For the past couple of months, I have spent a lot of time answering questions on online advice sites, and I’m blown away by the number of romance scams that are plaguing US citizens. It has become an increasing trend for US citizens (mostly males) to start chatting with, and then fall in love with a person (usually a woman) abroad (usually from different parts of Africa, but I also recently got one from the UK), up until the point of proposing. The lover abroad then comes up with a number of sob stories, such as different financial burdens, the need for funds for a ticket, and then a fictitious “Basic Travel Allowance (BTA).” Sometimes the person produces a falsified passport and visa and convinces the US citizen that a few thousand dollars down are the last requirement.
Please be careful if you meet someone online who lives in another country and the person asks you for any amount of money, or tells you they have inherited a pot of gold and need help depositing it in the US (this is a very common scam from Ghana). The US Department of State has a useful, lengthy brochure regarding romance scams; a reference to the BTA, “a requirement that no longer exists,” is made on page 5. For visa requirements specific to the person’s country of citizenship, always check the US Consulate website for that country and read the visa procedures; for a visitor visa, there is normally just a visa application fee of $131, and perhaps an additional nominal visa issuance fee. Anyone asking you for a couple grand is probably a scammer.
My client, The Diamond Lane Records, has produced this song called “Muskan” from an upcoming album by vocalist Jasmine Sandlas. Mixman Shawn has laid some high-quality, eclectic beats on this one. The song and video are already making waves in the UK and over YouTube, where we have been dealing with several copyright infringements.
Listen to more music produced by The Diamond Lane Records at their MySpace page.
For summer 2008 only (now until the end of August), Leena R. Kamat, Esq.will prepare your H-1B transfer/extension petition for a flat-rate legal fee of $350. This includes:
preparation of the LCA;
preparation of I-129 forms;
preparation of an attorney-drafted cover letter;
guidance on what supporting documents you will need to provide, including the company support letter; and even
preparation of the response to a Request for Evidence, if applicable!
You will only pay $350 for these services from a licensed attorney, and only upon approval, you will pay another$150. This means that you will have a guaranteed H-1B approval in just $500!
Your other costs:
the filing fee to USCIS;
the cost of an educational evaluation (if needed); and
