Want to be a software engineer in US of A ? « –==PC==

Want to be a software engineer in US of A ?

January 26, 2007 by pradeepc

A friend of mine sent me a mail last day. His friend is interested in moving to USA to work as a software engineer. He sent me 10 questions:

1. What is the cost of living in USA? I heard it depends on area, but could you tell me (approx.) how much it will be in some of possible areas?Would like to know the average expenditure per month also average salary for an IT professional?
2. Like here in India we have IT/software hubs like Bangalore, Hyderabad, Noida, Chennai, what are the places in USA I can target for my job hunting?
3. What is the tax I have to pay there? Some people say it is 50%, some say it is 30%….. Also do I have to pay tax in India too?
4. I am having exp. Around 5 year in c++, how much salary I can expect in normal companies (not very high pay masters like Microsoft)?
5. Which is the best way to go there, is it thro’ consultancies or direct? I have no idea about what will terms and conditions of the consultancies. Could you tell me what and all I have to consider or keep in mind while negotiating with them? Are there any free consultancies to sponsor H1?
6. How is working in US different from that in India (work environment)?
7. Any description about public life there and things to be taken care..
8. Any other tips and tricks?
9. I am also searching it in the internet, do you have any good links that I can refer for general info?
10. This is not the last question, but very important one for me, do you mind if I ask some of these kind of questions (may be very stupid) in future?

My answers:

1.Cost of living – The main components are rent and food (assuming your company pays for ur health insurance). Rent can vary anywhere from $450 to $1500 (or more) for a single bedroom/single bathroom apartment depending on the city and specific location in the city. If you are single, the best option is to take a 2 bed/2 bath apartment and share with another person. I can give you a general idea of the rent ranges : In Minneapolis, a good 1 bed/bath will cost approx $600-$800 in sub-urbs or $1000 – $1200 in downtown. In Seattle, the cost would be $700-$950 in sub-urbs and $1100-$1400 in downtown. In New Jersey and California, even suburbs can be very costly like $1400 for a 1bed/bath. If you live close to where you work, you wouldnt need a car. But the best bet is to get car and live in a sub-urb. If you cook, the food and other groceries would be surely less than $400 per month (i should say it would be around $200).If you eat outside it will be much higher (it is not very healthy either). To round up, you would spend around $1500 to $2000 dollars a month to live comfortably and $1000 if you are stingy (or live with roommates). The upper limit always depends on the person, ofcourse.
To give a general idea, $800 (rent) + $100 (utilities – electricity, water, garbage, sewer) + $300 (food) + $250 (car payment) + $50(phone bill) + $100 (car insurance) + $100 (gasoline) + $200 (fun – movies, dinner, other crap – optional) + $100 (buy stuff you like – optional). So there you are. If you get $4000 in your hand after tax, you save 50% of your salary, which is good and that is what you should aim for. You can get an idea of the rent in different cities from http://www.rent.com or http://www.craigslist.org.

2.The main IT hubs are California, New Jersey, Texas and NewYork (not necessarily in that order). Then there are cities like Seattle, Minneapolis,Chicago etc. As a matter of fact there are IT companies in major cities of most states (even North Dakota) . California, NewJersey and NewYork are very expensive in terms of cost of living.

3.The tax you pay varies from state to state (there are different components in the tax cut). There are a few tax exemptions but not much. In general it would be around 33% but it could be higher depending on your salary, location and situation (single vs having dependents etc).

4.The salary will always depend on many criterias like your previous experience and domain, your previous companies (brand name), how well you know your stuff, your ability to negotiate your salary, general market conditions, the availability of people with your skill set, whether you are a consultant or a inhouse developer, the location of your work (costlier places == higher salaries) etc etc. On the average a “good” C++ developer with 5 years of exp should get $75,000 + benefits + paid vacation per annum in a moderately expensive place. For costlier places you should be getting $80,000 – $90,000 per annum. For paymasters this would increase by $10,000 to $20,000. I would recommend going for an average salary in a company that gives stable employment as opposed to a high paying company where you could get laid off any day. The reason being that you really cannot afford to live here without a job (unless you have many years of savings, but that would diminish rapidly too).

5.The best way to come here is through direct hire but that is next to impossible (unless you are a well known geek in India). The reason for this is that if a company in US hires you, they really would want to bring you there straight away. Unless you already have a H1 this would not be possible. For H1 visas there is an annual cap which opens in April and gets filled within a month or two. So you should really start you paperwork atleast a couple of months before the cap for that year opens. Assuming that your potential employer applies for your H1 and gets it approved (3-4 months), you should go to the US Consulate and get your visa stamped and you can start working in US from the October of that year. So your employer has to wait for about a year to bring you aboard. Not many would be willing to do that unless they want you very very badly. Consultancies are the easy option but could cause you a lot of headache. There are good consultancies and bad ones. Dont depend on your luck in choosing one, always go for a consultancy for which somebody dependable can give you a reference. A good consultancy can be a better option than a permanent employer especially if you are looking for Green card processing and stuff. Another sneaky option is to get your current employer in India to process your H1 and wait till they send you onsite and then find a job here and change jobs (you can change jobs even if you are on H1, it is called a H1 transfer). Some consultancies charge you money for the H1, but I would recommend not to trust those people. They usually dont cheat you of that money, but it is almost always a headache to get it back. Moreover you are tied with them until you get it back. Some people just take it as a security deposit because some people after coming to US on H1 would immediately change jobs when they get a better offer. This would cause the consultancy to lose money (they shell out approx $3000 for your H1 plus approx $800 for your plane fare, some provide initial accomodation too). Some would make you sign bonds for a year or 6 months (which is ok if they pay decent salary). As a rule of thumb, stay away from consultancies which ask for money or bond. Also, keep away from people who says they will train you and find a job for you if you pay them money.

6. Work environment – Unless you work for a desi company in US (like Wipro, Infosys) you would be having a 8 hour job. Americans like to come in early and leave early so generally it would a 8 to 5 job. But software engineers might have to work some additional hours depending on your project schedule but the good thing is that you get paid for overtime. Americans almost never work on the weekends. They are extermely professional in the work place and they usually prefer to keep work at office and not mix with their personal life. This means that people who work together for many years might not know each others’ spouses or would never have visited each others’ homes. In a sentence, work and personal life are not mixed. Apart from that, conditions can vary from company to company just like in India. There are employee friendly companies and money hungry companies. Your work would always be appreciated if you do things well. There is less office politics (but it is there).

7.Life in USA – I could go on forever on this, but I would try to keep it short.

People are very nice and polite to each other even though they may not know or like each other. It is like – give respect and take respect. You will be surprised when complete strangers greet you like you bosom buddies. The atmosphere is generally cheerful.
They are very protective of their personal life and privacy.
Americans like to enjoy life to the hilt. Examples of things they enjoy are hiking, bike riding, camping, parties, long distance running, building something (almost everybody has pet projects), flying, sailing, fishing etc.
Life here can get very lonely unless you have some indian friends or you are married.
Everybody has a car so it is highly recommended you get one too because visiting friends, going to work, going to a movie or in short going anywhere can be very difficult and troublesome if you dont have a car.
People wont call you late in the night (usually after 8 – 9 pm) and they expect the same (except under emergencies).
There is a custom of calling a person in advance and letting him know before going to their house.
It is very bad to ask how much one makes, how much one pays as mortgage etc.
Honking without a real good reason is considered very rude.
You really wont lose your virginity if you dont want to. Infact, if you are a guy, you really have to try hard.
Americans are far more self-reliant than the average Indian. They like to do most of the stuff themselves (like repairing broken stuff, painting the house, hiking).
You can get sued for the most innocent folly.
You are in seriously deep shit if you ever break the law and get caught.
Americans are generally honest. A lot of practices in this country works on the belief that people are honest.
Most people obey traffic rules. Yeah true… I am not kidding.
There are lots of libraries in every cities and they are free. So if you love books, this is one thing you will love about being here.

In short, life in USA should be good if have a decent job and have friends and/or family here and you dont break the law.
8.Tips and Tricks

First step should be to find a trustworthy consultant who has direct clients. Remember both are important – trustworthiness and having clients.
Have all required docs ready – your degree certificates, marklists, previous employment related papers, birth certificate, passport etc etc.
Read about H1 visa interview in websites and mailing lists. If you are going to Chennai Consulate, the visa interview can be a little tough compared to other consulates.
Search in Dice and Monster, upload your resume there. Get good resume samples and modify your resume accordingly. (By good resume I dont mean flashy ones)
Never ever try to mess with US authorities. Any dishonesty can land you in trouble and you may never be able to set foot in US.
In stark contrast to Indian authorities, you can explain a bad/error situation (for eg. why you dont have previous employer’s relieving letter) to immigration authorities and they would understand it.
Dont aim at GC processing right away. Be patient. Get a stable job, make sure you would want to stay with that employer for atleast 5 years (and that the employer would want you for 5 years) before starting GC processing. Consultants would like you to start GC processing immediately because then you wont be able to quit them (actually you can quit, but you will have to start the processing all over again with the next employer).
I really dont like saying this, but having a lot of “keywords” in your resume helps. For e.g. C#, XML, ASP.NET, Java/J2EE, Hibernate, JUnit/NUnit, Javascript, SQL Server/Oracle. Even if you know only a little bit about it, you can put them in your resume because consultants search by these keywords. Make no mistake, your resume matters. Be sure to prepare well for the interview though.
Dont take consulting assignments less than 6 months if you have a choice (unless there is no need to relocate). Short term assignments would typically be a pain considering the relocation (breaking current rental lease, finding new apartment, changing licence if you are moving out of state, not to mention moving all your furniture by yourself).
Never ever do stuff that affects your credit rating.
Always have cash backup for emergencies. Dont count on friends/co-workers to pull you out of financial emergencies.
Use Craigslist for getting apartments/roommates/used cars/furniture etc (beware of frauds though).
Dont buy a new car. Neither buy one which is older than 6-7 years. Buy one which is 2-4 years old. Best bets are Toyota Corolla/Camry or Honda Civic/Accord.
Always make sure you have health insurance.
Winters can be a little rough, so if you have the luxury to chose a state, go for the warmer ones. Snow looks beautiful only from a distance.

9.Links -

http://www.immihelp.com

http://www.murthy.com/h1bstvi.html

http://www.path2usa.com/immigration/h1bcorner/H1b_interviewquestions.htm

http://www.going2usa.com/employment/workvisa.html

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=H1b+visa&btnG=Google+Search

http://groups.google.com/group/misc.immigration.usa

10.Feel free to ask.

P.S. There is a follow-up post to this one. You can read it here.

Disclaimer and other crap :

The words above are from my personal experience but may or may not be accurate since it is just my point of view. You should take the responsibility upon yourself if you believe it or act based on it. You have no right to point the finger at me if you are in deep shit by following any of my advice or believing any of the things I said. You choose, you suffer.

Posted in General, H1B, Personal | 173 Comments

173 Responses

on January 27, 2007 at 4:31 am | Reply binil

Great writeup mashe! I did not closely follow the math, but I will re-read this should I need it

BTW, I really appreciate the coherence in your writing.
on January 29, 2007 at 4:35 am | Reply Biju Varghese

Really superb info Pradeep. It would be a great asset for anybody interested to go US on any visa category. You can even think of writing a book with some more additional info.
on January 29, 2007 at 11:52 am | Reply Mukesh

Really great…This info is the most descriptive one I got. Thanks a lot for this wonderful writing, Pradeep
on February 5, 2007 at 6:52 am | Reply Sachin

Very good information Pradeep, it cleared many of my doubts about going to US. Many Thanks and keep writing your views if you find anything interesting
on February 7, 2007 at 4:37 am | Reply sukhwinder

Thanx Pradeep..You answered most of the queries striking my mind…Very good information for one want to got to US…
on February 8, 2007 at 9:22 am | Reply Vinayan Valappil

in a word – Superb!
on February 8, 2007 at 2:42 pm | Reply Anju

PC,
I have been watching your posts silently for a couple of weeks now…I love your posts..they are simply superb.. Regarding this post, it’s really helpful for someone who comes in the US for the first time. I used to give advices for my medicos friends but I am not qualified to comment on this article, I being completey unaware of the IT field here. But I have one advice for the Indian friends. ( actually my husband gave me this advice). We Indians tend to stick on one Resume for all kinds of jobs we apply to. But the best thing is to modify your Resume each time you apply for a job, giving special importance to the words/qualifications that you think the recruiters are looking for that particular job. I had my Resume modified 6-7times already when I was looking for externships here, jsut trying to add some words that would be interesting to the particular hospital.
on February 9, 2007 at 10:57 pm | Reply pradeepc

Thanks for all the kind words, folks. Anju, you nailed it exact on “fine tuning” the resume. I have had to change my resume multiple times because employers really want to see the EXACT words (that they have in their mind) in your resume, they wont settle for something that is implied. For eg, I have put “agile development experience” in my resume but that couldnt satisfy a HR guy who was looking for a guy with “experience in test-driven development”. Consultants search the job portals using certain keywords which is specified in the “requirements doc” of the employer. So dont feel shy to put in all the “keywords”.
on February 10, 2007 at 7:05 am | Reply binil

PC, Kamal once told me this idea – write stuff like “I am aware of Struts, Tapestry, Ruby on Rails, JMX, blah blah blah but have no professional experience using them” on your resume.

That way you are being honest, yet your resume would show up in keyword searches
on February 11, 2007 at 6:13 am | Reply binil

Folks, check out http://xmlresume.sourceforge.net/. This software lets you maintain your resume in XML format, and provide transformers to various output formats like HTML, PDF etc. Also, you can add keywords to sections of your resume, and control the output based on those keywords.

I haven’t used this software though – maybe sometime soon
on February 13, 2007 at 7:14 am | Reply cohal

Superbly penned down. The logical flow is to be appreciated. Hats off
on February 13, 2007 at 10:28 am | Reply Vinay Kumar

Itz very informative..Cool Blog..!
on February 13, 2007 at 5:26 pm | Reply Deepa

Very Useful post to new comers. Keep going…
on February 14, 2007 at 12:01 am | Reply What (wo)men want… « the life and thoughts of a .net developer

[...] general this post generates most of the traffic to my site from search [...]
on February 17, 2007 at 5:31 pm | Reply Mukesh

Pradeep,

One of consultancy called IIC (Indotronix International Corporation) website: http://www.iic.com ready to sponser my H1B without any money/security from myside for base salary of 30$/hr + project allowances depend on the location. They are not asking for any bonds but asking me to work for 2 years. This is the best offer I got without spending from my pocket. Do you heard about this consultancy? Is it genuine and reliable? Appreciate your help man… Am friend of Biju(your friend) who sent the 10 Q’s to you.

Thanks and Regards.
on February 18, 2007 at 6:05 pm | Reply pradeepc

Mukesh, unfortunately I havent heard of this company. I can ask around though. There is a couple of things you need to be aware of. $30/hour salary is ok for places which are not expensive. Check out whether they are willing to negotiate the payrate depending on location. Next make sure they will pay for your medical benefits. This is VERY VERY IMPORTANT. Hourly pay is risky because if you dont work for a day you wont get paid for that day (for eg if you are sick). So it is better to get an annual fixed salary instead of an hourly rate. There is another catch with hourly payment. Usually when one project gets over there would be a gap of 2-4 weeks before you start the next project (you might start the next day or sometimes you might have to wait for 2 months, but 2-4 weeks is the common waiting period in between projects). So you wont be getting paid for that period and additionally that makes your status illegal in the US (you should be paid for the time you are working for an employer, or else you should leave the US). I can suggest you a better pay package which you can negotiate for – $60K per annum + health benefits + relocation (if a project requires you to relocate – ask what all are covered. As part of relocation benefits, you should ask for flight ticket, moving your household items, shipping your car, hotel stay and car rental for atleast 2 weeks) + atleast 2 weeks paid annual vacation + 10 days sick leave. If you are paid hourly you wont get paid vacation and sick leave. Dont be fooled into thinking it is not important. See the math – $30 * 8 hours per day * (10 (sick days) + 10 (vacation)) = $4800. In addition there might be 2-4 weeks where you wont be paid when you are out of a project = $30 * 8 hours per day * 10 (2 weeks = 10 working days) = $2400 (or $4800 if you cant get a project in 1 month) . So hourly pay against annual salary costs you like $7200 to $9600 per year (approx 3.5 to 4.5 lakhs rupees). The consultants know this and will try to get the maximum out of the deal, so I strongly recommend for a fixed annual salary (whether or not you are on a project) instead of an hourly pay. If they are only willing for a hourly pay ask for $40/hour + health benefits. You could also ask for 2 weeks vacation and 10 days sick leave. Trust me, it is worth asking. Get it in writing what they mean by project allowances. Most consultants will say that they will take care of everything, but once you join them they would show their true colors. So you would be kind of stuck with whatever you get. Get everything in writing, dont feel shy to ask that.
Let me know if you need any other info.
on February 19, 2007 at 5:40 am | Reply Mukesh

Hi Pradeep,

As usual, you are clearing my most of doubts. Thanks a lot. I am gonna thanks Biju for providing me contact with you… I requested the info with the consultant and let me know how it is proceeding. The way you put things is very good and informative. Keep it up. You made me to add your blog in my faviourates list….

Thanks again.
Regards,
Mukesh
on March 7, 2007 at 10:33 am | Reply Girish

Hi Mukesh, i also have an offer from ICC. Can we talk? gimme your contact details.
on March 9, 2007 at 5:38 am | Reply kstarmind

Very informative Pradeep.. Hats of 2 u!!!

I kindly request you to do me a favor if possible.
I’m planning to process H1 this year. I got an offer from Infoobjects Inc. If you know about this company please send me your suggestions to kstarmind@gmail.com. I have checked the terms, he is expecting 2k$ upfront b4 along with doc as processing fee. Consultant says he is ready to pay my health insurance + 60K per year.

Company’s website http://www.infoobjects.com.

Please help me.

Thanks a lot in advance.
on March 9, 2007 at 7:04 pm | Reply pradeepc

Thanks for the comment buddy.

About the company:
————————–
I havent heard of this company, but that doesnt matter because there are thousands of desi consulting companies in the US and I know only a few. You should ask as many questions to the consultancy as possible. For eg. how many employees do you have now? Who all are your “direct clients”? What is the usual bench period between projects? How often do you give salary hikes? How many people are you recruiting for this year H1 quota? You can ask for references from the current employees. Ask for contact details of people from the place where you are now. Verify all details before plunging in. If these guys doesnt have any direct clients (dont expect them to tell you that) you would be in a tough situation after coming here.

About giving money upfront to the consultant:
———————————————————–
There is a very low chance of you getting cheated out of the money. But that is a rare thing to happen. Most of the consultants nowadays ask for the H1 processing charge which they will usually reimburse after 6 months or maybe 1 year. Make sure you ask the consultancy that they should reimburse the money after 6 months. Get it in writing. There is another way in which you can lose this money. If your H1 application is rejected or if ur visa stamping gets rejected (at the consulate) you would lose the money. So there is some risk involved. Think about it and make the decision. I suggest you talk with the consultant and ask them to put in half the money. That is, you would put $1000 and they should put the rest. Chances are they would tell you that they are already spending money (i.e. $2000 is not enough to process the H1 and that they are footing the rest). You can tell them that you are aware that H1 processing will cost only approx $2000-$2500. You can also tell them that you have offers from other consulting companies who are willing to do the H1 processing for only $1000. You should also ask them to pay for your flight ticket and provide accommodation till you get a project. This is business pal. Negotiate as hard as you can and get the best deal.

About Salary:
—————–
60K is ok to start with. It is good that they are paying your health insurance also. You should also ask for 10 days sick leave and 2-3 weeks of paid vacation. You should be paid for the time after you finish one project and is looking for another (known as bench period). It seems that they are located in California, and chances are you would get a project in California itself. 60K salary in California is not that great since California is very expensive to live in. You could share an apartment with other bachelors and it should be ok. After 1 year or so you could jump companies and get a better pay or ask for a raise in this company itself.

Feel free to ask if you have more questions.
on March 11, 2007 at 4:33 pm | Reply Mukesh

hey guys,

these guys are doing it for free:

http://www.iic.com (good company it seems, no bond but expects u to work for 2 yrs, hourly based sal )
http://www.g-c-i.com (u hav to bear air fare, which will be reimbersed after 1 year, no bond but expects u to work for 18 months, good company)
on March 11, 2007 at 4:45 pm | Reply pradeepc

I have heard about g-c-i too. Seems like it is good company.
on March 13, 2007 at 3:32 pm | Reply kstarmind

Thanks a lot Pradeep.. Really a great insight for my request about infoobjects earlier, I appreciate that. You are doing a great help by helping ppl like me aspiring to work in US.

I have got another offer from a consultatnt AITCUSA. He is saying he will return back 1700$ once I land there. Could you please let me know your advice and insight about this consultant?

His website is http://www.aitcusa.com/

I will be really grateful to you for all your efforts.
on March 15, 2007 at 4:05 am | Reply Cathy Nitchey

Great blog, good job getting it all together
on March 19, 2007 at 9:23 am | Reply John

Bold and powerful article. Major issues covered. Congratulations for an article well done!! I am also thinking about relocating to the US with a certain consulting company and your detailed write-up has helped clear most of the issues clouding my mind.
I wouldn’t think of a better blog than this. Thanks a lot.

John
on March 20, 2007 at 7:06 am | Reply Panks

Really good article. It helped lot in getting the info on moving to US on H1B…..Thanks a lot Mr.Pradeep.
on March 20, 2007 at 5:27 pm | Reply pradeepc

@kstarmind
A friend of mine told me that this company has been sued by an employee once. I can mail you the details of the case if you want.
It has been around for quite a while so I think it should be a stable company.
on March 20, 2007 at 5:27 pm | Reply pradeepc

@Cathy, John, Panks
Thanks guys
on March 22, 2007 at 7:12 am | Reply PaaarthoB

Hi Pradeep.

Thanks for writing such a informative article.
Anyway, I need few clarifications.

1. What is an average monthly cost for a couple to stay in CA?

Is it possible to survive with an annual package of [60K annual + Health + Dental + Vision Insurance + paid vacations + sick leave etc]

2. If I expect a child in US, then what will be the cost as far as care and child delivery is concerned? and do the child and parents gets any privelidges in US?

3. My wife in well qualified, Can she work in US legally by any way?

4. I will be signing an agreement with my employer. From legal point of view, can I break that agreement and go for a change?

Thanks.
on March 22, 2007 at 8:18 am | Reply Shivani Kahsyap

Nice Blog Pradeep, Keep Up the Good Work………..
on March 23, 2007 at 6:56 am | Reply pradeepc

@PaaarthoB
I will anwer you questions as a separate post.
on March 23, 2007 at 7:28 am | Reply PaaarthoB

Thanks Pradeep.
Please update me with your new blog, so that I get get required information.
on March 26, 2007 at 11:57 am | Reply Girish

Hey Pradeep, My H1B is stamped. I am planning to come in May 2007. Is it i good time for getting job? or i need to come early? Also my employer is not giving me health insurance, i have to bear it. So how much it cost to get an average health insurance?

Thanks,
Girish
on March 26, 2007 at 3:05 pm | Reply pradeepc

@PaaarthoB,
I will post it in a day or two. I am gathering all the required information.
on March 26, 2007 at 3:18 pm | Reply pradeepc

@Girish,
Congrats on getting ur H1B.
May would be a good time to come. The winter would be over as well. If you can come in April it would be ok too, but it depends on your convenience. To which place are you planning to come ?
I cant believe that your employer is not paying for your health insurance. I am not sure but I think it is required by law that the employer should provide health insurance to their employees.
What I suspect is that your employer is paying a portion of the insurance and you will also have to pay a part (usually $100/month). This is the normal case. I am also paying $100/month for my health insurance. I dont think you will have to pay the whole amount.
There are 2 rates for health insurance. One is called group rate which are given to employees of a company. It would be comparatively very cheap. The other one is when a person takes health insurance directly from the Carrier without involving the employer. This will be very very expensive (I dont know a single software guy who pays his own insurance). Please contact your employer and find out what is your case.
I dont want to be the messenger of bad news, but if your employer is not going to pay any part of your health insurance and you will have to get insurance directly from the carrier then you have been given a very bad deal (unless your salary is very high to compensate for this). If they are not going to pay, you should start negotiating with thim right now.
on March 26, 2007 at 6:07 pm | Reply Girish

Pradeep, thanks for the reply. I would be coming to South Iselin,NJ. All i know that my employer once told me that i have to take care of my medical insurance on my own. But tell me is it so costly??? One of my friend told me that it ccosts around $50 something. And i am getting 58k salary. Is it reasonable for such a place??

Thanks,
Girish
on March 26, 2007 at 6:10 pm | Reply Girish

This is what is written in offer letter regarding insurance.

“Temporary Health Insurance: All candidates are advised to purchase health insurance for a period of three months from their home country to avoid costs related to any emergencies during travel and after travel to the USA. Serebrum does not reimburse these expenses and the insurance is recommended for the safety of the candidate.”

Thanks,
Girish
on March 27, 2007 at 6:13 am | Reply pradeepc

@Girish

About the salary
============
NJ is an expensive place. 58K is ok to start with but dont think of saving a lot initially. You can get a better job or negotiate with current employer for better pay once you work on a couple of projects. Look for stability initially. Once you are all settled and self sufficient you can look at saving some money.

About the health insurance
===================
Important question – Does your friend work for the same company?

If your friend said that he pays only $50 for health insurance then definitely his employer is footing the major share of the bill. That is the way things usually work. Only very few employers pay the entire premium.

I am not very sure why they ask you to take insurance while coming from India but here is what I think : You will be eligible for health insurance only when you start working for them. So in case you have the necessity for medical assistance in the mean time (after you start from India and till you start working for this company) you will have to foot your own medical bill. To avoid that risk they are asking you to take coverage from India. I dont think many people take that coverage while coming to work on H1. If you are coming on B1 or if you are sent to work onsite on H1 usually your company will cover your insurance expense.

I recommend you to send a mail to your employer asking whether they will be providing medical insurance for you.
on March 27, 2007 at 11:41 am | Reply Girish

Thanks Pradeep!!!!
on March 27, 2007 at 6:56 pm | Reply More questions on H1Bs coming to USA « –==PC==–

[...] 27th, 2007 by pradeepc After writing this post, many H1B aspirants have been asking a lot of questions especially on the expenses of living in the [...]
on March 27, 2007 at 6:57 pm | Reply pradeepc

@PaaarthoB

I have posted a new blog entry answering your questions.
on April 4, 2007 at 4:59 am | Reply purushottam

i encourage u for splendid heart & support u give
Keep it up
on April 24, 2007 at 3:11 pm | Reply nishant

Hi there,
excellent writing!!!

Well i have one more question for you. I have been searching through Internet for H1B sponsors, but most of them seek java,c#,asp et.al. , that is web technological skills.
I have c,unix,networking & network security development experience. I have worked on perl also , though my knowledge to that is limited.

What are my chances of finding sponsors ? Are there any sponsors for these technologies?

Secondly, I was going through this link ( http://www.h1base.com/storechoices.asp?id=49 ), and was thinking of buying there “H1B announce service”? what is your take on this ?

thanks and regards
on April 24, 2007 at 4:32 pm | Reply BapiRaju Yarlagadda

hi pradeep,

u had provided very useful info to us,i’d so many doubts abt taxes,living expenses,abt consultancies etc.now i got an clear idea abt all these.Its great to know abt nature of the Americans in my view this is the main thing for our security.nice information given by you…

keep it up

thanks and regards
bapiraju yarlagadda
on April 24, 2007 at 9:30 pm | Reply pradeepc

@Nishant,
There are plenty of opportunities in C, Unix arena. Do a search in Dice. http://www.dice.com.
To know what chance you stand to find a job in this area, create a professional updated resume and post it at dice. Don’t put your current location or phone number. (Put a US address in case they require you to enter an address when you register). Just put email address as the sole contact info. See how many responses you get. You can also register at CareerBuilder and Monster.
The response you get will show you the demand for your skill set in US. But the disadvantage is that most of these requirements will be for US citizens, green card holders or people with existing H1-Bs. If you say that you are in India and you need a new H1, chances are they wont consider you because it will be 1.5 years before a new H1 can come to US (assuming you haven’t applied in the 2007 quota). Few companies would want to recruit somebody who will be able to join only after 1.5 years.
As you might be aware the H1 quota was a lottery this year, chances are it will be same next year also (unless they increase the annual cap or remove it altogether). So it poses an additional hurdle to H1B seekers. You need to find a sponsor and you need to be lucky to get through the lottery. This will further reduce the willingness of companies to bring new H1s. Your best bet would be a consulting company. They would be willing to take the chances.
As about the h1base.com service, I haven’t heard about them from anybody. From what they say on their website it seems like a pretty good option. If they do as they promise, it is a good deal for $300.
on April 24, 2007 at 9:32 pm | Reply pradeepc

@BapiRaju Yarlagadda,

Thanks for your kind words.
on April 25, 2007 at 12:31 pm | Reply nishant

thanks for the suggestion mite.

I will be bothering you once again pradeep. I m in dillemma right now.
I worked on c,unix (my comfort zone) for 1.5 yrs and later 1 yr (untill now) in networking.
So will I have more scope in networking rather than C and unix?
If you have to choose one will it be networking or C,unix?

Thanks for your kind and generous insights.
on April 25, 2007 at 7:49 pm | Reply pradeepc

I would say you should make the choice depending on what you want to do. If you like working as a C developer on Unix, by all means go for that. You should tune your resume to that of course. I hate to say it, but you should modify your resume so that ur C/Unix projects are shown as the most recent ones if you plan to go that way. If your interest in in networking you can stay in that field itself. Since I haven’t looked around for networking jobs I really dont know how many requirements are there. As I mentioned earlier you can float around 2 versions of ur resume (one for networking and one for C/Unix) and see which one has more demand. I, personally, would stay in development as opposed to networking because that is what I like. I recommend you should go for what you are interested in doing.
As a corollary, I think development jobs pay better than networking – in general.
on April 26, 2007 at 11:59 am | Reply nishant

by networkin i meant actually tcp/ip stack development.
on April 26, 2007 at 12:00 pm | Reply nishant

but anyways i got the answer, thanks for all the help.
on April 30, 2007 at 10:42 am | Reply girish

Hi Pradeep, do you have any idea about temporary health insurance? My employer want me to take it for initial 3 months. So i am not sure how to go about it. It would be great if you can put some light on it.
on May 2, 2007 at 3:27 pm | Reply Raveendra

hi pradheep i want to know the required documents for the us H 1B visa application.im a B.E from anna university.
on May 2, 2007 at 6:29 pm | Reply pradeepc

@Girish,
Sorry for the late reply. I have no idea about temporary health insurance. I will try to get info about it but I am going to India due to a personal emergency so I dont know whether I can do it soon enough.
on May 2, 2007 at 6:31 pm | Reply pradeepc

@Raveendra,
What is your current status ? Have you applied for H1-B visa and is waiting to go to consulate to get the visa stamped ? Or are you just planning to apply for H1-B visa ? Have you found somebody who is willing to sponsor your H1 ?
on May 6, 2007 at 9:25 am | Reply binil

Folks, check out the new app http://resolio.com/app/. This helps maintain and publish resumes.
on May 18, 2007 at 10:48 am | Reply Jack Sparrow

Hi Pradeep,

I see that you like to help people.
First of all many thanks for that, only few people are capable to do this in these times.

I wanted to ask a question.

I come from a small city in India named Vadodara/Baroda(Gujarat). I am not earning
much as the payscale is very low here(10k after 1 yr exp). compared to other cities.
I am in search for better opportunities.
My friends say that there is lots of opportunities in Bangalore, Pune, etc.
(big cities) and I have also heard that it is better to go at these places
rather than go to US, because as i had heard US IT Market has slowed down
and there is no demand for IT People there.

Is it true?

As a newbie in Software Field (Exp. of 1.5 yrs), does USA hold anything
good for me or should i go for Bangalore and other cities to make money.

Regards,
Jack Sparrow
on May 22, 2007 at 4:02 pm | Reply pradeepc

@Jack Sparrow,
Bangalore & Pune certainly pays much more than Baroda. But the expenses in these cities are very high too. So dont expect to save a lot. 10K in Baroda would be equivalent to 20K in Bangalore (it doesnt mean a 1:2 ratio, what I mean is that Bangalore will require atleast 10K more for same life standards). The plus point is that you will get very good exposure in Bangalore and Pune (or Hyderabad).

It is NOT true that the job market in US has slowed down. Infact it is real boom time here.

As about trying to move to USA, I suggest that you wait for another 1.5 years so that you have a total of 3 years of exp before trying for a H1B visa (unless you have a master’s degree). Otherwise there is a good chance for your visa application to get rejected.

Let me know if you have more questions.
on June 5, 2007 at 8:01 pm | Reply keithdsouza

This is a great read, I am already in the US and lot of these makes real sense to me
on June 8, 2007 at 5:37 pm | Reply pradeepc

Thanks for stopping by to post your comment, Keith.
on June 18, 2007 at 3:15 am | Reply prasanna.n

hi pradeep.

wow!!! great help frm u for american aspirants like me.

i would like to know whether after migrating for work with h1b visa, is there any opportunity to pursue masters in parallel while working . if so what are the universities offering?
thanks !!! thanks!!!
on June 18, 2007 at 3:59 am | Reply pradeepc

@prasanna,
I believe it is possible to do Master’s part-time. I haven’t looked into all the details, but I am pretty sure that you still need to write GRE.
I really didnt understand what you meant by what the universities are offering. What kind of course are you looking at? If you are looking for Master’s in Engg part-time, then the cost will be approx $12K per annum. A good option will be to ask the employer to fund your education. Many employers do that. In case they dont have such options you could also ask for a loan.
You can look at the website of the particular university you are interested and find out whether they have part-time course for the subject you are interested in. The websites usually will give you the tuition fees and other details like eligibility conditions etc.
on June 18, 2007 at 4:47 pm | Reply Kumar

Hi Prasanna,

if you are an experienced person, I would like to say you some thing, now a days most people are entering in F1 visa and opting for Weekend classes, During F1 people can work internaly and for outside clients its a simple process requires dean approval. The advantages are you are work for any emp like US-C or GC dont have to depend on others, and there are univ is VA/DC/MD region where you can opt for Weekend or Remote Classes.

Kumar
on July 17, 2007 at 1:02 pm | Reply sana

nice job..do u have any info about life science jobs?
on July 23, 2007 at 5:12 pm | Reply Prashanth

Hi Friends

Please share youe expirience on H1B consultants.
this will help the future h1b aspirants

thanks
on July 23, 2007 at 5:20 pm | Reply Prashanth

I can see only two h1b consultants in this page
who takes care of all the expences
Does anybody know other companies like that ?
on July 24, 2007 at 9:11 am | Reply jonathan

hi prashath,

nice work on this blogs. i learned a lot.

my h1b was approved last june but what astonished me was that there were two and not only one approval. one from galloptech.com (i paid $1k for lawyer’s fee) and the other from iic.com (no payment done). before the filing, iic.com was the first to contact me and they extend their interest in filing for my h1b but after 3 tries of email inquiries with no replies, i opted on applying to galloptech.com. 2 days before the 1st filing day, iic called me up about the application but i said i am afraid that i have already committed to another company. i thought everything was already in order. assuming that only galloptech.com applied for me but during the 1st week of june, i receieved an email from iic.com and informed me that my application was selected in the lottery. in the same week, galloptech also informed about my selection. now, i have this dilemma. what company to choose from? galloptech.com offered me $62k with addition of all the other benefits. iic offered $55k with the same type of benefits. iic.com is much older and bigger compared to galloptech. should i choose the former or the latter? (knowing that i have 4 dependents that will follow me in the US after 6mos or a year). also, basing on the two offers,will i have problem stamping the visa together with my dependents?

i have great confidence and trust in your knowledge about h1b as indicated from your blogs. i hope you can help me with your advice.

thanks.

–
jonathan
on July 24, 2007 at 9:14 am | Reply jonathan

sorry. it’s for Pradeep.

–
jonathan
on July 24, 2007 at 5:22 pm | Reply pradeepc

Hi Jonathan,
Congrats on getting your H1 approved.
I am not an authority in immigration law so my advices should be taken with a pinch of salt
I dont think there is any issues in having multiple H1s at the same time (but you can work for only one employer at one time). So there shouldnt be any problem with your stamping.
$62K definitely sounds better than $55K, but there are lot of other factors that you should consider.
When I checked the websites I gathered that galloptech is in Texas and IIC is in New York. I am not sure these would the places you will be working from, but let us assume it will be. $55K in NY is very low salary as it is one the most expensive places in America. And you say you are going to bring 4 dependents which means iic is pretty much out of question. On the contrary $62K in Texas is a pretty decent salary. Texas is comparatively inexpensive to live and there is no state tax in Texas. That should make your financial situation far better than living in NY with 4 dependents on a $55K salary.
Another point to consider is that iic seems to be an older company and hence more established in the field. But the fact that they are paying you so low (i am sure that they know $55K is a low salary in NY) and that they didnt respond to your emails in a timely fashion speaks volumes of their employee friendliness (or the lack of it). galloptech on the other hand is offering you a decent salary and is keeping in contact with you. These are positive signs.
The points I made are based on some assumptions and they might turn out to be wrong. For eg, iic might sent you to work for a client in Texas and galloptech might sent you to work for a client in NYC. Although the chances for this are low it could happen. But with information available as of now, galloptech seems like a better option.
I suggest you talk to the companies and you get a feel of where the clients are located and that might help you to make a better decision. If you get more info on the companies feel free to discuss.
Good luck !
Pradeep
on July 25, 2007 at 6:06 am | Reply Prashanth

Hi Jonathan
I see that Galloptech has no branches in india .
Do they hire from US only ..?
-Prashanth
on July 25, 2007 at 7:04 am | Reply jonathan

thanks pradeep for the insights.

i’ll be trying to inquire more from both companies about the details of the work (the normal where, what and how questions). i’ll be posting the update here.

–
jonathan
on July 25, 2007 at 7:06 am | Reply jonathan

Prashanth,

they hire anywhere as long as you have the skill and experience. they are more on to .net, c++ and java developers.

–
jonathan
on July 25, 2007 at 1:43 pm | Reply Prashanth

Hi Jonathan
Thanks for the reply ,
Please post info of some other H1B sponsoring companies , if you know any ..
Thanks
on July 26, 2007 at 5:44 am | Reply Prashanth

Hi
For future H1B aspirants useful links

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/h1b-expert/
http://www.edhwani.com/

Regards
Prashanth
on July 26, 2007 at 6:51 am | Reply jonathan

check on http://www.h1bmates.com/, there are lots of companies sponsoring H1B.

–
jonathan
on July 30, 2007 at 11:42 pm | Reply pradeepc

h1bmates has good potential to be a very useful site. I have posted reviews for a few companies there.
on August 4, 2007 at 9:02 pm | Reply Tina

Thanks a lot Pradeep!
on August 6, 2007 at 12:21 am | Reply pradeepc

you’re welcome Tina.
on September 23, 2007 at 8:04 am | Reply Sunil

Hi Pradeep
Its is really nice to see this kind of blog.

I am having one query : I have applied for H1 Visa and it was selected in lottery and petition was also approved next month I will be atending the Stamping inter view and by then I will have 1 yr and 11 months of exp. can that lead to the rejection of stamping and if yes then what are the possible work around.

Waiting for your reply
please mail me your reply at sajjansunil.sharma@gmail.com

Thanks
Sunil
on September 23, 2007 at 8:33 am | Reply pradeepc

Hi Sunil,
I am not a lawyer or immigration law authority, so take my advice accordingly.
As far as I know, the H1B applicant should have the experience required to perform the job as specified in your H1B application. The company should also be able to prove that there is a shortage of US applicants for this job with required profile and experience.
So I really cannot tell you how much experience is required for you. Chances are there really is no specified requirement for the number of years of experience, but usually people with more experience would find it easier to get their visa than people with less experience. But it is not that your case will be rejected. It will depend on the person who will interview at the consulate. So prepare well on what your company is doing and your projects etc. You should be able to confidently convince the interviewer that your future job fits your profile well.
I know that was not much help and I am sorry but thats all I can do.
on October 14, 2007 at 2:33 pm | Reply Kurian

Hi pradeep,

Can you tell me how much does a company like infosys pay for the employee who is sent onsite as a software engg(2yrs experience). Does he have to pay tax in the US. I heard like tax needs to be payed only if the employee stays in the US for more than 3 months.

thanks
Kurian
on October 15, 2007 at 1:00 am | Reply Pradeep

Hi Kurian,
It depends on whether the person is being sent on B1 or H1 visa.
If you are going on B1, you wont get a salary in US. Instead you will get ur normal salary in India plus a per day allowance for stay in US (something like $60/day). They will usually pay for your stay and other expenses like taxi cabs. In this case you dont need to pay any taxes in US.
If you are going on H1, you will get a salary in US and you will have to pay the taxes just like any other US employee. The taxes will depend on your salary as well as state where you are employed. 33% would be a ball park figure for rough calculations.
I dont know how much Infy will pay for a 2 year exp guy in US, but I guess it would be like 55K to 60K.
Feel free to ask if you have more questions.
on November 19, 2007 at 4:46 am | Reply Lekshmi S Nair

Hi Pradeep

I want to know more about the company aitcusa.I came to know that this company is sued by an employee.
on November 19, 2007 at 6:00 am | Reply pradeepc

Hi Lekshmi,
I have forwarded some details of this law suit to your email id (slekshminair@yahoo.com)
regards,
Pradeep
on November 20, 2007 at 2:17 pm | Reply Prashanth

Hi,
Even though we have some of the H1B sponsor list & reviews & groups etc
there are no reliable resources or info.
It will be good if the existing employees of such companies share their views here.
Pradeep , do you haave any idea about ‘good’ / ‘reliable’ H1B sponsors in india ?

Thanks
on November 22, 2007 at 2:36 pm | Reply Mathew

Hi Pradeep,

Thanks a lot for your valuble suggestions for H1B seekers.

I have one question.
Now I am in Infosys and I am planning to apply H1B through consultancy(say iic or htc)….
If my H1B appliction gets approved, when I go for stamping should I carry relieving letter from Infosys.Is it OK if I submit resignation in Infosys after getting H1B stamped? Will Consulate ask for relieving letter..

Thanks
Mathew
on November 22, 2007 at 5:15 pm | Reply pradeepc

Hi Prasanth,
Here is a website that might help you:
http://www.h1bmates.com
Good luck with your search…
on November 22, 2007 at 5:17 pm | Reply pradeepc

Hi Mathew,
You needn’t carry your relieving letter from your current company when you go for stamping at the consulate. However, you should carry your offer letter and a recent payslip (and maybe your office id card).
Good luck !
on November 26, 2007 at 11:39 am | Reply Prashanth

Hi Mathew,
Could you let me know any contact details and website of htc
& any good H1b consultants that you know
Thanks
on December 4, 2007 at 5:49 am | Reply Prashanth

Hi
I have been collecting some good H1b links in my home page too . Hope it will help !
Thanks
Prashanth
on December 10, 2007 at 11:24 am | Reply Sumit

Hi Pradeed,

I have been approached by a consultancy named compu-vision who are sponsoring H1B visa. They are not demanidng any deposit. But as a guarantee they want my original certificates i.e. marksheets and degree certificates. What is your advice on such cases. Do you think it is safe?

Thanks,
Sumit
on December 10, 2007 at 6:21 pm | Reply pradeepc

If I were you, I wouldn’t do it. I would rather give some money as deposit.
Your certificates are far far more valuable than $1000-$2000 and they know that. That is why they are trying this. My advice is don’t do it. They might be good people but I wouldn’t want to play games with my certificates.
on December 16, 2007 at 6:09 am | Reply Bipu Kurup

Hi Pradeep,

i am presently working with capgemini consulting india Mumbai,with an annual salary of 10 lakhs. I have a total experience of 7.5 years and i have completed my B.E in computer science. Presently i processed my h1 thorugh my consultant brmha infotech with an offer of 55k +10k annual bonus with medical insurance . They will take care of my air ticket as well.
first 4 weeks they wont pay me the salary and afterwards they pay me monthly salary.

I am married and have one kid of 10 months old. If i am moving to bangalore i will be getting around 13 lakhs /annum. Is it worth to come to US and work for the above salary?. I am into .net development and my core competencies are analysis ,design and development with a good business understanding of telecom domain.
Please advice as i am in adilemma. if i am moving to bangalore i have my own flat and i dont have to pay any rent as well.
on December 16, 2007 at 7:28 am | Reply pradeepc

Hi Bipu,

I don’t understand why they won’t pay you for the first 4 weeks. That sounds very unfair to me, especially you would need a lot of money initially to get settled.

It is a little difficult to say how good a salary is in US without knowing in which city you would be living. But 55K seems to be a low salary for your experience and domain. You should be getting something like 75K – 90K depending on the location. If you can let me know where you would be working I can give you a better idea of the expenses.

Let me try to calculate your expense from a very generic point of view. 55K per annum comes to approx 4500 per month. After tax it comes to approx 3000. Approx rent = 1000. Now you have 2000 left for your food + electricity, water & other utilities + phone + cable + car payment + car insurance + gas + misc. I cant see you saving much after all this.

Another factor to consider is that once you come here you can always find a better job with far better salary. It would take like 6 months to one year for that. But whether or not you are willing you pay the price initially is entirely upto you. The fact that you are already married and have a kid weighs against you. With 55K salary you wouldn’t be able to bring them to US and live comfortably. Bachelors might be able to get along with that salary comfortably (and probably a small savings).

13 lakhs in Bangalore seems like a good pay especially since you have your own flat there. The attraction in US is saving a lot more money that you can in India. But until you get a green card a lot of uncertainty is involved. Job market in US varies wildy depending on the economy status. Now the dollar value is going down against the rupee so it will eat into your dollar savings.

If I were in your position I would probably settle for Bangalore.

Good luck,
Pradeep
on December 16, 2007 at 1:23 pm | Reply Bipu Kurup

Thanks Pradeep. Your advice has made my decision process a lot easier. Especially i was looking for a US professional’s reply for the same. More over apart from the above i have monthly commitments of aorund 35 k rs in india for flat +car EMIS. So i dont see any reason to opt for US.I would rather pay off my processing fee of 90k to the consultant and settle for bangalore.

Thanks alot Pradeep.

Bipu
on December 16, 2007 at 7:02 pm | Reply pradeepc

You need to pay 90K to the consulting company ???!!!

A better option in case you want to move to US is to get an onsite chance from your current company. Once you are in US you can always look for a job which pays good and then change employers.

Another option is to go ahead and get your H1 now and stay in Bangalore and look for a US employer. You could do a H1 transfer and then go to US on a better job.

regards,
Pradeep
on December 18, 2007 at 8:11 pm | Reply Ashok Aritakula

Hello Pradeep,

First of all , let me thank you for the suggestions .They are really needed and a must to know information.

I am also in a similar kind a situation . I work in a good company and earn 5.5 lacs / annum . I have over 2 yrs 3months of exp . my job profiles is java webservice developer. A company called http://www.snsamerica.com has contacted me and said my profile is ok . They are giving me a salary of $60K ( location not sure will be decided by the clients ) + health insurance . Initially I have to pay then 75K ( indian rupees 50k refundable after 6 monts ) for H1B visa.

lets assume my visa got stammped. ( not sure about the
chances )

Now they are telling me to come to their place ( airfare I have to pay ). They will provide accomodation + food ( not sure about the quality ) . but other expenses would be mine . this period would be for initial two three weeks where in I will give interviews to the their clients ( not sure direct or not ) and also in the same period they will assist me for applying for SSN ( social security number ) . once I find a job they will provide the airfare to relocate to that place.

Well after reading the blog I will now negotiate on few other things . Just wanted to have some tips from and expert like you ( ) . I have also forwarded my resume to other consultants too.

One more question , what exactly are their earnings from all these . If I get two know that I can better bargaing with them . And also as my understanding goes they are my employers . so they should take care of my bench period. is it expected that I should go into agreement with them that regardless of my state their in us they have to assure me a per month salary .

Since when I reach their they are taking care of fooding and lodging only . will they pay me at the end of the month ? . is it expected from them. and after two three weeks when I get a job I have to relocate and then for next 1 month I am upaid ( and now no body is paying for my fooding and lodging now ) since I have to wait for the end of the month to get my salary ( after getting a job ). Should assume that according to them I have to bear my expences for 1 month approx all by self . it looks risky to me in that case.

waiting for your reply eagerly.
on December 19, 2007 at 2:55 am | Reply pradeepc

Congratulations on your offer Ashok.

The offer looks pretty decent to me (for your experience) except for paying the initial 75K. Many companies take some kind of money from employees initially just to keep their side safe (I am not sure about whether it is legal to do so). But most of them pay back the whole amount once the employee stays with them for 6 months – 1 year. I don’t understand why they plan to keep 25k of your money. Doesn’t seem fair to me. But if you feel comfortable about giving away 25K in exchange for a H1B visa it is not a big deal.

You could ask them to pay your airfare but I dont know whether they would do it. It is worth a shot anyway.

Dont have high hopes of the initial accomodation and food. The company usually leases an apartment and new employees coming from India would be able to stay there till they get their first assignment. Usually it would be overcrowded and/or dirty. But chances are it wont be the company’s fault. Most of the guys staying there would be bachelors who have no intention of keeping the apartment clean (or atleast clean it before they leave). This becomes a trend and soon enough the apartment is a mess. I am telling this from first hand experience. But this is not always the case. Sometimes the apartment are clean. It all depends on who stayed there before you. As about food, I think they would give you a weekly allowance to buy grocery and you would have to cook for yourself (usually you would have roommates there and all of you would be cooking together). I am pretty sure there would NOT be a maid to make food for you. This is all ok if you are a bachelor and willing to blend in with others. If you are the kind of person who wants your own room and bathroom or if you are not willing to cook then this might not work well for you. But keep in mind that this is only for a very short period of time. Once you get a job you could always get your own apartment and do what you want to do.

Getting an SSN is not a big deal. You can do it yourself without their help. All you need is your H1 approval and passport with valid I-94. They could help in giving you a ride to the SSN office and back. There is nothing else they can or they need to do. (tip: get your SSN as soon as you can)

As for relocation (when you get a project and have to move to the client’s location) you have to ask for air fare + atleast 2 weeks of hotel stay (or guest house) + expenses involved in moving your personal things. The first time you move, you wont have anything except your suitcases which you brought from India, so there is no expense involved in moving your stuff. But after the first project is over, chances are you will have a car, some furniture and a few household items to be moved. This could cost like $2000. So you should have to ask your company to bear this expense. Remember to get all this in writing in your offer letter.

I have no idea how much they would be making through you. It would depend on your billing rate. But surely they wouldnt be raking in any profit until after 3 to 6 months you are on a project. You should keep in mind that they are in this business to make money. Both sides should play fair to have a harmonious relationship. Anways, even if they drive a hard bargain, you can always find a new employer who pays you better once you come here and get yourself settled. I suggest, you should try to be satisfied with a decent offer you can get, atleast initially, and then move onto greener pastures once you get a feel of the things. If you try to get everything right in the first shot itself things might not even get started.

Legally they should be paying you from day one. But chances are they would only pay you once you get a project (which is why they are giving you initial accomodation and food). Also, legally, you should be paid in between projects (called bench pay). But there are only a few companies who do that. Many companies will pay for 15 days on bench but not more than that. Then there are some smart ass companies who will wont pay you the first 15 days, but keep that money till your project is over and then pay you for the next 15 days making you think that they are paying you while you are on bench.

I didnt understand what you say here:
“when I get a job I have to relocate and then for next 1 month I am upaid”

Do you mean that they keep your first month’s salary? Or do you just mean that it is going to be one month before you get your first salary and you would have no money till then ?
If it is the second case, then you could ask them for a salary advance which you can pay back in equal installments over 3 to 6 months. Many companies do this. If they dont, I gues you dont have an option other than take some money with you when you relocate to US. Most of the companies pay bi-weekly so if your company is like that, then you shouldnt be worrying about it much.

Hope I cleared most of your doubts. Feel free to ask if you have more questions.

regards,
Pradeep
on December 19, 2007 at 10:41 am | Reply Ashok Aritakula

Hello Pradeep,

from now on I should call u “Immigration Guru ” , because of the depth in your answers.

I have answere all my question in a best possible way.

Now one more scenario to be analysed .

In the worst case I land their . and I dont get a job for more than 1 month ( may be 2 months ) . then what happens . am I ruined ?
on December 19, 2007 at 10:42 am | Reply Ashok Aritakula

Sorry I meant ” You have answered all my question in a best possible way “
on December 19, 2007 at 10:52 am | Reply Anees

Hey Pradeep

Amazing work!!!

-Anees
on December 19, 2007 at 11:07 pm | Reply pradeepc

Hi Anees,
Thanks for the your kind words
on December 19, 2007 at 11:18 pm | Reply pradeepc

Hi Ashok,
I am glad you found my reply useful.

As for this question:

“In the worst case I land their . and I dont get a job for more than 1 month ( may be 2 months ) . then what happens . am I ruined ?”

It is difficult question. Since they wont be paying you till you get a project, you are legally “out of status” which means (by legal definition) you are an illegal alien in the United States (To maintain your H1B status you should have a fulltime job as specified in your H1B application and you should be paid atleast as much as specified in your H1B application).

Since most people who come through consulting companies go through this phase I dont think you should be discouraged by this. As for not getting a project in a month or two, it would be a truly difficult situation. But as of the now, the job market is good and you shouldn’t have a problem finding a project. So in my opinion you neednt worry about that. We really shouldnt be thinking too far into the future because things may change drastically (and unpredictably) in a short period in the US. If a depression hits the economy people could lose their jobs. So some risk is always there even if you are on a project or if you are looking for one.
on December 20, 2007 at 11:00 am | Reply Ashok Aritakula

Hello Pradeep,

Thanks once again . Nice talking to you . Your advices where really to the point and informative.

Let me go thru this phase . will come back and post my experience in this blog itself.

bye for now.
Take care.
on December 20, 2007 at 6:27 pm | Reply pradeepc

Good luck Ashok..
on December 24, 2007 at 3:09 pm | Reply Ashok Aritakula

Hello Pradeep,

me again . now with a different problem. these people are saying the whole visa process will take time till october next year and I will be flying to USA during november.

Is this some kind of trick to book people before hand i.e one year before . or it will really take that much time.

I was think that .. by may everything would be . please tell me something about the time the Visa process takes
on December 24, 2007 at 8:23 pm | Reply Ashok Aritakula

WISH YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS !!!!
on December 25, 2007 at 8:54 pm | Reply Pradeep

Merry Christmas, Ashok.

It is true that you wont be able to work in US till next (2008) October. The H1B application will start in April 2008. So they should start preparing for your application now. The approval will usually come within a 2-3 months. Then you should go to the US consulate in India to get the visa stamped on your passport. You would be able to start working only from October though.

Since the visas ran out on the very first day last year, make sure that you do the paper work as early as you can so that your employer would be able to submit your application on the first day itself.

regards,
Pradeep
on December 26, 2007 at 7:56 am | Reply Ashok Aritakula

Hi , Pradeep

Thanks a lot for the imformation. I will try to give them the documents as early as possible.

regards,
Ashok
on December 27, 2007 at 2:14 pm | Reply arun

Hi
Anybody know about SVAM international ?
Appriciate your inputs
Thanks
on January 4, 2008 at 5:01 am | Reply Shirish

Hi Pradeep,
I really appreciate the efforts you have put in to gather such an exhaustive information base about jobs and related stuff. I have a few queries myself though. I have been offered a H1B sponsorship by http://www.multivision.cc/ which is based in Firfax, Virginia. They require a security deposit of $2200 initially. They will not be paying me the first month salary and there is a hike of $5000 after 6 months. Though the things are not clear yet about the offer terms they are offering me a salary of $65K. I have over 7.5 years of experience in Java & J2EE related technologies specially in Object Oriented Design and Analysis. I am currently working in a Singapore based software firm and posted at client site in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
I would like to know how does the offered package fair in the US market for a person with my level of experience.

Regards
on January 6, 2008 at 2:31 am | Reply Pradeep

Hi Shirish,

Unfortunately I havent heard about this company. So I wouldnt be able to comment on that aspect. Try to ask around and get more information about the company and how it deals with its employees. It wouldnt be too smart to believe whatever they say or put on their website, just like it is stupid to hire a candidate based on what he has written in his resume.

I dont understand why they wont pay you your first month’s salary. It seems very unfair to me. It is illegal for them to do so too. A salary of $65K is low for a person with 7.5 years of experience but it might be difficult to get what you actually deserve since you are new to US. So if you are willing to get by with that salary for 6-12 months, you should be able to negotiate for a better salary on find a different employer who is willing to pay more. Whether $65K is a good enough salary will depend on your work location. It is certainly a good salary in North Dakota, but very low for New York.
Your initial expense would be $2200 + one month expense (since they arent going to pay you the first month) + travel expense to US + initial expenses like getting an apartment etc. Together this is going to come to approx $7500. This is assuming to get to start work as soon as you come here. If you have to come here and look for a project and if the company isnt going to provide food and accommodation for you then this offer is a total scam.

If you are already doing well in Malaysia then this offer is not very good. Otherwise it might be worth considering. I would recommend you to look for other employers who are willing to provide better pay and no “security deposit”.
on January 7, 2008 at 10:04 am | Reply suganya

Hi Pradeep ,

Can i get to talk to you? Can you give your email id or phone number?

Regards
Suganya
on January 7, 2008 at 3:53 pm | Reply Pradeep

You can email me at pc.mail.public@gmail.com

regards,
Pradeep
on January 8, 2008 at 11:23 am | Reply suganya

Hi ,

Pradeep what are your thoughts on HTC for H1B 2008?
on January 8, 2008 at 11:19 pm | Reply pradeepc

I have replied to your email.
on January 11, 2008 at 6:55 am | Reply Premraj Cheguri

Pradeep thanks for the valuable suggestions you are providing.

I am planing for H1B visa. Does the reputation of consultancy matters in geting the visa. I am approaced by a consultacy called Softpath Systems.

Basco Systems approaced me with free visa processing but they want my certificates as deposit. anyway im going to accept that untill im clear on my package. Is it a good idea to accept their offer if they pay 60-65k. And also they told me that i will working for Compu-Vision Consulting. Hass compu vision got a good reputation ???

Thanks,
Prem
on January 11, 2008 at 8:43 am | Reply Pradeep

Hi Premraj,
If a company has bad reputation then there is a chance that people applying for H1B through them have a higher chance of getting rejected. I dont know if there is any hard and fast rules on it but I think it is safe to say that it would depend upon the person who will be interviewing you at the Consulate.

I have not heard of Softpath or Basco Systems or Compu-Vision. So I cant comment on that. You should try googling about the company or posting about the company in forums.

I would advice you against giving your certificates as deposit. Chances are they wont run away with it but it is not uncommon for employees and employer to disagree on something (in the future, if not now), and if your employer has your certificates then your bargaining power is significantly reduced. If I were in your place I wouldnt give the certificates to even a trustworthy company let alone a company you barely know. You could negotiate with them to put down some money instead of the certificates.

I cannot say whether 60-65K is a good salary without you specifying your domain of expertise and years of experience and the location that you would be staying in US. Living expenses vary wildly among different US cities.

Good luck with your H1-B.

regards,
Pradeep
on January 12, 2008 at 12:27 pm | Reply Mohan

Hi Pradeep,
Thank you very much for giving such a valuable information on life in USA. I am going to Chennai on 24th Jan’08 for my H1B visa stamping. How are the chances of Oracle Database Administrators in USA? I am having 12 years of experience in IT field. Will there be any problem in getting my VISA?

Regards,
Mohan
on January 12, 2008 at 7:51 pm | Reply Pradeep

Hi Mohan,

With 12 years of experience you really shouldnt have anything to worry about regarding the visa stamping (assuming you have all the proper documents ready).

You would do good to read this:

http://www.path2usa.com/immigration/h1bcorner/H1b_interviewquestions.htm

As about employment opportunities for Oracle Admins in US, I dont know much because I dont work in that field and I dont have any friends working in that field either. Your best bet would be to search in Dice.com, Monster.com and CareeBuilder.com and see how many search results come up (which has been posted recently).

Wish you good luck .

regards,
Pradeep
on January 16, 2008 at 12:31 pm | Reply S K

Hi Pradeep,
First of all I thank you very much for your valuable suggetions. I am also in a similar kind a situation. I got offer from a company. They offered me 62K + Medical insurance coverage which include Medical, Vision, Dental as well as Life insurance for employee and family + relocation charges + visa stamping charges. I have over 7 yrs of exp . My job profiles is java/j2ee senior developer. Initially I have to pay then refundable amount 1000$ INR(500$ refundable if i do not get visa) for H1B visa. Initially they will provide accomodation for few days.
I think salary they offerd me is less what should i get. currently i am getting 10K in india. So should i go with offer or should I ask for more and also what other things I need to ask them?

Thanks in advance.
S K
on January 18, 2008 at 2:52 pm | Reply Brijesh

Hi Pradeep,

i got the offer from multivison.cc fairfax VA , i will be paid 65000$ anually. they will reimbursed my air fair from india to US. they will not provide first month salary and they will provide accormodation for one month. one year contract and they will put me on client site after one month.

i want to know about cost of leaving in fairfax VA . i have one child 4 year old ,so want to know about schooling and other cost.
on January 29, 2008 at 11:43 am | Reply Sheikh Faridul Hasan

Dear Author,
Thanks for the very informative post.
well, I have a silly question to ask?
I am a GSM Telecom Configuration Engineer working with Ericsson products in a Bangladeshi Oparator name GrameenPhone Ltd.

What are the /Is there any Possibilty for the Telecom Professionals regarding H1B visa

Best regards
faridul hasan
System Engineer,
Network Integration & Configuration
GrameenPhone Ltd.
Dhaka, Bangladesh
on January 30, 2008 at 3:30 am | Reply Achu

Hi Pradeep

Am from Chennai. I got mailfrom Accurum Technologies! Is it good company? They asked my hubby to send all those documents for processing the visa details.. He is having 4+ years in Testing. I want to ask u one thing. Are Testing professionals Boom in US IT industry or not? Wat abt PHP Opportunities in USA? Awaiting to hear from u.

Regards
achu
on January 31, 2008 at 5:03 am | Reply Raj

Hi Pradeep,

Your blog is extremely informative.Thanks for your service.I have a query on my H1B.I got my H1b through a company A .If i travel to US and resign after three months from the company A ,will the company A cancel my H1B.Becoz i need to come back to india anyway for final settlement even if i resign from US.
on February 3, 2008 at 8:25 am | Reply Moojun

Hi Pradeep,
Your blog is very informative. I appreciate if you can shed some light on my way. I have an offer from a company by name SVAM International based in Long Island, NY. They are not charging anything for H1B processing but they wanted me to agree and sign 2 bonds. One for assuring that I will serve at least 1 year in that company failing I have to give $15K. the other one is if my H1B got stamped and if I changed my mind I need to give them $2320. I have asked them $70K/Annum and it seems they are ready for that. I would like to know your thoughts on this deal.
Thanks,
Moojun
on February 13, 2008 at 1:02 pm | Reply Upender

Hi Pradeep,

I really appreciate your help for the people who wants to come to US and most of my doubts got cleared.Thnx a lot.I also have got an offer from the company called SVAM International based in New York.As Moojun said,they are not charging anything for H1B processing but they wanted me to sign a bond to give the surity of $2320 in case if i got my H1B stamped and not decided to join SVAM.It becomes null and void if i join the SVAM.I have around 8 yrs exp in java/j2ee technologies and they have offered me $60k as bench salary and $65k as on project salary and other benefits such as health insurance,1 week sick and personal days,2 weeks paid leave and relocation expenses and accommadation.I have asked them to give around $75k as on project salary and waiting for the reply.As Moojun said if they ask service agreement for 1 yr failing which need to pay $15k,is there any problem signing this bond.Please i need your inputs and suggestions about the offer as well as about the company.Please give your comments.

Thnx a lot
Upender
on February 14, 2008 at 6:26 pm | Reply Ravikanth

Hi,

I need a small clarification regarding H1B transfer.

I got my H1Bvisa stamped from company A and its been around 5 months since I have been to USA and I have never been to USA before. Now that another company is ready to transfer my H1B and said that I can travel to US with the existing visa stamp and the new approved H1 transfer petition applied from his side. However, I heard that this is not possible and one needs to travel to US before getting his H1 Transferred to another company. I am in a confusion regarding whom to believe. Can you please show some light regarding this matter.

Regards,
Ravikanth
on February 14, 2008 at 6:36 pm | Reply Pradeep

Hi Ravikanth,
I didnt understand your question exactly. Are you in India or US now ? Did u travel to US on Company A’s H1B ?

You can travel to US with a new H1B approval and old H1B stamping (if stamping is still valid at the date of travel).

regards,
Pradeep
on February 15, 2008 at 2:40 pm | Reply Ravikanth

Hi Pradeep,

Thank you for your reply.

I am in India now and have never travelled to US on company A’s H1B. The visa is valid till 2010.

As per your reply, whatever the consultant is saying is legitimate right?.

Thanks,
Ravikanth
on February 15, 2008 at 6:26 pm | Reply Pradeep

Yes I personally know one person who changed H1B sponsor in India itself and went to US with previous stamping (which was still valid).
on February 16, 2008 at 2:32 pm | Reply Upender

Hi Pradeep,

I really appreciate your help for the people who wants to come to US and most of my doubts got cleared.Thnx a lot.I also have got an offer from the company called SVAM International based in New York.As Moojun said,they are not charging anything for H1B processing but they wanted me to sign a bond to give the surity of $2320 in case if i got my H1B stamped and not decided to join SVAM.It becomes null and void if i join the SVAM.I have around 8 yrs exp in java/j2ee technologies and they have offered me $60k as bench salary and $65k as on project salary and other benefits such as health insurance,1 week sick and personal days,2 weeks paid leave and relocation expenses and accommadation.I have asked them to give around $75k as on project salary and waiting for the reply.As Moojun said if they ask service agreement for 1 yr failing which need to pay $15k,is there any problem signing this bond.Please i need your inputs and suggestions about the offer as well as about the company.
Thnx a lot
Upender
on February 16, 2008 at 4:37 pm | Reply Pradeep

Hi Upender,
I dont know about the company, there are thousands of consulting companies in the US. You should Google about the company and post your queries in h1b forums (eg. http://www.h1bmates.com)

The initial bond of $2320 seems fair to me. It would be very unfair to them if they apply for your H1 and then you join another company.

The $15K bond seems a bit too much to me. It is a huge sum of money. But the good thing is that it is for only one year. But as long they hold the money, your options are limited. You can ask for a smaller sum of money like 5K.

About the salary, 65K is a great salary but newcomers to US doesnt get great salaries anyway. You can always negotiate for higher pay or change employers after an year or so.

Good luck,
Pradeep
on February 18, 2008 at 6:10 am | Reply Upender

Hi Pradeep,

I will try to negotiate as much as possible.

Thnx a lot for your suggestions.

Thnx
Upender
on February 18, 2008 at 12:28 pm | Reply Sumit

Hi Pradeep,

I got an offer from Hevar Sytems Inc which is based in Irving, Texas. They are sponsoring my H1B but want a security deposit of $1800 which they will refund after 6 months. I have serached H1B mates for this company but could not find it there. Do you know about this company?

Regards,
Sumit
on February 18, 2008 at 3:58 pm | Reply Pradeep

Hi Sumit,
I haven’t heard about this company. Sorry.
Pradeep
on February 18, 2008 at 5:38 pm | Reply Rohan

Hi,

I have got an offer from consultant MindLance (ML), http://www.mindlance.com/. I have total 7.5 years of experience.

The offer is for $65K plus following benefits,

1. ML will be responsible for your H1B and related costs. It will file for your H1B and will also pay for your one-way fare to the US. ML will not be responsible for airfare for any
family members that might accompany you to the US. This is applicable for all candidates joining us on a full-time basis.
2. It will be ML responsibility to house you till your first
assignment.
3. medical, dental and vision insurance coverage;
4. 2 weeks vacation; relocation assistance; initial accommodation; performance bonuses and G.C. sponsorship.
5. An employee you would be still paid a salary even when you are on a bench.
6. ML will pay for expenses incurred on relocating from the guesthouse to the project-site on actuals. This would include expenses incurred to make air travel bookings, hotel
bookings (for 1 week), and rental car arrangements all subject to a max. of US$ 1000.

The candidate is expected to make a deposit amount of Rs 75,000. and the deposit amount is fully reimbursable to the candidate post their arrival into the US.

– If an H1B does get rejected ML will pay back the entire deposit amount taken from the candidate.
– However, if the H1B gets approved and the stamping fails to take place then you would not be reimbursed your amount.
– Further, it is highly likely that like last year, there would again be a lottery system next year and in the event your case is unable to make it through to the lottery then you would be reimbursed your amount minus the attorney fees.

I have two concerns here,
1. The deposite amount seems to be too much. What can be the ideal amount?
2. The salary seems to be less as per my experience and profile. What can be the least that I should settle for. I understand that as I am coming first time from India I need to compromise bit on that part but what would be the max that I can expect?

Are there any other points that I should check out with consultant?

Thanks,
Rohan
on February 18, 2008 at 6:34 pm | Reply Pradeep

>>1. The deposite amount seems to be too much. What can be the ideal amount?

Ideal amount should be zero
But since there is little chance they would agree to that, you can try for the smallest amount that they will agree to. Anyways it will also depend on how much you want to risk for getting an H1. I suggest you ask for 25K, maybe you can get something in between 25 and 75K.

>>2. The salary seems to be less as per my experience and profile. What can be the least that I should settle for. I understand that as I am coming first time from India I need to compromise bit on that part but what would be the max that I can expect?

When 65K is a good salary depends on where you will be working in US (client site). Depending on the location, this can be a good salary (eg. North Dakota) or low (eg. New York). I think it is safe to say that it is fair on part of the company to pay you lower salary for first year because they have to pay your H1 expenses and accomodation till your first project. But they should certainly pay you higher salary later on. So you should talk about that to your company.
on February 23, 2008 at 6:03 am | Reply nitin

Hi Shirish,
Any updates on Multivision.cc. I have also an offer from them but don know whether to join or not. The most disturbing factors are the one year bond and the $20,000 penalty if I break it. Other reasons are the $2200 security deposit they are taking and the first month salary is not being paid by them. Please tell me any other updates you have and whether you are thinking of joining it !!!
on February 27, 2008 at 9:19 am | Reply Manoj

Great Information Pradeep..

I have an offer too from SVAM.. They told that they would process H1 without any money from candidate and that the salary range would be 65,000 dollars max. Should I go for it or not?
Also, how about the current market trend? I have been told my friends that I’ll have keep changing places and work will be very hectic. My friends also told me if I am able to withstand heavy stress only then should I go for this. Is is so? Does this company really not have bench and do they pay on time? Is it worth quitting the current “permanenet” job in India and running for USA?
Please let me knoe this and all that you think a person in my condition should know.
on February 28, 2008 at 4:04 pm | Reply Pradeep

Hi Manoj,
If you have read the comments above your question, you would notice that it is almost impossible to say whether 65K is a good salary or not. The reason for that is, living expenses vary wildly in different cities. Also I have no idea how many years of experience you have, what platform you work in and your general competence.

The market as of now seems good. There is news of upcoming recession which might make things different, but as of now we dont know.

It is true that you might have to move frequently if you are going to work as a consultant. Again, it will depend on where you get your projects. If it is in same city you wont have to move.

Workload will vary from company to company. I personally feel it will be not as much as in companies in Bangalore.

I can’t say whether it would for you to come to US. Certainly there are monetary benefits and chances of applying for a green card, but it will depend on several other factors. Then there is a perpetual job risk when you are on H1. If you are already married and with kids, you might find the transition difficult. But if you are single you should do ok.

Good luck,
Pradeep
on February 29, 2008 at 7:11 am | Reply Abhilash

Hi Pradeep,

Can Please help me in taking a decision on filing H1B with a consultant for me and wife.

Consultant Name:Everest Consulting Inc,Newjersy

Can please find the following inputs

1 .Now I am having

Total 7.3 Years of Experience in Banking domain
working in CMM Level 5 in India
Earning INR 9 lakhs/Annum

Skill : 4 years development experience in MUMPS and software Testing (Banking)

Another 3.3 year experience in Software Testing in C++/UNIX (Banking) and Release Management and holding CSTE, CSQA Testing certifications also .

My wife having 2 year experience as Technical writer & experienced as HR (recruitment for Tech writer etc).
So total experience is 4 years for her by November 2008.
Now her salary is INR 3 Lakh/Annum

We are having a kid of 2.5 years old.

A consultant “EVEREST Consulting Inc”, Newjersy (Local office in chennai) offered us

Benefits:
For me – salary is 62 K per Anuum
(May be revised to 67k after 6 months once I joined in USA)

For my wife- salary is 50K per Annum

(Below only if H1B Visa gets stamped per candidate offered by the consultant ):
Free Air ticket from India to USA for each successful H1B stamped candidate.
Food & Accommodation till you join the project while in USA.
Relocation expenses will be provided as per the company policy.
Two weeks Hotel accommodation at the client site.
Salary credited on every 2 weeks.
10 days paid Vacation per Year.
Group Health Insurance as per the company policy (may around 200 $ /month max not sure).
Green Card process .

Condition:
(a)1 year employment bond once join the company in USA.
(b)Need to provide INR 1 lakh as Bank guarantee per candidate.
(c)Only INR 6000 Rupees if not selected in the lottery

As per point (b) in the condition ,We need to provide 1 lakh as bank guarantee per candidate (a fixed deposit in our name. So me and wife total sum is 2 lakh as bank guarantee) .if we don’t join the consultant in USA after visa is stamped, and NOT work with consultant for 1 year, consultant willTake away INR 1 lakh deposit from each candidate as their fixed deposit.
Interest on fixed deposit will be credite to the candidate.

Can please clarify.

1. Whether the offers are good/reasonable/Below Low standard ?
2. Whether EVEREST CONSULTING INC is a good company?
3. (a) Is it better to file H1B for me and wife together/on same year (April 2008), any Chances of rejection at USA consulate since both are filing H1B together?

(b) Is it better to file H1B for me alone current year
(April 2008) and wife can file her H1B in the Next year (April 2009)

Which is better option according to you?

4. Is it better to file H1B for me and wife together under the same consultant (Everest?)
Means whether we need to keep our filing with different consultants.

Many thanks in advance
Expecting a early reply since i need to make a decision in a weeks time.

regards
Abhilash
on March 1, 2008 at 6:52 am | Reply Pradeep

1. Whether the offers are good/reasonable/Below Low standard ?

Living expenses vary very much from city to city. So a salary of 62K is good for come cities and low for others. Rest of the offer details seems standard.

2. Whether EVEREST CONSULTING INC is a good company?

I haven’t heard of this company. So I dont know. I have posted links to websites and forums where you can ask this question and get a better answer.

3. (a) Is it better to file H1B for me and wife together/on same year (April 2008), any Chances of rejection at USA consulate since both are filing H1B together?

You won’t get rejected just because you apply together.

(b) Is it better to file H1B for me alone current year
(April 2008) and wife can file her H1B in the Next year (April 2009). Which is better option according to you?

There is an advantage in doing u coming alone first. It can be a difficult time till you get your first project. So if you come with your family it will be even more difficult. So I think it is better to come alone first and get settled then bring your wife on H4 and then apply for H1 for next year.

4. Is it better to file H1B for me and wife together under the same consultant (Everest?)
I cant see any specific advantage in doing it that way. But there is a disadvantage – if you decide to quit the company some time later and if your employer is not happy about it, then your wife might have a hard time continuing to work there. But bear in mind that this situation might not arise.

Good luck,
Pradeep
on March 1, 2008 at 1:06 pm | Reply Abhilash

Thank you very mcuh for your guidance ..

You made my day!
on March 6, 2008 at 5:35 am | Reply Hari

Hi,

I have also got an offer from multivision.cc. The security deposit of $2200 is worries me. Any suggesstion mail me to
usayme@gmail.com
on March 6, 2008 at 11:07 am | Reply Mohan

Hi Pradeep,
I got my H1B visa stamped in the month of January. I am planning to goto USA (New Jersey) at the end of April. Is it the right time to get a job in USA? I am having 12+ years of experience. At present I am working as Oracle DBA and having over 4 years of experience in database administration. Please give me a suggestion.

Regards
Mohan
on March 12, 2008 at 5:50 am | Reply Manoj

Thanks Pradeep for the reply. To tell you about my experience, I have 4 years of experience. Technology – SQL Server. For initial 3 years I did Production Support (which involved administration and maintenance) and now I am a SQL developer.

I am only skeptical about the company – SVAM International. If anyone confirms that this is not a fraud or I wont be left helpless in the US, I am ready to take this up. For, I hope you understand that once the job is secure, one can sustain any stress. Moving around also wont be a problem for me. I am not married yet and so I think I can go ahead. But only thing that I am waiting for is the confirmation that this company is a good one and reputed one.

Waiting for your reply.
on March 12, 2008 at 6:48 am | Reply Pradeep

Hi Manoj,

I personally don’t know anything about SVAM. I found out through Google that they were in the top 200 H1 sponsors in 200 (top 200 in terms of number of visas).

While this is not definitely a positive thing, this means that they are actively dealing with many H1B people.

You could try Orkut or other social networking sites to find people working in SVAM.

regards,
Pradeep
on March 24, 2008 at 7:16 am | Reply sridhara munimakula

Hi Pradeep,

It is good many of our software professionals work abroad. I am Masters in Engineering with specialisation in Structural Engineering. I have focussed my career in execution of structures like villas, commercial complexes, etc. I have recently worked in Botswana for 5 years as project manager. To further progress in my career i would like to try my luck in USA. Could you please suggest some reliable consultants who can assist me find a job in USA. you can mail me on munisri@yahoo.com

Thanking you,
Sridhara
on May 13, 2008 at 3:02 pm | Reply Karthick

Hi Pradeep,

You are doing a great job. This blog has been useful to atleast a couple of persons I know.
on May 18, 2008 at 3:14 am | Reply Viren

Hey Pradeep,
One of your reply said that someone sued a company called InfoObjects.
Can u send me more details on my email id vibpat@gmail.com.
They are harrasing one of my friends.
on May 31, 2008 at 1:08 pm | Reply Mukul

Hi Pradeep,
Its great work you are doing. Your article solves my lots of doubts.
I have got offer from ZSLInc, new Jersy. Have you heard about this company? They give me the package of 62,000$ .but taken my 10 th & 12 th original certificate as a security. The company is originally from Chennai named as Zylog.
They have asked around 20% share in each the facility they give us like Health insurance, dental insurance etc.
After I will get my visa, they told me to sign a 2 year bond of value 24000$.
According to your opinion is this a good offer??
Queries……..
1. It may be possible that if I am not getting job there (in 1 or 2 month) they asked me to work on the lower salary.
2. How much is the risky to break the bond?
3. My English is good but I don’t have any experience to understand the US English.
So should I join a course of the US English? (In short I want to ask that if any person don’t have the US English experience so it feel difficult?)
4. How is the current market situation because, there is news of upcoming recession?
It is safe to go on the October time (they told us that if we ll get visa then we can fly after October)??
please send me link from where I can know about the company.
Thank &
on June 3, 2008 at 10:12 am | Reply Ashok Aritakula

Hello Pradeep ,

I am back again . My H1B visa got selected . Got the news from my consultancy SNS America , but still now didn’t get the receipt no. Expecting the same by this week .

Just wanted to let you know and also to my other friends here in the blog .

will keep updating on the happenings at my end.

Thanks ,
Ashok.
on June 7, 2008 at 8:36 pm | Reply Ashok Aritakula

okies got the receipt number also [:-)]
on June 11, 2008 at 7:25 am | Reply Manoj

Hi Pradeep,

I have also got the approval.. now waiting to schedule an Interview for stamping.

I have been asked to report to Great Neck, NewYork once I go there. So, do you any idea how good is $65,000 here? I asked in couple of forums which gave me very discouraging answers. Though the place work and stay are not still known, since I would be reporting to SVAM office (which in turn will put me to a client), assuming it could be near Great Neck, how do you think it will be? In fact people told me that it wouldn’t be enough to buy rice?!! Is that all that bad??

If so, where can I stay comfortably in this salary and save something? As for SVAM, they told me that the tax is 25% and stay should not be a problem.

Hi all in this page..
Did anyone join SVAM in the last year? Would you be able to give me more information please?

Thanks,
Manoj Deshpande.
on June 28, 2008 at 7:09 pm | Reply Rohit

Hi Pradeep,

I got an offer from Multivision.cc but then my H1 was not cleared this time. So instead they have asked me to join a MBA course for university of northern virginia (www.unva.edu) and then work with them as a regular job through CPT coming on F1 visa.
My questions are :
1. Does this sounds a good deal ?
2. How good is the university and job?
3. they have already taken 2200$ for H1 which they will now spend on my CPT
4. I have 3 yrs of experience. Is 65000$ a good salary to go for and will it be good for me to survive there considering i may have to travel during weekends for my MBA course.

Please reply me soon, i am really confused.
PS. Company has told me if i am not interedted for this F1 idea, they are ready to send my 2200$ back to me.
on July 9, 2008 at 9:27 pm | Reply uday

HI Pradeep & Ashok,

Pradeep first of all I must thank you for maintaining this site.

Ashok Aritakula my question is actually for you…

I also applied through SNSAmerica. I have been informed that I got the H1B but am yet to recieve my receipt# as I havent paid my remaining balance(25K) yet..
Can I have your contact details..Pls..
@Pradeep. I have time till Oct 2008 for H1B visa if I am not wrong? Can you correct me if I am wrong. Am I missing any thin lines in between.

Thanks
Uday
on September 9, 2008 at 5:48 pm | Reply Lalit

Hi Pradeep,
I would really appreciate for creating such an informative site. I have the same question as Manoj had. I have just got an offer from SVAM International’s Indian branch and they have asked me to join in India but they will be processing H1 for me very soon. I just wanted to know that how much should i ask as salary component so that i could survive there in Newyork. Also i want to know about the credibility of this company as i could not find any traces about this company.
Thanks in anticipation..
regards
Lalit
on November 8, 2008 at 1:09 pm | Reply Gnani

Hi,
Basco Systems (Chennai) contacted me for H1B Visa processing. They are asking to submit the Education certificates as the security deposit for my visa processing. Is it advisable to do? Is anyone there who is working for Basco Systems (Compu Vision). I would like get more info on this. Thanks in advance.
Gnani
on November 22, 2008 at 12:42 am | Reply sarathi

I joined SVAM International last year. Personally, I never had any problem with them. They have a good marketing team and care about their employees. Your savings depend on where you work.
on November 23, 2008 at 5:01 pm | Reply Ashraful

hi
I am a Civil engineer.i do not about H1 B visa.how to process and how to apply. pls help me by giving information
on December 3, 2008 at 2:20 am | Reply xurqypyh

That lieutenant isnt a whiff ofher panties was speaking of little asian girl deadly peril, sucked, i.
on December 25, 2008 at 5:19 pm | Reply Vishnu

Hi Pradeep,

Thanks for your answers.i learnt a lot of things from your answers.

My h1 visa has got approved.but still i am waiting for my H1 documents from my employer.they r saying that the software market situation is not at all gud..can you tell me wen can the market will be gud ?

Thanks
on December 30, 2008 at 9:21 am | Reply Prasad

Hi Sarathi,

I have been contacted by SVAM and i am thorugh with the technical round. I asked for a salary of 60K in the beginning. On seeing these posts i assume this amount is not enough.
As you went to US through SVAM, it would be great if you colud give me some details about SVAM and the compensation point of view.
Please provide me your mailid so that i can mail you personally.

Thanks in Advance
on January 4, 2009 at 6:02 am | Reply List of h1b visa sponsors for 2009

http://www.eDhwani.com has compiled list of all h1b sponsors and their details and reviews about many consultants.
on January 4, 2009 at 6:05 am | Reply comments on SVAM

http://www.edhwani.com/myphpbb/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=9&p=10&hilit=svam#p10
on January 13, 2009 at 11:17 am | Reply Guru

Can any one provide me the set of questions asked by this company in the technical round……..

It’s Urgent………
on January 13, 2009 at 11:19 am | Reply Guru

Can any one provide me the set of questions asked by this company multivision.cc in the technical round……..

It’s Urgent………
on February 28, 2009 at 4:36 pm | Reply John
on February 28, 2009 at 4:48 pm | Reply John

Your Visitors
on March 3, 2009 at 5:33 pm | Reply Amit Singhal

Hi,

I got my H1-B visa through SVAM in 2005 May, though I didnot get the stamping done.Unfortunately I could not go at that time.Though the consultant had not asked for any money at that time, but now after 4 years,its legal firm on its behalf has sent me a legal notice. This notice was sent at the address where no one resides for both me and the guarantor, so they sent the same through email for remitting the amount as stated in the bond. Please do let me know the seriousness of the case and the course of action that should be taken by me.

Thanks
on March 6, 2009 at 5:29 pm | Reply Pallav

Hi Amit,
You got your visa but stamping is not done till yet. Means you did not get a chance to go there and second thing you are running away or you have not break any condition/terms/ or service agreement of SVAM. So I can not understand why they send you legal notice. So according to me you should not worry. But this means is not that you should nt do anything. Contact family lower and try to sort this problem by mutual understanding. That is my suggestion.

One thing I want to know guys. I got offer from SVAM and they have sent 20 pages employment agreement. I have some doubt abt this so any guy can help me out in this case it would be very helpfull to me specially any guy who is working for svam can share his/her contact details to this forum or can contact me directly on pallav_20002001@yahoo.co.in

Thx
-Pallav
on August 12, 2009 at 6:09 am | Reply Ashok Aritakula

Hello ,

@uday , you can contact me on
ashok.aritakula@gmail.com

@All , SNSAmerica has advised me to be patient till
markets becomes positive . My Visa Stamping is
not yet done. My application got select last year
Arpil, 2008 .

Can anyone suggest me what should I do
regarding my situation .

Am I loosing time ? Should I wait and go next
year ? is it worth going to US at all ,seeing so
many things happening ? Should I ask for a
refund .

Any inputs would be helpful.

Thanks & Regards,
Ashok K Aritakula.
on August 23, 2009 at 9:56 am | Reply arun

Hi
Anyone working with svam?
please reply to cdpradeepa@gmail.com
Thank