confused

[speedtec]

Greetings! My question is with regard to my work contract. I'm a medical technologist hired from the Philippines. To get to the US, I had to use an agent, a Filipino now based in Maryland, who charged me $6500 for processing fee for an H1B (working) visa. I signed 2 contracts: one with the US-based employer (in Iowa), and one with the Filipino agent. Each contract had a buyout clause. The employer's contract stated that if I do not finish the duration of my contract (three years), I should pay them the processing fee ($1500), while the agent's clause demanded $4500 for non-completion of the contract. After a year in Iowa, my husband landed a job in New Jersey and was given a permanent resident visa (green card). Being the spouse, I too eventually adjusted my status, becoming a permanent resident. Before moving to NJ, I paid off the contract with my Iowa employer. The agent got wind of my transfer and demanded the $4500 breach fee. After I paid the partial sum of $1500, a friend who heard about my situation said I shouldn't be paying the agent because the agent's contract wasn't legal. She cited a few flaws. First, the contract wasn't notarized in my presence. Second, the contract was signed in the Philippines. Third, the agent never gave any receipt for the $6500 I paid while I was in the Philippines. Moreover, my friend said $6500 for the processing fee for an H1B visa is too much, especially since the Iowa employer paid for the processing fee in the first place. Now, I feel I've been duped. Should I pay my remaining balance with this agent? Please, I need your expert legal advice. Is the contract of this agent legal? If not, I need to warn my other friends who are planning to come here through her. She's making so much out of my poor countrymen. And to think she's also originally from the Philippines. I really don't mind paying her the balance as long as I know that her contract's legal. Thanks in advance for any input you might have.

 

[seniorjudge]

Sounds to me like you have been scammed.

Talk to the Attorney General.