HV000
04-03 12:21 PM
good catch. Yeah that one is a bit scary. I believe they said somewhere that they were going to tighten the AC-21 requirements, and if they do so, then it will also apply retroactively (meaning if htey say salary cannot change by more than 10%, and someone invoked AC-21 to a new job with salary change of 30% that person could potentially be in trouble). I hope they dont do that (I myself have invoked AC-21 with >40% salary change!)
Just curious - Have you heard of a case being rejected just because the salary was higher than the original LC ?? (Assuming job title/description are same or similar). I think it will be almost impossible for them to reject just because is higher!! Govt. cannot dictate the upper limit of salaries (in private sector).
Just curious - Have you heard of a case being rejected just because the salary was higher than the original LC ?? (Assuming job title/description are same or similar). I think it will be almost impossible for them to reject just because is higher!! Govt. cannot dictate the upper limit of salaries (in private sector).
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a_yaja
09-18 06:27 PM
I have EAD for couple of years & when I moved to Ohio, I was issued 4 years DL. They did look at I-94 (I travelled on AP having one year validaty on I-94), also they DID NOT looked at my EAD expiry date..They asked very simple question - Do you have your SSN? Thats it..!
C'mon...Guys, come to Ohio..you will get DL for 4 years..
Where did you get your DL renewed for 4 yrs? Mine was renewed only till my I-94 validity period.
C'mon...Guys, come to Ohio..you will get DL for 4 years..
Where did you get your DL renewed for 4 yrs? Mine was renewed only till my I-94 validity period.
Blog Feeds
01-26 09:00 AM
Think that the Democrats and Republicans in Congress will never be able to agree about immigration policy? Better think again! When I started working as an immigration attorney, Jerry Ford was the President of the United States. Over the past 35 years, I have seen the two parties unite to pass dozens of immigration laws. Yes, I know the parties are so divided on the issue of what to do about the 12 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. that they couldn't even get together a few weeks ago to pass the DREAM Act. However, when it comes to reforming...
More... (http://blogs.ilw.com/carlshusterman/2011/01/55000-green-cards-for-employment-based-immigrants.html)
More... (http://blogs.ilw.com/carlshusterman/2011/01/55000-green-cards-for-employment-based-immigrants.html)
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glus
10-09 12:56 PM
Get a new passport and when re-entering with the new passport, show the expired passport with an unexpired visa. Unexpired Visa in expired passport is valid and can be used to re-enter.
That's the best way. You have to leave before your current I94 expires.
That's the best way. You have to leave before your current I94 expires.
more...
ragz4u
02-26 03:56 PM
http://moia.gov.in/showinfo1.asp?linkid=141
Shri Vayalar Ravi
POSITION
Minister
PHONE
91-11-24676839 / 24676837
E-MAIL ID
minister@moia.nic.in
Shri R K Singh [Overseas Employment Services Division]
POSITION
Protector General of Emigrants
PHONE
+91-11-24197972 / 26874250
E-MAIL ID
pge@moia.nic.in
Shri M. C. Arora [Overseas Employment Services]
POSITION
Deputy Secretary
PHONE
+91-11-26874241 / 24197967
E-MAIL ID
dsemigration@moia.nic.in
Shri Vayalar Ravi
POSITION
Minister
PHONE
91-11-24676839 / 24676837
E-MAIL ID
minister@moia.nic.in
Shri R K Singh [Overseas Employment Services Division]
POSITION
Protector General of Emigrants
PHONE
+91-11-24197972 / 26874250
E-MAIL ID
pge@moia.nic.in
Shri M. C. Arora [Overseas Employment Services]
POSITION
Deputy Secretary
PHONE
+91-11-26874241 / 24197967
E-MAIL ID
dsemigration@moia.nic.in
va_labor2002
06-22 04:18 PM
Let us organize an event to meet him on July 4. Since It is a holiday, lot of people can meet him and chat with him.
Any comments from IV Core Team ? Can we contact Indian Ambassador to arrange a meeting with the minister ? is it possible ?
Any comments from IV Core Team ? Can we contact Indian Ambassador to arrange a meeting with the minister ? is it possible ?
more...
Dhundhun
07-16 02:19 PM
I expect to retrogress in Nov or Dec 2008. Logic, I have put forward in http://immigrationvoice.org/forum/showthread.php?p=263895#post263895
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siva008
07-17 11:49 AM
I applied EAD Renewal on April 26 and then got RFE on May11 saying that they need 2 photos, I have send them and they resumed process on May 20th. Finger prints done on May28th.
Recenly I called USCIS and I requested for expedite, but today again they sent me RFE, I dont know what is this for I am waiting for hard copy.
if any on is in this situation please suggest me.
Thanks in advance
Recenly I called USCIS and I requested for expedite, but today again they sent me RFE, I dont know what is this for I am waiting for hard copy.
if any on is in this situation please suggest me.
Thanks in advance
more...
pidurika
02-08 10:48 AM
Hello guys,
My frustration is increasing and patience going down. I am strongly considering moving back to India. When planning the move, a few questions popped in my head the answer to which I am not able to find (yet); hence putting it out here.
1. How can I inform SSN department or credit bureau that I am not longer in USA..hence no one can use my SSN even if it gets stolen? Is there a way to "lock" things down?
2. What happens to 401K? Is there a IRS tax law that says because this guy was on H1-B and leaving..don't charge him the 40% penalty?
2.1 After 40% in penalty and 30% in taxes...with the market beaten down...not much remains...wonder if it's even worth touching it. So if I decide to leave the money here in my 401K account, what happens when I want to withdraw it? Rather what is the best way to withdraw it?
3. Any estimates on how much it costs to ship things back to India? I live in 2 bedroom apt..so have the usual stuff.....couch, bed, tv, clothes of many sizes, lots of kitchen utensils. Just an average...I understand things can vary a lot.
4. PIO card has the passport number of my son on it...the passport will expire when he is five year old. So do I get a new passport number? If so what happens to the PIO card? Do I need to get a new one?
Others, please feel free to add to the list of questions.
Thanks
2.1 After 40% in penalty and 30% in taxes...with the market beaten down...not much remains...wonder if it's even worth touching it. So if I decide to leave the money here in my 401K account, what happens when I want to withdraw it? Rather what is the best way to withdraw it?
One of friends got advice from a tax consultant about the 401K withdrawal question you have. The best approach in this case would be to phase out the withdrawal amounts over a period of successive years. When you are in India, you are not earning US income. So say if you take 10K the first year, it will be considered income earned in US for which you have to pay tax. Since 10K is below the standard deduction amt, you will not have to pay any tax. The penalty will still apply as you are breaking the 401K.
Disclaimer - Talk to a tax professional.
Thanks
My frustration is increasing and patience going down. I am strongly considering moving back to India. When planning the move, a few questions popped in my head the answer to which I am not able to find (yet); hence putting it out here.
1. How can I inform SSN department or credit bureau that I am not longer in USA..hence no one can use my SSN even if it gets stolen? Is there a way to "lock" things down?
2. What happens to 401K? Is there a IRS tax law that says because this guy was on H1-B and leaving..don't charge him the 40% penalty?
2.1 After 40% in penalty and 30% in taxes...with the market beaten down...not much remains...wonder if it's even worth touching it. So if I decide to leave the money here in my 401K account, what happens when I want to withdraw it? Rather what is the best way to withdraw it?
3. Any estimates on how much it costs to ship things back to India? I live in 2 bedroom apt..so have the usual stuff.....couch, bed, tv, clothes of many sizes, lots of kitchen utensils. Just an average...I understand things can vary a lot.
4. PIO card has the passport number of my son on it...the passport will expire when he is five year old. So do I get a new passport number? If so what happens to the PIO card? Do I need to get a new one?
Others, please feel free to add to the list of questions.
Thanks
2.1 After 40% in penalty and 30% in taxes...with the market beaten down...not much remains...wonder if it's even worth touching it. So if I decide to leave the money here in my 401K account, what happens when I want to withdraw it? Rather what is the best way to withdraw it?
One of friends got advice from a tax consultant about the 401K withdrawal question you have. The best approach in this case would be to phase out the withdrawal amounts over a period of successive years. When you are in India, you are not earning US income. So say if you take 10K the first year, it will be considered income earned in US for which you have to pay tax. Since 10K is below the standard deduction amt, you will not have to pay any tax. The penalty will still apply as you are breaking the 401K.
Disclaimer - Talk to a tax professional.
Thanks
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Munshi75
07-18 04:37 PM
yeah, you are correct we will post all our information too, like bank balance, SSN, etc.
Amitjoey,
Don't you think it's a good idea to post:
Total Contributions Received:
Total Expenses:
Balance:
Efforts Undertaken:
On a weekly or monthly basis by the IV Core?
I think that would motivate fellow members to contribute more (or less in some cases).
Gumnam
Amitjoey,
Don't you think it's a good idea to post:
Total Contributions Received:
Total Expenses:
Balance:
Efforts Undertaken:
On a weekly or monthly basis by the IV Core?
I think that would motivate fellow members to contribute more (or less in some cases).
Gumnam
more...
yabadaba
12-11 01:13 PM
This is an awesome move. hopefully they reduce the number of days for public comment and implement this as soon as possible. We need to end labor substitution and concurrent filing now!
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chi_shark
03-23 05:37 PM
did the io specifically say that? why do they care about other income? i would really like to know... if they are now saying that you cannot have any other income then all those who are trying to do a business on the side while on EAD could be in trouble! right?
Hello jsb,
Yes, I guess I went through that scrutiny when I submitted the employment letter and payslips and W-2 last month...the IO had told me that he had employment letter from 2007 so he would like a current one and he wanted my tax details compared to W-2 to see if there was any other income apart from my job income.
Time will tell... :)
Hello jsb,
Yes, I guess I went through that scrutiny when I submitted the employment letter and payslips and W-2 last month...the IO had told me that he had employment letter from 2007 so he would like a current one and he wanted my tax details compared to W-2 to see if there was any other income apart from my job income.
Time will tell... :)
more...
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Soul
01-03 07:01 PM
I'm hereeeeeeeeeee
lol. My computer has been hacked the hell out of today thats why I havent been able to get on! I got their IP addresses though :bad:
Anyway, new pixel battle :beam:
My theme idea is........ A Castle
I know this is a complicated one which is why there should be a looooong deadline, I think it'll get some great entries if it has long enough.
- Soul :goatee:
lol. My computer has been hacked the hell out of today thats why I havent been able to get on! I got their IP addresses though :bad:
Anyway, new pixel battle :beam:
My theme idea is........ A Castle
I know this is a complicated one which is why there should be a looooong deadline, I think it'll get some great entries if it has long enough.
- Soul :goatee:
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lostinbeta
01-02 05:30 PM
Awwww :blush:
Thanks Ren :)
I understand why you went with the adorable little sheep.... makes perfect sense :)
As long as I am still your main squeeze :beam: (and vice versa :))
Thanks Ren :)
I understand why you went with the adorable little sheep.... makes perfect sense :)
As long as I am still your main squeeze :beam: (and vice versa :))
more...
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diptam
08-07 08:14 PM
Yes guys take this route .... Another workaround i used for getting H1B extension approval paper... I told Desi employer that my state requires H1 797 form to change the Drivers License... Lot of states do need that so i used that to get that.
You have to be tactical while dealing with Desi Employers !!
Curios, is your employer desi. Wait for sometime, tell him that you need to go to your home country and need receipt notice to use your AP in return. Catch is you have to use your EAD & AP after return.
You have to be tactical while dealing with Desi Employers !!
Curios, is your employer desi. Wait for sometime, tell him that you need to go to your home country and need receipt notice to use your AP in return. Catch is you have to use your EAD & AP after return.
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alex99
10-19 08:00 AM
To statr with,
let A=% of Indians among 3,20,000?
% of EB1 cases from A?
% of Eb2 cases from A
% of Eb3 cases from A
Any guesses......?
let A=% of Indians among 3,20,000?
% of EB1 cases from A?
% of Eb2 cases from A
% of Eb3 cases from A
Any guesses......?
more...
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helpful_leo
02-23 02:53 PM
For the pessimists among us who doubt the utility of what we can achieve, I have compiled the following FAQs:
1/ Isnt it very unlikely that a senator or congressman will listen to us or care about our agenda?
It is extremely likely -almost guaranteed- that US lawmakers will listen to us and incorporate our amendments, as long as they are reasonable, fair and not inimical to US interests (which our suggestions most certainly fit with). The system here works very differently than what several of us may be used to in our own home countries, where it might be near impossible to get things through to lawmakers without �connections�. Several of those here who witnessed the S1932 campaign in December were surprised at how easily accessible the lawmakers and their staff were, and how receptive they were to our requests and suggestions. We have to make sure that we present our arguments intelligently, and show them how closely they are linked to long term US interests.
(to be continued)
1/ Isnt it very unlikely that a senator or congressman will listen to us or care about our agenda?
It is extremely likely -almost guaranteed- that US lawmakers will listen to us and incorporate our amendments, as long as they are reasonable, fair and not inimical to US interests (which our suggestions most certainly fit with). The system here works very differently than what several of us may be used to in our own home countries, where it might be near impossible to get things through to lawmakers without �connections�. Several of those here who witnessed the S1932 campaign in December were surprised at how easily accessible the lawmakers and their staff were, and how receptive they were to our requests and suggestions. We have to make sure that we present our arguments intelligently, and show them how closely they are linked to long term US interests.
(to be continued)
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sayonara
09-13 03:25 PM
I received receipt nos. from CSC. Later i received EAD also. Today i received mail from USCIS stating that my case is transferred to Nebraska. :(
gcwaiting17,
Did you get a receipt notice and transfer notice for your 485 ( i got my EAD and AP and only got a transfer notice for 485)?
Does anyone kn ow if the 485 receipt is required tog et FP notice?
Also, my 485 receipt has a receipt date of august 28, but I am a july 2nd filer..does anyone else here have the same situation?
Thanks in advance
gcwaiting17,
Did you get a receipt notice and transfer notice for your 485 ( i got my EAD and AP and only got a transfer notice for 485)?
Does anyone kn ow if the 485 receipt is required tog et FP notice?
Also, my 485 receipt has a receipt date of august 28, but I am a july 2nd filer..does anyone else here have the same situation?
Thanks in advance
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msp1976
03-10 07:24 PM
When I was hired last spring, I was not told about GC retrogression by my employer. I beleive they should have explained in graphic detail and if they done so I would not have left a good job and my home in Canada to move to an American nightmare.
I recently discovered that I have at least a 5 year wait as an EB-3. My teenage daughter will be too old to get a green card as a dependent and my wife is seriously depressed about not being allowed to work.
How many other people are as P-Oed as I am and is there a class action suit here?
They are legally not irresponsible....They very well know what is going on....
They are the ones who designed the whole doggone system....
At the worst you can say that they are ethically wrong...
They have no obligation to explain anything to you...
In fact some would tell you to wait for two years to file for green card and they would be well within their rights...
For a class action suit you need a credible argument.
The way the law is structured...we do not have a very good argument..
If you do find good argument let us know..I am sure there are members who would be interested...
Also who exactly would you sue ?? People have tried suing USCIS already with not much of success...
If you sue your employer..there goes your job...
The best recourse we have at present is through legislative efforts...
I recently discovered that I have at least a 5 year wait as an EB-3. My teenage daughter will be too old to get a green card as a dependent and my wife is seriously depressed about not being allowed to work.
How many other people are as P-Oed as I am and is there a class action suit here?
They are legally not irresponsible....They very well know what is going on....
They are the ones who designed the whole doggone system....
At the worst you can say that they are ethically wrong...
They have no obligation to explain anything to you...
In fact some would tell you to wait for two years to file for green card and they would be well within their rights...
For a class action suit you need a credible argument.
The way the law is structured...we do not have a very good argument..
If you do find good argument let us know..I am sure there are members who would be interested...
Also who exactly would you sue ?? People have tried suing USCIS already with not much of success...
If you sue your employer..there goes your job...
The best recourse we have at present is through legislative efforts...
sundar99
05-03 12:06 PM
When there are so much negative opinion, instead of chasing this avenue, let us all focus on what is tangible (such as connecting with media and building up public support). If by chance he goes against the legal immigration too, then we burn candle from both ends. The risk is not worth it.
saimrathi
07-11 10:13 PM
I think there is a concern here.. please dont undermine it.. after all if we can remember what happened at the Indian Consulate (http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/02/02/MNGHNNTLI81.DTL) It can happen anywhere....
Sensitive data dumped at recycling center
Indian Consulate tossed visa applications from business, political figures at S.F. facility
David Lazarus
Friday, February 2, 2007
Thousands of visa applications and other sensitive documents, including paperwork submitted by top executives and political figures, sat for more than a month in the open yard of a San Francisco recycling center after they were dumped there by the city's Indian Consulate.
The documents, which security experts say represented a potential treasure trove for identity thieves or terrorists, finally were hauled away Wednesday after The Chronicle inspected the site and questioned officials at the consulate and the recycling facility.
Among the papers were visa applications submitted by Byron Pollitt, chief financial officer of San Francisco's Gap Inc., and Anne Gust, wife of California Attorney General Jerry Brown.
"It's shocking and totally unacceptable," Brown said when asked about the incident.
Information on the documents includes applicants' names, addresses, phone numbers, birth dates, professions, employers, passport numbers and photos. Accompanying letters detail people's travel plans and reasons for visiting India.
"As we see it, the documents are not confidential," said B.S. Prakash, the consul general. "We would see something as confidential if it has a Social Security number or a credit card number, not a passport number."
But security experts say it wouldn't be hard to obtain someone's Social Security number using the information available in the consular documents. They also point out that some of the Sept. 11 hijackers used false passports, which wouldn't be hard to obtain using data and photos from the documents.
"This is absolutely sensitive information," said Charles Cresson Wood, a Sausalito information-security consultant. "It needs to be safeguarded."
Pratik Sircar, deputy consul general for the Indian Consulate, said the office on Arguello Boulevard processes visa applications and other paperwork for 14 Western states.
"We have a shortage of space," he said. "We keep this material for a year, and then we have to destroy it."
However, the consulate didn't destroy the documents. Instead, it hired a hauling company in December to cart the boxes to the Haight Ashbury Neighborhood Council recycling center near Golden Gate Park on Frederick Street.
The open-air facility is accessible to the public seven days a week. Anyone can walk through the gate and poke around.
"We thought it was their job to shred the material as soon as they got it," Sircar said.
Andy Pugni, general manager of the recycling center, responded that he doesn't know where the consulate got this idea.
"We take in paper, put it in large containers and ship it off for recycling," he said. "That's all we do. We don't shred."
Pugni added: "We assume anyone who brings stuff over here will be smart enough to destroy any sensitive materials. I wouldn't bring any of my own materials here."
Alerted by The Chronicle to the presence of confidential documents in a corner of the recycling yard -- many of the white boxes were clearly marked "visa applications" -- Pugni had a truck brought in to haul the papers to an East Bay company that will boil them down and recycle them as blank pages.
All that remained in the yard Thursday were remnants of the boxes.
But a sampling of documents obtained by The Chronicle indicate that the boxes contained confidential paperwork for virtually everyone in California and other Western states who applied for visas to travel to India between 2002 and 2005.
They also contained thousands of documents submitted by Indian citizens and people of Indian background residing in the region.
"It's hard to believe that this is how confidential information is treated," said San Francisco resident Farah Champsi, who was born in Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay, and requested copies of her birth certificate in 2005.
Her application ended up at the recycling center. "This is terrible," Champsi said.
Visa applications were submitted by current and former executives of many of the region's leading employers, including AT&T Wireless Inc., Oracle Corp., Intel Corp., Microsoft Corp., Qualcomm Inc. and Williams-Sonoma Inc.
The documents illustrate the extent to which major U.S. companies have established operations in India or rely on India for key services.
A letter from Gap's then-CEO Paul Pressler accompanying the visa application for Pollitt says the company's CFO was heading to India for several days in April 2004 "for the purpose of visiting Gap Inc.'s sites and vendor facilities."
After the application surfaced this week, Pollitt said he found it "both astonishing and alarming to learn that basic safeguards were apparently not in place to ensure the privacy of my personal information.
"As a past victim of identity theft, I am painfully aware of how important it is to ensure personal information is well protected," he said.
Another Bay Area exec whose privacy was jeopardized is Rob Haragan, co-founder of NetDevices Inc., a Los Altos company that specializes in network security. Much of NetDevices' research is conducted at a facility in Bangalore.
Haragan, a former executive at Cisco Systems Inc., applied for a visa to travel to India in 2004. He estimates that he's since been to the country more than a dozen times.
He said he was surprised to learn that his application spent weeks at a recycling center.
"The consulate absolutely needs to correct this," Haragan said. "It's a breach of trust."
Brian Biega oversees storage of internal paperwork at Redwood City software giant Oracle, so he knows a thing or two about the proper handling of confidential documents. He, too, applied for a visa to visit India in 2004, and his application also ended up at the recycling center.
Biega didn't hesitate when asked how Oracle's famously truculent CEO Larry Ellison would react if boxes of sensitive information were left at a recycling center. "I'm sure I'd lose my job," he replied.
At the Indian Consulate, Consul General Prakash said there may be a cultural dimension to the level of outrage related to the incident among Western visa applicants.
"In India, I would not be alarmed," he said. "We have grown up giving such information in many, many places. We would not be so worried if someone had our passport number."
Deputy Consul General Sircar said that in other countries, Indian officials are able to go to the roofs of their offices and burn documents they're no longer able to store.
"In America, you cannot do that," he said.
Sircar said the consulate would find some other way to deal with its excess paperwork in the future.
Pugni at the recycling center said that shortly after he had the documents carted away, a representative of the consulate arrived at the facility.
"He apologized for everything," Pugni said. "Then he said he was on his way to Best Buy to pick up a shredder."
David Lazarus' column appears on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. He also can be heard on Saturdays, 4 to 7 p.m., on KGO Radio. Send tips or feedback to dlazarus@sfchronicle.com.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/02/02/MNGHNNTLI81.DTL
Sensitive data dumped at recycling center
Indian Consulate tossed visa applications from business, political figures at S.F. facility
David Lazarus
Friday, February 2, 2007
Thousands of visa applications and other sensitive documents, including paperwork submitted by top executives and political figures, sat for more than a month in the open yard of a San Francisco recycling center after they were dumped there by the city's Indian Consulate.
The documents, which security experts say represented a potential treasure trove for identity thieves or terrorists, finally were hauled away Wednesday after The Chronicle inspected the site and questioned officials at the consulate and the recycling facility.
Among the papers were visa applications submitted by Byron Pollitt, chief financial officer of San Francisco's Gap Inc., and Anne Gust, wife of California Attorney General Jerry Brown.
"It's shocking and totally unacceptable," Brown said when asked about the incident.
Information on the documents includes applicants' names, addresses, phone numbers, birth dates, professions, employers, passport numbers and photos. Accompanying letters detail people's travel plans and reasons for visiting India.
"As we see it, the documents are not confidential," said B.S. Prakash, the consul general. "We would see something as confidential if it has a Social Security number or a credit card number, not a passport number."
But security experts say it wouldn't be hard to obtain someone's Social Security number using the information available in the consular documents. They also point out that some of the Sept. 11 hijackers used false passports, which wouldn't be hard to obtain using data and photos from the documents.
"This is absolutely sensitive information," said Charles Cresson Wood, a Sausalito information-security consultant. "It needs to be safeguarded."
Pratik Sircar, deputy consul general for the Indian Consulate, said the office on Arguello Boulevard processes visa applications and other paperwork for 14 Western states.
"We have a shortage of space," he said. "We keep this material for a year, and then we have to destroy it."
However, the consulate didn't destroy the documents. Instead, it hired a hauling company in December to cart the boxes to the Haight Ashbury Neighborhood Council recycling center near Golden Gate Park on Frederick Street.
The open-air facility is accessible to the public seven days a week. Anyone can walk through the gate and poke around.
"We thought it was their job to shred the material as soon as they got it," Sircar said.
Andy Pugni, general manager of the recycling center, responded that he doesn't know where the consulate got this idea.
"We take in paper, put it in large containers and ship it off for recycling," he said. "That's all we do. We don't shred."
Pugni added: "We assume anyone who brings stuff over here will be smart enough to destroy any sensitive materials. I wouldn't bring any of my own materials here."
Alerted by The Chronicle to the presence of confidential documents in a corner of the recycling yard -- many of the white boxes were clearly marked "visa applications" -- Pugni had a truck brought in to haul the papers to an East Bay company that will boil them down and recycle them as blank pages.
All that remained in the yard Thursday were remnants of the boxes.
But a sampling of documents obtained by The Chronicle indicate that the boxes contained confidential paperwork for virtually everyone in California and other Western states who applied for visas to travel to India between 2002 and 2005.
They also contained thousands of documents submitted by Indian citizens and people of Indian background residing in the region.
"It's hard to believe that this is how confidential information is treated," said San Francisco resident Farah Champsi, who was born in Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay, and requested copies of her birth certificate in 2005.
Her application ended up at the recycling center. "This is terrible," Champsi said.
Visa applications were submitted by current and former executives of many of the region's leading employers, including AT&T Wireless Inc., Oracle Corp., Intel Corp., Microsoft Corp., Qualcomm Inc. and Williams-Sonoma Inc.
The documents illustrate the extent to which major U.S. companies have established operations in India or rely on India for key services.
A letter from Gap's then-CEO Paul Pressler accompanying the visa application for Pollitt says the company's CFO was heading to India for several days in April 2004 "for the purpose of visiting Gap Inc.'s sites and vendor facilities."
After the application surfaced this week, Pollitt said he found it "both astonishing and alarming to learn that basic safeguards were apparently not in place to ensure the privacy of my personal information.
"As a past victim of identity theft, I am painfully aware of how important it is to ensure personal information is well protected," he said.
Another Bay Area exec whose privacy was jeopardized is Rob Haragan, co-founder of NetDevices Inc., a Los Altos company that specializes in network security. Much of NetDevices' research is conducted at a facility in Bangalore.
Haragan, a former executive at Cisco Systems Inc., applied for a visa to travel to India in 2004. He estimates that he's since been to the country more than a dozen times.
He said he was surprised to learn that his application spent weeks at a recycling center.
"The consulate absolutely needs to correct this," Haragan said. "It's a breach of trust."
Brian Biega oversees storage of internal paperwork at Redwood City software giant Oracle, so he knows a thing or two about the proper handling of confidential documents. He, too, applied for a visa to visit India in 2004, and his application also ended up at the recycling center.
Biega didn't hesitate when asked how Oracle's famously truculent CEO Larry Ellison would react if boxes of sensitive information were left at a recycling center. "I'm sure I'd lose my job," he replied.
At the Indian Consulate, Consul General Prakash said there may be a cultural dimension to the level of outrage related to the incident among Western visa applicants.
"In India, I would not be alarmed," he said. "We have grown up giving such information in many, many places. We would not be so worried if someone had our passport number."
Deputy Consul General Sircar said that in other countries, Indian officials are able to go to the roofs of their offices and burn documents they're no longer able to store.
"In America, you cannot do that," he said.
Sircar said the consulate would find some other way to deal with its excess paperwork in the future.
Pugni at the recycling center said that shortly after he had the documents carted away, a representative of the consulate arrived at the facility.
"He apologized for everything," Pugni said. "Then he said he was on his way to Best Buy to pick up a shredder."
David Lazarus' column appears on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. He also can be heard on Saturdays, 4 to 7 p.m., on KGO Radio. Send tips or feedback to dlazarus@sfchronicle.com.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/02/02/MNGHNNTLI81.DTL
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