Dj-Studios
06-01 04:55 PM
That's more like it. :P
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Lisap
09-13 12:13 PM
Please see my details in signature
satishku_2000
09-17 02:46 PM
Hi everyone, I have been approved on 9/6/7.
only 92 days after AOS filing.
My sponsor, I did work with them from 2002-2007. They agree to file i-485 in the hopes economy would get better. However house builders are doing very bad now and they cannot take me back after approval.
The question is, does this spoiled my chances for citizenship?
I think you can get a letter from employer stating that they can not employ you any more. I am not sure if they issue a letter to every person that loses the job. Just make sure that your intention to work with the sponsering employer is documented somehow .
I have an idea here ... just write an email to your boss or HR stating "how good company has been to you and how they helped you with your immigration process and given a choice you would rather work with the same company"
Take a printout of all these emails and save them if you still have a chance. You can use all these to prove if you run into any problems during the naturalization process.
Apart from these things collect the news paper clips or company wide emails that talk about downsizing. These things should help you to prove your intentions if there is a query about your intentions at the time of naturalization.
If you think company will survive for 5 or 10 more years , just keep in touch with your HR
only 92 days after AOS filing.
My sponsor, I did work with them from 2002-2007. They agree to file i-485 in the hopes economy would get better. However house builders are doing very bad now and they cannot take me back after approval.
The question is, does this spoiled my chances for citizenship?
I think you can get a letter from employer stating that they can not employ you any more. I am not sure if they issue a letter to every person that loses the job. Just make sure that your intention to work with the sponsering employer is documented somehow .
I have an idea here ... just write an email to your boss or HR stating "how good company has been to you and how they helped you with your immigration process and given a choice you would rather work with the same company"
Take a printout of all these emails and save them if you still have a chance. You can use all these to prove if you run into any problems during the naturalization process.
Apart from these things collect the news paper clips or company wide emails that talk about downsizing. These things should help you to prove your intentions if there is a query about your intentions at the time of naturalization.
If you think company will survive for 5 or 10 more years , just keep in touch with your HR
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gc??
01-27 09:48 AM
Many of the eb3 people with earlier pd are in the current mess because lawyers thought eb3 was the safe way to get gc! Now, we are stuck and they are making money of us!
more...
sheela
10-05 01:09 PM
Thank you thank you thank you sooooooooooooooo much!!!!!!!! I didnt even know you had to do this!! I would put my receipt number in check status and worry like a fool. I am just plain stupid!!!!!!!
After creating my account, I realized there has been updates!!! And now am thinking about all those days I worried.... what an idiot I am!!
My husband would be very happy to know this. THANKS SO MUCH!
you may see LUD changing frequently-whenever there is any action or whatever. I saw lud after fp , multiple luds for ead and case trf
After creating my account, I realized there has been updates!!! And now am thinking about all those days I worried.... what an idiot I am!!
My husband would be very happy to know this. THANKS SO MUCH!
you may see LUD changing frequently-whenever there is any action or whatever. I saw lud after fp , multiple luds for ead and case trf
pd_recapturing
10-19 01:35 PM
According to what I have read - porting of PD can be done at 2 stages
1. At the time the second I-140 is applied or,
2. When one applies for the I-485.
So you should be fine going by #2. Not an attorney, just like you all - a GC aspirant commenting on his research.
My question is the same that you raised earlier - the Memo states that the PD has to be current when interfiling. But in the case of pd_recapturing, his PD is May 04 which is not current - EB2 for India is Apr 04 (my assumption being that pd_recapturing is from India.)
My case is exactly as pd_recapturing, waiting for the approval of my second I-140 to see if the date got ported or not (we had requested during filing of second I-140). After the approval, I was thinking of waiting for my PD to be current before filing.
pd_recapturing - we'll be following your lead to see how your case turns out.
Thanks.
Gene
According to my lawyer, mine is a simple case of updating I-485 file with a different I-140 so there is no need to wait PD to be current. And also it makes sense to me as I am not applying a new I-485 to wait for PD to be current. They will anyway touch my AOS when PD will be current. Right now, they will have to update my I-140 with the existing I-485. And moreover, my case is not a PD change, instead, its a EB category change. What do you guys think ?
1. At the time the second I-140 is applied or,
2. When one applies for the I-485.
So you should be fine going by #2. Not an attorney, just like you all - a GC aspirant commenting on his research.
My question is the same that you raised earlier - the Memo states that the PD has to be current when interfiling. But in the case of pd_recapturing, his PD is May 04 which is not current - EB2 for India is Apr 04 (my assumption being that pd_recapturing is from India.)
My case is exactly as pd_recapturing, waiting for the approval of my second I-140 to see if the date got ported or not (we had requested during filing of second I-140). After the approval, I was thinking of waiting for my PD to be current before filing.
pd_recapturing - we'll be following your lead to see how your case turns out.
Thanks.
Gene
According to my lawyer, mine is a simple case of updating I-485 file with a different I-140 so there is no need to wait PD to be current. And also it makes sense to me as I am not applying a new I-485 to wait for PD to be current. They will anyway touch my AOS when PD will be current. Right now, they will have to update my I-140 with the existing I-485. And moreover, my case is not a PD change, instead, its a EB category change. What do you guys think ?
more...
GCNirvana007
03-24 06:46 AM
Anybody?
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GCAmigo
03-07 02:22 PM
I have to agree with Tito.. I too thought the DREAM Act would benefit my son who is soon to be in College.. the more I look at it, I am forced to get an impression that the Act is intended to ONLY help the children whose parents are illegal immigrants....
more...
bsbawa10
07-23 07:02 PM
basbawa10, Well, why they are transfering your case back and forth can only be explained by them. Very fact that your case has been transfered around suggests that somebody has seen your case. Procedures described in link mentioned above, has a protocol on determining proper processing center, which has a complex formula based on state of residence, center approving I-140 etc. If your I-140 was approved by one center, and if in the meantime you moved to a state in different center jurisdiction, or USCIS changed jurisdictions, it might have created ambiguity on who should deal your case. Back and forth transfer suggests that centers are not agreeing on who should deal with your case. You may want to try an Infopass, which would let you know if your case is preadjudicated. If so, you just need to wait for PD to be current again.
Thanks JSB, I will try getting Infopass although I have tried it earlier but to no use. They do not give any info excepting "wait for your priority date to become current"
Thanks JSB, I will try getting Infopass although I have tried it earlier but to no use. They do not give any info excepting "wait for your priority date to become current"
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kaisersose
09-17 01:32 PM
Are you sure? Cause I did work with them, no one imagined the crisis of real estate was going to be soooo steep and also no one imagined that my i-485 was going to be approved so fast.
I can proof I worked with them from 2002-2006 (4 years). They gave me a letter saying they still not able to get me a job, i did have intent to work with them.
That is the point. It was not of your own volition.
Also, there is no rule that says citizenship is not available to people who do not work for the sponsoring employer for a certai nperiod of time after GC approval. It is just good practice to stick around for a few months after approval, but it is not law.
You will have no trouble. Change your status from bittersweet to sweet and have fun. Also, good luck finding a new job.
I can proof I worked with them from 2002-2006 (4 years). They gave me a letter saying they still not able to get me a job, i did have intent to work with them.
That is the point. It was not of your own volition.
Also, there is no rule that says citizenship is not available to people who do not work for the sponsoring employer for a certai nperiod of time after GC approval. It is just good practice to stick around for a few months after approval, but it is not law.
You will have no trouble. Change your status from bittersweet to sweet and have fun. Also, good luck finding a new job.
more...
deafTunes123
09-01 11:03 AM
Thanks KevinKris for sharing the info.
Your documents represents the I-140 info.
I was trying to check what is the priority date attached to I485 application. Seems there is no such info. attached to pending I-485 application.
Also, just now I checked my 485 receipt. The PD column in my I-484 receipt is blank. Is this common for every one? Just curious?
Your documents represents the I-140 info.
I was trying to check what is the priority date attached to I485 application. Seems there is no such info. attached to pending I-485 application.
Also, just now I checked my 485 receipt. The PD column in my I-484 receipt is blank. Is this common for every one? Just curious?
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sixburgh
04-14 10:46 AM
you are complaining about the doctor who missed to check mark the tb test. Even you missed to fill in your profile.
Please update your profile.
Thanks
I am surprised that instead of contributing to the case, you are taking this matter in another direction. This is just a simple forum;, me NOT completing my profile is not going to create any financial or any other type of loss FOR ANYONE. But the Doctor missing this important thing will now, in total cost me, about $1300 (which includes costs related to tests and travel etc). I could go on....
I am surely going to update my profile as time permits. Please do not waste precious time by adding unnecessary comments.
Please update your profile.
Thanks
I am surprised that instead of contributing to the case, you are taking this matter in another direction. This is just a simple forum;, me NOT completing my profile is not going to create any financial or any other type of loss FOR ANYONE. But the Doctor missing this important thing will now, in total cost me, about $1300 (which includes costs related to tests and travel etc). I could go on....
I am surely going to update my profile as time permits. Please do not waste precious time by adding unnecessary comments.
more...
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gc28262
08-17 05:25 PM
Exactly but mere emphasis solely on educational qualification is unfortunate as after few years in job market, your skills & experience has more leverage than the degree and I am saying this based on my personal experience. In our group I was the one with least amount of formal education but still I got promoted 2 times ahead of Masters degree holders form US and foreign universities.
The issue here is, USCIS is a government agency. They are incapable of making a subjective determination of a person's capability. All they go by is the degree certificate which can be seen on a piece of paper.
As per INA/USCIS, many of the following won't qualify for EB2:
CEOs-Without-College-Degrees: Personal Finance News from Yahoo! Finance (http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/107139/CEOs-Without-College-Degrees?mod=career-leadership)
The issue here is, USCIS is a government agency. They are incapable of making a subjective determination of a person's capability. All they go by is the degree certificate which can be seen on a piece of paper.
As per INA/USCIS, many of the following won't qualify for EB2:
CEOs-Without-College-Degrees: Personal Finance News from Yahoo! Finance (http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/107139/CEOs-Without-College-Degrees?mod=career-leadership)
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geesee
07-13 10:42 AM
^^^^
gg10004 - Great news !!!
Keeping fingures crossed
gg10004 - Great news !!!
Keeping fingures crossed
more...
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nixstor
03-15 01:49 PM
I asked this same Q on the last conf call with Susan Henner and she said that they will not do it. As her H1 application will have an indication that her H4 is pending, they will mostly issue an RFE to prove her H4 status thru Sep 30th or wait for the H4 to be approved before aproving H1. You should be approved soon. last month processing times said they were doing dec 21st right?
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bajrangbali
04-10 12:31 PM
Beautiful friday and these scumbag news! If he sues you, counter-sue him for unnecessary duress.
First things, he will never sue you...it costs him more than what he can ever get from you so dont bother
Regarding your pay: if you did not get paid for the time you worked, do you still have the timesheets you submitted at client-site? If you have them prepare a complaint with DOL, attach the timesheets and clearly mention what has been going on since you completed work and any emails or phone bills showing calls between you and employer. Clearly mention your employer threatened to sue you if you pursue opportunities outside his company.
Filing a complaint is easy, cheap and risk-free - do not be afraid - and do not be rude - just do it
Let the scumbags pay for their crimes...:mad:
First things, he will never sue you...it costs him more than what he can ever get from you so dont bother
Regarding your pay: if you did not get paid for the time you worked, do you still have the timesheets you submitted at client-site? If you have them prepare a complaint with DOL, attach the timesheets and clearly mention what has been going on since you completed work and any emails or phone bills showing calls between you and employer. Clearly mention your employer threatened to sue you if you pursue opportunities outside his company.
Filing a complaint is easy, cheap and risk-free - do not be afraid - and do not be rude - just do it
Let the scumbags pay for their crimes...:mad:
more...
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chanduv23
09-19 02:58 PM
He is a physician and flew all the way from WA state
Actually he works for ???? and not a physician - and flew all the way from Seattle - His name is Pankaj kakkar - correct me if I am wrong
Actually he works for ???? and not a physician - and flew all the way from Seattle - His name is Pankaj kakkar - correct me if I am wrong
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sixburgh
04-17 11:41 PM
Update:
The Doctor admitted his mistake.
He completely forgot to mark the TB test earlier.
He was ready to back date to avoid more inconveniance to me.
But I told him to be sincere in all aspects.
I basically forced him to give my wife a TB test again and also the x-ray.
Now the plan is to submit all this information with a nice letter which states that the doctor had forgotten things last time etc etc.
Hopefully they will mark the case as - resume processing.
The Doctor admitted his mistake.
He completely forgot to mark the TB test earlier.
He was ready to back date to avoid more inconveniance to me.
But I told him to be sincere in all aspects.
I basically forced him to give my wife a TB test again and also the x-ray.
Now the plan is to submit all this information with a nice letter which states that the doctor had forgotten things last time etc etc.
Hopefully they will mark the case as - resume processing.
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rajmalhotra
10-09 04:18 PM
We entered US in May 2007. My wife's visa stamp was expiring in Nov., but her H4 Visa was expiring in April 2008.
The Customs officer put date valid till Nov. 2007.
I went to US Customs and border protection office and showed them the original Visa. They asked to fill up new I-94 and stamped it with April 2008 Date.
Here's the link: http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/id_visa/i-94_instructions/arrival_departure_record.xml
---------------------------
Q: How do I correct an Arrival-Departure Record reflecting an incorrect admission classification, biographical information or period of admission?
A: U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will review and issue the necessary documents to remedy errors recorded on the Arrival-Departure Record at the time of entry to the United States relating to improper non-immigrant classification, inaccurate biographical information or incorrect period of admission, if appropriate.
Any designated deferred inspection location or CBP office located within an international airport should be able to assist you, regardless of where the actual document was issued. In many instances, the location of your final destination where the discrepancy will be resolved may not be the port of your first arrival into the United States. Travelers are encouraged to contact sites not located within an international airport to establish an appointment, if necessary. Mail-in procedures are not available.
Currently, there is not an approved form to request the correction of inaccurate information recorded on the I-94 or I-95 Form at the time of entry into the United States. You will need to bring the questionable I-94 or I-95 Form and documentation to support the claim that the form was not properly annotated. For example, present a passport and visa to justify an incorrect visa classification or an approved petition to support an incorrect admission period. A fee will not be assessed.
The CBP offices within the international airports and deferred inspection locations are only authorized to correct errors that occurred at the time of arrival. Requests to replace the I-94 or I-95 Form that has been lost, stolen or mutilated must be filed with USCIS.
Authorized stays that were limited at the port of first arrival by supervisory authorization as noted on the reverse side of the I-94 Form will not be corrected. Under these circumstances, you will be required to file an I-539 Form with USCIS. .
---------------------
The Customs officer put date valid till Nov. 2007.
I went to US Customs and border protection office and showed them the original Visa. They asked to fill up new I-94 and stamped it with April 2008 Date.
Here's the link: http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/id_visa/i-94_instructions/arrival_departure_record.xml
---------------------------
Q: How do I correct an Arrival-Departure Record reflecting an incorrect admission classification, biographical information or period of admission?
A: U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will review and issue the necessary documents to remedy errors recorded on the Arrival-Departure Record at the time of entry to the United States relating to improper non-immigrant classification, inaccurate biographical information or incorrect period of admission, if appropriate.
Any designated deferred inspection location or CBP office located within an international airport should be able to assist you, regardless of where the actual document was issued. In many instances, the location of your final destination where the discrepancy will be resolved may not be the port of your first arrival into the United States. Travelers are encouraged to contact sites not located within an international airport to establish an appointment, if necessary. Mail-in procedures are not available.
Currently, there is not an approved form to request the correction of inaccurate information recorded on the I-94 or I-95 Form at the time of entry into the United States. You will need to bring the questionable I-94 or I-95 Form and documentation to support the claim that the form was not properly annotated. For example, present a passport and visa to justify an incorrect visa classification or an approved petition to support an incorrect admission period. A fee will not be assessed.
The CBP offices within the international airports and deferred inspection locations are only authorized to correct errors that occurred at the time of arrival. Requests to replace the I-94 or I-95 Form that has been lost, stolen or mutilated must be filed with USCIS.
Authorized stays that were limited at the port of first arrival by supervisory authorization as noted on the reverse side of the I-94 Form will not be corrected. Under these circumstances, you will be required to file an I-539 Form with USCIS. .
---------------------
JunRN
09-21 04:45 PM
Yes! If there's nothing wrong in your EAD application (which should be none because USCIS received it), expect to receive your EAD approval on the third to last week of October.
NSC is already approving July 2 EAD applications as of the moment; therefore, your case is very near.
NSC is already approving July 2 EAD applications as of the moment; therefore, your case is very near.
la6470
04-14 11:59 PM
Immigration: 'Birth Tourism' Industry Markets U.S. Citizenship Abroad - ABC News (http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/birth-tourism-industry-markets-us-citizenship-abroad/story?id=10359956&partner=yahoo)
A New Baby Boom? Foreign 'Birth Tourists' Seek U.S. Citizenship for Children
More Foreign Mothers Live Abroad to Give Birth on U.S. Soil, Debate Over 14th Amendment
Millions of foreign tourists visit the United States every year, and a growing number return home with a brand new U.S. citizen in tow. housands of legal immigrants, who do not permanently reside in the United States but give birth here, have given their children the gift of citizenship, which the U.S. grants to anyone born on its soil.
The number of U.S. births to non-resident mothers rose 53 percent between 2000 and 2006, according to the most recent data from the National Center for Health Statistics. Total births rose 5 percent in the same period.
Among the foreigners who have given birth here, including international travelers passing through and foreign students studying at U.S. universities, are "birth tourists," women who travel to the United States with the explicit purpose of obtaining citizenship for their child.
Catering to the women is a nascent industry of travel agencies and hotel chains seeking to profit from the business. The Marmara Manhattan, a Turkish-owned luxury hotel on New York's City Upper East Side, markets birth tourism packages to expectant mothers abroad, luring more than a dozen pregnant guests and their families to the United States to give birth last year alone.
"What we offer is simply a one-bedroom suite accommodation for $7,750, plus taxes, for a month, with airport transfer, baby cradle and a gift set for the mother," Marmara Hotel spokeswoman Alexandra Ballantine said.
The hotel estimates the total cost of the package at $45,000.
Most women stay for two months, Ballantine said, and they make medical arrangements on their own. "Guests arrange and pay for these by themselves," she said of hospital costs that can approach $30,000.
For those with the means to pay, it's a small price to give a child the full benefits of U.S. citizenship, including the ability to travel freely to and from the United States, easy access to a U.S. education and a chance to start a life here.
"We found a company on the Internet and decided to go to Austin [Texas] for our child's birth," Turkish mother Selin Burcuoglu told Istanbul's Hurriyet Daily News. "I don't want [my daughter] to deal with visa issues. American citizenship has so many advantages."
The greatest of those advantages may be the ability of the citizen child to later sponsor the legal immigration of his or her entire family permanently to this country, experts say.
The "birth tourism" industry, which is difficult to track and remains largely anecdotal, has been on the rise for years, according to government and participants reports. Of the 4,273,225 live births in the United States in 2006, the most recent data gathered by the National Center for Health Statistics, 7,670 were children born to mothers who said they do not live here.
Many, but not all, of those mothers could be "birth tourists," experts say, although it is difficult to know for sure. The government does not track the reasons non-resident mothers are in the United States at the time of the birth or their citizenship, meaning births to illegal immigrants who live in the United States are counted in the overall total.
In recent years, many women have come from Mexico, South Korea, China and Taiwan, but the trend now extends to countries in Eastern Europe, such as Turkey, where as many as 12,000 children were born in the United States to Turkish parents since 2003 by one estimate.
The business of birth tourism is perfectly legal as long as immigrants are able to pay their own way.
The State Department and Department of Homeland Security have no specific regulations banning pregnant foreigners from entering the United States. But officials say they can and do turn away pregnant women with obvious designs on coming to the United States to take advantage of free medical care. "When determining if an individual will be allowed to enter the U.S., Customs and Border Protection officers take into consideration the date the child is due for delivery and the length of time the individual intends to stay in the U.S.," a Department of Homeland Security spokesman said.
Still, critics say the practice largely goes unchecked and exploits the true meaning of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, enacted after the Civil War to grant citizenship to descendants of slaves.
"All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside," the amendment reads.
"It's really an incorrect interpretation of the 14th Amendment," said Jerome Corsi, a conservative author and columnist who has studied the issue of birth tourism. "Birthright citizenship is a loophole � [and] as it expands into a business for entrepreneurs in foreign countries who offer birth tourism packages, it markets the loophole to attract additional mothers to the U.S."
Lino Graglia of the University of Texas law school wrote in the Jan. 11 Texas Review of Law & Politics that the authors of the 14th Amendment never would have imagined their words bestowing citizenship to illegal or visiting immigrants.
"It is difficult to imagine a more irrational and self-defeating legal system than one which makes unauthorized entry into this country a criminal offense and simultaneously provides perhaps the greatest possible inducement to illegal entry," Graglia wrote of birthright citizenship. The Supreme Court has only addressed the issue once, ruling in 1898 that citizenship applies to U.S.-born children of legal immigrants who have yet to become citizens.
Some legislators, including U.S. Rep. Gary Miller, R-Calif., have called for revising the Constitution to forbid citizenship by birth alone and thereby end the attraction of birth tourists. But other politicos, from both sides of the aisle, say such an approach is politically unrealistic, not to mention unnecessary. "You just turn people down for being pregnant," said Mark Krikorian of the Center for Immigration Studies. "That should be the default position and then there'd have to be some very good reason for an exception."
Krikorian acknowledged that some people might find a ban on pregnant visitors "outrageous," but questions the rationality of the alternative.
"Do you really think that's right that somebody here visiting Disneyland should have their children be U.S. citizens, which they'll then inevitably use to get access to the U.S.?" he asked.
Krikorian and others call the offspring of birth tourists "anchor babies," because they can serve as a foothold for future legal immigration of an entire family.
Ali Noorani, executive director of the National Immigration Forum, said he sees the debate about birth tourists in a different light, however, noting that arguments about citizenship of children ignore a fundamental question of humanity.
"If we're a country that cares about families and family values, then why are we blaming the children for a decision the parents made. Their only decision was to take a first breath," he said.
"What is the State Department going to do? To fill out a visa application have a woman pee on a stick?"
The United States is one of the few remaining countries to grant citizenship to all children born on its soil. The United Kingdom, Ireland, India and Australia, among others, have since revised their birthright laws, no longer allowing every child born on their soil to get citizenship.
This news is not only ridiculous but also looks down on people from other country and the writer lives in the illusion that the US is the greatest country in the world.
People in other country have a life too (probably a better one) and I dont think any sane person will consider spending 15K to come to USA just to give birth and get the advantage of US citizenship. People in other countries are just like people in this country and any normal family will celebrate the birth of a kid and not worry about something as sickening as this.
After all USA is a great country but it is not the ONLY great country. Every country has their share of advantages and disadvantages.
A New Baby Boom? Foreign 'Birth Tourists' Seek U.S. Citizenship for Children
More Foreign Mothers Live Abroad to Give Birth on U.S. Soil, Debate Over 14th Amendment
Millions of foreign tourists visit the United States every year, and a growing number return home with a brand new U.S. citizen in tow. housands of legal immigrants, who do not permanently reside in the United States but give birth here, have given their children the gift of citizenship, which the U.S. grants to anyone born on its soil.
The number of U.S. births to non-resident mothers rose 53 percent between 2000 and 2006, according to the most recent data from the National Center for Health Statistics. Total births rose 5 percent in the same period.
Among the foreigners who have given birth here, including international travelers passing through and foreign students studying at U.S. universities, are "birth tourists," women who travel to the United States with the explicit purpose of obtaining citizenship for their child.
Catering to the women is a nascent industry of travel agencies and hotel chains seeking to profit from the business. The Marmara Manhattan, a Turkish-owned luxury hotel on New York's City Upper East Side, markets birth tourism packages to expectant mothers abroad, luring more than a dozen pregnant guests and their families to the United States to give birth last year alone.
"What we offer is simply a one-bedroom suite accommodation for $7,750, plus taxes, for a month, with airport transfer, baby cradle and a gift set for the mother," Marmara Hotel spokeswoman Alexandra Ballantine said.
The hotel estimates the total cost of the package at $45,000.
Most women stay for two months, Ballantine said, and they make medical arrangements on their own. "Guests arrange and pay for these by themselves," she said of hospital costs that can approach $30,000.
For those with the means to pay, it's a small price to give a child the full benefits of U.S. citizenship, including the ability to travel freely to and from the United States, easy access to a U.S. education and a chance to start a life here.
"We found a company on the Internet and decided to go to Austin [Texas] for our child's birth," Turkish mother Selin Burcuoglu told Istanbul's Hurriyet Daily News. "I don't want [my daughter] to deal with visa issues. American citizenship has so many advantages."
The greatest of those advantages may be the ability of the citizen child to later sponsor the legal immigration of his or her entire family permanently to this country, experts say.
The "birth tourism" industry, which is difficult to track and remains largely anecdotal, has been on the rise for years, according to government and participants reports. Of the 4,273,225 live births in the United States in 2006, the most recent data gathered by the National Center for Health Statistics, 7,670 were children born to mothers who said they do not live here.
Many, but not all, of those mothers could be "birth tourists," experts say, although it is difficult to know for sure. The government does not track the reasons non-resident mothers are in the United States at the time of the birth or their citizenship, meaning births to illegal immigrants who live in the United States are counted in the overall total.
In recent years, many women have come from Mexico, South Korea, China and Taiwan, but the trend now extends to countries in Eastern Europe, such as Turkey, where as many as 12,000 children were born in the United States to Turkish parents since 2003 by one estimate.
The business of birth tourism is perfectly legal as long as immigrants are able to pay their own way.
The State Department and Department of Homeland Security have no specific regulations banning pregnant foreigners from entering the United States. But officials say they can and do turn away pregnant women with obvious designs on coming to the United States to take advantage of free medical care. "When determining if an individual will be allowed to enter the U.S., Customs and Border Protection officers take into consideration the date the child is due for delivery and the length of time the individual intends to stay in the U.S.," a Department of Homeland Security spokesman said.
Still, critics say the practice largely goes unchecked and exploits the true meaning of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, enacted after the Civil War to grant citizenship to descendants of slaves.
"All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside," the amendment reads.
"It's really an incorrect interpretation of the 14th Amendment," said Jerome Corsi, a conservative author and columnist who has studied the issue of birth tourism. "Birthright citizenship is a loophole � [and] as it expands into a business for entrepreneurs in foreign countries who offer birth tourism packages, it markets the loophole to attract additional mothers to the U.S."
Lino Graglia of the University of Texas law school wrote in the Jan. 11 Texas Review of Law & Politics that the authors of the 14th Amendment never would have imagined their words bestowing citizenship to illegal or visiting immigrants.
"It is difficult to imagine a more irrational and self-defeating legal system than one which makes unauthorized entry into this country a criminal offense and simultaneously provides perhaps the greatest possible inducement to illegal entry," Graglia wrote of birthright citizenship. The Supreme Court has only addressed the issue once, ruling in 1898 that citizenship applies to U.S.-born children of legal immigrants who have yet to become citizens.
Some legislators, including U.S. Rep. Gary Miller, R-Calif., have called for revising the Constitution to forbid citizenship by birth alone and thereby end the attraction of birth tourists. But other politicos, from both sides of the aisle, say such an approach is politically unrealistic, not to mention unnecessary. "You just turn people down for being pregnant," said Mark Krikorian of the Center for Immigration Studies. "That should be the default position and then there'd have to be some very good reason for an exception."
Krikorian acknowledged that some people might find a ban on pregnant visitors "outrageous," but questions the rationality of the alternative.
"Do you really think that's right that somebody here visiting Disneyland should have their children be U.S. citizens, which they'll then inevitably use to get access to the U.S.?" he asked.
Krikorian and others call the offspring of birth tourists "anchor babies," because they can serve as a foothold for future legal immigration of an entire family.
Ali Noorani, executive director of the National Immigration Forum, said he sees the debate about birth tourists in a different light, however, noting that arguments about citizenship of children ignore a fundamental question of humanity.
"If we're a country that cares about families and family values, then why are we blaming the children for a decision the parents made. Their only decision was to take a first breath," he said.
"What is the State Department going to do? To fill out a visa application have a woman pee on a stick?"
The United States is one of the few remaining countries to grant citizenship to all children born on its soil. The United Kingdom, Ireland, India and Australia, among others, have since revised their birthright laws, no longer allowing every child born on their soil to get citizenship.
This news is not only ridiculous but also looks down on people from other country and the writer lives in the illusion that the US is the greatest country in the world.
People in other country have a life too (probably a better one) and I dont think any sane person will consider spending 15K to come to USA just to give birth and get the advantage of US citizenship. People in other countries are just like people in this country and any normal family will celebrate the birth of a kid and not worry about something as sickening as this.
After all USA is a great country but it is not the ONLY great country. Every country has their share of advantages and disadvantages.