Thu Nov 21, 2013 7:00 am
Basically the H1-B Visa allows an employer to bring in foreign workers to fill positions in so-called "speciality occupations" [link] for a maximum period of 6 years. The initial period of the Visa may be 3 years, which can then be extended for a further 2 years, followed by another year.The Basics Of The H1-B Visa [link]
The US H1B visa is a non-immigrant visa, which allows a US company to employ a foreign individual for up to six years.
Individuals can not apply for an H1B visa to allow them to work in the US.
The employer must petition for entry of the employee.
Surprisingly the answer to the above question is a yes, though the sponsor has to bear the brunt of the various fees imposed by the application platform itself.
That's a bill of US$ 690 before the application gets out of the trap and into the running. It gets worse from there on in.
Your application approved for job/ H1-B Visa for USA
please advise me if this is legal.thanks
Your application approved for job/ H1-B Visa for USA
Date: Sat, 17 Feb 2007 14:15:02 +0530
Dear Candidate:
This email is in response to you resume that you posted on a job search portal. Your resume has been short listed after the initial screening. If you are interested and are still looking for a job in America , please forward your resume to the resource manager assigned to you and call her at any of the following phone numbers.
Optima Resources, Inc. is an established consulting firm specializing in bringing together companies seeking to fill permanent and temporary positions with qualified individuals looking for new opportunities. As an established consulting company, we get a large number of projects with specialized requirements through our direct clients as well as a large pool of primary vendors.
As part of these requirement processes, we are constantly in need and search of consultants with a wide variety of skills. We are currently accepting applications and are seeking talent in several functional areas. If you need more information about the hiring process or our company please feel free to contact the resource associate or visit us on our website http://www.optimaresources.com.
Please also note that the numbers of work visa available for the year 2007 are limited. In 2006 H1b visa exhausted within the first 60days. A large number of candidates could not get a job in America because they did not act in time. Please contact our office at your earliest convenience to expedite your hiring process.
We look forward to your resume and to hear from you.
Best Regards,
Meenakshi Sarkar
H.R. Manager
Optima Resources Inc.
190, Lincoln Highway ,
Route 27, Edison
New Jersey 08820. USA.
Phone: 1-732-579-3645, 1-732-447-3737, 1-732-301-2967, 1-732-214-8875, 1-732-214-8876, 1-732-214-0086, Fax: 1-732-549-7508, Mon-Fri; 8:30 am- 5:00pm EDT/ New York Time, i.e. (Indian Standard Time 7:00 PM To 3:30 AM )
E-mail- Sonia@optimaresources.com (Resources Manager)
Visit our Website: http://www.optimaresources.com
Due to heavy rush of calls if you find it difficult to get through to our numbers in early hours i.e. between 8.30 to 13.30 Hours US Time/6.30 PM to 12.00 Midnight Indian Time, please try after these hours when there is comparatively low call rush.
please advise if this is legal.thanks
Date: Sat, 17 Feb 2007 14:15:02 +0530
Dear Candidate:
This email is in response to you resume that you posted on a job search portal. Your resume has been short listed after the initial screening. If you are interested and are still looking for a job in America , please forward your resume to the resource manager assigned to you and call her at any of the following phone numbers.
Optima Resources, Inc. is an established consulting firm specializing in bringing together companies seeking to fill permanent and temporary positions with qualified individuals looking for new opportunities. As an established consulting company, we get a large number of projects with specialized requirements through our direct clients as well as a large pool of primary vendors.
As part of these requirement processes, we are constantly in need and search of consultants with a wide variety of skills. We are currently accepting applications and are seeking talent in several functional areas. If you need more information about the hiring process or our company please feel free to contact the resource associate or visit us on our website www.optimaresources.com.
Please also note that the numbers of work visa available for the year 2007 are limited. In 2006 H1b visa exhausted within the first 60days. A large number of candidates could not get a job in America because they did not act in time. Please contact our office at your earliest convenience to expedite your hiring process.
We look forward to your resume and to hear from you.
Best Regards,
Meenakshi Sarkar
H.R. Manager
Optima Resources Inc.
190, Lincoln Highway ,
Route 27, Edison
New Jersey 08820.
USA.
Phone: 1-732-579-3645, 1-732-447-3737, 1-732-301-2967, 1-732-214-8875, 1-732-214-8876, 1-732-214-0086
Fax: 1-732-549-7508, Mon-Fri; 8:30 am- 5:00pm EDT/ New York Time, i.e. (Indian Standard Time 7:00 PM To 3:30 AM )
E-mail- Sonia@optimaresources.com (Resources Manager)
Visit our Website: www.optimaresources.com
Due to heavy rush of calls if you find it difficult to get through to our numbers in early hours i.e. between 8.30 to 13.30 Hours US Time/6.30 PM to 12.00 Midnight Indian Time, please try after these hours when there is comparatively low call rush.
From the early posts on the subject it is immediately apparent that there were already rumblings of discontent on various sites across the internet about this company. Aeval, the FraudWatchers Law Enforcement Liaison, made note of this on February 19th, 2007.Poster Demographics Revealed - FW Admin
Out of the 40 posts you have referenced on that thread, there is one user from Kuwait, one from Kuala Lumpur, one from Saudi Arabia and at least 10 different posters from India. Interestingly though 7 of those are from the USA, of which some are Indian nationals, and at least one came from a member of Optima in New Jersey.
Show Me The MoneyAeval's Early Warning
If you Google "Optima Resources Inc" (including the brackets), you will find quite a few posts on different boards containing personal accounts of dealings with this company, as well as a ton of warnings against it. In quite a few posts, other people state that they have been asked to pay this company quite significant amounts of money for the supposed visa processing, and that they were treated with disregard once the money was sent and delivered.
They Are Not Ready To Acknowledge Thy asked me to pay $4,400 and at the same time they are not ready to acknowledge for the same and plus they never call instead they ask candidates to call... funny??
I even enquired about this company and i got to know that this is pure a desi company and not reliable.
So i have already taken a call not give money to Optima. If anybody can let me know an Genuine consultancy??
When I look at that address I'm thinking maybe it is a mail forwarder or something like a mailbox company. However, considering that the same address is being used by two different companies which are seemingly doing exactly the same H1-B business, I smell a rat!Jobs in USA The following company is offering the H1B visa for the offshore candidates.
Is this company genuine?
CLD&ASSOCIATES CONSULTING INC.
190 Lincoln Hwy.
Edison, NJ-08820
The poster raises a very important point, in that one may be held in an employment contract that would effectively trap you with no legal recourse to escape. This could even be construed as Human Trafficking [wikipedia]. There is mention on WorkPermit.COM about a provision to work at different sites, within the proviso of the H1-B itself, but anything else would no doubt be written into an actual Contract Of Employment.Demand For Payment And A Concern The job title is "Programmer Analyst". Which matches my job profile.
They are demanding 3500$ as the caution deposit.
As a H1B worker at USA, I can not switch jobs. I am concerned that whether this consulting firm takes advantage of this situation and make us work like a slave?
After some further thoughts and questions from FraudWatchers staff, the poster then comes back with some more financial details that have apparently come from CLD.F.A.Q (Working At Other Sites) [link]
Q. Can the H1B employee work at different sites?
A. Yes, but a separate Labour Condition Application must be made for each site at which the employee will be working (though there is a limited exception for short-term assignments at different sites within the same Metropolitan Statistical Area).
As I myself am a Software Engineer in the UK, I can honestly say that when I had 3 years experience my wages were pitifully small compared to that! Even with inflation, exchange rates and over a decade of experience under by belt right now, I would actually be interested in learning more about that job!Financial Statement They are demanding $3500 as caution deposit, which they say will be returned in 6 instalments, which starts after 6 months I start working for them. They are offering starting salary of $60,000 per annum. Which is $5,000/month. Is this a comparable salary for a software engineer with 3 years of experience?
The poster from India provides some of the cultural perspective needed to understand what is happening to these people. If this Indian national invests what could possibly be his entire savings into getting the Visa, and is successful, what hope does he have if a problem arises later? In short, he would be forced to seek legal advice and potentially even be asked to leave the country. In any case, he would be ruined financially because he would have spent his money, and would now not have a job. Returning to India would carry a huge cultural weight which could possibly see him chastised as a failure and treated more like an outcast by his own family.I Will Be Ruined Suppose in worst case, If I get harassments from employer and If I go to the court, is there any chance that I may be asked to go back to my home country. "In that case I will be ruined."
Looking closer at this particular company we find an excellent page of information on 419Scam.ORG [link] which makes some comparisons between the CLD & Associates Inc website and others on the internet. It is certainly apparent, based on this analysis that certain pages have been plagiarised [dictionary], which is certainly never a good sign. From a business ethics point of view, CLD & Associates Inc fail at the most basic level.Path2USA Having run the company name through Google, I only come up with a few entries, the primary being a forum discussion at this link: http://forum.path2usa.com/forum/showthread.php?t=21734
It seems very strange to me that such an allegedly successful (and large) company has only this few internet search results, and indeed for a "computer consulting company" (as they describe themselves) I find it almost incredible that they would offer positions "sight unseen". I know even smaller companies MUST go through at least one personal interview stage (usually by telephone) before a one-on-one physical meeting to discuss the position - especially when the remuneration is so high.
The forum discussion at the above link is interesting as it allegedly has people who work for the company defending them... but at the same time being evasive enough not to sound totally convincing. You'll also see some posters expressing their disgust at the alleged service offered and are convinced that this company are scammers.
* - Original Postings Deleted
More Of The SamePlagiarised Web Pages [link]
The following website comparison is very interesting:
1. CLD & Associates Consulting Inc:[INDENT]As one of the pioneers in the IT Consulting, since its establishment CLD has gained the good will of the local as well as the global market. CLD has a list of distinguished clients and CLD is committed to establish and maintain long standing partnerships with the clients, where they obtain professionally crafted products and services on par with global industry standards.
Source [link]
Pflegen:
As one of the pioneers in the IT Consulting, since its establishment Pflegen has gained the good will of the local as well as the global market. Pflegen is committed to establish and maintain long \ standing partnerships with the clients, where they obtain professionally crafted products and services on par with global industry standards.
Source [link]
[/INDENT]2. CLD & Associates Consulting Inc:[INDENT]CLD provides software product and application development solutions to large established companies as well small and medium companies and startups.
Source [link]
Global Bridge InfoTech Inc.:
GBIT provides software product and application development solutions to large established companies as well small and medium companies and startups.
Source [link]
[/INDENT]3. CLD & Associates Consulting Inc:[INDENT]Our client relationships are among our greatest competitive assets. We deepen and enrich this relationships through disciplined growth, innovation, and seamless execution. We demonstrate our commitments to clients through the firm's emphasis on excellence, integrity and ethical behavior.
Source [link]
Merrill Lynch:
Our client relationships are among our greatest competitive assets. We deepen and enrich these relationships through disciplined growth, innovation, and seamless execution. Corporate Governance Merrill Lynch demonstrates its commitments to clients and shareholders through the firm’s emphasis on excellence, integrity and ethical behaviour.
Source [link]
[/INDENT]
The staff member called Nyla, who presents this posting, makes a very important observation. Unless proof of payment for services is provided, then a complaint holds no water. However, as time goes on it becomes obvious that the perpetrators have no intention of providing that crucial ammunition. Underhanded and dubious are keywords here, and Optima fast become a focus of investigations.Suggested Reporting Routes You might try contacting the New Jersey Attorney General, since that's where the company claims to be located. http://www.state.nj.us/lps/
However, unless you can provide proof (probably written/printed) that show they promised you a service, you paid for it, and they clearly didn't provide it, nothing much may come of it. There's also the option of complaining to the Better Business Bureau and spreading the word about them on appropriate forums. I'm afraid there isn't much chance of recovering any money, however, unless the attorney general gets a ton of complaints and wins a case against the company.
And Then There Were ThreeCouple of idiots running this company. Never ever try to get in this company. A big Fraud company. They will take money and then they will not pick up the calls. If by god grace you get H1B visa, you will the most un-luckiest person, if you land in their company. No Accomodation, No Job, No Insurrance. Yes, you can take a leave of 4 - 5 months and roam America on your own expenses. Because you will be on Bench. Couple of Idiots running this company. Akshay Sadana, Raj, Austin. they run many other companies under Reliable Associates. Excelsior, Optima Resources etc...
Readers are pointed to a page on 419Scam.ORG which details their own findings regarding Accurum Technologies LLC.I post my resume to Accurum Technologies I post my resume to Accurum Technologies. After a brief discussion with Rohit malhotra & sachin Patel ,they told me that i posted as network Eng. in Motorola & my salary 5000 US Dollars . Later On they asked me to Pay DD for 3500 US Dollars.can i pay the said amount .If anybody knows about them pls post.
A month passes by once more and then from 19th November 2007 there is a stream of enquiries about Accurum.Job offers by Accurum Technologies LLC [link]
(excerpt)
You have to remember that currently over 75% of H1B visa applicants are turned down, fewer than 1 on 4 succeed and are able to work in the USA. Most of the visas go to people working for large Indian outsourcing firms (Accurum Technologies is not amongst them).
According to reports from job seekers, the company claims that the US$3,800* deposit is a security deposit to prevent job seekers from having Accurum sponsor them for a visa, but then work for a different company. However, H1B visa holders are not permitted to switch employers. Therefore the reason quoted for the deposit is invalid.
Furthermore, the US embassy in New Delhi states on its website "that no firm or person can help you obtain a U.S. visa." All non-immigrant visa applicants need to appear for a personal interview, where no one can appeal on their behalf.
Given the large number of H1B visa applications that will get turned down on 1 April 2008, what will happen to the $3,800 deposits made by job seekers promised jobs by Accurum? And maybe even more interesting, what other company name will start popping up, maybe also with a New Jersey address, a few months later to repeat this deposit-taking scheme under a new name with new victims?
* - Figure may vary.
Accurum Resort To Subterfuge...told me to pay 3500 USD Hi , i also received a mail from Accurum Technologies, and i in fact spoke to this guy called sumit patil and he also told me to pay 3500 USD, but in installments, before April 2008, so that he can process my H1, and also told me that this amount will be repaid to me once i am in US, within 3 months. Also i have to sign a contract with them for 18 months.
...they demanded 3800 us$ i too got job offer from them,i hav disscussed with them i think it may or surely be fraud,bt in my case they demanded 3800 us$ in two instalments.bt if i understand them better ,they looks like consultant basically becoz they provide clients based projects for eg. for me they offered me 7000 us$ under pharma/bioinformatics fields.and out of this they want security deposit of 3800 us$ which is 20% of my salary and they refunded back once u go there.
They asked me for a security deposit of 3800$ i got job offer from Accurum Technologies (2227 ,US Highway One,#206,North Brunswick,NJ-08902 ) ( Tel : 1-732-354-4828).They asked me for a security deposit of 3800$ to be paid in 2 installments ( Nov'07 & March '07) which they will pay me back once i reach there .They will be recruiting me on contractual basis with thier clients for 18 mths .Want to check the authenticity of the offer .They will be sponsoring the H! visa also .Can some one help
Later it is also noted by FW Admin that the IP location of one of the other posters called oracle9i, is also from Edison, New Jersey and the home of Accurum Technologies LLC. It is a safe bet that the similar post made by "javaj2eeguy" is also related, as noted by support member Frazzle.Are you related?
Thank you priya gill and ajay_kr for your comments. Let me ask you one thing:
Are you related? Because both of your posts were made from the same IP address which traces back to.... New Jersey!
Now, where are Accurum Technologies based? Ah yes, New Jersey....
I leave the readers to come to their own conclusions.
For those that are unfamiliar with IP traces, the chances of two totally unrelated, separate and distinct people posting from the same address to the same forum and thread, is in the thousands to one. Linking that to New Jersey and the very real possibility that these two posters are in some way affiliated to the "company" places it into the millions. Coincidental?
We have noticed that in recent months, there has been a high incidence of Employment/Job Offers in the USA, targeted to people specifically living in India. These jobs have come from a variety of sources, but are usually traced or linked to a company based in the United States of America, that are IT (information technology) consultants, contractors or simply a specialist employment agency These companies have clearly stated that they will "assist" or even outright claimed that they will "obtain" the necessary working permit visas (H1x) on behalf of the proposed employee.
Unfortunately, a lot of these claims are, to be truthful, quite bogus, and may be worded in such a way as to give both false hope and misinformation to the victim.
On May 9th 2007, Geoffrey Pyatt, who is the Charge d'Affaires, U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, issued the following statement (it may be seen on the New Delhi US Embassy website) on Increased Demand for U.S. Visas by Unqualified Applicants:The U.S. Mission to India is alarmed by a rush of clearly unqualified visa applicants in recent weeks, creating a scarcity of visa appointments in New Delhi and Mumbai for legitimate Indian travelers during the busy summer travel season.
America is an open society, proud to welcome visitors from all over the world. However, in light of this rush and the wake of reports on human smuggling to the United States and other countries, the U.S. Mission to India is increasing its vigilance to eliminate illegal smuggling and visa fraud - people intending to illegally migrate to the United States.
There are individuals and companies who are taking advantage of Indian citizens by suggesting they can provide a short cut to an American visa. These people are deceiving innocent people into wasting their money and making it harder for legitimate travelers to obtain visa appointments.
We especially want to tell everyone in India that no firm or person can help you obtain a U.S. visa. The only way to obtain a U.S. visa is to present legitimate documents. The U.S. cooperates with the Government of India on the arrest of people with false documents and those who seek to gain U.S. visas fraudulently.
Now, as stated, many of these "employers" claim that they can complete the process required for the applicant/employee, and all they need to do is to supply the necessary fees. This is not true, as all applicants for a non-immigrant visa (NIV) MUST attend a personal interview at the U.S. embassy or consulate. The following rules (as can be seen on this page) are strictly observed:Rules for Interested Parties
Due to security concerns and space limitations, U.S. consular sections do not permit interested parties such as friends, relatives, attorneys, or business contacts to attend the visa interview of a nonimmigrant visa applicant or intervene on their behalf during the interview.
If an interested party wishes to provide information to a specific consular section concerning a particular visa applicant, they are encouraged to supply this information directly to the applicant. The applicant can then bring this information to their visa interview.
It is not advisable for an interested party to send letters to the Consular Section in anticipation of a visa application. Due to the high volume of applicants we may be unable to provide these letters to the Consular Officer who will interview the applicant.
If anyone living in India has received such an offer for working in the US, and have received information within emails or by postal mail about which they are unsure, they can always contact the Visa Fraud departments of the US Embassy. The contact details can be found at this page:
http://newdelhi.usembassy.gov/consular_ ... ntact.html and specifically within the Visa Fraud section on that page.
You may also find this website very useful:
http://www.unitedstatesvisas.gov/
OTHER COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD
For a listing and more information for Visa Processing and Application requirements, please see this website:
http://usembassy.state.gov/
Finally, please read this page about Website Frauds: Website Fraud Warning
and this official page regarding the Diversity Visa Lottery (otherwise known as the "Green Card Lottery")
Diversity Visa Lottery
It carries on through to January 2008 and beyond, in what seems to be a never-ending wash of people asking questions. Many times FW Admin asks for people to send documented evidence of paying fees, or for anyone with a fee request in writing to send it on. Alas, not one single person from the hundreds can be bothered to send the required evidence. Yet, they still demand answers from Support staff who are steadily becoming frustrated....no firm or person can help you
There are individuals and companies who are taking advantage of Indian citizens by suggesting they can provide a short cut to an American visa. These people are deceiving innocent people into wasting their money and making it harder for legitimate travelers to obtain visa appointments.
We especially want to tell everyone in India that no firm or person can help you obtain a U.S. visa. The only way to obtain a U.S. visa is to present legitimate documents.
Typical Bullying Tactics
We have also been approached by the lawyer allegedly working for these companies, to demand that this and other related threads be removed from our site, upon pain of legal action. Of course, this was typical bullying tactics since, as a lawyer, the legal representative of these companies should have researched the Communications Decency Act a little more thoroughly.
We refused to remove the threads, and will continue to refuse to remove the threads. They will remain here as a beacon to all those that are, or will be, targeted for extortion by these companies. Pertinent information relating to these matters has been passed to the relevant authorities here in the USA, and to the US Embassy in Delhi, India, for their perusal.
Scammers tend to try and remove all traces that sees them in a bad light; what they don't realize is that the truth will always be exposed, and that it cannot be hidden by empty threats.
And that's why we're here
Optima Resources Inc
City State Zip Year Visa Petitions
Edison NJ 08820 2005 75
Metuchen NJ 08840 2005 6
- - - - -
Metuchen NJ 08840 2006 37
Metuchen, NJ 08840 2006 27
Metuchen NJ 08830 2006 2
Edison NJ 08840 2006 1
- - - - -
Metuchen NJ 08840 2007 1
CLD & Associates Consulting Inc
City State Zip Year Visa Petitions
Jackson NJ 08527 2005 1
- - - - -
Edison NJ 08820 2006 2
Wilmington DE 19808 2006 2
Accurum Technologies Llc
City State Zip Year Visa Petitions
East Brunswick NJ 08816 2007 23
(tables compiled 1-May-2008)
Originally Posted by arnuld
Any company listed as BBB can be trusted.
No!
As a matter of policy, the BBB does not endorse any product, service or company. BBB reports generally cover a three-year reporting period, and are provided solely to assist you in exercising your own best judgment. Information contained in this report is believed reliable but not guaranteed as to accuracy. Reports are subject to change at any time.Originally Posted by arnuld
http://app.newjersey.bbb.org/report/12003835/
Do not be fooled by slight of hand, read the report.This company has been a BBB Accredited business since February 2008.
FEBRUARY THIS YEAR! Funny that isn't it, considering the amount of people coming here asking questions for months, they NOW get an accreditation to make them LOOK legitimate. Nope, I'm not buying into that at all.
On March 21st, 2008 I make a point of recreating the public BBB report and make it a prominent post in the now dedicated forum section at FraudWatchers.ORG. The post entitled "Optima Resources - BBB Accreditation" serves as a keynote in the entire case. The company "Optima" are now accredited, and as such have a legal obligation to respond to complaints, and be seen to resolve them. Part of that posting contains a clear message to anyone thinking of dealing with "Optima" or one of its clones.
Act Accordingly [link]
ASK OPTIMA TO PROVIDE DOCUMENTED REQUESTS FOR FEES PAYABLE -- IF THEY REFUSE, MAKE A COMPLAINT WITH THE BBB.
Signposts :: March 30th, 2008
Optima Resources Inc. [link]
190, Lincoln Highway,
Route 27 Edison,
New Jersey 08820
Tel: 732-549-0050
Fax: 732-549-7508
(Website WHOIS) [link]
Oneandone (proxy1182495@1and1-private-registration.com)
Private Registration
1&1 Internet, Inc. - http://1and1.com/contact
701 Lee Road, Suite 300
ATTN: optimaresources.com
Chesterbrook PA 19087
US
+1.8772064254
Signposts :: March 30th, 2008
CLD & Associates Consulting Inc. [link]
(Head Office)
3422 Old Capitol Trail # 700,*
Wilmington DE 19808-6192
Tel: 302 994 6104
(Corporate Office)
190, Lincoln High Way,
Route 27 Edison
New Jersey 08820
Tel : 732-548-1870, 732-593-8391
Toll Free Number : 1-866-650-9871
Fax : 732-833-8184
(Website WHOIS) [link]
Registrant|Administrative|Technical Contact:
CLD & Associates Consulting, Inc
Clarence Drye (cdrye@optonline.net)
+1.732 833 8183
Fax: 732 833 8184
10 Abes Way
Jackson, NJ 08527
US
* - Address is private mailbox and not an office.
Signposts :: March 30th, 2008
Accurum Technologies LLC. [link]
2227 US Highway One,# 206,*
North Brunswick NJ 08902
Telephone: 1-732-354-4828
"Accurum Technologies is conveniently located in Edsion, New Jersey"
(Website WHOIS)[link]
Registrant|Administrative|Technical Contact:
Vinod Kumar Pazhanimala (kumarvk123@yahoo.com)
518-7 Old Post Road
Suite 142
Edison, New Jersey 08817
United States