I just found out that my work visa petition was denied. I have to leave the U.S. immediately. I am leaving this weekend. I have a ton of packing to do.
USCIS screwed up. Apparently, a Law Clerk position is not a specialty occupation. A Law Clerk = a paralegal, a position that does not require at least a Bachelor's degree. I was hired as a Law Clerk since I have not yet passed the bar. I was a previous Law Clerk on an H-1B. Now that a comparable firm has hired me, in a similar capacity, suddenly, my position is not a "specialty occupation." I always knew that USCIS could be arbitrary. But its arbitrariness has not screwed me before. Until now.
I shall be ending this blog as there is no more reason for me to keep it. I will have no adventures nor misadventures in the US, since I will not be in the US. I have to pack up almost 5 years of my life in two days. I do not know what kind of career I would be coming home to since I have been away for long. Going through a job search again will definitely be a pain. But at least once I find a suitable job, I could start immediately and would not require any work authorization in my country.
I am an honorable person and I do not intend to violate any laws. I know immigration is a hot topic right now. But by golly, so this is how it feels like to not have any lawful status. At this very moment, I am an illegal alien. I haven't even been in the US my entire life and still it hurts to suddenly have my life in disarray and to say goodbye forever. I can't even imagine how those people who came here very young go through their lives knowing that they do not have lawful status. I wanted to be a person who can help those people--to fulfill their dreams and the dreams of their families. It totally sucks that I could not even help myself. I am a well-educated, qualified person with integrity, and Uncle Sam shut me out.
Lord, grant me the strength to weather this storm. Bless me with the gift of acceptance and discernment that everything happens for a reason. I know life is going to be okay. Right now though, it is not. I need the strength to overcome and to start again.
To all foreign JDs in the U.S., and to everyone else looking for a job or searching for your place in the world, I wish us all the best of luck. Be strong and carry on!
Friday, September 23, 2011
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Updates or lack thereof!
No news on the work visa since the RFE. I am desperately hoping it gets approved soon! Since I can't stop life from happening while waiting to start work, here are some updates:
1. I went to Atlantic city last weekend. I got a good deal on one of the boardwalk hotels. I lost the free voucher that came with the Greyhound ticket. I didn't win anything playing slots. Well, $20 doesn't really get too far. LOL. But I don't go there to gamble. I just like walking on the boardwalk, browsing at the nearby Outlet stores, eating Rita's custard, staring at the ocean waves, and generally whiling the time away from NYC. I had a great time with friends! They went straight to work on Monday morning. I of course got to stay behind until Monday afternoon because I have no work to go to.
2. I lost my old business card in Atlantic city or most probably in the bus back to NYC. I had one tucked into my Ipod case and it fell...somewhere. So if anyone finds it, please don't call or email me. I don't work there anymore!
3. My old boss emailed me yesterday. He asked how I am doing and where I am now. He also asked something about my taxes. For a while, I contemplated if I should just say I am still in NY and leave it at that. But I know better, that when my boss asks "where are you now" he means, what are you up to? Did you move to California?
4. I told my old boss the Los Angeles job didn't pan out. He knows about it since the LA firm contacted him for a reference. Although the LA firm offered me a job, they wanted to place me somewhere else on the east coast and low balled me on salary. No, thank you. Anyway, I told my boss I accepted a job in a NY firm.
5. My old boss emailed again. He wanted to know where I am working now. I emailed back to give him the firm name, but said I have yet to start as I need my new work visa. Didn't hear back from him after that.
6. When I resigned from my old job, my boss only wanted to give me time off. It even slipped that if I resigned, then he would have to do another work petition to hire me back. Perhaps he planned on hiring me back. He even invited me to dinner earlier this year and asked if I missed work. I did not give any indication that I wanted my old job back. May be if I did, I would already be employed by now. It's not that he was a bad boss. I just needed growth. (Since I am being brutally honest here, increased salary and benefits would also have been nice.)
7. I talked to my mom the other day to tell her that my work visa petition had some issues. She asked if I still have money. I mumbled something and said, "yeah, I am okay."
8. Honestly, I don't even know how I am going to pay next month's rent! I did tell my sister that I am nearing bankruptcy and I would need to be bailed out soon. I made her promise not to tell our parents. I already owe them soooo much! My sister said she won't tell, and she'd send me money, I need only ask. I can't make myself ask though.
9. May be I should sell some of my stuff after all. I had my TV and guitar for sale a while back, in case I ended up going home, at least I would have already disposed of my things. But then I received a job offer, so I removed my 'for sale' ad.
10. I've had my cable TV disconnected since June. Although I am not a big TV watcher, I do miss having some white noise sometimes. Besides, I love Jeopardy, and now I don't even get to watch that. I'd miss not having cable even more this Fall, what with all the new shows and Grey's Anatomy. May be I could get an indoor antenna?! Then again, I need to sell the TV to raise some cash for rent. Oh this sucks!
11. Only my immediate family knows that I quit my job and that I've been unemployed for over half a year now. Well, them and two of my closest friends. This means that the rest of my family (aunts, uncles, cousins) and other friends think I am still employed and busy. I have limited any contact with them since they might ask how work is going. I hate lying. I squirm. If I told them I quit, there'd be more questions. I am not ready to explain now or ever. I also feel that some of them (at least my extended family here in the US) will judge me for quitting my job in a tough economy and for not finding a new job immediately. Oh the irony!
1. I went to Atlantic city last weekend. I got a good deal on one of the boardwalk hotels. I lost the free voucher that came with the Greyhound ticket. I didn't win anything playing slots. Well, $20 doesn't really get too far. LOL. But I don't go there to gamble. I just like walking on the boardwalk, browsing at the nearby Outlet stores, eating Rita's custard, staring at the ocean waves, and generally whiling the time away from NYC. I had a great time with friends! They went straight to work on Monday morning. I of course got to stay behind until Monday afternoon because I have no work to go to.
2. I lost my old business card in Atlantic city or most probably in the bus back to NYC. I had one tucked into my Ipod case and it fell...somewhere. So if anyone finds it, please don't call or email me. I don't work there anymore!
3. My old boss emailed me yesterday. He asked how I am doing and where I am now. He also asked something about my taxes. For a while, I contemplated if I should just say I am still in NY and leave it at that. But I know better, that when my boss asks "where are you now" he means, what are you up to? Did you move to California?
4. I told my old boss the Los Angeles job didn't pan out. He knows about it since the LA firm contacted him for a reference. Although the LA firm offered me a job, they wanted to place me somewhere else on the east coast and low balled me on salary. No, thank you. Anyway, I told my boss I accepted a job in a NY firm.
5. My old boss emailed again. He wanted to know where I am working now. I emailed back to give him the firm name, but said I have yet to start as I need my new work visa. Didn't hear back from him after that.
6. When I resigned from my old job, my boss only wanted to give me time off. It even slipped that if I resigned, then he would have to do another work petition to hire me back. Perhaps he planned on hiring me back. He even invited me to dinner earlier this year and asked if I missed work. I did not give any indication that I wanted my old job back. May be if I did, I would already be employed by now. It's not that he was a bad boss. I just needed growth. (Since I am being brutally honest here, increased salary and benefits would also have been nice.)
7. I talked to my mom the other day to tell her that my work visa petition had some issues. She asked if I still have money. I mumbled something and said, "yeah, I am okay."
8. Honestly, I don't even know how I am going to pay next month's rent! I did tell my sister that I am nearing bankruptcy and I would need to be bailed out soon. I made her promise not to tell our parents. I already owe them soooo much! My sister said she won't tell, and she'd send me money, I need only ask. I can't make myself ask though.
9. May be I should sell some of my stuff after all. I had my TV and guitar for sale a while back, in case I ended up going home, at least I would have already disposed of my things. But then I received a job offer, so I removed my 'for sale' ad.
10. I've had my cable TV disconnected since June. Although I am not a big TV watcher, I do miss having some white noise sometimes. Besides, I love Jeopardy, and now I don't even get to watch that. I'd miss not having cable even more this Fall, what with all the new shows and Grey's Anatomy. May be I could get an indoor antenna?! Then again, I need to sell the TV to raise some cash for rent. Oh this sucks!
11. Only my immediate family knows that I quit my job and that I've been unemployed for over half a year now. Well, them and two of my closest friends. This means that the rest of my family (aunts, uncles, cousins) and other friends think I am still employed and busy. I have limited any contact with them since they might ask how work is going. I hate lying. I squirm. If I told them I quit, there'd be more questions. I am not ready to explain now or ever. I also feel that some of them (at least my extended family here in the US) will judge me for quitting my job in a tough economy and for not finding a new job immediately. Oh the irony!
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Losing it
I've probably lost it, but that would mean I am beyond redemption, so in the interest of staying positive, I'd say I am still in the process. It's quarter to 5 a.m. and I am still up. My friend said it must have been the bubble tea we had after dinner (too much caffeine?) I just ate the leftover Chinese from dinner at a Shanghaianese restaurant in Chinatown earlier (technically, yesterday.) I am eating leftover Chinese at 4:30 in the morning! My circadian rhythm is screwed! I must have gone to the deep end of this unemployment situation. I can't even say with certainty that I am going to start working at the firm that offered me the job. There was an issue with my work visa petition. Sheesh. I know the process, I know how it goes...it could have been a well-crafted petition, heck I drafted my own support letter! But who knows with reviewing officers. I've handled similar cases...one gets approved no problem and the other gets denied. Seriously! I am ranting, yes. But it is freakin' 5a.m. and I am still up! Urgh! Then again, I was really sleepy around 1 a.m., but I was having a Castle marathon. Like everything else I screw up in my life, I have brought this insomnia unto myself.
Oh, for something cheerful...I bought a portable speaker the other day with the credit card reward points I recently redeemed. The speaker streams audio not only from my ipod, but also my laptop via bluetooth. Really cool! It even has a sensor for opening the ipod and CD bays with just a wave of my hand. Oh Panasonic SC-HC55, you're awesome! Too bad I can't mount you on my wall (at least not yet.) I don't want to drill holes on the wall and then have to fix it if I need to pack up and leave because my H-1B petition gets denied! Grr.
Oh, for something cheerful...I bought a portable speaker the other day with the credit card reward points I recently redeemed. The speaker streams audio not only from my ipod, but also my laptop via bluetooth. Really cool! It even has a sensor for opening the ipod and CD bays with just a wave of my hand. Oh Panasonic SC-HC55, you're awesome! Too bad I can't mount you on my wall (at least not yet.) I don't want to drill holes on the wall and then have to fix it if I need to pack up and leave because my H-1B petition gets denied! Grr.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Failures, blessings, waiting and uncertainties
I haven't been doing so well keeping a blog. Well, blogS really, since I have about three, two of which I planned to update quite regularly. It's not as if I am too busy with anything, like a job, which I have yet to receive authorization to commence. Anyway, my thoughts are a jumble and so I will present some random things here:
1. A while back, I survived an earthquake and hurricane Irene. Both were quite uneventful really, which I am thankful for.
2. Maine was peaceful and gorgeous. The tour group was hilarious. There was even a bit of a scandal.
3. I decided not to follow-up with my employer about the H-1B petition. They did say they would let me know when they've filed it. I was just being antsy, like most clients are I suppose. But, the employer emailed me last Thursday and said that they've filed it.
4. Normally, time flies. Now that I am waiting 15 days, it can't speed up any faster.
5. I interviewed with a Big Law firm once (in March). It was for a "seniorish" legal support. They knew I was a foreign attorney, and that I intend to be licensed in the U.S. sometime. They were very nice but I choked. I interviewed with about 5 partners. I didn't just choke, I choked massively. I must have looked nice on paper, but the interview was a disaster. I was overwhelmed.
6. I interviewed with a pharma company for an in-house position around May or June. I had to wait for 1.5hours. I really wanted to leave, but the company was in Long Island. I didn't want to reschedule and have to commute again to their office. I bombed that interview. I was in no mindset to speak about my background, nor did I summon enough interest about the company after waiting 1.5 hours. The moment was lost.
7. The pharma company (in #6) called to schedule my interview about 10 minutes to 5p.m. on a Friday afternoon. The interview was for the following Monday. I told the caller I'd call back in a few minutes, just to make sure I could get a car. I had no idea the office was in Long Island. (I didn't recognize the city/town name.) I just applied for the job in Monster. I had jobs I applied to without bothering with a cover letter. I just send my resume. For all I knew the pharma office was close to Albany?! Anyway, I checked Zipcar and got a car. Called back pharma company in less than 5 minutes. No one answered, so I left a voicemail. I took the LIRR and a taxi, instead of a Zipcar. Come interview time, I was asked about my problem getting to their office because I didn't have a car. Seriously? What percentage of NYCers have cars? Of course I planned on getting some beat up, used car if I ended up working in Long Island. But anyway, as I've said, the moment was lost.
8. When I was nearing desperation, I followed-up with a shitlaw firm in Los Angeles, which initially showed strong interest in me, then fell from the face of the earth. (Though a shitlaw firm, the partner had received a "Super Lawyer" award for three years or so.) I sent that firm an email saying that we were in touch before and I wanted to check in with them. I reconveyed my interest and lauded all my "accomplishments." I said I could be the ideal match to the position they sought to fill; all I was requesting was 5 minutes of their time. I scored a telephone interview, but nothing more.
9. I am starting to annoy myself. I know full well the USCIS process for H-1B petitions. Been there, done that. But I just want some assurance that everything would go well. I am hoping they will just approve the petition immediately. My last H-1B was approved in less than 5 days. Can't help but ask my friend (also a foreign atty, who passed the Feb 2010 NY Bar) how long it is currently taking the Vermont Service Center to process H-1Bs. She said she was just like me before, when her firm did her H-1B. She knew the process, but can't help but ask the attorney (colleague) who filed her petition. If I were prone to biting my nails, I'd have very little nails left. (Good thing I've never been a nail biter!)
10. I should put Melissa Lawson's "What If It All Goes Right" on loop on my ipod. Found out about that song from The Today Show early this year. Hoda said the song played over and over during the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Think positive, positive, positive! (I am generally super optimistic about other people's affairs, but not mine.)
11. My mom reminded me to review a contract which she has been waiting on for a few months now. Sheesh, she must think it is useless to have an attorney daughter. It takes me ages to do anything law related for my family.
12. I love Betty White! (And Hot In Cleveland!) I finished her book "If You Ask Me: (And Of Course You Won't)" while I was cramming for the bar exam. My recent/current reads: Freakonomics/ Outliers / poetry (various).
13. Yesterday, I saw BBC's "The Code" parts 1 and 2. (I'll watch part 3 maybe later.) Why couldn't have I just been a math whiz?! I could be in a very different field like engineering and possibly, better employed.
I am ending this random listing at 13-- just like the cicadas' 13-year cycle in Tennessee. Watch BBC's "The Code" pronto!
1. A while back, I survived an earthquake and hurricane Irene. Both were quite uneventful really, which I am thankful for.
2. Maine was peaceful and gorgeous. The tour group was hilarious. There was even a bit of a scandal.
3. I decided not to follow-up with my employer about the H-1B petition. They did say they would let me know when they've filed it. I was just being antsy, like most clients are I suppose. But, the employer emailed me last Thursday and said that they've filed it.
4. Normally, time flies. Now that I am waiting 15 days, it can't speed up any faster.
5. I interviewed with a Big Law firm once (in March). It was for a "seniorish" legal support. They knew I was a foreign attorney, and that I intend to be licensed in the U.S. sometime. They were very nice but I choked. I interviewed with about 5 partners. I didn't just choke, I choked massively. I must have looked nice on paper, but the interview was a disaster. I was overwhelmed.
6. I interviewed with a pharma company for an in-house position around May or June. I had to wait for 1.5hours. I really wanted to leave, but the company was in Long Island. I didn't want to reschedule and have to commute again to their office. I bombed that interview. I was in no mindset to speak about my background, nor did I summon enough interest about the company after waiting 1.5 hours. The moment was lost.
7. The pharma company (in #6) called to schedule my interview about 10 minutes to 5p.m. on a Friday afternoon. The interview was for the following Monday. I told the caller I'd call back in a few minutes, just to make sure I could get a car. I had no idea the office was in Long Island. (I didn't recognize the city/town name.) I just applied for the job in Monster. I had jobs I applied to without bothering with a cover letter. I just send my resume. For all I knew the pharma office was close to Albany?! Anyway, I checked Zipcar and got a car. Called back pharma company in less than 5 minutes. No one answered, so I left a voicemail. I took the LIRR and a taxi, instead of a Zipcar. Come interview time, I was asked about my problem getting to their office because I didn't have a car. Seriously? What percentage of NYCers have cars? Of course I planned on getting some beat up, used car if I ended up working in Long Island. But anyway, as I've said, the moment was lost.
8. When I was nearing desperation, I followed-up with a shitlaw firm in Los Angeles, which initially showed strong interest in me, then fell from the face of the earth. (Though a shitlaw firm, the partner had received a "Super Lawyer" award for three years or so.) I sent that firm an email saying that we were in touch before and I wanted to check in with them. I reconveyed my interest and lauded all my "accomplishments." I said I could be the ideal match to the position they sought to fill; all I was requesting was 5 minutes of their time. I scored a telephone interview, but nothing more.
9. I am starting to annoy myself. I know full well the USCIS process for H-1B petitions. Been there, done that. But I just want some assurance that everything would go well. I am hoping they will just approve the petition immediately. My last H-1B was approved in less than 5 days. Can't help but ask my friend (also a foreign atty, who passed the Feb 2010 NY Bar) how long it is currently taking the Vermont Service Center to process H-1Bs. She said she was just like me before, when her firm did her H-1B. She knew the process, but can't help but ask the attorney (colleague) who filed her petition. If I were prone to biting my nails, I'd have very little nails left. (Good thing I've never been a nail biter!)
10. I should put Melissa Lawson's "What If It All Goes Right" on loop on my ipod. Found out about that song from The Today Show early this year. Hoda said the song played over and over during the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Think positive, positive, positive! (I am generally super optimistic about other people's affairs, but not mine.)
11. My mom reminded me to review a contract which she has been waiting on for a few months now. Sheesh, she must think it is useless to have an attorney daughter. It takes me ages to do anything law related for my family.
12. I love Betty White! (And Hot In Cleveland!) I finished her book "If You Ask Me: (And Of Course You Won't)" while I was cramming for the bar exam. My recent/current reads: Freakonomics/ Outliers / poetry (various).
13. Yesterday, I saw BBC's "The Code" parts 1 and 2. (I'll watch part 3 maybe later.) Why couldn't have I just been a math whiz?! I could be in a very different field like engineering and possibly, better employed.
I am ending this random listing at 13-- just like the cicadas' 13-year cycle in Tennessee. Watch BBC's "The Code" pronto!
Excerpt: A Psalm of Life
Tell me not in mournful numbers, "Life is but an empty dream!" For the soul is dead that slumbers, And things are not what they seem. Life is real! Life is earnest! And the grave is not its goal; "Dust thou art, to dust returnest," Was not spoken of the soul. Not enjoyment, and not sorrow, Is our destined end or way; But to act, that each to-morrow
Find us further than to-day.
Let us, then, be up and doing, With a heart for any fate; Still achieving, still pursuing, Learn to labour and to wait. ~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
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