Date: March 12, 2009 Thursday
Time: 6.30PM
Speaker: Arda Beskardes
Organizer: NYC Turk IT Meetup Group

Summary:
The dreaded H-1B filing deadline of April 1, 2009 for the Fiscal Year 2010 is fast approaching, making employers and employees face tough questions. H-1B process, even though not complex intrinsically, is nevertheless complicated due to numerical cap, prevailing wage, employer responsibility, and financial issues. Additionally, due to the immense public interest and controversy of the H-1B program, fact and fiction gets confused easily, leaving employers and employees in the dark.

This especially affects the IT industry, which is in the heart of the controversy, with the advent and notoriety of the "consulting firms".

Seminar Topics:

The topics to be covered are as follows:

1. Understanding the H-1B classification-- how to qualify as an employer and employee and the general employer and employee requirements

2. Understanding the H-1B numerical quota, including a discussion of exemptions including the additional graduate degree cap and higher education and non-profit research exemptions

3. Understanding the prevailing and actual wage issues and discussing strategies in ascertaining the wage

4. Understanding the financial responsibilities of the employer, for Department of Labor and USCIS purposes, including a special discussion regarding start-ups

5. Strategies for employees currently holding the F-1 OPT status

6. Understanding the change of status and consular notification options for employees and discussing strategies of maintaining immigration status during the H-1B process

7. Visa alternatives when H-1B is not available due to the numerical cap or other reasons

8. Visa transfer issues for current H-1B holders

Who Should Attend:
- IT professionals who are pursuing H-1B visa
- Current H-1B visa holders
- IT Managers who are planning to hire alien IT Professionals
- Employers, business owners

This seminar will shed light on the H-1B program, focusing on both employer and employee perspectives and will answer questions they may have, providing a clear understanding of the program.

Bio of Arda Beskardes:
Arda Beskardes is an attorney based in New York City. He specializes in a wide variety of immigration matters including physician and higher education immigration, employment based immigration, J waivers, entertainment and arts immigration, and extraordinary ability petitions. He is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers
Association,NAFSA (Association of International Educators) and the American Bar Association's Sections of International Law and Practice and Business Law.

Before heading on to a solo-practice, Arda was an associate with Siskind Susser, PC, one of the most prestigious immigration firms in the country. Prior to Siskind Susser, Arda was the in-house immigration specialist of The University of Memphis where he served the immigration needs of the faculty, staff, and students.

Arda is a graduate of The University of Memphis's Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law (JD; 1998), and the Ankara University Faculty of Political Sciences (BA; 1995) where he studied Political Science with a concentration in Labor Economics and Industrial Relations.

Arda, in addition to immigration law, is very well versed in business matters and has several years teaching experience as an adjunct professor of Business Law at The University of Memphis's Fogelman College of Business and Economics.

RSVP:
Deadline: March 11, 2009 Wednesday 10.00PM
Make RSVP now as "YES" or "NO"
25 seats available for NYC Turk IT group
There will be more people in the seminar