I always had this notion that one day Google will start serving as a product catalogue for businesses wherein especially small businesses/individual sellers can showcase their products and have the option of selling through the Google site. I initially had this idea when Google released the "Google checkout" payment system. The payment system was not inline with any of their then products and just seemed as an odd venture for Google however the whole view of serving as a product catalogue striked me and it all made sense.
Infact you can already see the beginnings of it at the site. If you run the query "real estate” followed by a ZIP code, you’ll get the option of seeing a different type of result set which shows a list of homes available for sale from real-estate agents who paid a fee, with a map showing where the homes are. This basically serves as a real-estate catalogue. Add Google checkout to this scenario and voila!!! that serves as a complete e-commerce site. This will sure affect the likes of portals such as Amazon, EBay, Yahoo Shopping etc where small businesses/individual sellers can open storefronts and sell their products. Google is at an advantage here given its popularity with search which gives it access to users researching a product to find out about available inventory at nearby retailers.
Google already has a product called "Froogle" which serves as a comparison shopping site and where businesses can submit product feeds howoever google is coming up with something called "Programmable search engine (PSE)" (from what people have observed by analysing the Google patents over the last year, see link below) wherein the content publishers/web masters will define the way in which Google interacts with their content. Content publishers can also allow google to access the password protected pages and selectively allow the information displayed as search results such as inventory listings etc. On the search side, the user will be allowed to view the results in a tailored manner similar to as it is with real estate results as discussed above.
Infact the rife between Google and EBay already started where Google tried to probe EBay's resilience by hosting a Google checkout party at EBay live customer event in Boston for eBay sellers who are angry that eBay has forbidden merchants from offering Google Checkout as an online payment option. Google's party -- complete with free massage, drinks and food -- was to be just a short, free bus ride (provided by Google) from the eBay Live event. Google's Checkout Freedom Party was supposed to introduce a new online payment system called Checkout to eBay users. Google's Checkout is banned on eBay because the auction giant sees it as a competitor to its own PayPal payment system. When news of the Google party surfaced, eBay cancelled its advertising on Google. Google then backed down and cancelled the party. About a week later, eBay resumed Google advertising. So much more to come on this front.....
References:
- Google party at EBay event : http://news.com.com/8301-10784_3-9728551-7.html
- http://gilbane.com/search_blog/2007/05/will_steve_arnold_scare_it_int.html
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
USCIS Birth Certificate Requirements
The first page of the instructions fo r Form I-485 (under "Initial Evidence") states the following:
"Birth certificate. Submit a copy of your foreign birth certificate or other record of your birth that meets the provisions of secondary evidence found in 8 CFR 103.2(b)(2)."
CFR refers to the Code of Federal Regulations, available at:
Code of Federal Regulations : National Records and Archives Administration
http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/ .
The specific provision is found under Title 8 (Aliens and Nationality), Part 103 (Powers and duties of Service officers; availability of Service records). It states as follows:
"Sec. 103.2 Applications, petitions, and other documents.
* * *
(b) Evidence and processing
* * *
(2) Submitting secondary evidence and affidavits--(i) General. The non-existence or other unavailability of required evidence creates a presumption of ineligibility. If a required document, such as a birth or marriage certificate, does not exist or cannot be obtained, an
applicant or petitioner must demonstrate this and submit secondary evidence, such
as church or school records, pertinent to the facts at issue. If secondary evidence also does not exist or cannot be obtained, the applicant or petitioner must demonstrate the unavailability of both the required document and relevant secondary evidence, and submit two or more affidavits, sworn to or affirmed by persons who are not parties to the petition who have direct personal knowledge of the event and circumstances. Secondary evidence must overcome the unavailability of
primary evidence, and affidavits must overcome the unavailability of both primary and secondary evidence.
(ii) Demonstrating that a record is not available. Where a record does not exist, the applicant or petitioner must submit an original written statement on government letterhead establishing this from the relevant government or other authority. The statement must indicate
the reason the record does not exist, and indicate whether similar records for the time and place are available. However, a certification from an appropriate foreign government that a document does not exist is not required where the Department of State's Foreign Affairs Manual
indicates this type of document generally does not exist. An applicant or petitioner who has not been able to acquire the necessary document or statement from the relevant foreign authority may submit evidence that repeated good faith attempts were made to obtain the required document
or statement. However, where the Service finds that such documents or statements are generally available, it may require that the applicant or petitioner submit the required document or statement."
"Code of Federal Regulations: Title 8, Volume 1", U.S. Government
Printing Office via GPO Access (revised as of January 1, 2002)
National Records and Archives Administration
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/get-cfr.cgi?TITLE=8&PART=103&SECTION=2&YEAR=2002&TYPE=TEXT
USCIS states that : Two COPIES - Birth certificates (including children if any) IF THE BIRTHS WERE RECENTLY RECORDED OR MISSING ANY PERTINENT INFORMATION, AFFIDAVITS ARE REQUIRED (INSTRUCTIONS ATTACHED) USCIS WILL NOT ACCEPT DOCUMENTATION SUBMITTED FROM A HOSPITAL OR EMBASSY (So this renders the birth certificates issued from foreign consulates useless).
Affidavit Instructions
You must have two people complete and sign an affidavit. They cannot be your mother, father, sister or brother. The person must have been at least 16 years of age at the time of the birth and the affidavits must be notarized. This can be done by people in or out of the United States.
The attached affidavit is just a sample. It must be retyped, omitting the portion we have
underlined (uncle, cousin, friend, etc.).
In order for the Immigration Service to accept affidavits in lieu of official certificates, they require a statement from the local government office stating that the birth or marriages was not recorded, or not recorded completely (certificate of “Nonexistence of Birth Record”). The statement must refer to your name. Please obtain this statement along with the affidavits. See below for sample:
AFFIDAVIT OF BIRTH
I, __________________________, certify to the following:
1. I was born on ___________, 19___, in the town of ___________________ and country of ________________________. I am _____ years of age. I am currently residing at _________________________________________________________________________.
2. ________________________________ was born to _________________________ and _________________________ on _______________ in ____________________.
3. The above facts are within my personal knowledge because _________________ is my _____________(uncle, cousin, friend, etc.), and I was present at the time of said birth.
Dated: ______________, 200_ _____________________________
Signature
Subscribed and sworn to before me this
________ day of ___________, 200_
at ________________________________.
My commission expires ___________, 200_
___________________________ ________________________
Notary Public Official Seal
Certificate of “Nonexistence of Birth Record” must be issued by government authority, i.e., one charged with the responsibility for keeping birth and death records for that municipality, attesting that there is no record of the birth. A certificate of “Nonexistence of Birth Record” must include:
Name of child
Date of birth
Place of birth
Full name of father
Full name of mother
References :
http://immigrationvoice.org/forum/showthread.php?p=84025
http://murthyforum.atinfopop.com/4/OpenTopic?a=tpc&s=
1024039761&f=1474093861&m=2941080051
http://www.answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=77294
"Birth certificate. Submit a copy of your foreign birth certificate or other record of your birth that meets the provisions of secondary evidence found in 8 CFR 103.2(b)(2)."
CFR refers to the Code of Federal Regulations, available at:
Code of Federal Regulations : National Records and Archives Administration
http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/ .
The specific provision is found under Title 8 (Aliens and Nationality), Part 103 (Powers and duties of Service officers; availability of Service records). It states as follows:
"Sec. 103.2 Applications, petitions, and other documents.
* * *
(b) Evidence and processing
* * *
(2) Submitting secondary evidence and affidavits--(i) General. The non-existence or other unavailability of required evidence creates a presumption of ineligibility. If a required document, such as a birth or marriage certificate, does not exist or cannot be obtained, an
applicant or petitioner must demonstrate this and submit secondary evidence, such
as church or school records, pertinent to the facts at issue. If secondary evidence also does not exist or cannot be obtained, the applicant or petitioner must demonstrate the unavailability of both the required document and relevant secondary evidence, and submit two or more affidavits, sworn to or affirmed by persons who are not parties to the petition who have direct personal knowledge of the event and circumstances. Secondary evidence must overcome the unavailability of
primary evidence, and affidavits must overcome the unavailability of both primary and secondary evidence.
(ii) Demonstrating that a record is not available. Where a record does not exist, the applicant or petitioner must submit an original written statement on government letterhead establishing this from the relevant government or other authority. The statement must indicate
the reason the record does not exist, and indicate whether similar records for the time and place are available. However, a certification from an appropriate foreign government that a document does not exist is not required where the Department of State's Foreign Affairs Manual
indicates this type of document generally does not exist. An applicant or petitioner who has not been able to acquire the necessary document or statement from the relevant foreign authority may submit evidence that repeated good faith attempts were made to obtain the required document
or statement. However, where the Service finds that such documents or statements are generally available, it may require that the applicant or petitioner submit the required document or statement."
"Code of Federal Regulations: Title 8, Volume 1", U.S. Government
Printing Office via GPO Access (revised as of January 1, 2002)
National Records and Archives Administration
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/get-cfr.cgi?TITLE=8&PART=103&SECTION=2&YEAR=2002&TYPE=TEXT
USCIS states that : Two COPIES - Birth certificates (including children if any) IF THE BIRTHS WERE RECENTLY RECORDED OR MISSING ANY PERTINENT INFORMATION, AFFIDAVITS ARE REQUIRED (INSTRUCTIONS ATTACHED) USCIS WILL NOT ACCEPT DOCUMENTATION SUBMITTED FROM A HOSPITAL OR EMBASSY (So this renders the birth certificates issued from foreign consulates useless).
Affidavit Instructions
You must have two people complete and sign an affidavit. They cannot be your mother, father, sister or brother. The person must have been at least 16 years of age at the time of the birth and the affidavits must be notarized. This can be done by people in or out of the United States.
The attached affidavit is just a sample. It must be retyped, omitting the portion we have
underlined (uncle, cousin, friend, etc.).
In order for the Immigration Service to accept affidavits in lieu of official certificates, they require a statement from the local government office stating that the birth or marriages was not recorded, or not recorded completely (certificate of “Nonexistence of Birth Record”). The statement must refer to your name. Please obtain this statement along with the affidavits. See below for sample:
AFFIDAVIT OF BIRTH
I, __________________________, certify to the following:
1. I was born on ___________, 19___, in the town of ___________________ and country of ________________________. I am _____ years of age. I am currently residing at _________________________________________________________________________.
2. ________________________________ was born to _________________________ and _________________________ on _______________ in ____________________.
3. The above facts are within my personal knowledge because _________________ is my _____________(uncle, cousin, friend, etc.), and I was present at the time of said birth.
Dated: ______________, 200_ _____________________________
Signature
Subscribed and sworn to before me this
________ day of ___________, 200_
at ________________________________.
My commission expires ___________, 200_
___________________________ ________________________
Notary Public Official Seal
Certificate of “Nonexistence of Birth Record” must be issued by government authority, i.e., one charged with the responsibility for keeping birth and death records for that municipality, attesting that there is no record of the birth. A certificate of “Nonexistence of Birth Record” must include:
Name of child
Date of birth
Place of birth
Full name of father
Full name of mother
References :
http://immigrationvoice.org/forum/showthread.php?p=84025
http://murthyforum.atinfopop.com/4/OpenTopic?a=tpc&s=
1024039761&f=1474093861&m=2941080051
http://www.answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=77294
Saturday, June 9, 2007
Most effective vonage plan for set up in India
I have set up a vonage device @ my home in India. I registered for the $24.99 plan with unlimited incoming/outgoing minutes however just learnt from my roomie (he also has a vonage device in India) that I have been literally wasting money for the past year. I just switched to the $4.99 plan (unlimited incoming and limited outgoing plan) and it serves the same purpose as the previous plan even though with the $4.99 plan they charge 3.9cents/outgoing minute. Here's why its the best:
- with the 24.99 plan after taxes I pay $32/month. With $4.99 plan after taxes I pay $8.16 which means a saving of $23.84/month
- Its a known fact that using Vonage when calling from India to US the voice quality is terrible and most often it gets disconnected or you purposely disconnect and call back to get a better quality, so really speaking there is no usage of the outgoing minutes. Now I use the outgoing call as a indication that I need to call India :-)
- With 3.9cents/minute you still get 50mins/$2 which will suffice in case you accidently answer the calls :-)
This is an unadvertised vonage service plan and you would'nt be able to find the info on the website. You would have to call the customer service to register for this plan (wonder why vonage has not advertised this plan hmmm.... yup!!! u guessed it right). Heed my advice and switch to this plan.
- with the 24.99 plan after taxes I pay $32/month. With $4.99 plan after taxes I pay $8.16 which means a saving of $23.84/month
- Its a known fact that using Vonage when calling from India to US the voice quality is terrible and most often it gets disconnected or you purposely disconnect and call back to get a better quality, so really speaking there is no usage of the outgoing minutes. Now I use the outgoing call as a indication that I need to call India :-)
- With 3.9cents/minute you still get 50mins/$2 which will suffice in case you accidently answer the calls :-)
This is an unadvertised vonage service plan and you would'nt be able to find the info on the website. You would have to call the customer service to register for this plan (wonder why vonage has not advertised this plan hmmm.... yup!!! u guessed it right). Heed my advice and switch to this plan.
H1B Renewal Stamping @ Juarez, Mexico Aprill-2007
Successfully got my H1B visa stamped. This is a renewal of expired H1B stamping. I took the services of Victor Garcia. He is a very polite and humble guy and gives ahead most of the required information. Altogether we were 10 in the group that used Garcia service. All of them were issued visa.
We were allowed inside the consulate @ 8:05. Need to pass through 3 counters before reaching the VO. The process at the three counters was done by 8:45 but had to wait till 1:30 for the VO call. The current procedure is to issue the visa the next day however a request can be made for genuine reasons. Garcia gave an example of a lady who requested citing her new born baby which I think is pretty genuine and hope people don't abuse the policy which will affect people with genuine reasons.
Counter1: they will take your ds156, DS157 and rearrange it as per their way and they give it back to you. (DS158 is not required for H1B's. However one of the guys in this forum mentioned that its required @ Nogales for H1B's)
Counter2: lady asked for the above documents, passport and I797. Did something on her computer, took a picture, grouped the documents and gave it back.
Counter 3: fingerprinting (as per the announcement if the fingerprint and birth dates finds a match with their suspicious database then we need to pay
$85 to request a thorough check which will take 1-2 days).
counter 4: VO
Here are the questions asked by the VO:
- who do you work for?
- what does your company do?
- what is your role/responsibility @ the company?
make sure you tell the exact position as stated in DS156 and responsibilites as stated in the employer letter
- Any other visas you have been issued previously?
showed my F1 stamp. I attended a different college than whats stated on the F1 visa stamp and I gave this info without her asking about it.
- show me your degree cerificate?
- show me your paystubs?
gave her the bunch of last 6-months paystub. she only looked at the most recent one
The Juarez city is very comparable to a mid size indian city. Garcia suggested a couple of restaurants which were pretty good. Make sure you carry a light jacket as it gets chilly @ night and it was very windy while our whole stay there. Best advise would be to check ElPaso weather and prepare accordingly. Apart from the food experience I did'nt find anything worth mentioning here.
By the time we were on the US side it was 3:45 on Day2. Make sure you book your return ticket 5:30 onwards even if it requires booking the next day if no available flights are available after 5:30. Some people in our group had to reschedule their flight to next day.
I did'nt apply for a mexican visa however many people in this forum had advised to. Firstly there is no checking at the mexican side for a permit to enter. I remember we cruised at 45mph past the check point as there was no one to check you and thats the case everyday as per Garcia. One of the guys in the group who had a permit mentioned that as per the mexican consulate you can stay in mexico for 72hrs without a permit. However residents of some countries like Pakistan need to pre-register their passport (Garcia can provide more info on this front).
Here is a list of the documents I carried:
- Employment letters (current and all previous employers)
- SSN card
- OPT Card (Optional practical training permit)
- last year company performance evaluation stating in good standing
- company photos (cubicle, building)
- paychecks 1 year
- w-2's last 3 years and 1040's
- current and all previous I-129 and LCA
- current and all previous original I797
- all I-20's from F1 visa
- original degree certificates (masters, bachelors) (are u taking any other certificates?)
- greencard labor approval
- company brochure and company contact page from website
- bank statements (last 6 months)
- India property documents (they say not needed to prove native country attachment for H1B's but just taking incase)
- proof of address (apartment lease document, last month utility bill)
- filled DS 156 online at this url: http://evisaforms.state.gov/ and generated a barcoded PDF
- printed DS 157 and handfilled
- Passport
- Appointment letter (I haven't yet received it yet from the consulate. I will probably take a print out from online)
- Current resume
- company offer letter
- Resume submitted when applying for current job
- job posting of current job
- Extra photos
We were allowed inside the consulate @ 8:05. Need to pass through 3 counters before reaching the VO. The process at the three counters was done by 8:45 but had to wait till 1:30 for the VO call. The current procedure is to issue the visa the next day however a request can be made for genuine reasons. Garcia gave an example of a lady who requested citing her new born baby which I think is pretty genuine and hope people don't abuse the policy which will affect people with genuine reasons.
Counter1: they will take your ds156, DS157 and rearrange it as per their way and they give it back to you. (DS158 is not required for H1B's. However one of the guys in this forum mentioned that its required @ Nogales for H1B's)
Counter2: lady asked for the above documents, passport and I797. Did something on her computer, took a picture, grouped the documents and gave it back.
Counter 3: fingerprinting (as per the announcement if the fingerprint and birth dates finds a match with their suspicious database then we need to pay
$85 to request a thorough check which will take 1-2 days).
counter 4: VO
Here are the questions asked by the VO:
- who do you work for?
- what does your company do?
- what is your role/responsibility @ the company?
make sure you tell the exact position as stated in DS156 and responsibilites as stated in the employer letter
- Any other visas you have been issued previously?
showed my F1 stamp. I attended a different college than whats stated on the F1 visa stamp and I gave this info without her asking about it.
- show me your degree cerificate?
- show me your paystubs?
gave her the bunch of last 6-months paystub. she only looked at the most recent one
The Juarez city is very comparable to a mid size indian city. Garcia suggested a couple of restaurants which were pretty good. Make sure you carry a light jacket as it gets chilly @ night and it was very windy while our whole stay there. Best advise would be to check ElPaso weather and prepare accordingly. Apart from the food experience I did'nt find anything worth mentioning here.
By the time we were on the US side it was 3:45 on Day2. Make sure you book your return ticket 5:30 onwards even if it requires booking the next day if no available flights are available after 5:30. Some people in our group had to reschedule their flight to next day.
I did'nt apply for a mexican visa however many people in this forum had advised to. Firstly there is no checking at the mexican side for a permit to enter. I remember we cruised at 45mph past the check point as there was no one to check you and thats the case everyday as per Garcia. One of the guys in the group who had a permit mentioned that as per the mexican consulate you can stay in mexico for 72hrs without a permit. However residents of some countries like Pakistan need to pre-register their passport (Garcia can provide more info on this front).
Here is a list of the documents I carried:
- Employment letters (current and all previous employers)
- SSN card
- OPT Card (Optional practical training permit)
- last year company performance evaluation stating in good standing
- company photos (cubicle, building)
- paychecks 1 year
- w-2's last 3 years and 1040's
- current and all previous I-129 and LCA
- current and all previous original I797
- all I-20's from F1 visa
- original degree certificates (masters, bachelors) (are u taking any other certificates?)
- greencard labor approval
- company brochure and company contact page from website
- bank statements (last 6 months)
- India property documents (they say not needed to prove native country attachment for H1B's but just taking incase)
- proof of address (apartment lease document, last month utility bill)
- filled DS 156 online at this url: http://evisaforms.state.gov/ and generated a barcoded PDF
- printed DS 157 and handfilled
- Passport
- Appointment letter (I haven't yet received it yet from the consulate. I will probably take a print out from online)
- Current resume
- company offer letter
- Resume submitted when applying for current job
- job posting of current job
- Extra photos
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