Juana Tejada sought an exemption to taking a second medical test as a pre-requisite to becoming a permanent resident here in Canada and was recently vindicated for her passionate advocacy of the so-called “Juan Tejada” law which the federal government of Canada recently made changes to the Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP) by removing a second medical test for caregivers to qualify as permanent residents. Another change states that caregivers need 3,900 work hours to qualify as a permanent resident as opposed to the old law of two years of work within the span of 36 months.

Tejada failed the second medical exam for caregivers when she was diagnosed with cancer, a condition she developed while working as a caregiver.

The province of Ontario previously passed a law with some features that favor the Filipino community:

• Recruiters are prohibited from charging fees to caregivers
• Prohibiting confiscation of caregiver’s personal documents like work permit and passports
• Many others…

Read more at Balita-Filipino Canadia Community Newspaper

An actual article from the 2009.11.30 Issue if the Washington Times National Weekly. Page 9.

(click to enlarge)

Description

30 Nov 2009: The “Three Enablers” of Obama’s usurpation of the Office of the Presidency in violation of Article II, Section 1, Clause 5 of the U.S. Constitution. The Congress will not look at or investigate the merits of the charges. The Courts will not hear in a trial the merits of the charges. And the Main Stream Media will not talk about the merits of the charges and discuss the Constitutional issues involved with the American people nor will they dig into Obama’s sealed and hidden early life records. Their ignoring the questions and concerns of the People in this matter endangers our liberty by demonstrating that those in power, once in power feel they do not have to obey the Constitution and/or listen to the People.

For more details about the lawsuit see:
http://puzo1.blogspot.com/
http://protectourliberty.org/

The Green Card process for acquiring Permanent Resident status in the United States can be a real maze. I should know – I’ve been building up to the end of the process for six years. I’m pleased to say I’ve now received my ‘Conditional’ Green Card. This means that in two years my case is reviewed again (with a second interview).

At that time, if all is well, I receive the holy grail of Permanent Resident Status – a 10-year card instead of the conditional 2-year card! But that’s all in the future…

For now, I’m happy to make it through Stage 1 of the Green Card good times. If you have any questions about the process, feel free to ask them in the Comments to this post. I can at least convey my experience to you, which may be helpful.

Cheers, America!

The government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) uses the following terms to distinguish between different types of residents:

Ordinary residence

A person who remains voluntarily and legally in Hong Kong for a fixed purpose (i.e. studies, business, employment, residence) for a short or long time is ordinarily resident in Hong Kong.

Settled

If a person is ordinarily resident in the HKSAR and is not subject to any limit of stay he is “settled”.

Right of Abode

The right of abode means that you can enter the HKSAR and be free from any condition of stay. Furthermore you cannot be deported or removed from the HKSAR.

Right to Land

If a person loses the Right of Abode he automatically gets the right to land. The only difference between the Right to Abode is that a person with the Right to Land might be deported from the HKSAR.

In either of the above cases you will get an identity card. Currently the Government issues two different types of identity cards:

• HK Permanent Identity Card, which states that the holder has the right of  abode in Hong Kong
• HK Identity Card, which does not state that right

Becoming an Ordinary Resident

You become an ordinary resident if you successfully applied for a student visa, investment visa of working visa. Another option is Residence as a dependent.

Work Visa

You can get a work visa if a local company wants to employ you and you can proof that somebody with your qualifications can not be found locally. Per law any company has to try to fill an open job position with locals first.

Investment Visa

If you want to invest a notable amount of money in a Hong Kong business and can prove your need to be in Hong Kong for that, you can apply for an investment visa. The requirements for this are usually quite high and many people opt for the work visa instead by employing them self in their company.

Student Visa

Check out the details on any university / government school website.

Dependent Visa

If you are married to a person who is permanent resident or is employed in Hong Kong, you can apply for a Dependent Visa and subsequently for an Identity Card.

Getting the Right of Abode +  Permanent Identity Card

After seven years of ordinary residence in Hong Kong you can apply to become a permanent resident. Of course you have to actually reside in the HKSAR for most of the time, but the main focus of the government to issue permanent resident status and the right of abode is that you have filed your tax return and paid taxed for the last seven years. Furthermore you might have to demonstrate why you choose Hong Kong as the place for permanent residency.

An easy way to get a work visa and become a resident is setting up your own company in Hong Kong and employing yourself. This also allows you to get the right to abode in Hong Kong after seven years. You have however more freedom in deciding when you are in HK and when not if you are employed by your own company.

Setting up a company in Hong Kong is quite easy. You can get a detailed, easy to follow step by step guide for $19 at http://www.HongKongIncorporation.com.

HDR ASSOCIATES LAW &GLOBAL IMMIGRATION ORG. INC
RD 3A Vernida 1 Cond. 120 Amorsolo St. Legaspi Village Makati City
SEMINAR & CONSULTATION w/ ASSESSMENT P200
Tel: 8175511 / 8944950
Cel: 09214831331 / 09275713847

OPEN FOR PROVINCIAL AFFILIATION 50T Investment
We are an Immigration Law Firm not a recruitment agency!

Processing for only P 49,500.00 with Money Back GUARANTEE

*Canada Visa Fees not included.
LEGAL, Practical & Affordable!
www.immigrationlinkages.com

EMAIL: attygilreyes@canada.com
attygilreyes@gmail.com

Šodien runājot ar kārtējiem klientiem trāpījos uz emigrācijas dienesta darbinieci. Tram-param atkal pusstundu norunājāmies un beigās šī man saka – Kristof! beidz čakarēties, taisi emigrāciju! Iesniedz pieteikumu tulīt pat, kamēr esi Kanādā. Tas baigi vienkārši un tu kvalificēsies.

Es saku – ai, es negribu. Man tak mājas ir Latvijā un tā. Viņa saka – tak ar Kanādas pasi visur varēsi aizlaist, arī uz mājām

Tātad emigrācijas darbiniece man piedāvāja trīs rīcības variantus. 1. iesniedz pieprasījumu bēgļa statusam. Latvija ir Eiropas Savienībā utt, bet jums tagad tur briesmu lietas notiek. Saki, ka esi krievs, kurš lai izdzīvotu bija spiests pasē tautību nomainīt Saki, ka runā tikai krieviski un tevi par to darbā neņem vai tiko izmeta šādi cilvēki no jūsu valsts te pilns ir un tas iet cauri!

2.variants – tev ir augstākā izglītība, runā angliski, ir darbs – iesniedz vienkāršu imigrācijas pieteikumu. Aizbrauc uz ASV iesniedz tur, tur dabūsi apstiprinājumu un brauc dzīvo te!

3.variants – pieprasi vīzas pagarinājumu. Tas jādara laicīgi, vismaz 1/2 gadu pirms vīzas termiņa beigām. Parādi, ka strādā, maksā nodokļus un viss būs kārtībā. Nekur no valsts ārā nav jābrauc! Galvenais neprasi uz ilgu laiku. Prasi pagarināt vīzu uz 1 gadu. To var darīt kaut desmit gadus pēc kātas, bet pirms vēl desmito pagarinājumu dabūsi jau būsi Permanent resident.

Es jau gan spurojos, teicu, ka nevajag man to, bet šī tik urbj – vajag vecīt, vajag!

Ceru kādam potenciālam emigrantam esmu palīdzējis!

My own little Stars & Stripes

It occurred to me a few weeks ago that this weekend I’ll be observing my first Independence Day as an actual American. Like, with the naturalization certificate to prove it. I’ve lived in the United States for almost all of my life, but I didn’t actually make the transition from “permanent resident” to “citizen” until last December. If you haven’t already read it, read about that day here.

I thought for July 4th weekend, instead of taking a break from blogging, I’d write a couple of posts about:

• the day I was sworn in (which I don’t think I’ve covered yet even though it was back in December)
• the nice dinner Andrew & Rozi had for me in March to celebrate that new citizenship
• favorite July 4th celebrations from years past

So that’s it. Enjoy your holiday, and try not to get any vital body parts blown off when playing with fireworks.

A TEENAGER who had sex with a 10-year-old girl in late 2007 was placed on 18 months’ probation on Thursday.

Xia Yun, 19, who pleaded guilty last month to two charges of having sex with a girl under 16, will have to do 100 hours of community service.

His parents, both permanent residents, signed a $5,000 bond to ensure he behaves.

Xia, who is not working or schooling, became acquainted with the girl in December 2007 when she was surfing a multi-player online gaming website.

Since then, they would contact each other through calls and text messages.

After he sent her a love poem on Feb 14, 2007, she was touched. Soon they became a couple and would meet often in Tampines.

The girl, who is now 12, went to his sister’s barbecue gathering at East Coast Park on Nov 8 that year and spent the night there with him and his elder sister.

The next morning, he took her to his flat where they had consensual sex. She was then 10.

They had sex again the following month after she turned 11.

The girl’s father reported to the police in January last year that she had been molested.

Two other similar charges were taken into consideration.

The girls has been sent to a children’s home.

Xia, who could have been jailed for up to five years and fined up to $10,000 on each charge, married another teen, also 19, early this year and they have a 1 1/2-month-old baby boy.

I’ve lived in Saskatoon for almost 11 years (approx.  half of my adult life).  Many people whom I meet assume that I’ve become a Canadian citizen. When they find out that I am still “just” a permanent resident, they usually inquire about my reasons.

I tell them that I’m an American citizen and that I don’t feel the need to acquire another citizenship.  This confuses many Canadians.  They assume that everyone wants Canadian citizenship.  Canada only requires three years of residency to apply for citizenship and most immigrants apply as soon as they can.  Maybe this is because they desire a Canadian passport?

I can’t imagine ever taking an oath of allegiance to any other country.  I am American.  Having dual allegiances feels impossible.  In fact, the thought of swearing an oath to another country makes me physically ill.  I could never swear allegiance to the Queen.

I spoke to crazybengal about this because she’s moving to the US soon.  She plans to get American citizenship as soon as she can.  She’ll be able to vote and to have an American passport.

I’m curious about people who have chosen to obtain dual citizenship. Why did they want dual citizenship?   How did they feel during the ceremony?  What do they call themselves now?

Monday I officially became an immigrant, sort of. After nine months of waiting, small mountains of paperwork, and an engagement ring worth of lawyer fees I have finally been granted permanent resident status. 

Well, almost. Like most government procedures there is a delay in when my status has been approved (Monday) and when I’ll actually receive the card that makes it official (some time in the next two-four weeks).

I call this place Limbo and it’s a place I am all too familiar with. For the first three months I spent south of the 49th parallel I was technically a visitor, not able to work and expected to leave at some point.

For the next four months after that I was a registered alien and my case for permanent residency was being reviewed. This meant I could stay but I couldn’t work and I couldn’t re-enter the country if I left.

Then, for two months I was given a temporary work permit and was allowed to re-enter the country if I needed to leave for a bit (yay, Christmas in Grenada). But, there was always the possibility that they weren’t going to like me and kick me out of the country.  (Apparently, not everyone finds me to be pleasant and enjoyable to be around, shocking, I know.)

And now, I’ve been approved but I don’t have any documentation proving it and it won’t be here for a few weeks. This means that, once again, I cannot leave the country if I need to as I will not have any documents proving that I belong here.

Does anyone else find this all a little ridiculous?

Speaking of ridiculous, here are a few of the questions that I was asked during my examination Monday morning:

• Have you ever committed a crime that you were not arrested for? (Does jay-walking count?)
• Do you plan to overthrow the US government? (Not anymore now that Bush is leaving.)
• Have you ever made a financial contribution to a terrorist government? (Does Greenpeace count?)
• Have you ever been involved in acts of genocide? (Seriously?!?)

Do people ever answer yes to any of these? But it’s all over and the weather is gorgeous so there’s not really much for me to complain about.

~Kbshea

yes, ladies and gentlemen…

it is with the greatest pleasure, the extremely unburdened new me is here to announce that i have indeed received my passport back from the home office…with the following stamp in it

it’s hard to explain what i’ve put myself and all of you, i suppose, through waiting for something that looks so simple. but the key word on there is {INDEFINITE}…while there are some ifs, ands and buts involved with that…i am pretty much free to come and go whenever i want…work wherever i want…and in a year i could apply for british citizenship…

i was thinking that this really wasn’t going to change anything…but that was the beaten down me speaking…let me just say

THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING!!!!!

it changes the balance of power at work and in my relationship…

do you want to know the details? i was sitting here drinking my coffee waiting for the sainsbury delivery, when i here a knock at the door…shit, a little early…i’m thinking…but as i get to the inside door i see the postman’s fluorescent jacket…my eyes perk up …and even more when i see him holding a thick, official although slightly battered manila envelope…i can barely sign the slip with excitement and disbelief that “this is it!!!!” all the while i’m chattering away to the postman saying OMG, this is my passport…OMG, i’ve been waiting 3 months for these… (he agrees 3 months IS a long time to wait!) …OMG, i can’t believe this!!!! he stood there for that extra second and i say thanks so much! you have made me so happy today! can i kiss you? as i give him a peck on the cheek…

i am home alone but as i tear open the envelope i turn into a hysterical weeping mess…i was tempted to call the folks back home but not sure they’d appreciate even news as good as this at 4am…called roy, he is off sick with a bad shoulder so he was his usual subdued self…if only he knew.

so folks…no more moaning, bitching, complaining, depressing me….nope, not sure what i’ll do but at least i can do something…and the sun has just come out here…how appropriate!!!!!

USCIS Revises Filing Instructions for Petitions to Remove Conditions on Residence