What You Need to Know About Overstaying in Thailand

Thailand is well-known around the world as one of the most sought-after tourist destinations, owing to its rich cultural and ecological diversity. During your unforgettable visit to the Land of Smiles, you may find yourself craving for more of the Thai experience, thus opting for an even more extended stay in the country.

However, it is very important for you to keep in mind the basic guidelines for overstaying in Thailand so that you can avoid having problems with Thai immigration and enjoy the rest of your trip.

What is Overstaying?

Overstaying is the defined as the act of exceeding your allowable stay in Thailand beyond the validity of the immigration stamp or visa granted to you. As a foreigner, it is your duty to keep in mind the date of expiration of your stay in the country, and you are advised to leave Thailand prior before your permit of stay expires. Overstaying is an offense where only foreign citizens are held liable.

Consequences?of Overstaying

Overstaying is penalized by Thai Immigration law. Technically this is a violation that is punishable even on the first day of overstay, but generally if you overstay for only one day, you need not pay a fine. A fine of 500 baht per day is charged beginning on the second day of overstay. The maximum fine for overstaying in Thailand is 20,000 baht and children can also be charged with overstaying if they are over the age of seven.

You can pay your fines for overstaying at the airport or at the nearest Thai Immigration office. The process takes less than ten minutes, and you can even pay your overstay fines in advance. While this is a very convenient option for tourists, keep in mind that overstaying is still a violation of Thai Immigration rules. The Immigration Police can still detain you until you can book your flight out of Thailand and it can be a very uncomfortable experience for you, so it will be best to avoid overstaying in Thailand unless very urgent situations call for this option.

Why You Need a Thai Visa

If you are really interested in taking a longer trip and explore more of the Land of Smiles, and even possibly explore employment and business opportunities in the country, it will be best for you to apply for a Thai Visa prior to your arrival in Thailand so as to avoid problems with Thai Immigration. It is recommended that you seek the assistance of a reputable Thai law firm, who may be able to discuss with you your options in your application for a Thai Visa. They may also be able to be a valuable resource of legal advice throughout your stay in Thailand.

Belle Baldoza works as a Business Correspondent for Siam Legal International, Thailand's largest legal service network with offices in Bangkok, Phuket, Pattaya, Hua Hin, Chiang Mai and Samui. The firm has international locations in London and Los Angeles. Siam Legal is a full-service law firm and provides a wide range of legal and visa services. Visit Siam Legal on the web at http://www.siam-legal.com

A Few Challenges Facing Canadian Immigrants

Contemplating a new life in Canada? You are not alone. Almost a million people moved into Canada legally in 2004 alone and hundreds of thousands more have their applications pending. Canada is one of the Western countries that admits the most immigrants next to the United States. The immigrants are lured by the high standards of living which stem from low crime rates and a sound economy. Once you get to Canada, what are you likely to expect?

Seventy percent of all new immigrants into Canada report little hassles settling in. Many already have friends and family in Canada who help them assimilate. If not, there are many immigration advocacy groups that help newcomers make the transition. Most of the new arrivals find work in less than a year. This can be work in almost all fields and sectors of the economy.

It has also been reported that most immigrants, almost 90 percent, tend to flock with their own ethnic groups. Because Canada is a multi-ethnic society, much like the United States, new arrivals quickly find their own countrymen already established. Many also bridge the cultural divide and establish new friends among other ethnicities.

Weather Barrier
One of the major impediments to getting settled was the weather. Canada boasts some of the coldest winter months in the entire Western Hemosphere. This is because of the continent's close proximity to the Arctic circle and North Pole. This problem is compounded by the fact that many immigrants to Canada come from the tropics where the weather is relatively warm all year round.

Qualifications
While it is true that the Canadian immigration system only desires to legalize people who have formal skills, there is stiff competition for jobs in Canada. This is because Canada has one of the highest literacy rates on the planet. If one is seeking menial jobs, these are plenty in Canada. But if one desires to advance higher to the blue-collar corridors, then one has to be well educated and have skills and experience. Newcomers may only have a rudimentary knowledge of an advanced economy's inner workings and this can hinder assimilation.

Language
English and French are the predominant languages in Canada. French is especially dominant in some states such as Quebec. While immigrants coming from French-speaking lands such as some West African states would have no problem, this may not be the case with English-speaking migrants. One may find themselves enrolling either in English or French classes before fully being assimilated into the Canadian workforce.

Irene James is a consultant and an expert in Canadian immigration and she recommends easy steps to immigrate to Canada

E-3 Visa & H-1B Visa Rumors Say People Are Being Sent Home at the US Border - We Reveal the Truth!

With H-1B season upon us after April 1, 2009 for visa petition filing and the US economic woes causing both legal and illegal immigration to be a political and media issue there are many rumors flying around.

One of the more recent rumors for H-1B visa but also E-3 visa, L-1 visa and J-1 visa holders has been that they have been turned back at their Port of Entry (POE) in the United States despite having all the necessary paperwork and legitimate documents.

The rumor follows that the Immigration officer at the POE asks the employer about their US work visa and then goes on to call the employer. They are supposedly asking the employer as to whether the job filled by the foreign worker could be filled by a US citizen or green card holder (permanent resident). Upon being told by the employer that this is possible, the foreigner is told they are not allowed to enter the US.

Many foreigners have become scared at this rumor and particularly Indian workers who may have gone home for a brief vacation and come back finding they are the prime targets of vicious lies and hate spread by the media and politicians.

The truth is the only instance where someone would be turned away at the Port of Entry is if their documents had some irregularity or were found to illegitimate in some way.

Imagine if you arrived at JFK Airport in New York at 10pm at night, and the customs official checking your documents at the airport contacts your manager at home to ask whether they could hire a US worker instead. It is ludicrous and it is not the job of the Immigration officer to make policy decisions but to follow the regulations.

In any case if there was a problem with your documents you are not immediately put back on a plane, you are held in a room at the airport for 24-48 hours while officials check your documents and background. They will also contact the embassy/consulate where you received your visa.

I hope this helps rest the fears of many foreigners fearful by a new wave of attacks on there very small list of rights.

CJ gives advice about the US Immigration system to people who want H-1B and E-3 Visas so they can live and work in the USA.

American H-1B Visas Come With Plenty of Restrictions

Take heart, skilled foreign workers. If your temporary U.S. H-1B Visa has lost its appeal, there's always Alberta. In fact, the immigration website for Albert, Canada, is advertising the province as an alternative, permanent home for workers frustrated by their temporary U.S. H-1B visas and their myriad of restrictions. Canadian employers might well be more welcoming than those in the United States even if workers aren't granted temporary visas.

H-1B, the non-immigrant, temporary status given to individuals in a "specialty occupation or profession" is difficult to qualify for, and in the end, it's temporary.

Aliens (persons from other countries, not extraterrestrials) seeking an H-1B visa need to have completed a Bachelor's Degree program, and if they're from India, Pakistan, or several Asian Rim nations, they'll need a Masters Degree. H-1B applicants will require licenses if the profession they're in requires one. The number of new H-1B's granted in a fiscal year is "capped" at 65,000. Potential employers of an H-1B worker must deal with stringent Department of Labor restrictions and write a detailed recommendation letter for each H-1B skilled worker. If an employer hires a significant number (more than 51) of H-1B workers, the employer is classified as a "dependent" employer and ends up with an avalanche of red tape. Finally, if an employee is actually granted H-1B status, it's only for three years (although in rare instances it can be renewed for an additional six).

In March 2008, the New York Times reported on the difficulty U.S. companies face in obtaining the elusive three-year H-1Bs to bring in adequate numbers of skilled workers. "In 2007, the (Department of Immigration) agency received enough petitions to cover the annual quota (capped at 65,000) on the first day applications were accepted. About half of the total petitions filed were rejected because the supply of visas had run out."

Plenty of companies are complaining because they can't get visas for all the highly educated skilled workers they want to acquire. Skilled foreign workers are even more frustrated. According to Jai B., a doctoral candidate from India's Punjab region denied an H-1B visa on three separate occasions since April 2007, "The American system does not reward honesty in any way. The truth is, if we were able to leave our home country to come into the U.S. or any other nation, it is because we have a spirit of excellence and we are not quitters or narrow-minded. We want to be assets to the U.S. economy. Unfortunately, we are not regarded that way by U.S. officials."

A. Banerjee is a Houston immigration lawyer in Texas. Before selecting an immigration lawyer in Houston Texas, contact the Law Offices of Annie Banerjee by visiting their information filled web site at http://www.visatous.com.

What You Need to Know About the K-1 Visa For Your Thai Fiancee

If you are fortunate enough to come across the woman of your dreams in the Land of Smiles and would be eager to take the next big step-marrying her and bringing her back to the United States-then you will need to file an application for a K-1 Visa.

The K-1 Visa enables you, as an American citizen to take your Thai fiancee to the United States with the intention of getting married there. This type of visa is valid for 90 days upon your fiancee's arrival in the United States and is generally the preferred choice among the US Visas.

ADVANTAGES OF THE K-1 VISA

The K-1 Visa usually involves a shorter processing time than its other US Visa counterparts, taking only an average of 4-6 months from the date of filing the application. With a K-1 Visa, your Thai fiancee will also be able to apply for a Work Permit in the United States by filing a Form I-765. Moreover, your fiancee's unmarried children under the age of 21 can also be brought to the United States with the K-2 Derivative Visa, which will be issued at the same time as the K-1 Visa is approved.

K-1 VISA BASIC REQUIREMENTS

?In order to be able to apply for a K1 Visa, you should be able to meet the following standard requirements:

1.?You must be a United States citizen

2.?You must have met your Thai fiancee at least once during the last two years. Further evidence of your romantic relationship, such as emails, phone calls, online chat transcripts, photos, etc will be required to be submitted as part of the application as well.

3.?You and your Thai fiancee must be able to pass a criminal record check

4.?Your Thai fiancee must be able to pass a medical exam

5.?You and your Thai fiancee must both be single and free to marry

6.?You must be able to meet the financial requirements of the K-1 Visa application, which is designated at 125% of the poverty line.

7.?You must have the intention of marrying your Thai fiancee within 90 days upon her arrival in the United States.

WHY HIRE A THAI LAW FIRM?

Filing and processing the application for a K-1 Visa will entail a lot of paperwork, time, and effort liaising with legal authorities both in the USA and in Thailand. Therefore, it is advisable to engage the services of a reputable Thai law firm to assist you with your K-1 Visa application. Apart from providing you with legal advice that will prove helpful to you as you proceed with your application, your Thai fiancee will also benefit greatly from retaining the services of a law firm in Thailand as the firm can coordinate with her regarding additional requirements as well as train her for her upcoming visa interview.

SUMMARY

The K-1 Visa is the fastest and most efficient way for you to be able to marry your Thai fiancee within 90 days upon her arrival in the United States. You and your Thai fiancee must be able to meet several requirements to be able to apply for this type of US Visa, such as medical and financial requirements, among others. You will also need to have met at least once in the past two years and must present proof of your ongoing romantic relationship. It is best for you to retain the services of an efficient Thai law firm to assist you with your K-1 Visa application, as they can assist you in every step of the process and provide you with quality legal advice as well.

Belle Baldoza works as a Business Correspondent for Siam Legal International, Thailand's largest legal service network with offices in Bangkok, Phuket, Pattaya, Hua Hin, Chiang Mai and Samui. The firm has international locations in London and Los Angeles. Siam Legal is a full-service law firm and provides a wide range of legal and visa services. Visit Siam Legal on the web at http://www.siam-legal.com

Indians & the H-1B Visa Are Facing Their Greatest Challenge Today and We Reveal the Fight Back

The H-1B Visa system and India are inextricably linked as in some year Indian citizens have made up about 60% of the 65,000 cap issue

As was recently reported in the Washington Post, according to the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs in New Delhi. Worldwide, Non-Resident Indians send home more than $30 billion a year, which constitures about 3% of India's GDP, the International Labor Organization estimates. Approximately 2 million NRIs live in the US.

In terms of overall immigration, India is third behind Mexico and China for immigration to the US.

Additionally in recent years, about 70% of the top 10 companies who sponsor the annual H-1B visa are Indian founded and head quartered companies with offices in the US.

So you can see just from this alone the connection between India and the US is extremely strong as far as US Immigration is concerned. This is also why the Indian Government lobbys strongly both the Bush Administration previously and the current Obama Administration to maintain the H-1B program. Moreover they want it scaled back up to levels at the start of the decade where there were 195,000 H-1B visas annually.

Additional lobbying is coming from Indian Corporate and powerful Immigrant groups direct to US politicians to establish the importance of the H-1B visa program.

With elections coming up this is a hot bed issue in Indian politics so what are they stating to further justify their cause in the face of a hostile media and bordering on racist politicians in the US blaming immigrants for US economic and job loss ills.

Well the argument they have to counter is organizations like the IEEE previously have drawn connections between the H-1B program and the unemployment rate for engineers. For instance, in 2003, when the visa cap was still at 195,000, the unemployment rate for computer software engineers was measured at 5.2%. But in November 2004, the IEEE said that unemployment among software engineers had shrunk to 3.3%, a decline it attributed to the lowering of the H-1B cap.

However this argument is countered by the fact Immigrants founded more than half of all the Silicon Valley start-ups in the past 10 years. These immigrant founded U.S. technology companies employed over 450,000 workers and grossed $52 billion in 2005 alone according to Vivek Wadwha from Harvard.

Google, eBay, Intel and PayPal are all examples of companies founded by Immigrants to the US which are now household brands and responsible for millions of direct and indirect employment bring billions of dollars of wealth to the US and its people

Immigration experts say shutting out the talent from abroad will only hurt U.S. competitiveness in the long run. The next Google or Silicon Valley will be in Bangalore or Beijing according to Vivek Wadwha due to the current loss of talent.

Furthermore US heavyweights like Bill Gates of Microsoft fame have called for the H-1B visa quota to be 500,000.

Already countries like Canada, Singapore and Australia have created fast track programs to hopefully attract these types of entrepreneurial and hard working immigrants away from the US.

So for the many Indian students and other potential immigrants desperately applying for jobs and in some cases having employers submit H-1B visa petitions on April 1, 2009 for FY2010, it is a hope that the US again realizes the value of the Indian and foreign worker to their society and culture.

CJ helps foreigners understand the US Immigration System so they can live and work in the USA on visas like H-1B or E-3 and even Green Cards.

Imigration DNA Testing Gets Positive Results

While there are numerous kinds of DNA testing that are available through sites like the ones here, there are some that have less of the public's attention than others. While everyone seems most familiar with the standbys like paternity testing, there are other variations like Immigration DNA testing that serve a great purpose in reuniting families that have been separated when one member immigrates.

First Things First

First of all, there are several things that you'll need to know about the process of DNA testing in general if you want to have a rounded view of what this science that has spawned the likes of paternity testing and even Infidelity DNA Testing is all about.

DNA is the material that governs who we are and what we look like. It's all about our inherited eye and hair color as well as things that we can't even see like bone density. As for the DNA itself, it's long and stringy and each of our body's cells contain a complete sample of that person's DNA. The codes that make up each of our DNA samples are unique to each of us so that reading someone's DNA means that you'll be able to identify them.

Implications.

And because these codes generally get passed on through the sperm and the egg, it's easy to identify members of a specific family by their DNA. That's the basis where modern DNA testing comes into play. The implications are staggering.

Beyond the scientific tests that are common like paternity testing and forensics testing, this science has branched out to include Immigration DNA testing when it became apparent that there would be a need after an immigrant petitions to have family members follow. And of course, these tests are precise and they need to be carried out in an accredited laboratory with all the modern amenities.

Positive Results

And here's the place where you'll get the positive results that are essential for these kinds of tests. Paternitydirect.com has a laboratory that has over 25 years of experience in all kinds of DNA testing including paternity testing and Immigration DNA testing. When you find that you need the services of a reputable place that can get you the services that you need, you'll want to see that the firm you're looking at has all the necessary features in place to make the whole process as efficient as possible.

Patricia Denny is an expert when it comes to all forms of DNA testing that includes Immigration DNA testing. She's been working with paternity testing for years as well.

The Myth About Chain Migration

Chain migration is a term often implied in the case of Mexican immigrants and other Latin American countries, although not limited exclusively to those relatively-favored nations. Among Hispanic peoples, the idea of extended families has always been in vogue and entails great significance, as relatives by marriage, cousins, and siblings are all appreciated as "family," an unofficial status that implies emotional charge ranging from affection to the contempt bred by familial intimacy that only a rule-breaking family member can engender. Although extended families are undergoing a revival of sorts in the currently dismal American economic climate, U.S. nuclear groups tend to be more isolated, with family ties often severed when the parents of children die, if not before this occurs.

In Mexico, Uncle Pedro and Aunt Elisa and Cousin Felicia, a third cousin by marriage to Cousin Narciso, tend to be equally treasured. The new life desired in the U.S. is something to be shared if at all feasible or possible, and so the phenomenon known as chain migration takes place. Unfortunately, in the political and economic climate that comprises the U.S. of 2009, this phenomenon is in jeopardy.

It's just not permitted, whether or not it was ever encouraged, however tacitly. The excuse is current backlogs, but the reality is a loss of control over the persons being allowed to immigrate. The backlogs impose prohibitive waiting periods on citizens and green card holders attempting to petition for a family member, however close or distant.

According to the April 2009 Visa Bulletin, Mexican spouses and minor children of lawful permanent residents have a current estimated wait of greater than 7 years. For other countries less-favored than the closely-proximate Mexico, waiting times can approach the absurd: for instance, siblings of U.S. citizens from the Philippines must wait 22 years and 6 months.

A. Banerjee is a Houston immigration lawyer in Texas. Before selecting an immigration lawyer in Houston Texas, contact the Law Offices of Annie Banerjee by visiting their information filled web site at http://www.visatous.com

A Comparison Between EB-5 Visa to USA and Canada Immigrant Investor Program!

EB-5 preference category was created in 1990 for immigrants seeking to enter the United States to engage in a commercial enterprise that will benefit the U.S. economy and directly create at least ten full- time jobs. The minimum qualifying investment amount is $500,000 for commercial enterprises located within a rural area8 (or targeted employment area) and is otherwise $1,000,000.

Under the Canada Immigrant Investor program, introduced in 1986, foreign business persons establish eligibility by proving that they have identified managerial / business experience during two out of last five years preceding the filing of application, a net worth of at least CDN $800,000, and by affirmatively expressing that they are willing to deposit CDN $400,000 into designated government guaranteed securities for a period of five years.

Passive versus active Investment

Unlike the EB-5 program, the Canadian Immigrant Investor program is a PASSIVE program: a qualifying investor is not required to open a business, or hire and manage employees. Rather, the investment itself is assumed to spur significant economic activity and create jobs. In fact, post visa issuance, the applicant can carry out any activity in Canada, including but not limited to doing jobs and living off additional passive investments. Of course, he can do active business as well. If he does business, there are no restrictions on geographical area and location and nature of commercial activity and on any minimum number of employees that business must employ.

EB-5 program is NOT a passive investment program and is in fact expected to create proven employment that is generated through a viable and registered commercial enterprise. The EB-5 regulations require involvement in management or policy making. The regulations deem a limited partner in a limited partnership, which is properly structured and that conforms to the Uniform Limited Partnership Act. Having said so, this program is used by professionals, businessmen, people planning their children's education and attend US colleges and Universities and seeking a good quality of life or seeking retirement in the USA. The EB-5 visa is a highly flexible program and permits the investor to what he wants, including seeking employment in USA.

Stage and timing of investment

Canadian Immigrant Investor program require investment AFTER the applicant's documents and applications forms and narratives/ declarations as regards net worth accumulation and business experience have been reviewed by the Visa offices and he has been out through a selection interview. Making payments for immigrant investor program has its own costs, especially foreign exchange transactions and transfer costs not to talk about the need to liquidate once net worth and assets to arrange for liquid funds required for transfer. Thus, from applicants view point it makes sense to make funds transfer- to meet the requirements of qualifying investments- after his application has received provisional approval.

EB-5 case procedures requires an investor to FIRST make a qualifying investment, and then file a Form I-526 petition (and supporting documents) with USCIS. After this the U.S. Department of State's National Visa Center will process the EB-5 immigrant visa through the local U.S. consular post with jurisdiction over the place of residence. The EB-5 immigrant visa is used to enter the United States, which commences the two-year conditional lawful permanent resident status. The applicant must thus be prepared for situations where - if his application is denied - he would have incurred irrecoverable expenses on foreign exchange transfer and then return. He might also have disposed off some valuable asset to arrange liquid funds in the first place and would be required to look for new investment assets. He should factor in expenses and costs and losses that he might incur while going through sale and purchase of assets. From the time that he makes the investments and time he receives the money back, he will need to factor in the lost interest in the process. In addition, he would loose the fee the he would have paid to the lawyer for applying for the application in the first place!

Conditional Versus unconditional green Card

EB-5 Visa is a conditional green Card and to start with, he will only get a two year conditional lawful permanent residence status. During the interim period he should be able to prove that the commercial enterprise in which his funds were invested met the conditions- especially related to creation of 10 new jobs on an ongoing basis. Should he not be able to meet the conditions, he will be asked to leave the country. This uncertainty about the likely continuity of the status is one of the key reasons why less than 10% of the annual quote for EB-5 category is used every year.

Successful applicants for Canada Immigrant Investor program get UNCONDITIONAL permanent resident status from day one of landing. It is comparable to the status the applicant gets under EB-5 program, after two years and subject to removal of conditions attached to his visa. The program is thus more certain and enables the applicant to appropriate plans vis-?is family and business relocation or expansion and also new investments.

Minimum investment

The minimum amount of investment required under the EB-5 program is USD 500,000 and under the Canada Immigrant Investor program it is CAD 400,000. At current exchange rates, it implies that the investment required is almost 50% more under the EB-5 program.

Loan Facility by Financial Institutions

The Canada Immigrant Investor program permits mandated financial institution to provide loan facility towards meeting the investment requirements. The program permits to make a margin money payment of as low as CAD 120,000 and balance being financed by financial institutions. This creates an excellent opportunity for the applicant as it enables him to meet the program requirements at least opportunity cost.

Documentation

When compared with Canada Immigrant Investor program, the documentation requirements are more extensive and subjective under the EB-5 program and persistent request of evidence- after filing of application- leads to inordinate delays in its processing.

Costs, extent of loss or opportunity of profit

The investment under the EB-5 program is an actual investment in a running commercial enterprise. The investment is subject to normal business situations and the enterprise may or may not make money. If the business looses money, the investor will loose his share of money as well. There is no limit to the amount of money that the business and therefore he may loose. Of course, he will make money if the business makes money. In such a case, there is no limit on the amount of money that the business and therefore he may make. The bottom line is that the investor applicant must be prepared to either of the situations.

Canada Immigrant Investor program has costs that can be identified. The applicant makes an interest free investment of CAD 400000 and the interest that he looses becomes his cost. When he goes for the finance option, the interest that he pays on the financed amount becomes his cost. Either way he knows his cost for taking residence visa under this program.

Administrative fee

In case of EB-5, Majority of the regional center investments require the applicant to pay an administrative fee of (normally) around USD 50,000. This is besides the investment of USD 500,000. In case the application is refused, for any reason, major part of this fee and in some case the entire fee paid under this head is non-refundable.

Under Canada Immigrant Investor program, the applicant incurs costs towards application processing fee to Governmental offices. A typical family consisting of applicant, spouse and two dependent children may incur a cost of around CAD 6000. This fee is non-refundable. In addition he may incur a professional and consultant fee expense of around CAD 5000. Majority of reputed consultants refund this consulting fee - in full or majority - if the application is refused.

Dependent definition

USA permits dependent less than 21 years to be considered as part of the application under EB-5. Canada permits dependents less than 22 years to be part of the application. Canada permits dependents above 22 years to be part of the application so long as children are full time students in a accredited and Government recognized institute

Summary

In Brief, both are good and attractive program but over the years Canada Immigrant Investor program has become more acceptable due to its simplicity and established procedures. Decision making is easier for the case officers due to available past precedents to refer to and compare new applications with.

EB-5 program is still evolving and is preferred route for extreme high risk wealthy individuals and families.

Author's rights-This article has been written by Ajay Sharma - referred to as author- known variably as Immigration Specialist, Immigration Consultant and Immigration adviser. The author retains (i) the rights to reproduce, to distribute, to publicly perform, and to publicly display the Article in any medium for non-commercial purposes; (ii) the right to prepare derivative works from the Article; and (iii) the right to authorize others to make any non-commercial use of the Article so long as Author receives credit as author and the user in which the Article has been published or cited mentions author as the source of information that makes part of thus article. No copies can be made or any part of this article used for commercial purposes unless it is done against expressed permission of the author.

Summary of E-2 Visa

Significant investment required (e.g., $200,000 plus), extended every 5 years, allows foreign national to remain in the United States on an open-ended basis (without a green Card) subject to the work limitations with the Visa.? Although there is no employee hiring requirement, a total lack of employees may be evidence that the business is marginal.?? If the E-2 employee is a manager (rather than an investor), managing other employees may be expected as part of their job duties.

This type of Visa will be particularly valuable for foreign nationals who wish to visit the United States for up to 122 days per year (less than 183 days in any one year), and who do not require a Green Card (in order to avoid U.S. income taxation on their world-wide income).? The E-2 Visa is particularly suited for international investors who would like a second home in the U.S.

Treaty Investor (E2 Visa)

Section 101(a)(15)(E) of the US Immigration and Nationality Act provides for visa status for nationals of countries that maintain an appropriate treaty of commerce and navigation with the United States or that is considered to be a treaty country under US law. The applicant must be coming to the United States to carry on substantial trade or to develop and direct the operations of an enterprise in which the national has invested, or is actively in the process of investing, a substantial amount of capital.

Treaty Trader and Investor visas are nonimmigrant categories. They do not confer permanent residency in the US nor do they lead to US citizenship, although they permit the applicant and qualified family members to live in the US for an extended period. For permanent residency in the United States, there is a separate program based on investment.

To qualify as Treaty Investor (E-2):

??The investor (either a real or corporate person) must be a national of a treaty country.

??The investment must be substantial. It must be sufficient to ensure the successful operation of the enterprise. The percentage of investment for a low-cost enterprise must be higher than the percentage of investment in a high-cost enterprise.

??The investment must be a real operating enterprise. Speculative or idle investment does not qualify.

??The investment must not be marginal. It must generate significantly more income than needed to provide a living to the investor and family, or it must have a significant economic impact in the United States.

??The investor must have control of the funds, and the investment must be at risk in the commercial sense. For the purpose of measuring the investment, loans secured with the assets of the investment enterprise are not counted.

??The investor must be coming to the US to develop and direct the enterprise. If applicants are not the principal investors, they must be employed as a supervisor, executive, or as the possessor of highly specialized skills.

What is a substantial amount of capital? There is no fixed amount which is considered "substantial." A substantial amount of capital constitutes that amount which is ample to ensure the investor's financial commitment to the successful operation of the enterprise as measured by the proportionality test. The proportionality test compares the total amount invested in the enterprise with the cost of establishing a viable enterprise of the nature contemplated or the amount of capital needed to purchase an existing enterprise.

Such comparison constitutes the percentage of the treaty applicant's investment in the enterprise. That percentage must compare favorable in the fashion of an inverted sliding scale starting with a high percentage of investment for a lower cost enterprise. The percentage of investment decreases at a gradual rate as the cost of the business increases. An amount of capital invested in an enterprise is merely presumed to be substantial when it meets or exceeds the percentage figures given in the following examples (amounts shown are in US dollars):

??75% investment in an enterprise costing no more than $500,000 (if the cost of the enterprise is substantially lower than $500,000, 85-90%, or even 100% investment may be required).

??50% investment in an enterprise costing more than $500,000 but no more than $3,000,000.

??30% investment in any enterprise costing more than $3,000,000.

A multi-million dollar investment by a large foreign corporation is normally considered substantial, regardless of the examples given above.The investment must do more than merely yield a return capable of supporting the investor and family. A marginal enterprise is an enterprise which does not have the capacity to generate significantly more than enough income to provide a living for the investor, family and other alien employees.

Are joint ventures permitted? Yes, provided that the business or individual investor applying for the visa is in a position to "develop and direct" the enterprise. The applicant is in such a position by controlling the enterprise through ownership of at least 50% of the business, possessing operational control through a marginal position or other corporate device, or by other means showing the applicant controls the enterprise.

How long may the Treaty Investor stay in the US? The applicant must have the intention of departing the US upon conclusion of the commercial activities. Nevertheless, holder of E-visas may reside in the US as long as they continue to meet E-visa qualifications.

"Essential employees" may remain only as long as their skills are required to operate the business, and only as long as the owner can show either that US workers cannot be trained to duplicate the skills or that the owner is making reasonable efforts to train US workers as replacements.

On initial entry, immigration officials normally authorize a stay of up to one year in the US, with extensions generally available for as long as the E-visa holder and family maintain their E-visa status.? The initial visa for an investor in an existing business may be up to 5 years; new U.S. business may be up to 2 years.? A new business may require a Business Plan with financial projections.

E-2 Visa Application Process

The E-2 visa application process may vary from one country to the next.? Different formatting rules, different forms and fees, different processing times, should be expected.? (For example, Vancouver is currently testing the DS-160 form rather than the DS-156/156E forms; Istanbul says it can review an E-2 in about a week while other Consulates and Embassies may take up to 12 weeks; Some Embassies and Consulates require hand delivering the petition at a pre-review interview while others allow the petition to be mailed in advance of the interview; etc.)? Filing within the U.S. as a "change of status" is possible but if the alien leaves the U.S., the alien will need to complete the Embassy or Consulate review of their application and have their visas processed before they are allowed to return to the U.S. on their E-2 status.? Consequently, if they are from a country with a long review time, the alien needs to make arrangements to start the review so it concludes in time for their reentry.

Is a visa available to the applicant's wife and children? Yes. Spouses and children under age 21 qualify for derivative E-visas based on the principal applicant's qualification. It is not necessary that they hold the nationality of the principal applicant. However, when the surnames of a spouse or children (as appearing on their passports) differ from that of the principal applicant, copies of marriage certificates, birth certificates, or other legal documentation must be submitted to establish the relationship. De-facto spouses and fiance(e)s do not qualify for derivative status. Dependent E-visa holders are allowed to work in the United States.

Gary S. Wolfe, Esq. International Tax Practice offers the following legal expertise: IRS Tax Audits, International Asset Protection & International Litigation. Please see http://www.gswlaw.com for more info

Immigration Law - Check on Your Green Card Status

Immigration Law was established because many foreigners wanted to come to the United States to have a better life and they needed to have a standard of law. In the beginning of the countries history there was a open door policy towards immigrants and anybody could come to have a new life. But then in the late 1800's they started limiting certain groups from coming in and these were mainly savory characters looking for trouble. By the early 20's the Us had a quota system and this further produces Immigration Law.

Many people that are in the Us need to have a Immigration Lawyer so that they can keep there green card status up to date. If you visa expires you can be asked to leave the country so it is important that you find an attorney that has the knowledge you need to help you stay in the country legally.

If you are found to not have the proper documents to be in this country then you can be deported and sent back to the country of your birth. It is important that you understand how Immigration Law works so that you can obtain citizenship is you are looking to stay in the U.S.

Remember that it is important for you to be legal so that you do not get deported back to your country of birth. You need to understand the Immigration Law's of this country so you know what you need to do to gain citizenship. It is also a good idea for you to find a good Immigration Lawyer that has the experience you need to help you out. This type of law has been around for a long time and is basically to protect the citizens of this country.

Find Free: Immigration Law Help

Free: Green Card Search

Bryan Burbank is an expert in the field of Legal Issues and Finding Attorneys

10 Things You Need Know If You Are Having Problems With New Zealand Immigration

In our dealing with NZIS regarding my parents' residency application we had to go through a nightmare making a complaint. There was absolutely no help available, and no information from other people who had gone through the same thing. So I thought a quick run down of some of the (painful) lessons we learned would be useful- in the hope that it makes it easier for others.

1. Research.
Get ready to do a lot of work on the Internet. There is a lot of information out there that can help you. Much of it is hard to find, so stick at it.

2. Download the NZIS Operations manual and read it.
You need to know exactly what the NZIS staff are supposed to do. It is a useful reference for applicants - not just for the staff.

3. Get to know your way round the decisions of the Residence Review Board.
It is fascinating - and clearly shows the incompetence and inappropriate behaviour of NZIS in all branches. It is well worth saving copies of any decisions made about cases similar to your own. Not only can you then reference these in any formal complaint - but they can out your mind at rest if someone has been in the same position as you.

4. Keep meticulous records of any and all conversations you have.
Dates: Times: People: Content. Keep as much detail as you can. It is worth keeping the following as a minimum:

• A timeline of all correspondence.
• A spreadsheet of all Medical test results if this is where you are having problems.

5. Try to keep all communication to email if you can.
If you make a phone call - follow it with an email detailing the contents of the conversation. If you have a meeting with someone in person, take notes and again - follow it with an email. This is vitally important in case you need to prove something later. If the recipient wants to disagree with your version of events - this is their chance to do so.

6. Keep hard copies of all emails and documents to hand in case you have a face-to-face meeting.
We found it easiest to number each document, and reference them by the number in the Timeline. We also used small post-its as tabs so we could easily find any piece of paper. It's nice to be able to whip out a copy of an email when you need it. We had over 70 separate documents to keep track of - so we had to do something!

7. Be accurate in any correspondence relating to your case.
There is no room for wishful thinking or exaggeration - you will need to be able to back up any claims you make with hard facts. Also - if you make sure you do this - it is easier to spot when NZIS say something that isn't accurate.

8. Get ready for a bumpy ride.
It can be painful making a complaint against NZIS. Whether they are supposed to or not, NZIS staff may treat you like the enemy. And it appears to be a well known principle that if you make a complaint - they will start making life very difficult for you.

9. Understand the correct complaints procedure.
This is a 3-step process kicked off with a letter to the Deputy Secretary of the Department of labour. It is well worth trying to sort any issues out with your case officer - but failing that - escalate it via this process.

10. Don't give up.
If you know that you have passed all the requirements set by Immigration New Zealand, and that the problem is one of process and unfair handling of your case - then it is worth fighting for.

Helen Winterbottom, aka Avalon is an ExPat Brit living in New Zealand and wondering what the hell happened. After years of posting on forums, helping other migrants with their finance questions - she finally got around to writing it all down in a book.

Avalon's Guide can be found at http://www.avalonsguide.com/ and Avalon's Blog can be found at http://www.avalonsguide.com/anab for updates and a look at life in New Zealand.

There is no "One True Path" to emigrating.

What is This So-Called Non-Immigrant Visa That is Part of the US Immigration System?

Did you know the E-3 visa, J-1 visa and H-1B visa are all non-immigrant visas so anyone who enters the US under this visa is considered a Non-Immigrant and NOT an Immigrant?

The United States deems most foreigners actually who come legally to the US "non-immigrants" which is almost a subtle and psychological ploy to both demean and demonize these people from the beginning.

So What Is A Non-Immigrant and Non-Immigrant US Visa?

A non-immigrant is anyone who had to establish before coming to the US that their permanent residence is outside the US and that they intend to return back to their home nation after the temporary stay is over.

This means non-immigrants includes tourists, and as mentioned above also includes people holding E-3 visas, F-1 visas, J-1 Visas, TN visas, H-1B visas, etc. All of these people have to prove to their US consular officer that they have strong ties to their country of residence and intend to return home at the end of their US visa period.

The H-1B visa and L-1 visa, have what is known as a dual-intent provision which basically means they can apply for permanent status via their employer while on their non-immigrant status.

So what constitutes Strong Ties?

There is no set definition and the practical workings of this seem to differ greatly by person home and birth nation and sometimes heritage as well. (i.e. A British person has less to prove that someone from Lithuania that they intend to return home seemingly for no other reason than their passport)

Strong ties can be;
- close family members in the home nation
- bank accounts established at home
- property ownership/ cars/businesses back at home, etc.
- Other strong reasons why one would want to return home

As I said the burden for someone to prove this at their consular interview is really dependent on where they come from and sometimes how strict their assessing consular officer may be.

As per the law, it is up to the foreigner to prove these strong ties at the discretion of the consulate as to not too in their eyes, despite all you paperwork being legitimate and fine, you can still be denied a non-immigrant visa under condition 241(b).

It is possible to re-apply for a non-immigrant visa if you are denied based on condition 241 (b), however you must show further different evidence of your strong ties to your home country of residence.

CJ helps demystify the complex US Immigration system for all foreigners seeking a new life in the United States

Marriage Visas Are Granted to Couples Who Have Proven Their Worth to Live in the Country of Choice

Love moves in mysterious ways. It encompasses gender, boundaries and even geographical location. Thanks to the internet, nothing is impossible now. However, there are rules that people still have to follow especially when they have proven their love and they want to be together. So even if you get married in a foreign country, the couples still have to get marriage visas for the one who is not a resident of the country where they want to reside in. It seems so easy but it is not. Love does not conquer all after all. Foreigners need to do it the legal way.

What does it take for the marriage visa to be approved? The sponsor should be able to establish financial stability, the ability of the sponsor to financially support the spouse. The couple should be able to prove that they are in deed in love and their marriage is due to that reason and not a business partnership. There are actually some proven cases wherein people have gotten married just to obtain a green card. We all know that the grass is always greener at the other side so people have taken advantage of the issuance of marriage visas.

If your and your spouse are in love and want to be together, be patient and visa consuls will see if your love and your relationship is genuine enough to warrant your partner a marriage visa. All you got to be is patient and both of you will eventually be together.

Cheryl Forbes owns and operates the website http://www.visas-for-marriage.com

The Process of Immigration and Nationalization For Foreigners

Immigration and Naturalization for U.S. residents from other countries is a long and painstaking process. First, in order for a foreign national to establish residency in the United Sates, the foreign applicant must be sponsored by an upstanding citizen of the United States and be someone that has a personal knowledge of the applicant. The sponsor can be a relative, employer or hold political office as long as he or she does know the applicant.

Typically, after filing the appropriate paperwork to establish residency a federal background check is conducted, including fingerprinting and photographs of the applicant. It takes a minimum of six months for the background check and filing to be processed before a foreign national is granted residency and issued a green card, giving permission for them to stay in the United States legally. Green cards are now issued with five year expiration dates, at which time resident aliens, as they are referred to, must submit another application for permission to renew a green card.

For a resident alien to take out citizenship in the United States they must first be a legal resident for a period of five to seven years and submit a request to the Justice Department, that oversees the immigration and naturalization of foreign nationals. Each application has an accompanying fee and must be filed with an original birth certificate and social security number and an original photograph of the applicant.

Once the submitted paperwork is processed, another fingerprint check is submitted for an F.B.I. background check. This process takes a minimum of six months or longer to complete at which time the applicant is contacted via mail to report to a scheduled interview where an immigration and naturalization service, INS, officer asks a number of questions regarding U.S. history and the establishment of the U.S. government. Interviews are scheduled at least two months from the time the letter announcing the interview is received.

After successfully completing the interview the resident alien again a waits a letter announcing when and where they are to appear in federal court to be sworn in as a naturalized U.S. Citizen and renounce any allegiance to their homeland or country of origin. From start to finish the process for a resident alien to become a naturalized citizen can take up to one year of longer. Immigration attorneys give specific legal advice to their clients to assist them in the processes of establishing legal residence within the United States and aid in the preparation of documents for submission to the INS.

Looking for a practicing immigration attorney in Santa Ana, CA? Visit http://immigrationlaws.com Billings Farnsworth is a freelance writer.

Becoming a US Citizen - Valuable Tips to Guide You Through the Citizenship Process

So you have decided to take the step of becoming a US citizen. Congratulations! You have made a wise choice to become a member of the greatest country in the world. A word of warning though, going through the citizenship process is not as simple and straightforward as many would have you believe.

It was with this in mind, I decided to write this article, to provide you with some tips to help you through the citizenship process and ultimately reach your goal of becoming a US citizen.

Firstly you need to get, fill out and submit form N-400, you can do this online or via mail, you need to make sure you submit your form to your local government office.

Once your N-400 form has been reviewed, and provided there are no major issues, you will then be invited to attend an interview. In the interview you will be asked a whole range of things from why you think you deserve to become a US citizen, questions about the history of the united stated as well as opinions and beliefs on a variety of subjects.

Whatever you do, don't panic during the interview process, just be yourself and answer the questions as truthfully and heartfelt as you can. The people conducting the interview are very well trained and will soon know if you being dishonest, but for the most part they are there to help you become a US citizen

Whilst this article is far from an exhaustive guide on the steps to gain citizenship, it does contain great tips to get you started on your quest to become a US Citizen.

If you are ready to take the next step in the citizenship process check out the following link for a review of a great resource. Click Here

Find Anyone's Contact Details Through an Online People Search

Looking for the contact details about a missing person might be too daunting a task to undertake if you decide to do it all on your own. Especially if the person is intentionally hiding from you or may have already changed some personal details that they have, then things could even get more challenging for you even if you go to the public offices in your area and request the records that they have. If, on the other hand, you enlist help from the private detectives, you should be ready to spend big amounts of money since the services that these professionals provide can really be very expensive.

Now if you will consider the many online resources where you can obtain public records in our time, then you can surely tell that doing your people search isn't as difficult as it appears at all. Through the online method, you can actually gather a lot of information that you would need to be able to pinpoint a person's current location and other contact information such as email addresses, including cell phone and landline numbers.

Even if a person has already undergone a name change or has already changed a last name because of marriage, for example, then you can still get the details that you are looking for as you do your online people search since the records are always updated at the internet. They closely correlate with the government offices and that's why they are always aware about any changes that may be recorded.

Gerson Moore
Author at EzineArticles.com
Also at People Search

How to Find Anyone Through Online People Searches

The amount of public information that are now widely available through the internet has really made the whole world much smaller for all of us now. As people who need to look for the contact details of another individual, they can turn to the web so they could do their own people searches in an instant. This is possible since there are already many public records that have already been uploaded to many websites and these forms can now be downloaded by any online user.

Let's say you are someone who needs to look for a specific person named Mark Parker and you haven't been getting any luck as you try the local public offices. When that happens to you, that doesn't necessarily mean to be a dead end for your search since you can still go to the internet and get better results. Besides, online people searches offer the services of getting the chance to access nationwide records as they have it in their comprehensive databases. Through that, you will be able to view a person's entire address history up to the past seven years so you will be able to know for sure about his or her current address and other contact information such as cell phone and landline numbers.

Even if a certain person you are looking for has already changed their names, you will still be able to get relevant results to your searches since these people searches services can really assure you that they track changes that take place in the actual records.

Gerson Moore
Author at EzineArticles.com
Also at People Searches

Online Criminal Record Resources

Online criminal record resources are very excellent tools for people who want to make sure that they will be protected from people who might be trying to hide their criminal details. As you use the reports that they could provided you with, then that could be for your advantage since you will be able to see a lot of things as contained in their own public records. Now this online method is very advisable for people who want to be assured when it comes to accuracy and speed when it comes to retrieving information about others.

Get started with protecting yourself, your loved ones and your properties by using criminal record databases. So regardless if it's for your personal use or for business purposes, what you can get from these sites can really be a good source of peace of mind. Say for example that you are doing a background check because you want to see if a person has ever been arrested for any crime that he or she has been involved with. Of course, it would be for your own benefit if you will be able to find out about that since you will get forewarned about people who may have been convicted as a sex offender or have been charged with embezzlement cases or others.

Access a criminal record site now and see all the details that you need to see before entrusting the wrong person with your loved ones or your properties. With all that you can get here, you will never go wrong when it comes to making decisions.

Gerson Moore
Author at EzineArticles.com
Also at Criminal Record

Want to Know About Someone's Dirty History? Here's How to Do a Personal Background Check on Anyone

After receiving a handful of inquiries from people questioning how to use a personal background check on somebody, we thought we would assemble a quick guide describing how this can be done. Obviously you can think of plenty of various times when employing a background search could be useful so we hope this article is useful to readers.

The world wide web has made it a lot easier to obtain all kinds of details, and personal background searches are a perfect example. Years ago you were forced to use detective agencies to turn up this sort of info. It was really costly and took up a lot of time.

Today you can utilize internet background databases to find details on just about anyone you want. You just type in the individual's name and all kinds of info can be retrieved. You can easily uncover somebody's address history, criminal records and full background history with only a few clicks of your computer mouse. It's always neat to look at the amount of info you can find.

The databases which you can run a search through are assembled by professional businesses that provide this service. The organizations need to spend money for this data, so of course they charge a small fee for running a background search.

Instead of paying for every individual search, most people will utilize a company that bills you a single membership fee for limitless background checks. If you use this option, you are just charged the once and afterward can utilize as many background searches as you want.

Let's quickly look at a tactic you can try to obtain background information on someone without needing to pay.

Visit Google and punch in the individual's name in quotation marks followed by the city they are from. Press seach and then take a look at the results that come up. If personal details have been listed on a site in regards to this individual than it should come up through your search. Although this won't work very often, it doesn't cost anything so you may as well give it a shot anyway.

Using a personal background check is a fantastic way to expose complete info on anyone you are wondering about. It's a handy trick to use that lets you feel like a P.I. right from your computer!

National Background Checks let you find out full details about anyone you want and uncover their past.

Click Here so you can try a free sample search to see exactly how it works!

How to Do a National Criminal Background Check Right Now

The Internet makes modern life remarkably simplified. If we need to buy a gift we can do it with a few clicks of the mouse, if we are interested in getting an auto loan we can comparison shop between banks and financing companies in only a matter of minutes. If we need to arrange for a national criminal background check, this massive undertaking can be performed online and in only a few minute's time!

Only a few decades ago, a national criminal background check would require the specialized services of a trained detective or law enforcement office. Today, however, a huge number of public records have been "digitized" and put into online directories and databases that make it much easier to compile a complete background on almost anyone.

Today there are many outlets and resources for acquiring background information, but it is important to note a few facts before seeking a national criminal background check. The first fact is that most states are not entirely online as far as criminal records are concerned, and many people who purchase a background report will find instances where data are simply unavailable to anyone accept those who physically travel to certain locations to request the information in person.

The next issue is that some states have begun to create legislation around the data that can be released in the background information. For example, the high rise in identity theft has made it necessary for a majority of online national criminal background check companies to prevent the purchaser of the information to get the social security number or birth date of the individual in the report.

Finally, some states also ask for additional fees in order to provide certain public information, such as that in a national criminal background check, and the reporting companies have no choice but to pass this on to the customers who have hired them to do the research.

To complete your National Criminal Background Check all you need to do is Click Here Right Now!

Public Criminal Record - Why Are Criminal Record Checks So Important?

Are you an employer of some sort? Do you own a company or employ individuals around your home for different jobs? Maybe you are having some work done to your home and need to hire some contractors. These are all good reasons to check the public criminal record of the individuals you are hiring. Here are the main reasons why you would want to do something like this.

First, if you own a business and you are hiring for a position that involves handling cash, then checking the public criminal record of the individual you hire is a must. They are going to be handling your cash and you need to know if they have stolen from an employer or from anybody else before in the past. This is very important and you must do a background check to find out who you are really dealing with.

Second, if you employ individuals around your home like a gardener, nanny or babysitter, chef, housekeeper, or anybody else, then you need to know their past as well. This especially goes for those that have children. What if you hired someone to be your nanny or to clean your pool only to find out that they have been convicted of a sex crime or are a convicted thief. These are individuals that you might not want around your home and you need to know before you allow them near your children.

Last, if you are getting ready to have some work done by contractors around your home you also need to check the public criminal record of these individuals. This will protect you from a scam artist or from someone who could rob you blind without you ever knowing. It also protects your family if they are going to be there while the workers are there. You cannot be too trustworthy and it is always good to know who it is that you are dealing with.

Gain Access to the Top Criminal Background Check Service on the Internet Right Now by Clicking Here!

Criminal Background Check - How This Service Could Save Your Life

Only a few weeks ago a friend of mine arranged to meet someone from a dating site. As soon as she met him she felt uneasy and felt there was something not right. Luckily she took the precaution of meeting him in a public place and made sure he left first.

He tried to wait for her and follow her, but there were police around and as soon as he saw her talking to them he quickly disappeared. The fact is this happens every day and does not always end with a lucky escape.

Criminal background checks can tell you if someone you meet on a dating site or on a blind date is someone you can trust, or if they are a dangerous individual you want to avoid.

There are many other reasons you would want to carry out a background search on someone. When it comes to buying a house the most important thing you can do is to check on the neighbours. The last thing you want is to be in a neighbourhood with sex offenders, or career criminals who will make your life unbearable.

You just need to enter their details on criminal background search websites. These hold the same information and records that are used by law enforcement agencies and you can be sure they are up-to-date and accurate.

If there is someone in your neighbourhood that should not be there, or you want to keep clear of, doing a simple check will tell you in seconds and could even save your life.

All you need to do is enter their details on your computer screen and you will get back marriage records, sex offences, if they have served jail time, if they have any restraining orders or other orders against them. In fact just about everything there is to know.

Imagine if the person you are dating turns out to be married. This happens every day, as more married people turn to dating sites to have affairs and then just walk away, leaving you hurt and wounded. Not even knowing that they were married in the first place.

There is no need to let them get away with it. You can find out if you can trust them before jumping deep into a relationship.

You cannot take a risk with your safety or your families and making criminal background checks could even save your life.

Make a criminal background check now, Just click here.

Criminal Background Checks - Check Their Past and Be Safe

Everyone at some point or other gets curious about a friend, or someone they work with, or even someone they are dating. Maybe it is something they have said, or maybe you think they are being evasive.

It could be nothing, or it could be everything and they might have a dark and dangerous past that you want to avoid. You can uncover this information easily with a criminal background check service.

Years ago the only choice was to employ a private detective to get this information and it could have taken weeks to find out anything. To make matters worse you still had to pay them. Regardless of what they found.

Now with the internet you can find out this information in minutes. If you know where to look.

All you need to do is to use a criminal background search site. It is as simple as typing in their name and in seconds you will have a screen full of information on them. You will get felony records, sex offences, driving offences, tax records, marriage records, you can even find out if there is a warrant out for them right now.

You can use this service to check on someone you are dating, or if you are moving house and want to check the neighbours out you can use it for that. You can even use it to check out who is looking after your children. There are so many reasons to use it.

The best thing about criminal background check services is they are anonymous. No one will ever know you are checking on them, unless you tell them and the same information is used by law enforcement agencies.

You cannot afford to take chances with your safety or your families.

Make a criminal background check now, Just click here.

Free Background Check - Who's the Criminal in Your Family?

Everyone has skeletons in the closet and it's a statistical fact that there is someone in your family who has a criminal history, but do you know who it is? Maybe they have a violent past or maybe they have previous arrests for being a sex offender. It's hard to imagine that sweet Uncle Tom spends more time in court than he does watching your kids, but you may be surprised at how little you actually know about someone.

Go beyond your direct family and think about the people you or your family spend time with. There are more regular interactions on a daily basis than you may realize, and every one of those encounters is an opportunity for someone to scam you or take advantage of you. Ask yourself...

- Are you or someone you know dating?

- Do you buy and sell things online or on Craigslist?

- Is anyone you know buying or selling a car or home?

- Are there people watching your kids when you're not around?

Unfortunately, the people that commit these awful crimes are the people you would least suspect. By doing your homework and making sure the people you and your family surround themselves with check out, you can sleep well at night knowing everyone is safe.

One way to do a background check is to type the person's name in Google to see what kind of results are returned from a search. This may not give you complete insight into a person's criminal history, but it may show recent newspaper articles, notices or other activity that the person may have been involved in.

Otherwise, all criminal and court records are listed on public records databases. A simple search for the person's name will tell you exactly if they have been arrested, if they have any outstanding warrants or judgments, and a whole list of personal personal information that may surprise you.

Run an online pubic criminal court records search.

Find out what you don't know at http://www.legalrecordscheck.com

Criminal Background Checks - Don't Leave the Safety of Your Family Up to Chance

Finding out personal information about people is one of a most often performed activities online. People like to do that because their are people that they are suspicious of. Criminal background checks make it possible to do if you want to find out other people's data. In today's world it's necessary to be careful with who you deal with.

There are so many ways to use this service that most of us over look. People have become accustomed to feeling safe in their environment, but the truth is that danger lurks around every corner.

Just think about all the news stories that you see or hear everyday about children being stolen out of their beds, fatalities at day care centers and neighbors who wind up sexually abusing children. Of course we all like to think that it could never happen to us, but the truth is were no different than the people it actually happened to.

To use this service, all you have to do is enter a little bit of information into the criminal background check website and hit search. You will quickly be given the misdemeanor records, felony records, sexual crimes, marriage status, tax records and many other pieces of information.

This information is crucial when you are moving into a new neighborhood, using a day care facility, dating someone new or starting a new job. It is always better to know for sure who the people are around you and what they have done in the past.

This way you know who you need to watch out for so there are no surprises!

The bottom line is when it comes to you and your family's safety, you can never be to careful. After using various services to check up on people, here is my #1 recommended service for criminal background checks

Criminal Background Checks - It's Important in Today's World to Make Sure Your Family is Protected

It is very important in today's world to be protective about your family, and make sure that they are safe. There are people around us that are predators and will seek to harm your family if you do not protect them well. You can now check into the background of anyone you want all the way from your neighbor to some certain stranger that you just met. It is very important to know who surrounds you every day and criminal background checks will give you comfort you need to feel safe.

It used to be that you had to pay a lot of money and wait for long periods of time to get this kind of information, but now it is not necessary anymore. With the services available now, you are able to tap into the same data base that law enforcement uses when they are doing research on a person.

All you have to do is enter a little information about the person you want to know about and let the website do the rest. You will quickly be given access to records such as felony records, misdemeanor records, marriage status, tax records, sexual crimes and much much more. This service is great and almost necessary now days when you are thinking about moving into a new neighborhood, taking your children to a new daycare, using a new babysitter, starting a new job or dating someone new.

How many times have you heard about people that found out the person they were dating was already married? I can imagine that's not fun!

Now with a criminal records search, you don't have to worry about ever being in that position.

The bottom line is when it comes to you and your family's safety, you can never be to careful. After using various services to check up on people, here is my #1 recommended service for criminal background checks

Florida Arrest Records Search

Background checks are fast becoming a common practice across different walks of modern living. In particular, criminal history record checks have become a standard due diligence in employment procedures by veritable companies. They are in fact mandatory in recruitment for positions of trust in the state of Florida where they concern children, elderly and sick or disabled be it paid or volunteered.

In Florida, the most common measure to this effect is the Criminal History Record Check. In parallel, there are Sex Offender Records and Inmate Records. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), Division of Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS), maintains and provides public access to criminal history information when requested. However, it is not lawful to report public arrest records especially by pre-employment screening services.

Actually, Florida Arrest Records are in more ways than one the most effective way of evaluating an individual's tendency for brushes with the law. Florida State Repository only permits access of felony and misdemeanor convictions but arrest records are technically public records under Florida state laws unless they have been expunged or sealed by the courts. They are therefore accessible by any member of the public. Also, an arrest record is entered for every detention whether or not incarceration resulted.

Florida Arrest Records come under the jurisdiction of the state. They are all forwarded from various county police departments, highway patrols, sheriff's offices and other criminal justice agencies throughout Florida and updated on a monthly basis. Procedures require that national agencies like the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the US Department of Justice are notified of all arrests.

Public arrest records search are conducted for various purposes; checking out potential employees, neighbors, work colleagues or even prospective spouses. Although the law does not permit direct questions on arrest history in employment interviews, checks can be made in discretion. There are ways to get around its cap on reporting too and odds are it is done, underhanded that it may be. That's why it's a good idea to routinely self-check in case of errors against your favor.

The subject of legality upon arrest records or any form of criminal history records is not always straightforward. What's clear though is that it never hurts to have a source of such information on hand just in case. Needless to say, they must be in compliance with the authorities. On that count, commercial record providers fit particularly well as they can deal with the legality matters on your behalf. It's also the easy way out.

Florida Arrest Records are very useful in their own way. Find out how to make the best use of Public Arrest Records.

Florida Arrest Records - Free Or Paid Version?

Background checks are fast becoming a standard practice for both recruiting new employees and appraising existing ones. In the interest of security and safety, criminal history record checks have inevitably become the most sought after records as a gauge of human character. For certain sensitive positions, certain form of criminal background check is a pre-requisite to be considered no matter voluntary or employed.

The trend and scenario in Florida is no different from that of the rest of the country. Criminal History Record Check is generally employed to evaluate an individual's suitability for any particular job placement. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), Division of Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) is tasked with maintaining and providing criminal history information to the public.

Per the state laws, Florida arrest records are public records. Unless they are expunged or sealed by the courts, it's possible for anyone to request free arrest records from the responsible government agencies. Admin fees may be required but the records themselves won't be charged. Uniquely, all arrests are recorded regardless of outcome. As a result, even dropped charges, plea bargain and other form of compromise or let-off would still be captured on file, at least at the apprehension stage.

County agencies such as police departments, highway patrols, sheriff's offices and other enforcement agencies all over the state of Florida keep records of all the arrests they make. They also submit them every month to the state repository to be compiled and maintained at state level. In parallel, all Florida arrest records are also reported to higher federal agencies namely the FBI and Justice Department.

Arrest records are commonly used for screening new employees by companies and privately for investigating neighbors, friends, relatives or just about any people. Free arrest records may be obtained from the various county enforcement agencies or the state department. It must be noted that there are restrictions on their official use and treatment. People should check their own arrest records regularly to guard against errors and inaccuracies.

Figuring out the lawfulness in utilizing arrest records especially in official applications such as pre-employment screening is not easy. Lawyers or experts are usually needed. Another practical option is to simply source the arrest information from commercial record providers and let them handle the legality issues. These folks are experts on the subject in their own right. We can then do what we are good at.

Looking for Free Arrest Records? We can help you but let us recommend our choice of paid Florida Arrest Records.

Public Criminal Records Search

Public criminal records include anything that has been made a part of the public domain for any criminal activity including arrests, jail sentences, court dates, etc. Prior to the existence of the internet, access to these types of records was somewhat difficult to obtain. Especially if you did not know exactly where the documents were on file. For example, if you knew someone had a criminal record, but didn't know what they might have done, or even more important, where the arrest occurred, it was difficult to know exactly where to go to look at the records. Even if you did know where to go - it was somewhat awkward to go to a courthouse and ask for the documents on Person X.

Since the internet became an integral part of our lives, business have been formed whose main focus is the collection of public records - criminal and otherwise. These services are available to anyone with internet access who wish to perform a lookup. Arrest records are not the only types of information that you can find from a public criminal records search. You can also find out information about someone's background - including address and employment history. Every little piece of information is helpful when you are trying to piece together someone's potential criminal background.

Understand that there is a difference between free and paid public criminal records searches. The free ones usually only support a single county or jurisdiction. If you know for sure that the public records that you are trying to look at are in a particular location, it is worth looking to see if the courthouse has online accessibility to its records. However -if you want a more detailed search across counties and jurisdictions, a paid service will be your best method to yield the most extensive results.

Are you interested in finding out ways to perform a public criminal records search? Just Click Here!

Discover How to Find Out Information About Anyone's Past With This Free Background Check Online

If you've ever wondered if it's possible to find out background information on someone online, today we're going to go over exactly how this can be done. There's lot of reasons why you might want to look into someone's past, so let's get started!

The internet has made it a lot easier to find all sorts of information, and background checks are no exception. In the past you had to rely on private investigators or detective agencies to dig up this sort of information. It was extraordinarily expensive and typically took a lot of time.

Now you can use specialized internet background databases to find information on just about anyone. You just type in the person's name and all sorts of information can be retrieved. This includes the person's address history, marriage records, employment history, criminal record and all sorts of other details. It's impressive to see the amount of information you can find.

The companies that offer background checks online gather all sorts of government and public records and then put together databases. They have to pay for this information, so naturally they charge a small fee for running background check.

You're best bet is to use a company that offers unlimited background checks for a flat membership fee. If you choose this route, you are only billed once and can then run as many background checks as you want whenever you need to. There's a quick trick you can use to see if you can find out the same information for free. It doesn't work all the time, but it's worth a try since it is free.

Pull up Google and type in the person's name in quotation marks followed by the city they live in. Hit search and then have a look at the results that come up. It's possible that this person has information about them published online somewhere. If they do, Google should find it for you. As mentioned before, there's a good chance you won't find anything this way, but you might as well give it a shot.

Using an online background check is a great way to uncover full details on anyone you're curious about. It's a handy trick to have that makes you feel like a detective right from home!

Click Here to check out a free trial background check to see how this works. Using a background check online is the easiest way to instantly find out about anyone's past - enjoy!

Background Check Software

Background check software is another term that is used when describing the process of performing a criminal background check from your computer. This software actually involves the process of using the internet and performing an online criminal check using public records that have been put into databases that are available for searching.

Information available in public criminal records can include public arrest records, jail records, driving records, court records, prison records - basically any public record associated with criminal activity. This information is usually free if you physically go to the county courthouse that they reside, however more and more counties and states are starting to make this information available online for public access. Background check software is used to make them available for a public records search.

Depending on the state or county that has made their criminal records available online, they may or may not charge a fee. Some counties such as in Florida for instance now charge a fee versus offering it free of charge for anyone wishing to find criminal records through their web site. This allows the organization to generate some additional revenue as well as pay for the infrastructure costs associated with providing their public criminal records online.

There are other private services that also offer their own version of background check software that is also available thru the internet. One advantage of using a private service is that the public criminal records information that is available can cover multiple state and county jurisdictions.

Are you interested in using Background Check Software to run a criminal background check? Just Click Here!

Public Arrest Records

Public arrest records are made available as public record for anyone over the age of 18 that has been involved in illegal or criminal activity. Before the internet became available, however it was not a generally accepted practice to go to the local county courthouse to look up police or court records on anyone unless you were someone in the legal or law enforcement profession.

Since the internet was invented, there have been many online services made available that are geared toward making public records available for online searching. For someone interested in searching public arrest records, they can learn about someone's criminal background including researching records related to arrests, prison, background - basically any on-file record related to criminal activity. More and more this information is being used for a variety of purposes including employment checks for jobs such as teachers, camp counselors and housekeepers. There are some people that use these services to check up on someone that they met online before they actually meet the person.

There are two types of services that are making public arrest record information available online. Some counties and states are putting up their own public records for public viewing. Depending on the state, they may or may not charge a fee to view or download information obtained thru their public records search service. There are also independent companies that are also involved in the criminal background check business. Although unlike many county and state entities, their information covers many county and state public record information making them a better alternative for an all-inclusive criminal background check option.

Are you interested in finding out ways to search public arrest records? Just Click Here!

Free Criminal Records Check?

Free criminal records check information is becoming made available by more and more online by local county and state courts. It has just been within the past few years that information that is a matter of public record is making its way into electronic online world. This means that anyone can lookup criminal background check information from the privacy and comfort of their own home. Public records that used to be cumbersome and difficult to get are now available any time of the day or night. And - someone who wants to perform a criminal background check on anyone that they are interested in can do so discreetly without the actual person being searched knowing about it.

In addition to free criminal records check web sites, there are also paid services. As a matter of fact, some criminal record information that used to be made available for free is starting to cost money. For example, some counties in Florida now charge for viewing their public records which can include arrest records, prison records, driving records - anything related to criminal behavior.

Private services don't allow you to perform a free criminal records check. This is because that obviously they are run for profit - and there is also large costs associated with collecting and maintaining vast databases full of criminal record information which span across counties, states and jurisdictions. It is also important to note, however that if someone has criminal record information on file about them, it may or may not mean that they were actually convicted of a crime.

Are you interested in finding out more ways to perform a free criminal records check? Just Click Here!