USCIS ELIS – Pay your Immigration Fees & Manage your Account Online

Since the Obama administration came to power in 2009 there has been a definitive shift towards modernizing the mechanics of the US Immigration system albeit long overdue and very stage based. This is in stark contrast to the actual US Immigration laws itself which are still very much in the dark ages.

Prior to September 11, 2001, the US Immigration mechanics while still arcane were at least somewhat practical and logical albeit with a few holes. Immigrants who wanted to do things like Visa Renewals, US Consular Interviews, Green Card Processing, etc. could have done things at a minimum in a fairly practical way and certainly far more timely way that exists today. After that fateful day, all aspects of the US Immigration system returned to the dark ages and became hostile and illogical.

As the Internet age was taking hold in the first decade of the 2000s and information systems became the norm instead of a fantasy, the US Immigration system was in a pattern of 10 years plus waits for processing, endless duplicate and redundant forms which were all paper based, manual checks on individuals, disconnected and old fashioned payment systems and the list goes on.

So more recently from 2012 into 2013 we now have another rollout of the United States Custom & Immigration Service (USCIS) new Immigrant self management system called simply ELIS (Electronic Immigration System).

Currently now it is for a select portion of people in the US Immigration system being those eligible and applying for Green Cards from outside the US, non immigrant visa holders in B-1, B-2, M-1, M-2 F-1, F-2, J-1 and J-2 status who want to extend or change their stay depending on the individual visa and immigrant eligibility. Essentially this is filing form Immigration form I-539 online via ELIS.

So it is very limited in its scope but the reality is this should be the standard for managing USCIS cases and Immigration processing across most of the system for all stakeholders being the Immigration individuals, their employers and families and where necessary (but hopefully less of), immigration lawyers.

There is still some limitations as outlined in the ELIS FAQs, such as the Internet browsers that can be used as well edge cases where they may be fee waivers. However in the true traditions of a good tech company they are piloting a technology which then should be rolled out system wide with most, if not all, bugs fixed.

CJ

Top 100 Jobs in US for Foreigners with Average Salaries

Recently we have tried to educate foreigners seeking work and permanent residency in the US as well as locals about the statistics surrounding Immigration including top visa sponsor company salaries, green card statistics, companies that sponsor green cards, locations in the US where foreigners are working, etc.

Today we want to look at the average salaries in 2013 for the various jobs certified by the Department of Labour via the ETA-9035e form. This is the form used mainly for the E-3 Visa, H-1B Visa, L-1 Visa and O-1 visa.

Below is the average salaries for the various professions around the US for foreigners. These LCA’s are for new, renewal, transfer and cap exempt visas. Typically about 3x as many LCAs are issued by the Department of Labor than visas issued. As you can see these are dominated by IT professions at the top where there is so much demand for foreign talent. Finance and Marketing are also in high demand as well reflecting where employers are finding it easier to find qualified foreign talent relative to the US local candidate supply.

These profession categories can be very broad and crossover with others in terms of job type and level. Ultimately it can provide a great directional idea about what jobs are available in the US for foreigners where employers are willing to sponsor and what the general salary level could be. It also should be noted that the salary levels for the same job will vary wildly depending on your location with places like New York City and the San Francisco Bay Area recording higher levels.

Occupation LCAs Certified Avg. Salary
Computer Systems Analysts 67,443 $74,078
Computer Programmers 53,266 $65,792
Software Developers, Applications 47,901 $91,715
Computer Occupations, All Other 22,088 $73,711
Software Developers, Systems Software 12,182 $100,581
Management Analysts 9,483 $85,290
Accountants and Auditors 9,087 $61,348
Financial Analysts 8,503 $94,609
Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists 6,909 $58,207
Mechanical Engineers 6,549 $76,987
Network and Computer Systems Administrators* 6,258 $72,580
Electrical Engineers 5,511 $86,407
Physicians and Surgeons, All Other 5,370 $136,316
Electronics Engineers, Except Computer 5,090 $94,563
Database Administrators 4,883 $74,455
Operations Research Analysts 4,780 $85,060
Physical Therapists 4,247 $66,745
Computer and Information Systems Managers 4,246 $121,560
Biochemists and Biophysicists 4,120 $53,850
Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists 4,066 $59,481
Industrial Engineers 3,459 $80,324
Civil Engineers 2,682 $74,164
Marketing Managers 2,666 $116,571
Biological Scientists, All Other 2,447 $53,445
Internists, General 2,336 $180,020
Computer Software Engineers, Applications 2,233 $93,304
Chemists 2,148 $61,326
Graphic Designers 2,125 $54,147
Business Operations Specialists, All Other* 2,061 $58,038
Statisticians 2,042 $81,602
Financial Managers 2,039 $133,916
General and Operations Managers 2,032 $116,293
Pharmacists 1,955 $115,519
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Care 1,709 $47,634
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Educati 1,686 $46,549
Information Security Analysts, Web Developers, and 1,537 $74,136
Sales Engineers 1,502 $93,632
Managers, All Other 1,469 $101,356
Biological Technicians 1,441 $39,394
Chemical Engineers 1,435 $87,313
Commercial and Industrial Designers 1,391 $59,219
Architectural and Engineering Managers 1,345 $133,936
Engineers, All Other 1,320 $74,565
Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary 1,295 $129,245
Lawyers 1,259 $151,704
Public Relations Specialists 1,210 $50,774
Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists 1,143 $52,115
Sales Managers 1,142 $103,611
Computer Hardware Engineers 1,129 $98,334
Occupational Therapists 1,082 $70,389
Medical and Health Services Managers 1,069 $75,567
Computer and Information Research Scientists 1,046 $106,513
Logisticians 1,039 $70,566
Physicists 1,023 $75,755
Family and General Practitioners 986 $174,800
Architects, Except Landscape and Naval 964 $60,149
Computer Support Specialists 956 $58,207
Materials Engineers 936 $82,492
Human Resources, Training, and Labor Relations Spe 929 $52,694
Chief Executives 899 $216,227
Business Teachers, Postsecondary 858 $115,783
Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postseco 831 $61,273
Biomedical Engineers 822 $74,010
Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary 815 $80,261
Computer Software Engineers, Systems Software 803 $100,138
Life Scientists, All Other 795 $52,284
Materials Scientists 761 $68,147
Economists 752 $104,304
Dentists, General 728 $123,397
Mathematical Science Teachers, Postsecondary 722 $65,050
Health Diagnosing and Treating Practitioners, All 719 $67,631
Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers 716 $101,528
Microbiologists 685 $54,923
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Workers, Al 648 $65,107
Multimedia Artists and Animators 613 $78,210
Software Quality Assurance Engineers and Testers 611 $82,230
Instructional Coordinators 569 $51,289
Budget Analysts 568 $58,584
Registered Nurses 565 $64,259
Pediatricians, General 562 $151,010
Architectural and Civil Drafters 561 $47,361
Teachers and Instructors, All Other 558 $40,885
Actuaries 554 $92,003
Cost Estimators 554 $65,680
Fashion Designers 551 $69,944
Food Scientists and Technologists 549 $62,395
Credit Analysts 546 $74,193
Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/ 545 $44,898
Advertising and Promotions Managers 528 $98,842
Soil and Plant Scientists 527 $54,003
Purchasing Managers 502 $89,533
Industrial Production Managers 497 $100,925
Petroleum Engineers 488 $122,990
Coaches and Scouts 486 $40,456
Environmental Engineers 464 $73,802
Editors 454 $55,674
Speech-Language Pathologists 451 $69,197
Special Education Teachers, Preschool, Kindergarte 426 $52,079
Veterinarians 420 $75,066
Social Science Research Assistants 419 $44,552