hmehta
05-31 11:32 AM
On the same lines, one of my relative was also denied entry into the US at the Mineapolis airport. She is a widow, 70 years of age, and used to come here to visit her only son and daughter-in-law and their son, since last 6 years. She used to stay for 6 months during the summer time (April to Oct.) and then 6 months in India. But this time when she came here they denied her entry suggesting that you have a pattern of staying here since last 6-7 years at the same time of the year, so you are doing something illegal!!!!......
Now how can one explain this???....70 years of age, a widow and her only son and daughter-in-law earning together earning atleast 6 figure income, a house of their own.....never went out of status, never extendend her stay beyond 6 months.......doing something illegal? and that too they said that they 'suspect'!....no proof whatsoever.....but according to law, she had to go back....this sucks big big time.
Now how can one explain this???....70 years of age, a widow and her only son and daughter-in-law earning together earning atleast 6 figure income, a house of their own.....never went out of status, never extendend her stay beyond 6 months.......doing something illegal? and that too they said that they 'suspect'!....no proof whatsoever.....but according to law, she had to go back....this sucks big big time.
wallpaper Journey To The West 2010. In this photo:
WeldonSprings
01-29 09:14 PM
E-Verify was a bargaining chip for Senate Democrats against Senate Republicans.
What happened was - When Senator Menendez from NJ (Dem.) floated the Visa Recapture Bill; he said that he and other Dems will only support Permanent extension of E-Verify a bill designed to extend it for four additional years; if the Senate Republicans support Visa Recapture Bill.
But the Visa Recapture Bill didn't happen.
So, E-Verify also didn't happen.
However, as a Last Minute "ideal gift" from the Great President Bush to all Legal Immigrants; he issued an Executive order to extend E-Verify till March 06, 2009.
Therefore, E-Verify is active today in the system.
Now, House and Senate Republicans want to permanently extend E-Verify after March 06, 2009; especially the antis and yes NumbersUSA.So, they added this amendment to extend E-Verify for additional 4 years in the Stimulus Bill that passed this Wednesday.
However, the Stimulus Bill has to pass the Senate to become law. Thus, permanent extension of E-Verify has nothing to do with giving Stimulus money to only legal immigrants. It, is just that two immigrant hating politicians added the clause to the bill; in the hopes of seeing it pass. But IT SHOULD FAIL!!!
How is e-Verify going to affect legal immigrants ?
What happened was - When Senator Menendez from NJ (Dem.) floated the Visa Recapture Bill; he said that he and other Dems will only support Permanent extension of E-Verify a bill designed to extend it for four additional years; if the Senate Republicans support Visa Recapture Bill.
But the Visa Recapture Bill didn't happen.
So, E-Verify also didn't happen.
However, as a Last Minute "ideal gift" from the Great President Bush to all Legal Immigrants; he issued an Executive order to extend E-Verify till March 06, 2009.
Therefore, E-Verify is active today in the system.
Now, House and Senate Republicans want to permanently extend E-Verify after March 06, 2009; especially the antis and yes NumbersUSA.So, they added this amendment to extend E-Verify for additional 4 years in the Stimulus Bill that passed this Wednesday.
However, the Stimulus Bill has to pass the Senate to become law. Thus, permanent extension of E-Verify has nothing to do with giving Stimulus money to only legal immigrants. It, is just that two immigrant hating politicians added the clause to the bill; in the hopes of seeing it pass. But IT SHOULD FAIL!!!
How is e-Verify going to affect legal immigrants ?
jchan
10-18 01:04 PM
I have the exact question with duttasurajit -- my title for green card is computer information system manager, and I'd like to take a job for technical lead / architect. The job duties are very similar. Will that cause a problem?
btw: I don't know why so many people apply under the title of 'computer information system manager'. If you search Dice.com, hardly any position come out with this title.
Thanks everyone for the valued response. One last question:
I was under the impression that the job title does not matter for AC21 as long as the job duties are similar. For example, instead of IT Manager, say, I get a title of Developement Lead/Team Lead and the Job duties are similar.
What happens in this case? Is it still risky to pursue AC21?
btw: I don't know why so many people apply under the title of 'computer information system manager'. If you search Dice.com, hardly any position come out with this title.
Thanks everyone for the valued response. One last question:
I was under the impression that the job title does not matter for AC21 as long as the job duties are similar. For example, instead of IT Manager, say, I get a title of Developement Lead/Team Lead and the Job duties are similar.
What happens in this case? Is it still risky to pursue AC21?
2011 Journey to the West
meridiani.planum
04-04 01:35 AM
I just spoke with my company's attorney and she said that I shouldnt get RFE on my I-140. And just in case I get she will inform me and work with the counsel of my ported company to submit a response. Hooray....I am going. My employer is a big known MNC so the only RFE that I may get is exp letter which is very unlikely. With economy going down I dont want to wait for another 6 months for my I-140.
ok then go for it dude. Do keep us posted on how this works out, I hope you get your I-140 approved soon without an RFE..
ok then go for it dude. Do keep us posted on how this works out, I hope you get your I-140 approved soon without an RFE..
more...
nousername
11-20 09:05 PM
Sorry to hear about your situation.. Your husbands b***s should be chopped for physically abusing you..
I'm not sure where you are based or which country you originally belong to but like in SF Bay Area (California) there is Indian Community Center which on Sunday's offer free legal advice. Here is the link Free Legal Clinic | Indiacc Home (http://www.indiacc.org/legal_clinic)
You might have something like this around you live..
Good luck.
Help!
I divorced my husband after 14 months of marriage. I have a green card with conditional residency (the I-751 90 day 'window' to remove conditions starts Sept 2010). My husband was abusive mentally and physically, I have no contact with him.
I cannot prove the abuse definitively as I covered it up at the time (no photos or police reports, only my testimony and perhaps that of the counselors we saw together). The advice I have received on how to proceed has been conflicting; some say wait and apply during the 90 day window to remove the conditions and it MIGHT be ok; some say I need to file now and prove the abuse.
I have no money for a lawyer as my husband also stole most of my money and I just got laid off as well. Any ideas?!? Does anyone know if it is riskier to try and prove the abuse or how hard that is and if I'm more likely to lose my green card that way? Is there any way at all do to this without thousands to spend on a lawyer?
Many thanks in advance for all help and advice.
P.S. I've tried the local bar association, legal aid and a thousand other options, all of which have either been dead-ends or given me yet more conflicting info.
I'm not sure where you are based or which country you originally belong to but like in SF Bay Area (California) there is Indian Community Center which on Sunday's offer free legal advice. Here is the link Free Legal Clinic | Indiacc Home (http://www.indiacc.org/legal_clinic)
You might have something like this around you live..
Good luck.
Help!
I divorced my husband after 14 months of marriage. I have a green card with conditional residency (the I-751 90 day 'window' to remove conditions starts Sept 2010). My husband was abusive mentally and physically, I have no contact with him.
I cannot prove the abuse definitively as I covered it up at the time (no photos or police reports, only my testimony and perhaps that of the counselors we saw together). The advice I have received on how to proceed has been conflicting; some say wait and apply during the 90 day window to remove the conditions and it MIGHT be ok; some say I need to file now and prove the abuse.
I have no money for a lawyer as my husband also stole most of my money and I just got laid off as well. Any ideas?!? Does anyone know if it is riskier to try and prove the abuse or how hard that is and if I'm more likely to lose my green card that way? Is there any way at all do to this without thousands to spend on a lawyer?
Many thanks in advance for all help and advice.
P.S. I've tried the local bar association, legal aid and a thousand other options, all of which have either been dead-ends or given me yet more conflicting info.
rkm
07-17 06:36 PM
Me too..
Thanks again for all the IV support....Great news...
Thank you very much Pappu, Logic Life and IV core members..
Your great effort brought us this great news and relief
Thanks again for all the IV support....Great news...
Thank you very much Pappu, Logic Life and IV core members..
Your great effort brought us this great news and relief
more...
smuggymba
09-14 02:38 PM
Is there a way to find all "active" members? If we're in the range 5000, then 10 per month for every user is good.
I saw many ppl in August who came in and posted that they got GC, not sure how many of them used IV and donated.
I saw many ppl in August who came in and posted that they got GC, not sure how many of them used IV and donated.
2010 journey to the west 2010. Feng Mengbo: Journey to the
mhb
05-31 12:51 PM
called senators from my state
contributing $ 50 per month
contributing $ 50 per month
more...
trueguy
08-08 06:44 PM
How about extending the poll to include Dec'04 ?
I thought about that my friend, but chances of EB3-I going beyond 2004 are very slim. Sorry, if I hurt you by saying this but we have to accept the reality.
Thanks.
I thought about that my friend, but chances of EB3-I going beyond 2004 are very slim. Sorry, if I hurt you by saying this but we have to accept the reality.
Thanks.
hair Journey To The West!
babu123
05-03 03:05 PM
EB2 Non Premium
I 140 , Date filed: Sep 20, 2006
Date Approved: Oct 4, 2006
Only in 10 business days.
I 140 , Date filed: Sep 20, 2006
Date Approved: Oct 4, 2006
Only in 10 business days.
more...
roseball
10-08 06:32 PM
Company A did my GC. I am with Company B on AC21. When my GC gets approved i should be able to stay with Company B and not A. Am i missing something?
Your case is different as you are protected by AC21 regulations. You can continue working for company B upon GC approval. The original poster's case is different since he changed employers when his labor was still pending and the only way employer A would have justified continuing processing his case was under the pretext that the beneficiary would join the company upon GC approval. Infact, thats the only reason why USCIS continued to process his petition and eventually approve it.
Now, if the job no longer exists at the time of GC approval, then it could lead to serious consequences and GC can be revoked anytime by USCIS if they find this out. Remember, its always the responsibility of the beneficiary to provide relevant/sufficient documentation whenever asked for, even after the beneficiary has an approved GC. Such things will come back and haunt you if not taken care of in an appropriate manner (legal consulation).
Your case is different as you are protected by AC21 regulations. You can continue working for company B upon GC approval. The original poster's case is different since he changed employers when his labor was still pending and the only way employer A would have justified continuing processing his case was under the pretext that the beneficiary would join the company upon GC approval. Infact, thats the only reason why USCIS continued to process his petition and eventually approve it.
Now, if the job no longer exists at the time of GC approval, then it could lead to serious consequences and GC can be revoked anytime by USCIS if they find this out. Remember, its always the responsibility of the beneficiary to provide relevant/sufficient documentation whenever asked for, even after the beneficiary has an approved GC. Such things will come back and haunt you if not taken care of in an appropriate manner (legal consulation).
hot Journey to the West Online
pappu
07-26 10:34 AM
added to this is also another question that may benefit few people in this situation. If labor is approved by the previous employer , how long will that stay valid. I mean people on 6+ year extensions may need ex employer's labor certificate in order to get one year extension so that they can reaplly with new employer.
Is there a time limit on labor to become void if within a certain time I140 is not filed?
sky7, you shoudl post your question and this question during the call with the lawyer. I am sure a lot of people are in a similar situation as you and such answers with benefit everyone.
Is there a time limit on labor to become void if within a certain time I140 is not filed?
sky7, you shoudl post your question and this question during the call with the lawyer. I am sure a lot of people are in a similar situation as you and such answers with benefit everyone.
more...
house journey to the west 2010.
rharan
05-02 02:29 PM
Hello All,
My RIR (EB3) is still pending and the PD is Nov 2004.
My Perm (EB3) got approved April 2007.
Now I'm on 7th year H1b based on my RIR date.
If i file 140 based PERM and PD will be april 2007, If approved I'm eligible for 3 years H1 extension.
What happen if my RIR got approved? Can I file another I140 and retain my PD as Nov 2004?
Pl. advice.
Thanks
My RIR (EB3) is still pending and the PD is Nov 2004.
My Perm (EB3) got approved April 2007.
Now I'm on 7th year H1b based on my RIR date.
If i file 140 based PERM and PD will be april 2007, If approved I'm eligible for 3 years H1 extension.
What happen if my RIR got approved? Can I file another I140 and retain my PD as Nov 2004?
Pl. advice.
Thanks
tattoo “Journey to the West.
IfYouSeekAmy
08-28 03:34 PM
Like Apume pointed out, if there is Good News on preadjudication, it will be posted on other web sites and forums too. I don't think IV has exclusive rights on posting these things. So you will get to know it one way or the other.
apume,
I am just asking why i lost my Donor Access? Not begging.
They opened a thread, "Good News on preadjudication"...I just wanted to take a look at it.
If you count how many people contributed more than me, you will not find more than 100 members. If top 100 contributers dont have access, who will have accesss to Donor Forums.... What is the freaking use? Why even have Donor Threads?
No Accountability results in No Credibility.
apume,
I am just asking why i lost my Donor Access? Not begging.
They opened a thread, "Good News on preadjudication"...I just wanted to take a look at it.
If you count how many people contributed more than me, you will not find more than 100 members. If top 100 contributers dont have access, who will have accesss to Donor Forums.... What is the freaking use? Why even have Donor Threads?
No Accountability results in No Credibility.
more...
pictures their journey to the west
rb_248
01-08 02:46 PM
I read on www.immigration-law.com
01/08/2009: Bill Introduced in the House for Comprehensive Immigration Reform
Rep> Sheila Jackson-Lee of Texas introduced H.R.264 yesterday to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to comprehensively reform immigration law, and for other purposes. For the full text of the bill, please stay tuned.
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/D?d111:8:./temp/~bdW24V::|/bss/111search.html
H.R.264
Title: To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to comprehensively reform immigration law, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep Jackson-Lee, Sheila [TX-18] (introduced 1/7/2009) Cosponsors (None)
Latest Major Action: 1/7/2009 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Homeland Security, and Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Text:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.R.264:
I don't think they will act on this until the economic issues are resolved.
01/08/2009: Bill Introduced in the House for Comprehensive Immigration Reform
Rep> Sheila Jackson-Lee of Texas introduced H.R.264 yesterday to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to comprehensively reform immigration law, and for other purposes. For the full text of the bill, please stay tuned.
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/D?d111:8:./temp/~bdW24V::|/bss/111search.html
H.R.264
Title: To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to comprehensively reform immigration law, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep Jackson-Lee, Sheila [TX-18] (introduced 1/7/2009) Cosponsors (None)
Latest Major Action: 1/7/2009 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Homeland Security, and Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Text:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.R.264:
I don't think they will act on this until the economic issues are resolved.
dresses Journey To The West.
Ram_C
11-19 07:59 PM
Today there was LUD on my 140 application which was approved 1 year back. What does this mean? I received my EAD and AP is approved.
Sorry to ask this question on this thread, but i think i don't have ability to create new thread?
Can some one help please?
My PD is Feb 2006 and I am EB3 India
This is common, many of us including me received soft LUD on already approved
I-140 applications. check my post#2 on this same thread.
hope this helps
good luck :)
Sorry to ask this question on this thread, but i think i don't have ability to create new thread?
Can some one help please?
My PD is Feb 2006 and I am EB3 India
This is common, many of us including me received soft LUD on already approved
I-140 applications. check my post#2 on this same thread.
hope this helps
good luck :)
more...
makeup Enslaved: Odyssey To The West
snathan
02-17 09:06 PM
Do I need recent salary slips for transfer ?
Yes you need.
Yes you need.
girlfriend Journey to the west 2010
njboy
06-08 09:14 PM
There is a big difference between first class and economy class travel, and preventing a spouse who has already exhibited intent to immigrate from working for a very long time if they dont pay $1000.00 for premium processing of I-130. This is the reason I quoted the examples. Im not saying this from a "commie" point of view that everyone should own a Lada. While it is true that the employers should pay for premium processing, many people end up paying for it themselves, maybe in the form of reduced bonuses, or something else. Imagine what will happen when BCIS is swamped. We, desperate for a resolution for our problems, will end up cajoling our employers to drop a thousand dollars here for I-130 premium processing, another 1000 dollars for H1B premium processing because it already takes 5-6 months during regular processing. All Im saying is, fix the problem instead of finding band-aids.
hairstyles Enslaved: Odyssey to the West
gparr
July 27th, 2005, 06:25 PM
Ajp, your too hard on yourself, I think your version turned out great. Gary, how about a psd version for the nikon users, although I may be wasting my time since you've several nice results from those who have posted.
Nik,
Ask and you shall receive. It's a 40 MB monster file. I took the RAW file and ran it through the PSCS RAW converter without altering it in any way, then saved as a psd file. Hope it's what you need.
Gary
http://www.gparr.com/images/gparrpsd.zip
Nik,
Ask and you shall receive. It's a 40 MB monster file. I took the RAW file and ran it through the PSCS RAW converter without altering it in any way, then saved as a psd file. Hope it's what you need.
Gary
http://www.gparr.com/images/gparrpsd.zip
cpolisetti
03-31 03:56 PM
She was also available for Q&A earlier today on Washington Post. I am quoting one question and answer in particular. Probably she can help in more visibilty of our voice?
Here is the link for todays Q&A:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2006/03/30/DI2006033001345.html
Question from Washington, D.C.: Thank you for your informative article on a topic that needs more attention.
I'm trying to get an sense of the scope of the problem from the perspective of an H-1B visa holder. Just how long does it typically take professionals from India and China/Taiwan to get a green card through their employer these days? What disinsentives are there for employers, other than the risk that the green card may not be approved and their employee will have to return to their home country?
Answer from S. Mitra Kalita: Absent from much of this debate are the voices of H-1B holders themselves and I thank you for your question. I talked to someone who wouldn't allow himself to be quoted by name (so I did not use him in today's story) but this particular individual's story is one I hear often: He has been here for nine years, first on a student visa, then an H-1B. His employer applied for his green card in 2002 and he has been waiting four years because it is tied up in the backlog for labor certification. He said he is giving it six more months and if it doesn't come through, he's heading back to India. This stage is the one that a lot of observers agree where a worker risks being exploited. They are beholden to the employer because of the green card sponsorship (an H-1B visa can travel with a worker from one company to another, however) and cannot get promoted because that is technically a change in job classification -- and would require a new application. On the other hand, a lot of companies say that they know once someone gets a green card, they are out the door because suddenly they can start a company, go work for someone else, get promoted... Anyway, I could go on and on with background on this but instead I will post a story I did last summer on the green card backlog. Hang on.
Todays article:
Most See Visa Program as Severely Flawed
By S. Mitra Kalita
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, March 31, 2006; D01
Somewhere in the debate over immigration and the future of illegal workers, another, less-publicized fight is being waged over those who toil in air-conditioned offices, earn up to six-figure salaries and spend their days programming and punching code.
They are foreign workers who arrive on H-1B visas, mostly young men from India and China tapped for skilled jobs such as software engineers and systems analysts. Unlike seasonal guest workers who stay for about 10 months, H-1B workers stay as long as six years. By then, they must obtain a green card or go back home.
Yesterday, the House Judiciary Committee heard testimony for and against expanding the H-1B program. This week, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved legislation that would increase the H-1B cap to 115,000 from 65,000 and allow some foreign students to bypass the program altogether and immediately get sponsored for green cards, which allow immigrants to be permanent residents, free to live and work in the United States.
But underlying the arguments is a belief, even among the workers themselves, that the current H-1B program is severely flawed.
Opponents say the highly skilled foreign workers compete with and depress the wages of native-born Americans.
Supporters say foreign workers stimulate the economy, create more opportunities for their U.S. counterparts and prevent jobs from being outsourced overseas. The problem, they say, is the cumbersome process: Immigrants often spend six years as guest workers and then wait for green card sponsorship and approval.
At the House committee hearing yesterday, Stuart Anderson, executive director of the National Foundation for American Policy, a nonprofit research group, spoke in favor of raising the cap. Still, he said in an interview, the H-1B visa is far from ideal. "What you want to have is a system where people can get hired directly on green cards in 30 to 60 days," he said.
Economists seem divided on whether highly skilled immigrants depress wages for U.S. workers. In 2003, a study for the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta found no effect on salaries, with an average income for both H-1B and American computer programmers of $55,000.
Still, the study by Madeline Zavodny, now an economics professor at Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Ga., concluded "that unemployment was higher as a result of these H-1B workers."
In a working paper released this week, Harvard University economist George J. Borjas studied the wages of foreigners and native-born Americans with doctorates, concluding that the foreigners lowered the wages of competing workers by 3 to 4 percent. He said he suspected that his conclusion also measured the effects of H-1B visas.
"If there is a demand for engineers and no foreigners to take those jobs, salaries would shoot through the roof and make that very attractive for Americans," Borjas said.
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers-USA says H-1B salaries are lower. "Those who are here on H-1B visas are being worked as indentured servants. They are being paid $13,000 less in the engineering and science worlds," said Ralph W. Wyndrum Jr., president of the advocacy group for technical professionals, which favors green-card-based immigration, but only for exceptional candidates.
Wyndrum said the current system allows foreign skilled workers to "take jobs away from equally good American engineers and scientists." He based his statements about salary disparities on a December report by John Miano, a software engineer, who favors tighter immigration controls. Miano spoke at the House hearing and cited figures from the Occupational Employment Statistics program that show U.S. computer programmers earn an average $65,000 a year, compared with $52,000 for H-1B programmers.
"Is it really a guest-worker program since most people want to stay here? Miano said in an interview. "There is direct displacement of American workers."
Those who recruit and hire retort that a global economy mandates finding the best employees in the world, not just the United States. And because green-card caps are allocated equally among countries (India and China are backlogged, for example), the H-1B becomes the easiest way to hire foreigners.
It is not always easy. Last year, Razorsight Corp., a technology company with offices in Fairfax and Bangalore, India, tried to sponsor more H-1B visas -- but they already were exhausted for the year. Currently, the company has 12 H-1B workers on a U.S. staff of 100, earning $80,000 to $120,000 a year.
Charlie Thomas, Razorsight's chief executive, said the cap should be based on market demand. "It's absolutely essential for us to have access to a global talent," he said. "If your product isn't the best it can be with the best cost structure and development, then someone else will do it. And that someone else may not be a U.S.-based company."
Because H-1B holders can switch employers to sponsor their visas, some workers said they demand salary increases along the way. But once a company sponsors their green cards, workers say they don't expect to be promoted or given a raise.
Now some H-1B holders are watching to see how Congress treats the millions of immigrants who crossed the borders through stealthier means.
Sameer Chandra, 30, who lives in Fairfax and works as a systems analyst on an H-1B visa, said he is concerned that Congress might make it easier for immigrants who entered the U.S. illegally to get a green card than people like him. "What is the point of staying here legally?" he said.
His Houston-based company has sponsored his green card, and Chandra said he hopes it is processed quickly. If it is not, he said, he will return to India. "There's a lot of opportunities there in my country."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2006/03/30/DI2006033001345.html
Here is the link for todays Q&A:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2006/03/30/DI2006033001345.html
Question from Washington, D.C.: Thank you for your informative article on a topic that needs more attention.
I'm trying to get an sense of the scope of the problem from the perspective of an H-1B visa holder. Just how long does it typically take professionals from India and China/Taiwan to get a green card through their employer these days? What disinsentives are there for employers, other than the risk that the green card may not be approved and their employee will have to return to their home country?
Answer from S. Mitra Kalita: Absent from much of this debate are the voices of H-1B holders themselves and I thank you for your question. I talked to someone who wouldn't allow himself to be quoted by name (so I did not use him in today's story) but this particular individual's story is one I hear often: He has been here for nine years, first on a student visa, then an H-1B. His employer applied for his green card in 2002 and he has been waiting four years because it is tied up in the backlog for labor certification. He said he is giving it six more months and if it doesn't come through, he's heading back to India. This stage is the one that a lot of observers agree where a worker risks being exploited. They are beholden to the employer because of the green card sponsorship (an H-1B visa can travel with a worker from one company to another, however) and cannot get promoted because that is technically a change in job classification -- and would require a new application. On the other hand, a lot of companies say that they know once someone gets a green card, they are out the door because suddenly they can start a company, go work for someone else, get promoted... Anyway, I could go on and on with background on this but instead I will post a story I did last summer on the green card backlog. Hang on.
Todays article:
Most See Visa Program as Severely Flawed
By S. Mitra Kalita
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, March 31, 2006; D01
Somewhere in the debate over immigration and the future of illegal workers, another, less-publicized fight is being waged over those who toil in air-conditioned offices, earn up to six-figure salaries and spend their days programming and punching code.
They are foreign workers who arrive on H-1B visas, mostly young men from India and China tapped for skilled jobs such as software engineers and systems analysts. Unlike seasonal guest workers who stay for about 10 months, H-1B workers stay as long as six years. By then, they must obtain a green card or go back home.
Yesterday, the House Judiciary Committee heard testimony for and against expanding the H-1B program. This week, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved legislation that would increase the H-1B cap to 115,000 from 65,000 and allow some foreign students to bypass the program altogether and immediately get sponsored for green cards, which allow immigrants to be permanent residents, free to live and work in the United States.
But underlying the arguments is a belief, even among the workers themselves, that the current H-1B program is severely flawed.
Opponents say the highly skilled foreign workers compete with and depress the wages of native-born Americans.
Supporters say foreign workers stimulate the economy, create more opportunities for their U.S. counterparts and prevent jobs from being outsourced overseas. The problem, they say, is the cumbersome process: Immigrants often spend six years as guest workers and then wait for green card sponsorship and approval.
At the House committee hearing yesterday, Stuart Anderson, executive director of the National Foundation for American Policy, a nonprofit research group, spoke in favor of raising the cap. Still, he said in an interview, the H-1B visa is far from ideal. "What you want to have is a system where people can get hired directly on green cards in 30 to 60 days," he said.
Economists seem divided on whether highly skilled immigrants depress wages for U.S. workers. In 2003, a study for the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta found no effect on salaries, with an average income for both H-1B and American computer programmers of $55,000.
Still, the study by Madeline Zavodny, now an economics professor at Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Ga., concluded "that unemployment was higher as a result of these H-1B workers."
In a working paper released this week, Harvard University economist George J. Borjas studied the wages of foreigners and native-born Americans with doctorates, concluding that the foreigners lowered the wages of competing workers by 3 to 4 percent. He said he suspected that his conclusion also measured the effects of H-1B visas.
"If there is a demand for engineers and no foreigners to take those jobs, salaries would shoot through the roof and make that very attractive for Americans," Borjas said.
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers-USA says H-1B salaries are lower. "Those who are here on H-1B visas are being worked as indentured servants. They are being paid $13,000 less in the engineering and science worlds," said Ralph W. Wyndrum Jr., president of the advocacy group for technical professionals, which favors green-card-based immigration, but only for exceptional candidates.
Wyndrum said the current system allows foreign skilled workers to "take jobs away from equally good American engineers and scientists." He based his statements about salary disparities on a December report by John Miano, a software engineer, who favors tighter immigration controls. Miano spoke at the House hearing and cited figures from the Occupational Employment Statistics program that show U.S. computer programmers earn an average $65,000 a year, compared with $52,000 for H-1B programmers.
"Is it really a guest-worker program since most people want to stay here? Miano said in an interview. "There is direct displacement of American workers."
Those who recruit and hire retort that a global economy mandates finding the best employees in the world, not just the United States. And because green-card caps are allocated equally among countries (India and China are backlogged, for example), the H-1B becomes the easiest way to hire foreigners.
It is not always easy. Last year, Razorsight Corp., a technology company with offices in Fairfax and Bangalore, India, tried to sponsor more H-1B visas -- but they already were exhausted for the year. Currently, the company has 12 H-1B workers on a U.S. staff of 100, earning $80,000 to $120,000 a year.
Charlie Thomas, Razorsight's chief executive, said the cap should be based on market demand. "It's absolutely essential for us to have access to a global talent," he said. "If your product isn't the best it can be with the best cost structure and development, then someone else will do it. And that someone else may not be a U.S.-based company."
Because H-1B holders can switch employers to sponsor their visas, some workers said they demand salary increases along the way. But once a company sponsors their green cards, workers say they don't expect to be promoted or given a raise.
Now some H-1B holders are watching to see how Congress treats the millions of immigrants who crossed the borders through stealthier means.
Sameer Chandra, 30, who lives in Fairfax and works as a systems analyst on an H-1B visa, said he is concerned that Congress might make it easier for immigrants who entered the U.S. illegally to get a green card than people like him. "What is the point of staying here legally?" he said.
His Houston-based company has sponsored his green card, and Chandra said he hopes it is processed quickly. If it is not, he said, he will return to India. "There's a lot of opportunities there in my country."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2006/03/30/DI2006033001345.html
EternityInLimbo
05-02 09:55 PM
Well, i feel its more of a Policy decision.If they really want to do something fast they will do it anyhow.The best example is how this woman from canada i guess,who got US citizenship in 2 days,yes its right '2 days' so she can represent US in the ongoing Winter Olympics at Turin.
Even CA state used to abjudicate Labor cases in 1 Months Time back until 2000.Later on 0 approval cases from then on.Surprising??
Absolutely it's a policy decision: not only in terms of prioritization of activities but in terms of resource allocation. DOL insists they have enough resources to meet their goals. They have to report how well they're doing on their annual federal scorecard, and if they set their objectives low enough, they get an "A"... that is, if activities serving non-voters were even being tracked as one of their objectives.
One of the clerks at my immigrations law firm said the word was, DOL was prioritizing getting cases into the Permanent Backlog System, as opposed to allocating staff/resources into completing reviews. Don't know if this is old news posted elsewhere or consistent with what others have heard, but if this is the case, it would explain why approvals have been few and far between.
Even CA state used to abjudicate Labor cases in 1 Months Time back until 2000.Later on 0 approval cases from then on.Surprising??
Absolutely it's a policy decision: not only in terms of prioritization of activities but in terms of resource allocation. DOL insists they have enough resources to meet their goals. They have to report how well they're doing on their annual federal scorecard, and if they set their objectives low enough, they get an "A"... that is, if activities serving non-voters were even being tracked as one of their objectives.
One of the clerks at my immigrations law firm said the word was, DOL was prioritizing getting cases into the Permanent Backlog System, as opposed to allocating staff/resources into completing reviews. Don't know if this is old news posted elsewhere or consistent with what others have heard, but if this is the case, it would explain why approvals have been few and far between.
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