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Being in a safe community is one of the most important factors that buyers consider when purchasing a home, condo or any other type of real estate. So where are America’s most secure places to live? The Farmers Insurance Group of Companies has released its third annual ranking of top 20 ‘Most Secure U.S. Places to Live’.

Bert Sperling, a database expert with http://bestplaces.net, compiled the Farmers rankings based on data from 379 U.S. municipalities. Factors such as crime statistics, unemployment rates and risks of environmental hazards, terrorism threats, natural disasters and extreme weather conditions, were taken into consideration.

The communities were divided into three groups – large metropolitan areas (above 500,000 residents), mid-size cities (between 150,000 and 500,000 residents), and small towns (fewer than 150,000 residents).

According to the survey, the most secure community to live in the U.S. among large metropolitan areas are the adjacent communities of Boise City and Nampa (both in Idaho), which topped all large metro areas. Located among the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, the area has one of the lowest unemployment rates and enjoys a wonderful climate.

Among the Mid-size cities, those with a population between 150,000 and 500,000, the safest community to live is Las Cruces, New Mexico. Las Cruces was the first among mid-size cities in low unemployment rate and favorable climate categories.

St. George in Utah topped all small cities with populations of 150,000 or fewer in the survey. The city has 110,515 residents who enjoy a mild climate, clean air and low annual precipitation. It also has the lowest crime rates of all the 379 communities surveyed. St. George stands first in employment rate among the 138 small towns in the Farmers study.

The following are top 20 communities of America’s most secure places to live among large metropolitan areas, mid-size cities and small towns:

The top 20 safest communities to live among the large metro areas are:

1. Boise City-Nampa, Idaho 2. Portland-South Portland-Biddeford, Maine 3. Las Vegas-Paradise, Nevada 4. Honolulu, Hawaii 5. Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Roseville, California (more…)

Thousands of immigrants are arriving every year to USA from various countries from all over the world. All these new immigrants come to this fantastic country with golden dreams in their eyes so as to make their sweet home here. These immigrants have to mould themselves fresh, right from the beginning as their living pattern and standards were altogether different in their home countries.

This changeover is slightly easier for the younger generation but it is really difficult for the aged immigrants, as they have been used to the living conditions of their original country. I have myself migrated to this country before about 2 years at the age of 56 years and hence am aware of the problems to be faced by a new immigrant in this country. I have tried to give brief tips that shall prove extremely useful to the new immigrants.
1. Arrival in USA- The immigration officer stamps your passport at the USA airport only, bearing your alien registration number (green card number). Once this stamp is put, you have become an authorized USA resident. The sealed cover containing all your visa documents, and medical reports including your chest X-ray, handed over to you by consulate office in your home country, will be checked by the immigration officer at the arriving airport. Hence, please arrange to keep these documents handy with you in your hand baggage so that you can present them during the immigration process. You will be required to give your fingerprints also at the airport. It is suggested to check the detailed postal address of your sponsor so that your green card and the social security card are received safely by you without any delay. It takes about 2 weeks for receipt of these important documents. However, if you wish, you may start looking for a suitable job. But you will be able to start your job only after receipt of your social security card.
2. Orientation of USA- You will have to take a good rest in the initial days of your arrival to overcome jetlag effects. In the meanwhile, try to keep couple of Ist class mail letters received in your name at the official address of your sponsor. A welcome letter from INS and letters enclosing your green card and social security cards shall fulfill this requirement. Once these mail letters are ready with you, you have to approach the nearest MVA office to get your permanent state identity card issued. MVA will charge a nominal fee of $20 for issuing this very important document that you shall need at all times in USA. A small application form will have to be filled in by you. MVA officers will also arrange to take your photograph.
This card will be received by you at your residence via USA mail services may be within around one week. Familiarize yourself with the weather conditions here. You must try to explore all near-by area during this period, familiarizing with the area you are going to live. The public transport systems and schedules along with the normal food habits of Americans also may please be studied during this period. Once you are ready with your green card, social security card and the state I/D card, you can start your job. The job hunting is generally done through the word of reference from your sponsor or friends/relatives. Online job hunting can also be done.
3. Financial settlement- the next important task is to open bank accounts in your name at the most convenient and reputed banks.You will need your state I/D for this purpose. You may open both savings and the check-in accounts with at least 2 banks so as to have flexibility of operation. (more…)

Candidates’ experience and credentials, as detailed in the resume, are most often the frequently used criteria for determining which job applicants are deserving of a personal interview. Ultimately, though, the hiring decision is going to be heavily based upon the candidates’ performance in the interview and their value to the organization. To impress an interviewer, you have to be able to distinguish yourself from other candidates and be prepared to ’sell’ your qualifications to the interviewer. How can you do this?

Present a polished professional image

Remember that professional companies are looking to hire professional individuals, not the beach bum who just shook the loose sand from his hair. Dress conservatively in a well-fitting suit and keep jewelry, makeup, and fragrances to a minimum. It’s also important to always take a shower, brush your teeth, and comb your hair before an interview as well to present to clean, polished image.

Spend some time to research the organization prior to the interview

Doing outside research on your own time to prepare for the interview demonstrates your commitment to hard work and your sincere interest in the organization. Study up on the company’s products and services, industry, target market, annual sales, structure, and any other key information. Managers will be impressed by your research.

Prepare specific examples of how your skills and experience make you a strong fit for the organization’s needs

Practice answering tough, directed questions about your experience and be prepared to draw colorations between your experience and that needs of the organization. For example, if the position requires strong analytical skills, you should have example ready to demonstrate your strong analytical skills. Have you faced any challenges that forced you to think quickly on your feet? How do you go about evaluate alternatives when you have to justify a decision on a project?

Prepare and ask intelligent questions about the company and position

Your research on the organization will also come in handy when it comes time to formulate a series of intelligent questions you want answered. Since the interviewing process is an evaluation tool for both the individual and the organization, it is in your best interest to gather as much information about the potential opportunity as possible. Asking well thought-out questions shows that you are serious about the opportunity at hand and indicates the level of your knowledge about the company to the interviewer. (more…)

The process for a foreign citizen to legally acquire a green card and eventually become a legal naturalized citizen of the U.S. is difficult, time consuming, and expensive. Many critics of the system maintain that if the process was simpler there would be far fewer foreign citizens entering and remaining in the U.S. illegally.

When a foreign citizen visits the U.S. as a tourist, a medical patient, a student, or for business purposes, they generally need to present only a valid national passport, a photo ID card or birth certificate, and sometimes an entry visa. A visa is simply an endorsement on a document that shows authenticity and conveys permission to travel to and to enter a foreign country. This type of visa is also known as a nonimmigrant visa. Fees for a passport, a nonimmigrant visa, and a border crossing card total about $300.

However, when a foreign citizen wishes to reside and work in the U.S., they need to present an immigrant visa, also known as a green card. The green card was originally called the Alien Registration Receipt Card, but it has recently been renamed the Permanent Resident Card. Originally the card was green in color but now the card is white with some green printing on the back. It is still known generally as the green card. Recipients of the green card must carry it with them at all times. The green card is valid for a period of 10 years.

The green card is issued to a foreign citizen as a response to a petition by an employer or a relative who is a U.S. citizen. The petition by the employer or relative allows the foreign citizen to enter the U.S. for the purposes of being employed and residing permanently in the country.

The process for acquiring the green card generally follows three steps. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) issues the green card. This service used to be known as the INS or Immigration and Naturalization Service. USCIS is often referred to as simply the Immigration Service and is now part of the Department of Homeland Security. The first step is for the USCIS to review all of the paperwork and approve the petition from the qualifying relative or employer. The second step is to send the approved paperwork to the National Visa Center (NVC) where the petition waits for a visa number to become available. Only a limited number of visa numbers are available each year. Once a visa number becomes available, then the third step is for the petition to be forwarded to the appropriate U.S. embassy or consulate in the foreign citizen’s home city or country. (more…)

In this article, I invited a native English speaker now living and working abroad; to share his best tips and experiences in picking up a foreign lingo once you’ve been relocated onto foreign soil. As mentioned before, when it comes to foreign language learning, be it English or any one of the other 6912 spoken languages in the world, we could all use any help we can get. Here are some segments from his extensive comments excerpted from my e-book, “You CAN Learn a Foreign Language: Tested Techniques Anyone Can Use to Learn ANY Foreign Language”.

Meet Kayleigh Garman

Kayleigh “Kees” Garman, Director of Language Studies at a large language institute in Europe, offers the following additional comments during an interview on foreign language learning. He speaks English, German, Dutch, Spanish, Danish, and Turkish and is now working on his Hungarian.

Learning a new language can be challenging for anyone As a learner of multiple languages, admittedly some better than others, there are indeed some tricks I have used to make the process easier for me personally which hopefully will benefit those who might be intimidated by the idea of trying to master (whatever that means actually) a new language. Some are rather obvious tips, but others are possibly things not much considered before.

Never fear

“One of the biggest and most obvious ways people hold themselves back in developing a new language is by being afraid to make mistakes.”

“Strive for meaning above accuracy, especially at the beginning!”

What do you mean Kees?

Are you saying that it’s okay not to have perfect grammar and language skills at the outset, even on simple structures? Are you suggesting that foreign language teachers and foreign language learners shouldn’t correct all their mistakes to keep from becoming “fossilized” in some mistakes?

“Yes and yes!”

Learn to laugh

On top of not fearing your mistakes, a very healthy dose of laughter can really take the sting out of those dreadful and “inevitable” mistakes. (more…)

If you ask me what is the one most important fact to look for in a university while planning to study abroad. ‘Accreditation’ is my answer, Hands down! Accreditation is now-a-days ‘the most important’ word while planning to apply for schools. Earlier I was of the view that scholarship providing schools or schools in big cities are the best options but I have started believing that, for a 2 year scholarship or for the sake of living in a big town, no one should or can afford to put the entire career in jeopardy.

Accreditation decides your career and life in a major way when you are on a foreign soil. A friend of mine who was junior to me in medical school went to a non- accredited school in UK. After his graduation he was not considered for any jobs or higher study options. On the contrary, his classmates who were of British origin got jobs although they had a lower GPA. It does matter for an international student as natives have opportunities irrespective of the accreditation status of the school they went to. (more…)

The entry will be disqualified photo requirements are not submitted. Recent photographs of the applicant and his/her spouse and each child under 21 years of age, including all natural children as well as all legally-adopted and stepchildren (except a child who is already a U.S. citizen or a Legal Permanent Resident), even if a child no longer resides with the applicant or is not intended to immigrate under the DV program, must be submitted electronically with the Electronic Diversity Visa Entry Form. Group or family photos will not be accepted; there must be a separate photo for each family member.

A digital photo of each applicant, his/her spouse, and each child must be submitted with the Entry Form. The required photo can be a new digital photo or it can be an exisitng photo scanned with a digital scanner. (more…)

It used to be that green cards for non-citizens authorized to live and work in the United States never needed to be renewed. That changed in 1989, when the Immigration and Naturalization Service — a precursor of the current Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services — began issuing the permanent legal resident cards with a 10-year expiration date requiring periodic renewals.

According to a recent USCIS news release, there are about 750,000 bearers of cards issued between 1979 and 1989 who might have to pay to replace their green cards if a proposed change takes place. USCIS is inviting the public to comment by Sept. 21.

The proposed rule would require the affected green card holders to file an application to replace their permanent resident card with one bearing updated photo, fingerprint and other biometric information. (more…)

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