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Dh Lost Project, Our Tickets R Booked. Very Tensed Pls Help.

Discussion in 'H4 Indian Ladies' started by sumalynux, Apr 12, 2016.

  1. sumalynux

    sumalynux IL Hall of Fame

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    Hi

    My dh has h1b.. He got a project n moved to Pittsburgh in dec 2015.Our tickets were booked for next month.

    We hv 9monts baby, his plan was to come do naming ceremony n take us.. (right now m staying at my moms in india). He had finalised apartment, applied car loan. N had ~8k$ savings in acc..

    Right now he is luking for new projects, he is looking for options for projects from both his consultant(current employer) n new employer( h1b transfer)..

    Our baby 1st birthday is coming up in july He has already missed Annaprasanam, naming ceremony now worried if has 2 miss birthday, thou he has promised 2 come whtever status he is..

    He wants to postpone nxt months air tickets to baby birthday ie july( hoping to get job by then n take us in july end)
    IF still not settled with new job or not yet joined new job scenario he wll attend birthday n go i might hv 2 travel alone in oct with our 1yr old son.

    My worries are..

    1. Hv read n heard pple saying safer to keep 6 monts expense aside in case of job loss..So assuming its 3k$ per mnth expense.. Should we keep atleast 20k$ in savings considering we hv 1yr old. Have u all kept 20k$ aside????

    2. Once i come there with baby, if he loose job wht hppns to insurance, hv heard abt cobra.. is thr anyone who hv really used it. M worried as i hv 1yr old.

    3. His h1b is till dec 2016, thn he wants 2 apply extension, will his change of job to new employer affect extension.. ideally we can apply extension 6months b4 expiry, How soon had u guys applied n got extended????

    4.
    We had savings in india, is it safer to convert it into dollars n carry or is there a way to leave inr in icici bank n convert to dollars from usa in case of emergencies. Have anybody done that, how easy is it convert inr to dollars online.

    5.
    Have suggested dh to lease apartment only for 6months or monthly lease, n decided to buy n live with minimum furniture. N not planning any trips or too much of eat outs.. Atleast tll we settle down.. ours is a love marriage n we hv been tons of trips including thailand n dubai, since both were sw engineer every weekend was movie n eat outs since our baby came only aftr 6yrs of marriage..
    So i am ok to laylow till we settle, as i dont wnt to risk having a baby..

    What are the other safety tips to follow when traveling n staying with 1 yr old
    Where layoffs can hppn anytime n job security.. How did u guys manage n cope up with layoffs in usa..
     
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  2. justanothergirl

    justanothergirl IL Hall of Fame

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    Hi Suma .Sorry to hear that. Let me fill in with whatever I know
    That is roughly correct. Depending on the industry he is in and whether the spouse is also employed a safety net which can carry you forward atleast 6 months is a good idea. That said if u havent been in the US long its hard to keep htat buffer. ~8k is a good start. That said the bigger issue with H1b is not the savings but the status.
    H1 b is valid as long one has a job..and active pay checks. HOw long ones status is active after the loss of a job is a gray area Once some one loses a job INS by rule says 2 weeks...but they look the other way if u can manage another job in a couple of months. I am not a lawyer.Please talk to one. On the other hand if he is here with a consulting company which pays a bare min to keep the status alive then u are ok immigration wise and that is when the savings issue crops.
    Insurance is tied to the job and u are requirted by law to be given cobra option. In CA its roughly ~$650 for an individual and about $1000 per month for a family. Its expensive. I would recommend u to look into other options.
    Extension should not depend on change of job. To the best of my knowledge. Sorry no idea about the time lines.
    Should be possible . No personal exp

    Layoffs are a part of life...and everyone and anyone is dispensable/replaceable . It took me a while to digest that .
    The best insurance I think is to keep an emergency fund to tide you over.
    ITs takes about ~2-4 weeks for an engineer to find a job u like
    ~1-2 months for mid-level manager
    ~6months higher positions. Rule of thumb...there are exceptions

    Hang in there !
     
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  3. anika987

    anika987 IL Hall of Fame

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    Hi dear,

    hubby got laid off very recently but next week is his last week..heard he will get salary for few months...IL ladieswere very supportive and told me not to worry and i guess all will be well soon.Job security is not there in usa.
     
  4. sumalynux

    sumalynux IL Hall of Fame

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    @anika987

    May i ask wht status u guys are in?

    We hv good savings so money is not my worry.. but m worried abt h1 job status
    N repetition of layoff in future when i am in usa with baby..


    Friends pls share stories of urs or people who u know who had layoffs in h1b and how thy managed.
     
  5. KashmirFlower

    KashmirFlower IL Hall of Fame

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    Thanks for tagging my name. I will share my experiences.

    1. Hv read n heard pple saying safer to keep 6 monts expense aside in case of job loss..So assuming its 3k$ per mnth expense.. Should we keep atleast 20k$ in savings considering we hv 1yr old. Have u all kept 20k$ aside????

    Yes, it is safe to keep savings. But till you settle keep monthly expenses minimum by not going for any loans like car loan and home loan. Buy used car. we got our first car for 5K (Honda Accord) only. My colleague sold her old car to 2K (Nissan) after working for 5 years, she managed with that car for 5 years. Now she got SUV. what i mean to say is don't spend much on car for first few years. (for long trips when u do in future, u can rent a car for couple of days ). Another big monthly expense is home/apt rent, even studio apt work fine for small families in the beginning.

    2. Once i come there with baby, if he loose job wht hppns to insurance, hv heard abt cobra.. is thr anyone who hv really used it.M worried as i hv 1yr old.

    No idea on this

    3. His h1b is till dec 2016, thn he wants 2 apply extension, will his change of job to new employer affect extension.. ideally we can apply extension 6months b4 expiry, How soon had u guys applied n got extended????

    No. Change of job with new employer will not affect the extension. irrespective of how many employers u change u get overall 3 + 3 + 1 year there on wards, if ur green card petition approved, till u get ur greencard.

    If u change employer now, then u will get extension for next 3 years. apply before 6 months if with same employer . But ask this in immigration forums or ask immigration lawyer for ur case.


    4. We had savings in india, is it safer to convert it into dollars n carry or is there a way to leave inr in icici bank n convert to dollars from usa in case of emergencies. Have anybody done that, how easy is it convert inr to dollars online.

    No idea. But want to know how to get INR to USA in $. You can ask ur ICCI bank , NRI bank divisions, for this .

    5. Have suggested dh to lease apartment only for 6months or monthly lease, n decided to buy n live with minimum furniture. N not planning any trips or too much of eat outs.. .

    Usually apt are for 1 year lease. some apt are ok, if u break the lease, if it is because of job change/job loss. U have to talk before signing the lease , what are the options to move in between the lease period and get it written. Some homes are renting their basements , for rent. u can find in sulekha.com

    For furniture and other items u can buy used ones , there will be lot of ads on "moving sale/garage sale". most of the items will be in good condition.

    What are the other safety tips to follow when traveling n staying with 1 yr old
    Where layoffs can hppn anytime n job security.. How did u guys manage n cope up with layoffs in usa


    Travelling with 1 year old is not that easy , as they get cranky as it is long long flights. Need to engage them with some vids , coloring, and walking . Better baby sleeps well.

    Layoffs are very tough but u can sense before it happens, need to keep up to date so u can search another one immediately. both are working means it will be better to manage. Keep urself updated and ready with resume all the time
     
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  6. EverydayBloom

    EverydayBloom Gold IL'ite

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    Dear Op

    Dont worry everything will be fine. Based on the economy layoffs are common these days.

    Below are the answers

    My worries are..

    1. Hv read n heard pple saying safer to keep 6 monts expense aside in case of job loss..So assuming its 3k$ per mnth expense.. Should we keep atleast 20k$ in savings considering we hv 1yr old. Have u all kept 20k$ aside????

    Ofcourse safer is better than sorry, better to keep atleast 2K per month for rent, groceries and emergency medical expenses.


    2. Once i come there with baby, if he loose job wht hppns to insurance, hv heard abt cobra.. is thr anyone who hv really used it.M worried as i hv 1yr old.

    if your DH employer is paying family insurance hopefully it will continue too. No idea in other scenarios.

    3. His h1b is till dec 2016, thn he wants 2 apply extension, will his change of job to new employer affect extension.. ideally we can apply extension 6months b4 expiry, How soon had u guys applied n got extended????

    There are lot of delays in extensions. Better to apply 6months before expiration. change of employer wont effect the extension. Based on the client letter the H1B duration will be approved.

    4.
    We had savings in india, is it safer to convert it into dollars n carry or is there a way to leave inr in icici bank n convert to dollars from usa in case of emergencies. Have anybody done that, how easy is it convert inr to dollars online.

    I dont think there will necessity to transfer funds from India. If the candidate is open to relocate to any place in USA getting job will not be a problem. Rest check with your bank just in case.

    5.
    Have suggested dh to lease apartment only for 6months or monthly lease, n decided to buy n live with minimum furniture. N not planning any trips or too much of eat outs.. Atleast tll we settle down.. ours is a love marriage n we hv been tons of trips including thailand n dubai, since both were sw engineer every weekend was movie n eat outs since our baby came only aftr 6yrs of marriage..
    So i am ok to laylow till we settle, as i dont wnt to risk having a baby..

    taking 6months lease for apt is a good idea, as lease breaks usually include 2months rent and lease breaking fine.

    What are the other safety tips to follow when traveling n staying with 1 yr old
    Where layoffs can hppn anytime n job security.. How did u guys manage n cope up with layoffs in usa

    Layoffs always have huge impact for the family both financially, emotionally but keeping the environment positive (i know not easy as said), dont feel stress, just support your DH mentally at this time.

    If he has good experience and professional network in linkedin, he can easily land in a job soon

    All the best
     
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  7. Gauri03

    Gauri03 Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    1. Hv read n heard pple saying safer to keep 6 monts expense aside in case of job loss..So assuming its 3k$ per mnth expense.. Should we keep atleast 20k$ in savings considering we hv 1yr old. Have u all kept 20k$ aside????

    Yes it is a good idea to keep 6 months worth of an emergency fund. The amount depends on your location and living expenses. 20K for Pittsburgh sounds like a good sum though you could manage with less.

    2. Once i come there with baby, if he loose job wht hppns to insurance, hv heard abt cobra.. is thr anyone who hv really used it. M worried as i hv 1yr old.

    I have not used Cobra, but H1B workers are entitled to Cobra insurance at their own expense. It can get quite expensive to maintain for long periods.


    3. His h1b is till dec 2016, thn he wants 2 apply extension, will his change of job to new employer affect extension.. ideally we can apply extension 6months b4 expiry, How soon had u guys applied n got extended???

    Not sure of this but once the application is being processed you are legally entitled to stay here until you get a decision from the USCIS. So even if your H1 expires you won't have to leave right away. Even after it expires you do have options of switching to other visa categories like B2, that will allow to you remain in the country while you find another job. Once you find a job your new employer will file an H1B application for you and you can switch status. See this website for detailed help on all H1B related issues - H1B Visa -Lay Off and Job Loss FAQ

    4.
    We had savings in india, is it safer to convert it into dollars n carry or is there a way to leave inr in icici bank n convert to dollars from usa in case of emergencies. Have anybody done that, how easy is it convert inr to dollars online.

    I haven't exchanged currency online and I don't think it is easy. There are many NRE/NRO bank accounts that allow you to deposit USD and convert it to Indian rupees automatically, but I don't know if the reverse is possible. Hopefully someone else might know more. Transfering money from India is quite simple if done via a wire transfer. You, your husband or someone you trust in India will have to be present to perform the transfer. We have done this with fairly large sums of money and we didn't face any issues. The money was transferred within 24 hours. With the current unfavorable Rupee to USD exchange rates, I would wait until absolutely necessary to convert rupees, or at least until the exchange rate improves.


    5.
    Have suggested dh to lease apartment only for 6months or monthly lease, n decided to buy n live with minimum furniture.

    It is good to plan ahead. Depending on the demand in the rental market, six month leases should be easily available. If you use craigslist, and thrift stores wisely, you should be able to furnish your home for very little.


    Where layoffs can hppn anytime n job security.. How did u guys manage n cope up with layoffs in usa..

    If you are not picky about location, finding another job after a layoff is not very tough. It is very rare for someone to be unemployed for long periods after a layoff, especially in the software industry. That is, as long as they have been seriously looking for employment. Build contacts. Stay in touch with friends. Develop good relationships with colleagues. A healthy network makes it very easy to find the right opportunities.


    Good luck!
     
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  8. sumalynux

    sumalynux IL Hall of Fame

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  9. Lavanya30

    Lavanya30 Silver IL'ite

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    Hi,

    Layoffs are very common in US.
    Is it possible for you to hold on in India till your husband gets a firm Job?

    If the medical insurance has the Cobra option, my understanding is it covers for 18 months despite being laid off.

    I don't think you should be moving your funds from India.
     
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