the US because we never thought we could get a visa.......my husband does not have a degree.....but after looking at this job we found out that he'd had enough years in test as a Sr to get in.......I'd wanted to move to the USA years before when my kids were younger....let them see what it was like to live in a different country for a while.......but give up when they got older ....if not for the lack of work where we lived in England.........I would never have moved.........

After being out of work in both countries now.........its a 100% easier to deal with a job loss in the UK.......I'm sure its easiers to deal with an illlness there too.....we've just been lucky enough not to find that one out yet.....
would I go back to the UK.........not until I've lived in a few different places here..and not until my grandson was older.........but I don't want to retire in the USA if I can help it.......

Vicky88

Krizzy, my husband was a contractor at O2 for 18 months, then they let him go with 1 days notice. We were lucky in that my husband had previously worked for his current employer in the US, so when they heard that O2 had let him go, they called him up and offered him a position. It's such a tricky industry, DH has been lucky that he knows enough people that when he gets wind that things are going bad, he has been able to find another position without too much trouble. So what visas are you on in the US?

Ray

Sorry I should have said seven went thru Aug/sept

Picking a few at random
Appication march 04 2005
VISA APPROVED 15th August

Application 8th Oct 2004
additional info -6th Jan 2005
Refused 16th March

Application 24th Nov04
additonal info.. 4th March
APPROVED 30 APRIL 05

Application 20 Dec 2004.
Re-submitted further info 17 June 2005
APPROVED 7 SEPT 05

Application 29th December 2004
Kicked Back end of March
Resubmiited - kicked back again beginning of May
Resubmitted - 15th June
Still waiting

and then the amazing
application 1 sept 05
Approved 15 Sept 05

The Staff is Meg the Lawyer and one assistant it seems ..

Angry White Pyjamas

You did indeed but you know how deaf people get on forums sometimes. Selectively deaf that it.

krizzy

We have a greencard.....lucky enough my hubby was only out of work 5 days in the USA....after a buy back from Lucent........they took him straight back on.......but they were the scarest few days of my life............money seems to melt away..........he was still being paid for the first few months......so we got the house ready to sell.........went down to FL got a new home that we would own outright........and enough money after the sell of the Cape one to live on for 5 years with no work..........we were not the only people where we have a home in FL doing the same thing.........
On the way home..hubby got a call asking if he wanted to come back........so we ended up with two homes......and the lay off money..........they also put hubbys start date back....so if he was laid off again..he would get his full lay off money again.........not just from when he was retaken on.........

Angry White Pyjamas

All part of the contracting game and why contractors were on the whole paid 3 to 4 times what permanent staff were.

Vicky88

Ray

Are these timeframes for E visas at the moment? If so, just wondering why they are taking so long compared to our month in Australia. We did have a strong appliation prepared by lawyers and the company has a certificate issed by the London Embassy.

Reminds me not to bitch next time I wait more than a week.

Ray

Basically because there are a hell of a lot of E-2 application in the London embassy and very few in the Australian embassy plus of course the goal post move with increasing regularity ..and the current processor is very fussy ..compared to previous incumbents .. a year ago most E-2 issued were for 5 years ...now most are just 2 years ..
Your type of E-2 is slightly different from the majority although its being used a bit more lately because of the limited number of H1 avalable ..
and its a awful lot cheaper for the company to obtain..

Vicky88

Yeah, we have no probelms agreeing it's part of being a contractor, being pissed on at the last moment.

However what pisses me off is the permies who start bitching and want your contractor pay packet but at the same time are not prepared to give up the safety net that goes with being a permie i.e. sick leave, holiday pay, shares. pension plans, profit sharing, share purchase plan.

Our attitude is to earn as a contractor and live like a permie, because you never know when the gravy boat is going to sink.

Angry White Pyjamas

Which is about the best way to do it.

Vicky88

Ray our first E2 was issued out of London in 2002 for 12 months. The second was in 2003 and they gave us 24 months. This time around they gave my husband 5 years and me 4 years. They issued in Melbourne, but the company paid $2,000 to issue it in Australia, rather than making us go to London. Maybe ours was easier because the Sponsor has a Reg. No. with the US Embassy which has already allowed their background to be certified. Sounds like a lot of fun (not). Also guess we had no delays because all the required paperwork had been put together.

Vicky88

Believe it or not we knew people who were contracting for 10yrs+ earning megabucks and when the party was over and they were all let go, many of them had nothing to their name. Had spent it all on lavish rental apts., flash cars, impressing women taking them all around the world. They thought nothing of paying 10,000 quid for a stereo. Dinner was always eaten out at the most expensive establishments.

Ray

Yup!! they are quite different in requirements..I cannot figure out why you got 4 and he got 5 though ..
In fact you don't really need one ...you could come as the acompanying spouse ..unless you work for the company as well...

Angry White Pyjamas

I do believe it. People live right up to their means and beyond most of the time. Then wonder why theres so many ads for credit card debt etc.