nlssubbu
12-06 12:05 PM
My wife got all the AP paperback after her return from India. One AP have stamp. Two AP papers are not touched.
When I traveled using AP for the first time, this is what happened to me. Neither the Airline nor the Immigration Officer retained the originals, when my family members returned back and they had all 3 with them. I think it depends on airline and the immigration officer whether to hold a copy of your AP are not. It is better to be prepared for this.
Thanks
When I traveled using AP for the first time, this is what happened to me. Neither the Airline nor the Immigration Officer retained the originals, when my family members returned back and they had all 3 with them. I think it depends on airline and the immigration officer whether to hold a copy of your AP are not. It is better to be prepared for this.
Thanks
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indianabacklog
07-30 08:59 PM
The priority date for children who might age out is fixed at the time of your I140 filing. So if you I140 took six months to approve this can be taken off the age of the child when the labor priority date becomes current. So even if you file when a child is 20 and a half and you have to wait for two years for the date to become current, unless the I140 took 1 and a half years their age will be over 21 when the green card can be processed so they age out of derivative status.
Good luck to those who are facing this. I do understand your anxiety since my son aged out while I was waiting three and half years for my labor cert. It would seem that this 'black hole' in the employment based process is non existent to the people who can change it.
Not sure what the future holds for such children, maybe there is some greater plan which we are not aware of yet.
I do see one advantage they cannot be called up for military service (for the USA) on a non-immigrant visa whereas they can if they have a green card. While I understand fighting is a noble cause I would not want my son to fight for our country of origin either.
Good luck to those who are facing this. I do understand your anxiety since my son aged out while I was waiting three and half years for my labor cert. It would seem that this 'black hole' in the employment based process is non existent to the people who can change it.
Not sure what the future holds for such children, maybe there is some greater plan which we are not aware of yet.
I do see one advantage they cannot be called up for military service (for the USA) on a non-immigrant visa whereas they can if they have a green card. While I understand fighting is a noble cause I would not want my son to fight for our country of origin either.
whiteStallion
06-16 06:48 PM
I am not sure about six months ... That is only when you file 485 and want to use AC21 to continue your GC process.
Once your I-140 is approved, then you lock the PD from that moment itself.
I140 + 6 months = Change your employer, file new PERM & then new I140 but you get to keep your old PD from old PERM. Is it not the case ?
Once your I-140 is approved, then you lock the PD from that moment itself.
I140 + 6 months = Change your employer, file new PERM & then new I140 but you get to keep your old PD from old PERM. Is it not the case ?
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goel_ar
12-19 11:05 AM
My h1 got approved in june 2008. I did travel to China in September & entered back on Sep 10 using H4. Is it possible that my entry changed my latest status to H4?
Thanks,
LG.
Thanks,
LG.
more...
cfan666666
06-27 03:23 PM
I will send my I-485, I-131 and I-765 to this address:
IMMIGRATION & NATURALIZATION SERVICE
TEXAS SERVICE CENTER
PO BOX 851488 - DEPT A
MESQUITE TX 75185-1488
It's the address on my I-140 approval notice. Have called USCIS, the answer said you can send you I-485 to the address on you I-140 approval notice.
Good luck
IMMIGRATION & NATURALIZATION SERVICE
TEXAS SERVICE CENTER
PO BOX 851488 - DEPT A
MESQUITE TX 75185-1488
It's the address on my I-140 approval notice. Have called USCIS, the answer said you can send you I-485 to the address on you I-140 approval notice.
Good luck
immi_enthu
08-28 09:39 AM
what do u mean by approved labor not signed??
Labour approval is approved by DOL .
It needs to be attached to 140 application.
140 application needs to signed by employer or by attorney in case a G 28 is signed by the employer.
485 is to signed by you or by attrnoney in case a G 28 is signed by you
is it not required for the beneficiary to sign the approved labor before attaching it to the I140 petition ?
Labour approval is approved by DOL .
It needs to be attached to 140 application.
140 application needs to signed by employer or by attorney in case a G 28 is signed by the employer.
485 is to signed by you or by attrnoney in case a G 28 is signed by you
is it not required for the beneficiary to sign the approved labor before attaching it to the I140 petition ?
more...
srikondoji
07-02 03:04 PM
follow your lawyer's advice.
You can still be part of plaitiff, if you can show the proof of your expenses and proove that you had a material loss because of USCIS/DOS goof up.
--sri
Today morning when I was just adding the notarised birth affidavit that I had recievd last night from India and was leaving to fedex the papers to Nebraska, my lawyer called up and informed of the update and asked me not to send the app. Now after reading all the posts here, could someone advice if I should send the app- I mean if there is some re-thinking by USCIS, would they might say show us the sent reciept etc ???
Pls advice,
Thanks,
You can still be part of plaitiff, if you can show the proof of your expenses and proove that you had a material loss because of USCIS/DOS goof up.
--sri
Today morning when I was just adding the notarised birth affidavit that I had recievd last night from India and was leaving to fedex the papers to Nebraska, my lawyer called up and informed of the update and asked me not to send the app. Now after reading all the posts here, could someone advice if I should send the app- I mean if there is some re-thinking by USCIS, would they might say show us the sent reciept etc ???
Pls advice,
Thanks,
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rama0083
03-07 12:41 PM
My wife, who has been with me in the US since 2005, re-entered the US (after a vacation in India) on an H4 visa on JAN-18-2008 but the immigration official at the airport wrongly stamped the entry date as JAN-18-2007? The entry date on the passport is also stamped wrongly as JAN-18-2007. How big a deal is this? The expiry date of the visa is stamped correctly as Nov-2009. I read that the place to get this corrected is the US Customs and Border Protection Deferred Inspection Site where she entered (Chicago):
http://www.customs.ustreas.gov/xp/cgov/toolbox/contacts/deferred_inspection/
But when I called the office I got voice-mail. Is there any other way to get this corrected?
http://www.customs.ustreas.gov/xp/cgov/toolbox/contacts/deferred_inspection/
But when I called the office I got voice-mail. Is there any other way to get this corrected?
more...
willigetgc?
01-26 01:56 PM
CIR (aka mass amnesty) was not doable in the past, and is not now and wont be in future. They could not do it even when democratic party was in power in congress (high tide of democratic party). It is impossible now with GOP in control.
It si pure lip seervice by Sen Reid
If this bill was introduced, we need to meet with lawmaker offices and put pressure on them. Our responsibility is to do our part and leave the outcome to prayers, But not even trying should not be an option. What are we going to loose?
It si pure lip seervice by Sen Reid
If this bill was introduced, we need to meet with lawmaker offices and put pressure on them. Our responsibility is to do our part and leave the outcome to prayers, But not even trying should not be an option. What are we going to loose?
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IVfan08
12-16 02:11 PM
Just got mine renewed in Jersey City, NJ using my EAD without issue.
more...
gchopes
11-05 07:37 PM
What happens if primary 485 gets approved and spouse 485 not filed due to PD not being current or the primary missed the short time given to file spouse 485?
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harshailan
07-31 05:05 PM
If your H1 visa is rejected in canada, they will cancel the existing visa saying you are not eligible. You cannot come back to US again. You need to go to Chennai again for stamping.
Last month i went to mexico for my stamping and didnot have any issues. I was only asked to show I 797 document and my passport. You will not have any problems if you have a approved I797 with future validity (like valid till Sep 30, 2010).
Hope this helps.
Why don't you travel to mexico. its simple and cheap than canada (if flying to canada)
Last month i went to mexico for my stamping and didnot have any issues. I was only asked to show I 797 document and my passport. You will not have any problems if you have a approved I797 with future validity (like valid till Sep 30, 2010).
Hope this helps.
Why don't you travel to mexico. its simple and cheap than canada (if flying to canada)
more...
house 1005x688-lack-and-white-
drirshad
05-26 11:01 AM
McCain Talks CIR
New York Times reports that, at a round table of business leaders in California, Senator McCain said that comprehensive immigration reform should be a top priority for the next president.
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/05/22/mccain-says-immigration-reform-should-be-top-priority/
He said "Senator Kennedy and I tried very hard to get immigration reform, a comprehensive plan, through the Congress of the United States. It is a federal responsibility and because of our failure as a federal obligation, we're seeing all these various conflicts and problems throughout our nation as different towns, cities, counties, whatever they are, implement different policies and different programs which makes things even worse and even more confusing... I believe we have to secure our borders, and I think most Americans agree with that, because it's a matter of national security. But we must enact comprehensive immigration reform. We must make it a top agenda item if we
don't do it before, and we probably won't, a little straight talk, as of January 2009."
Source: ILW
New York Times reports that, at a round table of business leaders in California, Senator McCain said that comprehensive immigration reform should be a top priority for the next president.
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/05/22/mccain-says-immigration-reform-should-be-top-priority/
He said "Senator Kennedy and I tried very hard to get immigration reform, a comprehensive plan, through the Congress of the United States. It is a federal responsibility and because of our failure as a federal obligation, we're seeing all these various conflicts and problems throughout our nation as different towns, cities, counties, whatever they are, implement different policies and different programs which makes things even worse and even more confusing... I believe we have to secure our borders, and I think most Americans agree with that, because it's a matter of national security. But we must enact comprehensive immigration reform. We must make it a top agenda item if we
don't do it before, and we probably won't, a little straight talk, as of January 2009."
Source: ILW
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xela
04-23 05:59 PM
June 31?
lol Thanks,....yeah the impossible day....no it was the 30th, my bad
lol Thanks,....yeah the impossible day....no it was the 30th, my bad
more...
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morchu
04-23 12:32 PM
Do not assume things. I had waited for my LC approval more than probably the time you spend in college. So dont even go there. Anyway I chose to remain anonymous, and I will remove all details from my profile.
Dude,
You say you got your Labor from Atlanta in 01/04/2004 approved. Perm was not even there in 2004.
Dude,
You say you got your Labor from Atlanta in 01/04/2004 approved. Perm was not even there in 2004.
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arc
03-11 03:03 PM
Mr "A" Check with a good tax consultant about implications of being paid in check, on EAD you can do multiple jobs and businesses, as long as you report your earnings and pay tax you should be fine. I am not an expert, check with a tax consultant and an attorney!
Person "A" on H1B with 4 yrs of experience, Green Card filed, EAD received (both husband and wife), I-140 pending, Wife Dependant (has her own H1B), Wife opens a training institute.
1. Can "A" work for his wife and also get paid in check?
2. Can "A" have a second job in his wife's company and retain his original job?
3. Can "A" have a different occupation anywhere else on EAD not related to his original job role? and then can "A" get paid in check?
4. Can "A" work for his wife's company and instead wife gets the check or paid? Is that legal?
5. Can "A"'s wife open a company on EAD and also keep working on her H1B?
6. Can "A" and his wife after EAD work for 2 different jobs if the job description/roles are different?
7. Can "A" work as volunteer in his wife's company?
8. Can a software analyst working with a software company work as a trainer in a training institute on EAD with I-140 either pending or approved?
Person "A" on H1B with 4 yrs of experience, Green Card filed, EAD received (both husband and wife), I-140 pending, Wife Dependant (has her own H1B), Wife opens a training institute.
1. Can "A" work for his wife and also get paid in check?
2. Can "A" have a second job in his wife's company and retain his original job?
3. Can "A" have a different occupation anywhere else on EAD not related to his original job role? and then can "A" get paid in check?
4. Can "A" work for his wife's company and instead wife gets the check or paid? Is that legal?
5. Can "A"'s wife open a company on EAD and also keep working on her H1B?
6. Can "A" and his wife after EAD work for 2 different jobs if the job description/roles are different?
7. Can "A" work as volunteer in his wife's company?
8. Can a software analyst working with a software company work as a trainer in a training institute on EAD with I-140 either pending or approved?
more...
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posmd
11-12 11:51 AM
I have looked at your link and to be sure this is an inspiring human being. As are pretty much all of the nominated CNN heros. That said, I want to make a point that I think should make people take pause.
This is firstly an immigration website. It is certainly not a ethnocentric website. IV leadership have gone to extraordinary lengths over the years to emphasize this. Yet people keep posting such requests to give the impression to all that it is Indocentric. It harms the cause.
Finally, if you are asking people to vote because he is the most deserving as CNN hero that would be one thing. If on the other hand as all the evidence suggests you are asking folks to vote because he is Indian, then I am afraid it speaks more to prejudice than anything else.
I am saying this because I hope it makes everyone think about it.
This is firstly an immigration website. It is certainly not a ethnocentric website. IV leadership have gone to extraordinary lengths over the years to emphasize this. Yet people keep posting such requests to give the impression to all that it is Indocentric. It harms the cause.
Finally, if you are asking people to vote because he is the most deserving as CNN hero that would be one thing. If on the other hand as all the evidence suggests you are asking folks to vote because he is Indian, then I am afraid it speaks more to prejudice than anything else.
I am saying this because I hope it makes everyone think about it.
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krishnam70
07-08 02:37 PM
Please visit www.helpvinay.org to get furthur details.
Initially you need to go to a drive and register. You have to fill a form and give a simple swab test (Give saliva sample) . Takes 5 minutes.
Then you will get added to a national registry.
Alternately you can also register online if you not in a metropolitan area. We are having lot of drives right now in New York,New jersey,DC areas.
All details on www.helpvinay.org
If you have any more questions, I can answer
I just got this info from here and I will be going in to the drive today in my city..I have called up all my friends and informed them about it and they will be going in too. hopefully somebody will match.
Initially you need to go to a drive and register. You have to fill a form and give a simple swab test (Give saliva sample) . Takes 5 minutes.
Then you will get added to a national registry.
Alternately you can also register online if you not in a metropolitan area. We are having lot of drives right now in New York,New jersey,DC areas.
All details on www.helpvinay.org
If you have any more questions, I can answer
I just got this info from here and I will be going in to the drive today in my city..I have called up all my friends and informed them about it and they will be going in too. hopefully somebody will match.
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jungalee43
03-25 08:22 PM
I have also written to Mr. Rajghatta explaining several facts. The draft is similar to one given by sertasheep
immigrant2007
09-15 10:02 AM
NO We won't do anything. we will jsut browse this site and fight with each other but we have decided to do nothing. We are good at writing but we are better at doing nothing. We have lots of guts and experience in doing nothing and we have deiciced to wait and watch and get our GCs by doing nothing so don't ever hope that we will do something as it is true won't do anything
GodHelpUs
03-21 10:48 AM
I am really shocked on looking at this article.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/21/nyregion/21immigrant.html?hp
An Agent, a Green Card, and a Demand for Sex
Article Tools Sponsored By
By NINA BERNSTEIN
Published: March 21, 2008
No problems so far, the immigration agent told the American citizen and his 22-year-old Colombian wife at her green card interview in December. After he stapled one of their wedding photos to her application for legal permanent residency, he had just one more question: What was her cellphone number?
Skip to next paragraph
Enlarge This Image
Uli Seit for The New York Times
Isaac R. Baichu, 46, an adjudicator for the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, was arrested after he met with a green card applicant at the Flagship Restaurant, a diner in Queens. He is charged with coercing oral sex from her.
Audio A Secret Recording
Enlarge This Image
Uli Seit for The New York Times
The Flagship Restaurant, where Mr. Baichu met with a green card applicant.
The calls from the agent started three days later. He hinted, she said, at his power to derail her life and deport her relatives, alluding to a brush she had with the law before her marriage. He summoned her to a private meeting. And at noon on Dec. 21, in a parked car on Queens Boulevard, he named his price � not realizing that she was recording everything on the cellphone in her purse.
�I want sex,� he said on the recording. �One or two times. That�s all. You get your green card. You won�t have to see me anymore.�
She reluctantly agreed to a future meeting. But when she tried to leave his car, he demanded oral sex �now,� to �know that you�re serious.� And despite her protests, she said, he got his way.
The 16-minute recording, which the woman first took to The New York Times and then to the Queens district attorney, suggests the vast power of low-level immigration law enforcers, and a growing desperation on the part of immigrants seeking legal status. The aftermath, which included the arrest of an immigration agent last week, underscores the difficulty and danger of making a complaint, even in the rare case when abuse of power may have been caught on tape.
No one knows how widespread sexual blackmail is, but the case echoes other instances of sexual coercion that have surfaced in recent years, including agents criminally charged in Atlanta, Miami and Santa Ana, Calif. And it raises broader questions about the system�s vulnerability to corruption at a time when millions of noncitizens live in a kind of legal no-man�s land, increasingly fearful of seeking the law�s protection.
The agent arrested last week, Isaac R. Baichu, 46, himself an immigrant from Guyana, handled some 8,000 green card applications during his three years as an adjudicator in the Garden City, N.Y., office of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, part of the federal Department of Homeland Security. He pleaded not guilty to felony and misdemeanor charges of coercing the young woman to perform oral sex, and of promising to help her secure immigration papers in exchange for further sexual favors. If convicted, he will face up to seven years in prison.
His agency has suspended him with pay, and the inspector general of Homeland Security is reviewing his other cases, a spokesman said Wednesday. Prosecutors, who say they recorded a meeting between Mr. Baichu and the woman on March 11 at which he made similar demands for sex, urge any other victims to come forward.
Money, not sex, is the more common currency of corruption in immigration, but according to Congressional testimony in 2006 by Michael Maxwell, former director of the agency�s internal investigations, more than 3,000 backlogged complaints of employee misconduct had gone uninvestigated for lack of staff, including 528 involving criminal allegations.
The agency says it has tripled its investigative staff since then, and counts only 165 serious complaints pending. But it stopped posting an e-mail address and phone number for such complaints last year, said Jan Lane, chief of security and integrity, because it lacks the staff to cull the thousands of mostly irrelevant messages that resulted. Immigrants, she advised, should report wrongdoing to any law enforcement agency they trust.
The young woman in Queens, whose name is being withheld because the authorities consider her the victim of a sex crime, did not even tell her husband what had happened. Two weeks after the meeting in the car, finding no way to make a confidential complaint to the immigration agency and afraid to go to the police, she and two older female relatives took the recording to The Times.
Reasons to Worry
A slim, shy woman who looks like a teenager, she said she had spent recent months baby-sitting for relatives in Queens, crying over the deaths of her two brothers back in Cali, Colombia, and longing for the right stamp in her passport � one that would let her return to the United States if she visited her family.
She came to the United States on a tourist visa in 2004 and overstayed. When she married an American citizen a year ago, the law allowed her to apply to �adjust� her illegal status. But unless her green card application was approved, she could not visit her parents or her brothers� graves and then legally re-enter the United States. And if her application was denied, she would face deportation.
She had another reason to be fearful, and not only for herself. About 15 months ago, she said, an acquaintance hired her and two female relatives in New York to carry $12,000 in cash to the bank. The three women, all living in the country illegally, were arrested on the street by customs officers apparently acting on a tip in a money-laundering investigation. After determining that the women had no useful information, the officers released them.
But the closed investigation file had showed up in the computer when she applied for a green card, Mr. Baichu told her in December; until he obtained the file and dealt with it, her application would not be approved. If she defied him, she feared, he could summon immigration enforcement agents to take her relatives to detention.
So instead of calling the police, she turned on the video recorder in her cellphone, put the phone in her purse and walked to meet the agent. Two family members said they watched anxiously from their parked car as she disappeared behind the tinted windows of his red Lexus.
�We were worried that the guy would take off, take her away and do something to her,� the woman�s widowed sister-in-law said in Spanish.
As the recorder captured the agent�s words and a lilting Guyanese accent, he laid out his terms in an easy, almost paternal style. He would not ask too much, he said: sex �once or twice,� visits to his home in the Bronx, perhaps a link to other Colombians who needed his help with their immigration problems.
In shaky English, the woman expressed reluctance, and questioned how she could be sure he would keep his word.
�If I do it, it�s like very hard for me, because I have my husband, and I really fall in love with him,� she said.
The agent insisted that she had to trust him. �I wouldn�t ask you to do something for me if I can�t do something for you, right?� he said, and reasoned, �Nobody going to help you for nothing,� noting that she had no money.
He described himself as the single father of a 10-year-old daughter, telling her, �I need love, too,� and predicting, �You will get to like me because I�m a nice guy.�
Repeatedly, she responded �O.K.,� without conviction. At one point he thanked her for showing up, saying, �I know you feel very scared.�
Finally, she tried to leave. �Let me go because I tell my husband I come home,� she said.
His reply, the recording shows, was a blunt demand for oral sex.
�Right now? No!� she protested. �No, no, right now I can�t.�
He insisted, cajoled, even empathized. �I came from a different country, too,� he said. �I got my green card just like you.�
Then, she said, he grabbed her. During the speechless minute that follows on the recording, she said she yielded to his demand out of fear that he would use his authority against her.
How Much Corruption?
The charges against Mr. Baichu, who became a United States citizen in 1991 and earns roughly $50,000 a year, appear to be part of a larger pattern, according to government records and interviews.
Mr. Maxwell, the immigration agency�s former chief investigator, told Congress in 2006 that internal corruption was �rampant,� and that employees faced constant temptations to commit crime.
�It is only a small step from granting a discretionary waiver of an eligibility rule to asking for a favor or taking a bribe in exchange for granting that waiver,� he contended. �Once an employee learns he can get away with low-level corruption and still advance up the ranks, he or she becomes more brazen.�
�Despite our best efforts there are always people ready to use their position for personal gain or personal pleasure,� said Chris Bentley, a spokesman for Citizenship and Immigration Services. �Our responsibility is to ferret them out.�
When the Queens woman came to The Times with her recording on Jan. 3, she was afraid of retaliation from the agent, and uncertain about making a criminal complaint, though she had an appointment the next day at the Queens district attorney�s office.
Mr. Baichu was arrested as he emerged from the diner and headed to his car, wearing much gold and diamond jewelry, prosecutors said. Later released on $15,000 bail, Mr. Baichu referred calls for comment to his lawyer, Sally Attia, who said he did not have authority to grant or deny green card petitions without his supervisor�s approval.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/21/nyregion/21immigrant.html?hp
An Agent, a Green Card, and a Demand for Sex
Article Tools Sponsored By
By NINA BERNSTEIN
Published: March 21, 2008
No problems so far, the immigration agent told the American citizen and his 22-year-old Colombian wife at her green card interview in December. After he stapled one of their wedding photos to her application for legal permanent residency, he had just one more question: What was her cellphone number?
Skip to next paragraph
Enlarge This Image
Uli Seit for The New York Times
Isaac R. Baichu, 46, an adjudicator for the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, was arrested after he met with a green card applicant at the Flagship Restaurant, a diner in Queens. He is charged with coercing oral sex from her.
Audio A Secret Recording
Enlarge This Image
Uli Seit for The New York Times
The Flagship Restaurant, where Mr. Baichu met with a green card applicant.
The calls from the agent started three days later. He hinted, she said, at his power to derail her life and deport her relatives, alluding to a brush she had with the law before her marriage. He summoned her to a private meeting. And at noon on Dec. 21, in a parked car on Queens Boulevard, he named his price � not realizing that she was recording everything on the cellphone in her purse.
�I want sex,� he said on the recording. �One or two times. That�s all. You get your green card. You won�t have to see me anymore.�
She reluctantly agreed to a future meeting. But when she tried to leave his car, he demanded oral sex �now,� to �know that you�re serious.� And despite her protests, she said, he got his way.
The 16-minute recording, which the woman first took to The New York Times and then to the Queens district attorney, suggests the vast power of low-level immigration law enforcers, and a growing desperation on the part of immigrants seeking legal status. The aftermath, which included the arrest of an immigration agent last week, underscores the difficulty and danger of making a complaint, even in the rare case when abuse of power may have been caught on tape.
No one knows how widespread sexual blackmail is, but the case echoes other instances of sexual coercion that have surfaced in recent years, including agents criminally charged in Atlanta, Miami and Santa Ana, Calif. And it raises broader questions about the system�s vulnerability to corruption at a time when millions of noncitizens live in a kind of legal no-man�s land, increasingly fearful of seeking the law�s protection.
The agent arrested last week, Isaac R. Baichu, 46, himself an immigrant from Guyana, handled some 8,000 green card applications during his three years as an adjudicator in the Garden City, N.Y., office of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, part of the federal Department of Homeland Security. He pleaded not guilty to felony and misdemeanor charges of coercing the young woman to perform oral sex, and of promising to help her secure immigration papers in exchange for further sexual favors. If convicted, he will face up to seven years in prison.
His agency has suspended him with pay, and the inspector general of Homeland Security is reviewing his other cases, a spokesman said Wednesday. Prosecutors, who say they recorded a meeting between Mr. Baichu and the woman on March 11 at which he made similar demands for sex, urge any other victims to come forward.
Money, not sex, is the more common currency of corruption in immigration, but according to Congressional testimony in 2006 by Michael Maxwell, former director of the agency�s internal investigations, more than 3,000 backlogged complaints of employee misconduct had gone uninvestigated for lack of staff, including 528 involving criminal allegations.
The agency says it has tripled its investigative staff since then, and counts only 165 serious complaints pending. But it stopped posting an e-mail address and phone number for such complaints last year, said Jan Lane, chief of security and integrity, because it lacks the staff to cull the thousands of mostly irrelevant messages that resulted. Immigrants, she advised, should report wrongdoing to any law enforcement agency they trust.
The young woman in Queens, whose name is being withheld because the authorities consider her the victim of a sex crime, did not even tell her husband what had happened. Two weeks after the meeting in the car, finding no way to make a confidential complaint to the immigration agency and afraid to go to the police, she and two older female relatives took the recording to The Times.
Reasons to Worry
A slim, shy woman who looks like a teenager, she said she had spent recent months baby-sitting for relatives in Queens, crying over the deaths of her two brothers back in Cali, Colombia, and longing for the right stamp in her passport � one that would let her return to the United States if she visited her family.
She came to the United States on a tourist visa in 2004 and overstayed. When she married an American citizen a year ago, the law allowed her to apply to �adjust� her illegal status. But unless her green card application was approved, she could not visit her parents or her brothers� graves and then legally re-enter the United States. And if her application was denied, she would face deportation.
She had another reason to be fearful, and not only for herself. About 15 months ago, she said, an acquaintance hired her and two female relatives in New York to carry $12,000 in cash to the bank. The three women, all living in the country illegally, were arrested on the street by customs officers apparently acting on a tip in a money-laundering investigation. After determining that the women had no useful information, the officers released them.
But the closed investigation file had showed up in the computer when she applied for a green card, Mr. Baichu told her in December; until he obtained the file and dealt with it, her application would not be approved. If she defied him, she feared, he could summon immigration enforcement agents to take her relatives to detention.
So instead of calling the police, she turned on the video recorder in her cellphone, put the phone in her purse and walked to meet the agent. Two family members said they watched anxiously from their parked car as she disappeared behind the tinted windows of his red Lexus.
�We were worried that the guy would take off, take her away and do something to her,� the woman�s widowed sister-in-law said in Spanish.
As the recorder captured the agent�s words and a lilting Guyanese accent, he laid out his terms in an easy, almost paternal style. He would not ask too much, he said: sex �once or twice,� visits to his home in the Bronx, perhaps a link to other Colombians who needed his help with their immigration problems.
In shaky English, the woman expressed reluctance, and questioned how she could be sure he would keep his word.
�If I do it, it�s like very hard for me, because I have my husband, and I really fall in love with him,� she said.
The agent insisted that she had to trust him. �I wouldn�t ask you to do something for me if I can�t do something for you, right?� he said, and reasoned, �Nobody going to help you for nothing,� noting that she had no money.
He described himself as the single father of a 10-year-old daughter, telling her, �I need love, too,� and predicting, �You will get to like me because I�m a nice guy.�
Repeatedly, she responded �O.K.,� without conviction. At one point he thanked her for showing up, saying, �I know you feel very scared.�
Finally, she tried to leave. �Let me go because I tell my husband I come home,� she said.
His reply, the recording shows, was a blunt demand for oral sex.
�Right now? No!� she protested. �No, no, right now I can�t.�
He insisted, cajoled, even empathized. �I came from a different country, too,� he said. �I got my green card just like you.�
Then, she said, he grabbed her. During the speechless minute that follows on the recording, she said she yielded to his demand out of fear that he would use his authority against her.
How Much Corruption?
The charges against Mr. Baichu, who became a United States citizen in 1991 and earns roughly $50,000 a year, appear to be part of a larger pattern, according to government records and interviews.
Mr. Maxwell, the immigration agency�s former chief investigator, told Congress in 2006 that internal corruption was �rampant,� and that employees faced constant temptations to commit crime.
�It is only a small step from granting a discretionary waiver of an eligibility rule to asking for a favor or taking a bribe in exchange for granting that waiver,� he contended. �Once an employee learns he can get away with low-level corruption and still advance up the ranks, he or she becomes more brazen.�
�Despite our best efforts there are always people ready to use their position for personal gain or personal pleasure,� said Chris Bentley, a spokesman for Citizenship and Immigration Services. �Our responsibility is to ferret them out.�
When the Queens woman came to The Times with her recording on Jan. 3, she was afraid of retaliation from the agent, and uncertain about making a criminal complaint, though she had an appointment the next day at the Queens district attorney�s office.
Mr. Baichu was arrested as he emerged from the diner and headed to his car, wearing much gold and diamond jewelry, prosecutors said. Later released on $15,000 bail, Mr. Baichu referred calls for comment to his lawyer, Sally Attia, who said he did not have authority to grant or deny green card petitions without his supervisor�s approval.
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