Cost of living for an Indian Family & visa related query (Charlotte: how much, lawyer)

[little_angel]

i wanted to know how much amount would be required monthly(including food, rent, transportation, everything ) for an Indian family (Husband n Wife) to live a good life in Charlotte? or the average salary required ?

how much time does it take for an h1b visa holder to get a visa(h4 i suppose) for his wife ?

i have heard that the max validity of h1b is 6 years so after that gets over what does one do to stay over there ?? other than applying for green card ??

n once ppl apply 4 a green card they just dont come back n stay over there for many years....till they get the green card and thats around 10 to 12 years n in those years they(every family member) are not supposed to leave us.....is this true ??

[lovesMountains]

Originally Posted by little_angel

i wanted to know how much amount would be required monthly(including food, rent, transportation, everything ) for an Indian family (Husband n Wife) to live a good life in Charlotte? or the average salary required ?

how much time does it take for an h1b visa holder to get a visa(h4 i suppose) for his wife ?

i have heard that the max validity of h1b is 6 years so after that gets over what does one do to stay over there ?? other than applying for green card ??

n once ppl apply 4 a green card they just dont come back n stay over there for many years....till they get the green card and thats around 10 to 12 years n in those years they(every family member) are not supposed to leave us.....is this true ??

Can't answer your visa questions, sorry.

But do plan to have an income of at least $35,000 a year to live reasonably well, though $45,000 would be better.

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by little_angel

i wanted to know how much amount would be required monthly(including food, rent, transportation, everything ) for an Indian family (Husband n Wife) to live a good life in Charlotte? or the average salary required ?

how much time does it take for an h1b visa holder to get a visa(h4 i suppose) for his wife ?

i have heard that the max validity of h1b is 6 years so after that gets over what does one do to stay over there ?? other than applying for green card ??

n once ppl apply 4 a green card they just dont come back n stay over there for many years....till they get the green card and thats around 10 to 12 years n in those years they(every family member) are not supposed to leave us.....is this true ??

H1 visas are supposed to be issued for jobs that cannot be filled by US citizens. Unemployment is very high. I would think that getting one of those visas would be nearly impossible.

[ellemaew]

Here is the U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services info for the H1B visa:

USCIS - H-1B Specialty Occupations and Fashion Models

USCIS - H-1B Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 Cap Season

It looks like there is an option for "Premium Processing" that would guarantee processing within 15 days (for an additional $1,225 US). Otherwise I don't see anything that indicates how long it could take. I expect that some of the timing is dependent on the employer, since there are steps that they must take before the application can be completed, so they probably have widely varying processing times.

[chicagocubs]

The above are correct; the employer must sponsor you for an h1b visa. You have to be in a specialty occupation that Americans cannot fill. There is an annual cap of these visas allowed, and, as I recall, the max number of applications has already been met for the 2011-2012 fiscal year. Recommend speaking with an immigration attorney for specifics. However, that might be a moot point if you do not have an actual job in hand. If you DO have a job in hand, then the employer will handle the details.

USCIS Home Page is the immigration website.

The kind of jobs that you would be hired for (assuming that you are hired) probably would pay in excess of $50k./annually. There is a law in place that requires the company to show that your pay would equal or be better than that of an American in your place. However, there is also another law (as was previously mentioned) that requires that an American is not available to fill the position. As Americans are becoming more educated in many of the math/science industries traditionally filled by Indian immigrants, that option is becoming more scarce. However, it is always worth a try!

I would be doubtful that this dream is something that would happen imminently, but, perhaps in the next couple of years! Good luck.

[djshinodalp]

There are tons of H1-b holders and their spouses on H4 in Charlotte and surrounding areas. Tough to give you good advice on what your chances are without knowing anything about your education background.

Both you and your spouse can travel in and out of the country as long as you both maintain your visa status. Your spouse on H4 is dependent on your H1-B status, so as long as you maintain and your company keeps renewing, there shouldn't be a problem.

GC is employment based and the # of years it will take to get it depends on a number of factors. I suggest you talk to an immigration lawyer and/or read up murthy.com, immihelp and other immigration forums for better legal answers.

Send me a message if you have more specific questions.