Craig Said:

Is it legal to drive in Ontario with International driving permit after residing for more than 3 years?

We Answered:

I looked over the CLDI Insurance Certificate from VISA (link below). It states with regards to who is an Insured:

"...however, You and all drivers must otherwise qualify under and follow the terms of the rental contract and must be legally licensed and permitted to drive the rental vehicle under the laws of the jurisdiction in which the rental vehicle shall be used."

The question is whether you are considered legally licenced under Ontario law. In the section you quoted it states:

"...or you may have to apply for an Ontario driver's licence, depending on your length of stay."

Section 34 of the Highway Traffic Act states:

Exemption as to non-residents, licensing requirements

34. (1) Section 32 and any regulation made thereunder do not apply to any person who is,
(a) a resident of any other province of Canada, who is at least sixteen years of age and has complied with the law of the province in which he or she resides as to the drivers of motor vehicles; or
(b) a resident of any other country or state,
(i) who is at least sixteen years of age and is the holder of a valid International Driver’s Permit, or
(ii) who is at least sixteen years of age and has not resided in Ontario for more than three months in any one year and has complied with the law of the country or state in which he or she resides as to the licensing of drivers of motor vehicles. R.S.O. 1990, c. H.8, s. 34 (1).

At this point you would need to speak to a lawyer to get a proper interpretation of this section. Paragraph b) subsection i) seems to indicate you are properly licensed if you have an IDP, however you are in violation of subsection ii) if you've been living in Ontario for more than three months. I'm not entirely sure if you have to be in compliance with both since subsection i) ends with "or". If I were you I would go down to a Service Ontario desk and confirm with them if you are considered legally licensed under Ontario law. If they say yes then you can speak to the adjuster of the claim and point out that according to their rules you are considered legally licensed "...under the laws of the jurisdiction in which the rental vehicle shall be used."

Seth Said:

What should an engineering student do to become a patent lawyer in Singapore?

We Answered:

A universal requirement of a patent attorney is having a law degree from an accredited law school anywhere in the world.

A patent examiner can get by with a mere engineering degree with some courses in patents as needed.

Kenneth Said:

can anyone give me names of good migration agents in australia?

We Answered:

Have you tried e-how for an answer to this? They are very good on this topic over there.

Nicholas Said:

Fill out W-4 (to withhold social security) if I'm an international student?

We Answered:

Since you are in your 5th year you are now treated as a Resident Alien for tax purposes. RAs pay the same taxes as citizens and permanent residents do.

If you are working for the school as part of your financial aid package you still may be exempt from Social Security and Medicare taxes, just as citizen students are. However you must file Form W-4 with your employer now. You are no longer covered by the 8843 as you have been here for more than 5 years. The other way that you could still be exempt is if there is a treaty between your country and the US that exempts you. You'll have to research that yourself.

Do bear in mind that even though you may have to start paying Social Security and Medicare taxes, your income tax liability will probably drop, possibly enough to cover the SS and Med taxes. When you filed 1040-NR you could not claim the standard deduction so you started paying tax as soon as your earned more than the personal exemption amount, $3,500 in 2008. Once you start filing Form 1040, that rises to $8,950 since you now get the standard deduction. That's worth nearly $550 in tax savings right there, just slightly below the SS and Med taxes.

Don't play games with the system. It will only come back to bite you if you do.

Viola Said:

how do I get into Yale, as international student?

We Answered:

Everyone applying to the top schools in the US has the highest grades in the hardest classes and very high test scores (SAT or ACT). You need that just to compete with the other applicants, and then you need to find a way to make yourself stand out. Think about it - they might accept one student from your country that year. If they one take one person, is that going to be you? To stand out in science, get involved in research with a professor. That's what a lot of high school kids in the US applying to top schools will be doing.