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Hi [FORMATTED_FIRST_NAME GOES HERE],

Happy Wednesday. ✨

Soundarya here, from Unshackled. :)

A lot of people ask me: Can you make a living off self-publishing books? The answer is, "No... and yes." In case you're thinking of self-publishing a book now or in the future, check out this post. I'll be sharing a lot more about building a business around content creation in the coming weeks on LinkedIn.

Before we jump in, I want to thank our sponsors MobSquad and CoverDoc.ai who made this newsletter free for all. And, I'm delighted to welcome 136 new subscribers to our newsletter since last week. Welcome, welcome! 🙏

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This week's TL;DR

• Good news: Mumbai US consulate is finally at 0 backlogs!​
• Free Webinar: Come join me and an EB-1A recipient with 16 patents.
• ​Watch webinar recording on self-petitioning your green card.

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📌 UNfold: Top stories

Good news: US Consulate in Mumbai Clears All Covid-19 Visa Backlog, Offers Current Appointments​

Good news! The US Consulate General in Mumbai has successfully cleared all of the visa backlog created by the pandemic, reducing wait times for immigrant visa applicants from over two years to current slots. They've processed over 9,00,000 NIV applications! The US Ambassador plans to expand visa operations, with consular officers assigned in March to tackle the backlog, which was nearly 700 days in November.

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​Not-so-good news: Over 100,000 Indian Children in the US Face Separation Risk Amid Green Card Backlog​

Okay so as of now, there are >1 million Indians waiting in the green card backlog. A lot of these people now have a family and children who are at the risk of "aging out." That's the phenomenon when the child was born outside the U.S. and can't stay as a dependent on their parents' visa beyond the age of 21. After 21, they need to switch over to another visa. Over 100,000 children are at risk of this.

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🎁 UNlock: Relevant resources

​[Free Webinar] Getting EB-1A as an Industry Professional [8th Sept 2023, 08:00 AM PST]​

I'm excited to interview Sunku Ranganath this Friday on his journey toward an EB-1A! Sunku is an experienced professional, currently working as a Principal Product Manager at Intel. And get this: he has 12 patent filings. Yes, really. He's also contributed to a book, been in industry committees, and has spoken at over 20 international conferences. You don't wanna miss this! (This webinar is being conducted as part of the Unshackled online community.)

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​Self-petition Your Green Card (EB-1A and EB-2 NIW): Webinar Recording​

In case you missed the webinar with Fiona McEntee on self-petitioning for your green card, check out the recording. She demystifies the EB-1A and National Interest Waiver process, offering detailed insights into eligibility requirements, the application process, and strategies to improve your chances of approval!

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​How To Build An Immigration-tech Startup With 1M+ Users: AMA with Founders of Lawfully​

I interviewed Joon Ahn (CEO of Lawfully) & Judy Chang (Managing Partner at Judy Chang Law Firm) on scaling their app to 1M+ users. They talk about how they started, adding features to the app, and the future of policy. This was originally conducted within the Unshackled community. If you'd like to join it (and get free consults from lawyers & O-1/EB-1 recipients), use this private link for a 20% discount!​

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🪄 UNveil: This week’s sponsor
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• Didn't get picked in the H-1B lottery this year? Enter MobSquad. A Canadian startup that helps you relocate to Canada with the same job, company, and salary! In as little as 4-6 weeks, they help you (and your family) get expedited work permits and apply for a PR. Book a 1:1 call with the team over here!​

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• Are you actively job hunting? Awesome. Use CoverDoc to craft a stellar cover letter in minutes using AI. With just a few details, CoverDoc crafts a tailor-made letter, delivered to your Inbox. They also help you prepare for your interview & rate your application. Start crafting your cover letter with AI.

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👉 Want to put yourself in front of 8000+ immigrants? Just hit reply to start a conversation.

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🥳 UNshackled: What's happening in the community?

We launched a new resource within the community: An O-1/EB-1 application tracker, built on Google Drive!

If there's one common thread amongst all O-1 and EB-1 applications, it's that they are filled with hundreds of pages of documents and evidence. To manage this chaos, I created a Google folder with a "Master Evidence Tracker" sheet that will be your best friend throughout the process.

Besides the above, here's what brewin' in the community:

• Upcoming webinar with EB-1A recipient: Sunku Ranganath, a Product Leader at Intel.
• 1:1 user research with members: We have 125+ O-1/EB-1 aspirants who signed up for a 1:1 user interview. If you were one of them, thank you! I know I am delayed in sending a WhatsApp note to schedule an interview. It's coming! We're just setting up backend infra + creating the questions before reaching out.
• [Coming soon] A database of awards, memberships, judging, and publications to get you started! We've started putting this together, and hope to publish a v1 next week.
• [Coming soon] A course on the O-1A ;)

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Whenever you're ready to join the community, use this private link that lets you join for $399 (20% off). Once you join, get access to top lawyers, O-1/EB-1 mentors, weekly events, & a growing resource hub (worth $1999+).

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Until next week, stay fantabulous.

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Yours truly,

Soundarya 💚

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💡 None of the information shared in this newsletter is meant to be legal advice. If you're looking for legal advice, speak to a lawyer, or hit reply and let me know so I can connect you with one.

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💫 UNcover: Picks from the internet

• I talk about decoding US Immigration and the art of writing in this hour-long podcast!
• Check out this awesome tool to track your job applications.​
• To what extent can immigration practitioners ethically rely on ChatGPT to aid their practice?

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