ppt.b
05-16 09:36 AM
Yes please include HR6039 as well in ur talk/discussion. It will definitely shorten the EB2 and EB1 queue.
EB3 as well because I know many i-485 fillers who have MS degree in US but due to some reason theirr employers filled their LC in EB3 category. So it will benefit all EB categories.
Lets try our best to make it a success!!!!:)
EB3 as well because I know many i-485 fillers who have MS degree in US but due to some reason theirr employers filled their LC in EB3 category. So it will benefit all EB categories.
Lets try our best to make it a success!!!!:)
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sanju_dba
03-21 07:59 AM
Dear OP,
Congratulations!
read here MurthyDotCom : Marriage and I-485 Issues (http://www.murthy.com/news/UDmar485.html)
It might help exploring your issue.
Congratulations!
read here MurthyDotCom : Marriage and I-485 Issues (http://www.murthy.com/news/UDmar485.html)
It might help exploring your issue.
rb_248
01-21 08:01 AM
hi dionysus
i got this from some requirement agencies
Dear sansas,
We have seen a lot of such rumors. Can you be more specific and provide sources ? Logically thinking, this cannot be true at all.
Admins, May I request you to close this thread if sansas is not able/willing to provide sources for his post.
Thanks
i got this from some requirement agencies
Dear sansas,
We have seen a lot of such rumors. Can you be more specific and provide sources ? Logically thinking, this cannot be true at all.
Admins, May I request you to close this thread if sansas is not able/willing to provide sources for his post.
Thanks
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prolegalimmi
03-02 03:01 PM
You have a lot of suggestions in there let me try and respond:
(1) Yes, we do have the ability to get in touch with our members by email. However, mass emails are a strategy to use when we want to launch a massive drive. We do send out regular newsletters, urging members to take action.
(2) We are working to make our webfax feature more transparent. I like your suggestion about letting people know how easy it is. Will try to get that in.
(3) About a concerted membership drive: I agree and we do have an ad running on Rediff; We are also trying to reach out to large organizations like NetIP.
(4) I think it would be counterproductive to charge a membership fee.
One of the big problems that any voluntary organization faces is that there are usually a lot of people with non-specific ideas and not enough people who will take an idea, come up with an action plan and execute it. We need many, many more volunteers who just take the initiative and execute.
We'd love it if you could help us by coming up with a concrete plan and execution strategy for any one of your suggestions. From idea, to steps to delivery.
I urge all the type-A get-things-done people out there to swing in to action!
best,
Berkeleybee
Berkeleybee,
Appreciate your response, will get the wheels moving from my side and contact you with any strategies I can come up with.
Can you please send me an pm with your email id please.
Thx !
(1) Yes, we do have the ability to get in touch with our members by email. However, mass emails are a strategy to use when we want to launch a massive drive. We do send out regular newsletters, urging members to take action.
(2) We are working to make our webfax feature more transparent. I like your suggestion about letting people know how easy it is. Will try to get that in.
(3) About a concerted membership drive: I agree and we do have an ad running on Rediff; We are also trying to reach out to large organizations like NetIP.
(4) I think it would be counterproductive to charge a membership fee.
One of the big problems that any voluntary organization faces is that there are usually a lot of people with non-specific ideas and not enough people who will take an idea, come up with an action plan and execute it. We need many, many more volunteers who just take the initiative and execute.
We'd love it if you could help us by coming up with a concrete plan and execution strategy for any one of your suggestions. From idea, to steps to delivery.
I urge all the type-A get-things-done people out there to swing in to action!
best,
Berkeleybee
Berkeleybee,
Appreciate your response, will get the wheels moving from my side and contact you with any strategies I can come up with.
Can you please send me an pm with your email id please.
Thx !
more...
ArkBird
06-24 06:07 PM
Even though your wife is not taking salary, if she is owner of the business, she is considered "paid". In the worse case scenario, your wife will have to stop working till you get EAD or you can use protection 245(k) i.e. illegal employment for less than 180 days.
If it is VERY critical, I suggest consulting a lawyer as most of what we post on this forums is personal knowledge and may not be the actual law! :)
Cheers
ArkBird
Hi all,
We applied for my wife's and mine EAD on April 27th (paper based)
I got the receipt notice on 05/08/2010 and checks were cashed on 05/08/2010
I am okay, because I am on H1B, my wife has a business and employs 2 people full time.
She doesn't draw any salary from the business, except she has business on her name and the accounts on her name as well.
Additionally , she has a valid H4 as well.
I know its too early to panic, but if I didnt get her EAd card by July 31st, are we in trouble
Pls reply
Thanks in advance
If it is VERY critical, I suggest consulting a lawyer as most of what we post on this forums is personal knowledge and may not be the actual law! :)
Cheers
ArkBird
Hi all,
We applied for my wife's and mine EAD on April 27th (paper based)
I got the receipt notice on 05/08/2010 and checks were cashed on 05/08/2010
I am okay, because I am on H1B, my wife has a business and employs 2 people full time.
She doesn't draw any salary from the business, except she has business on her name and the accounts on her name as well.
Additionally , she has a valid H4 as well.
I know its too early to panic, but if I didnt get her EAd card by July 31st, are we in trouble
Pls reply
Thanks in advance
greyhair
09-08 12:54 PM
Ban in private company out sourcing also is very much necessary for USA. These so called multinational companies are minting money and this is not benefitting any one except the higher executives and board of directors of those companies. and of course Politricians.
PS:- If I am in India I will never say that OS is necessary, India should grow on its own pace with her talent and brains. India should have their own economy and techonology and not OS money going around.
Great OH, baan Private OS also.
India is growing of its own, using the talent and brains partially to fulfill orders outsourced from across the world. What is wrong with that? Its a fair business practice. Back in 1980s and early 90s no one in rich countries were oppose to the idea of open business between all the countries. Back then everybody in rich countries thought that since they already have well placed institutions and larger companies, they will buy out all the local companies in smaller poor countries, creating more employment for people in rich countries. No one in the rich countries was oppose to the idea of open economies back then. Guess what. We have come a full circle now. Just because it is hurting a few million people in rich countries, all of a sudden OUTSOURCING is a curse word. Get over it people, cry as you may but outsourcing aren't stopping. Ohio is playing the election gimmicks. OH government is not outsourcing any work anyways. To the contrary, if OH was outsourcing, the State government would be more productive and without deficit.
One more thing. Outsourcing is the not reason why Indian economy is doing better than others. Because some work is outsourced to India does not simply mean outsourcing is the reason for better economy. This is a simple explanation but the wrong explanation. Indian economy is doing better because during a course of many decades, people and government have spent less than what they make/produce and more importantly, instead of throwing money on the wrong wars, they spent money on the right things. Is that so difficult to understand that we must credit outsourcing for the state of Indian economy.
PS:- If I am in India I will never say that OS is necessary, India should grow on its own pace with her talent and brains. India should have their own economy and techonology and not OS money going around.
Great OH, baan Private OS also.
India is growing of its own, using the talent and brains partially to fulfill orders outsourced from across the world. What is wrong with that? Its a fair business practice. Back in 1980s and early 90s no one in rich countries were oppose to the idea of open business between all the countries. Back then everybody in rich countries thought that since they already have well placed institutions and larger companies, they will buy out all the local companies in smaller poor countries, creating more employment for people in rich countries. No one in the rich countries was oppose to the idea of open economies back then. Guess what. We have come a full circle now. Just because it is hurting a few million people in rich countries, all of a sudden OUTSOURCING is a curse word. Get over it people, cry as you may but outsourcing aren't stopping. Ohio is playing the election gimmicks. OH government is not outsourcing any work anyways. To the contrary, if OH was outsourcing, the State government would be more productive and without deficit.
One more thing. Outsourcing is the not reason why Indian economy is doing better than others. Because some work is outsourced to India does not simply mean outsourcing is the reason for better economy. This is a simple explanation but the wrong explanation. Indian economy is doing better because during a course of many decades, people and government have spent less than what they make/produce and more importantly, instead of throwing money on the wrong wars, they spent money on the right things. Is that so difficult to understand that we must credit outsourcing for the state of Indian economy.
more...
GotGC??
03-27 02:09 PM
You missed the sarcasm, never mind :)
Yes, depending on how the educational requirements in your LC is worded - I mean right down to the last word - it just might leave you with some room for manoeuvre.
Yes. I have paid quite amount of money to fill the PERM application.
So, what you are saying that I actually can continue the process?
Yes, depending on how the educational requirements in your LC is worded - I mean right down to the last word - it just might leave you with some room for manoeuvre.
Yes. I have paid quite amount of money to fill the PERM application.
So, what you are saying that I actually can continue the process?
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chunky
07-26 03:14 PM
Lawyer told that after AOS filing one is in dual status so no worry. But I am not 100 % sure
more...
nandakumar
01-18 07:50 PM
^^^^
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gveerab
01-18 03:47 AM
See you there on sunday.
This is an wonderful opportunity to help your self.
Please participate and show your support.
This is an wonderful opportunity to help your self.
Please participate and show your support.
more...
greencardfever5
08-23 07:56 PM
I am working as an industrial engineer since 2006. My labor certification approved in 2006 mentioned job title of industrial engineer (SOC Code- 17:2112), My I485 is pending since 2007, I have also kept H1B status alive, six years will expire in dec however current I-797 for H1B is valid till June 2011.
I may get promoted to an engineering manager position in next few weeks. I have few questions related �Promotion while I485 pending issue�.
1. Is the change from engineer to engineering manager allowed? If I guess correctly USCIS will take guidance from SOC codes 17:2112 (ENGINEER) and 11.9041(for manager)
a. Can one work as an engineer (SOC code 17:2112) and supervise junior engineers. Does USCIS assume that a person is a manager if engineers are reporting to an individual? On the other hand in some cases I have seen managers without anybody reporting to them.
2. If I can fulfill my employer�s expectation by accepting ENGINEER V position instead of engineering manager, will that be an option? (Few engineers will be reporting to me in either option).
a. I am positive that I will be able to fulfill my boss�s expectations in either position.
b. Can I accept the promotion immediately or employer will have to seek some sort of approval from USCIS?
3. If for some reason, employer can not give me a job title of Engineering V, Can I accept Engineering Manager�s position till my I-485 is pending and go back to Engineer V position upon I-485 approval, I read that in such cases, one needs to go back to original position mentioned in labor certification I-140 for six months upon I-485 approval? In this case how we will handle extension of my H1B petition which expires in 2011?
4. Can I accept position of Engineering Manager assuming that employer will issue an employment verification letter with a description similar to labor certification (if USCIS issues RFE for any other underlying reason)?
5. If for some reasons above options are ruled out, Can I accept promotion as a Manager assuming employer can submit new I-140 ( I guess this will be starting green card process all over) .Definitely this is the least preferred option considering current processing time and relative ease in searching a job for my wife ( through EAD).
In this case
a. What will be the priority date?
b. Can I and my spouse maintain the EAD card?
6. As the I485 is for future job, Can I work at engineering manager position till I receive RFE or I485 is approved
a. In case of RFE USCIS typically gives 15 to 45 days to respond, Can I change my position during that time i.e. switching back to the position mentioned in labor and I485
b. Upon I485 approval, can I go back to original position for few months (how much is that required period, is it six months?). I might have to take salary cut in the case; can I informally lead the team in that case?
c. I guess my interpretation is that what you do when I485 is pending does not matter as long as you switch back to the original position upon I485 approval.
Thanking you in anticipation.
I may get promoted to an engineering manager position in next few weeks. I have few questions related �Promotion while I485 pending issue�.
1. Is the change from engineer to engineering manager allowed? If I guess correctly USCIS will take guidance from SOC codes 17:2112 (ENGINEER) and 11.9041(for manager)
a. Can one work as an engineer (SOC code 17:2112) and supervise junior engineers. Does USCIS assume that a person is a manager if engineers are reporting to an individual? On the other hand in some cases I have seen managers without anybody reporting to them.
2. If I can fulfill my employer�s expectation by accepting ENGINEER V position instead of engineering manager, will that be an option? (Few engineers will be reporting to me in either option).
a. I am positive that I will be able to fulfill my boss�s expectations in either position.
b. Can I accept the promotion immediately or employer will have to seek some sort of approval from USCIS?
3. If for some reason, employer can not give me a job title of Engineering V, Can I accept Engineering Manager�s position till my I-485 is pending and go back to Engineer V position upon I-485 approval, I read that in such cases, one needs to go back to original position mentioned in labor certification I-140 for six months upon I-485 approval? In this case how we will handle extension of my H1B petition which expires in 2011?
4. Can I accept position of Engineering Manager assuming that employer will issue an employment verification letter with a description similar to labor certification (if USCIS issues RFE for any other underlying reason)?
5. If for some reasons above options are ruled out, Can I accept promotion as a Manager assuming employer can submit new I-140 ( I guess this will be starting green card process all over) .Definitely this is the least preferred option considering current processing time and relative ease in searching a job for my wife ( through EAD).
In this case
a. What will be the priority date?
b. Can I and my spouse maintain the EAD card?
6. As the I485 is for future job, Can I work at engineering manager position till I receive RFE or I485 is approved
a. In case of RFE USCIS typically gives 15 to 45 days to respond, Can I change my position during that time i.e. switching back to the position mentioned in labor and I485
b. Upon I485 approval, can I go back to original position for few months (how much is that required period, is it six months?). I might have to take salary cut in the case; can I informally lead the team in that case?
c. I guess my interpretation is that what you do when I485 is pending does not matter as long as you switch back to the original position upon I485 approval.
Thanking you in anticipation.
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deba
12-10 12:40 PM
I have a question regarding the 180 day rule. I am a July 2nd filer, got EAD and AP. I-140 approved long time back in '06. So, I will be meeting the 180 day rule and I-140 approved criteria in jan/08.
My H1 expires in 12/08. In case I transfer my H1 to a new co. sometime next year, will I have to restart my GC process again? or will AC-21 kick in and the process will continue as is with me just waiting for GC and PD becoming current etc. Thanks
My H1 expires in 12/08. In case I transfer my H1 to a new co. sometime next year, will I have to restart my GC process again? or will AC-21 kick in and the process will continue as is with me just waiting for GC and PD becoming current etc. Thanks
more...
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Templarian
04-23 07:01 PM
^Don't lie to him. Spyrl your going to need to remove your current DX9 card or DX10 card and put in a DX7 when your testing.
for real though, all DX10 cards are backwards compatible with DX9L. SDL is pretty much compatible with everything your heart will ever want.
for real though, all DX10 cards are backwards compatible with DX9L. SDL is pretty much compatible with everything your heart will ever want.
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augustus
04-22 10:31 AM
My lawyer got the RFE notice yesterday....
USCIS requesting the following...
1. Dated letter from employer detailing job duties and position
2. Your proffered position if different from current one
3. Date I began employment and current salary
4. Letter must be signed by executive officer of the company
5. Letter must clearly state whether the terms and conditions of employment based visa (or labor certification) continue to exist
They are requesting too many things at this point and it seems like the requests are different from other RFE's received by IV members. This is concerning me a lot. Can expert IV members give me any guidance? Have you received such an RFE, what does this mean? Any advice is very much appreciated.
My LC / I-140 stated that I am an "Electrical Engineering Technician" due to PW concerns at the time of application but my H1-B application said "Applications Engineer (Chemicals Group)". But the job duties were exactly the same word for word. I'm not sure if that is causing the problem. I am being paid significantly more than the LC / 1-140 wage currently. So, lack of ability to pay is not an issue. I have also been continuously employed by the same organization. I have not sought a different employer ever since I applied for my GC.
Please reply with your thoughts.
USCIS requesting the following...
1. Dated letter from employer detailing job duties and position
2. Your proffered position if different from current one
3. Date I began employment and current salary
4. Letter must be signed by executive officer of the company
5. Letter must clearly state whether the terms and conditions of employment based visa (or labor certification) continue to exist
They are requesting too many things at this point and it seems like the requests are different from other RFE's received by IV members. This is concerning me a lot. Can expert IV members give me any guidance? Have you received such an RFE, what does this mean? Any advice is very much appreciated.
My LC / I-140 stated that I am an "Electrical Engineering Technician" due to PW concerns at the time of application but my H1-B application said "Applications Engineer (Chemicals Group)". But the job duties were exactly the same word for word. I'm not sure if that is causing the problem. I am being paid significantly more than the LC / 1-140 wage currently. So, lack of ability to pay is not an issue. I have also been continuously employed by the same organization. I have not sought a different employer ever since I applied for my GC.
Please reply with your thoughts.
more...
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mallu
03-04 09:31 PM
It's not like he suddenly realized something. The only reason they changed the policy is that they got sued. Period! :mad: They continue the sabotage with processing dates going backward (which is never supposed to happen!), etc, because they feel no threat to their well-being.
Now USCIS has started finding other reasons , so that their processing times can become sane. "Additional Review" , "RFE for documents issued by INS 10 years ago" etc.
And one example : http://boards.immigration.com/showpost.php?p=1871043&postcount=2902
Now USCIS has started finding other reasons , so that their processing times can become sane. "Additional Review" , "RFE for documents issued by INS 10 years ago" etc.
And one example : http://boards.immigration.com/showpost.php?p=1871043&postcount=2902
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inskrish
08-03 12:27 PM
I am freaking out thinking that my application fell behind a desk somewhere....
That seems better than my case. I had a dream in which the mail room clerk used my application to put his donuts and coffee.:)
Regards,
IK
That seems better than my case. I had a dream in which the mail room clerk used my application to put his donuts and coffee.:)
Regards,
IK
more...
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gene-O
10-20 05:57 PM
Still looking for a knowledgeable response specifically to the questions asked.
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feedfront
09-29 12:03 PM
My cousin went for her sister-in-law's wedding and at New Delhi airport, the Customs Officer asked her to show the bag. Apparently, there was good amount of jewelry. And she had to declare it in her passport.
She was not charged any duty but she had to show it again during the departure.
Hope it helps.
I agree. If they make entry into passport, you've to show it during departure. Otherwise there is no hassle.
She was not charged any duty but she had to show it again during the departure.
Hope it helps.
I agree. If they make entry into passport, you've to show it during departure. Otherwise there is no hassle.
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cinqsit
02-02 08:43 PM
If i am understanding you right.....your labor is applied for EB2 qualification but I-140 is applied and approved in EB3. And you want to reapply a new I-140 for EB2 by using the same labor. I believe, you should be able to apply.
Labor certification is not expired as another poster mentioned. It will expire in 180 days only if no I-140 is applied using that labor.
Consult a good attorney and it will be worthwhile instead of waiting for backlogged EB3.
Yes you should be able to apply a I-140 for new reclassification (basically a new I-140)
Make sure there are no conflicting alternative/secondary requirements like "BS and less than 5 years of experience" in your approved labor.
They will check for ability to pay and other checks the they do at 1140 stage again.
Good luck
cinqsit
Labor certification is not expired as another poster mentioned. It will expire in 180 days only if no I-140 is applied using that labor.
Consult a good attorney and it will be worthwhile instead of waiting for backlogged EB3.
Yes you should be able to apply a I-140 for new reclassification (basically a new I-140)
Make sure there are no conflicting alternative/secondary requirements like "BS and less than 5 years of experience" in your approved labor.
They will check for ability to pay and other checks the they do at 1140 stage again.
Good luck
cinqsit
learning01
04-12 12:33 PM
As I had already posted in the news article thread (http://immigrationvoice.org/forum/showpost.php?p=8552&postcount=225), this is an exhaustive article with a bold and thought provoking headlines. The article can be accessed here - http://www.newsobserver.com/104/story/427793.html
Many skilled foreigners leaving U.S.
Exodus rooted in backlog for permanent status
Karin Rives, Staff Writer
When the Senate immigration bill fell apart last week, it did more than stymie efforts to deal with illegal immigration.
It derailed efforts to deal with an equally vexing business concern: a backlog in applications for so-called green cards, the coveted cards that are actually pink or white and that offer proof of lawful permanent residency.
Many people now wait six years or longer for the card. There are 526,000 applications pending, according to Immigration Voice, an advocacy group that tracks government data.
Lately, this has prompted an exodus of foreign workers who tired of waiting, to return home or go further afield. With the economies in Asia and elsewhere on the rise, they can easily find work in the native countries or in third nations that are more generous with their visas.
"You have China, Russia, India -- a lot of countries where you can go and make a lot of money. That's the biggest thing that has changed," said Murali Bashyam, a Raleigh immigration lawyer who helps companies sponsor immigrants. "Before, people were willing to wait it out. Now they can do just as well going back home, and they do."
Mike Plueddeman said he lost three employees (one a senior programmer with a doctorate) at Durham-based DynPro in the past two years because they tired of waiting for their green cards.
All three found good jobs in their home countries within a few weeks of leaving Durham, said Plueddeman, the software consultancy's human resource director.
"We are talking about very well-educated and highly skilled people who have been in the labor force a long time," he said. "You hate losing them."
This budding brain drain comes as the first American baby boomers retire and projections show a huge need for such professionals in the years ahead. U.S. universities graduate about 70,000 information technology students annually. Many people say that number won't meet the need for a projected 600,000 additional openings for information systems professionals between 2002 and 2012, and the openings made by retirements.
"We just don't have the pipeline right now," said Joe Freddoso, director of Cisco Systems' Research Triangle Park operations. "We are concerned there's going to be a shortage, and we're already seeing that in some areas."
Cisco has advertised an opening for a data-security specialist in Atlanta for several months, unable to find the right candidate. Freddoso believes the problem will spread unless the government allows more foreign workers to enter the country, and expedites their residency process.
However, not everybody believes in the labor shortage that corporations fret about.
Critics say that proposals to allow more skilled workers into the country would only depress wages and displace American-born workers who have yet to fully recover from the dot-com bust.
"We should only issue work-related visas if we really need them," said Caroline Espinosa, a spokeswoman with NumbersUSA, a Washington, D.C., group pushing for immigration reduction. "There are 2.5 million native born American workers in the math and computer field who are currently out of work. It begs the question whether we truly need foreign workers."
She added that the immigration backlog would be aggravated by raising the cap for temporary and permanent visas, which would make it harder for those who deserve to immigrate to do so.
Waiting since 2003
Sarath Chandrand, 44, a software consultant from India, moved with his wife and two young daughters from Raleigh to Toronto in December because he couldn't live with more uncertainty. He applied for his green card in early 2003 and expects it will take at least two more years to get it.
His former employer continues to sponsor his application for permanent residency, hoping that he will eventually return. But Chandrand doesn't know what the future will hold.
"I miss Raleigh, the weather, the people," he said in a phone interview. "But it's a very difficult decision to make, once you've settled in a country, to move out. You go through a lot of mental strain. Making another move will be difficult."
Canada won him over because its residency process takes only a year and a half and doesn't require sponsorship from an employer.
The competition from Canada also worries Plueddeman, who said several of his employees are also applying for residency in both countries. "They'll go with whoever comes first," he said.
And it's not just India and Canada that beckon. New Zealand and Australia are among nations that actively market themselves to professionals in the United States, with perks such as an easy process to get work visas.
New Zealand, with a population of 4 million, has received more than 1,900 applications from skilled migrants and their families in the past two years, said Don Badman, the Los Angeles marketing director for that country's immigration agency. Of those, about 17 percent were non-Americans working in the United States.
Badman's team has hired a public relations agency to get the word out. They have also run ads in West Coast newspapers and attended trade shows, mainly to attract professionals in health care and information technology.
Dana Hutchison, an operating room nurse from Cedar Mountain south of Asheville, could have joined a hospital in the United States that offers fat sign-on bonuses. Instead, she's in the small town of Tauranga, east of Auckland, working alongside New Zealand nurses and doctors.
"It would be hard for me to work in the U.S. again," she said. Where she is now, "the working conditions are so fabulous. Everybody is friendly and much less stressed. It's like the U.S. was in the 1960s."
Limit of 140,000
Getting a green card was never a quick process. The official limit for employment-based green cards is 140,000 annually.
And there is a bottleneck of technology professionals from India and China. They hold many, if not most, of all temporary work visas, and many try to convert their work visa to permanent residency, and eventually full citizenship. But under current rules, no single nationality can be allotted more than 7 percent of the green cards.
In his February economic report, President Bush outlined proposals to overhaul the system for employment-based green cards:
* Open more slots by exempting spouses and children from the annual limit of 140,000 green cards. Such dependents now make up about half of all green card recipients, because workers sponsored by employers can include their family in the application.
* Replace the current cap with a "flexible market-based cap" that responds to the need that employers have for foreign workers.
* Raise the 7 percent limit for nations such as India that have many highly skilled workers.
After steady lobbying from technology companies, Congress is also paying more attention to the issue. The Senate immigration bill had proposed raising the annual cap for green cards to 290,000.
Kumar Gupta, a 33-year-old software engineer, has been watching the legislative proposals as he weighs his options. After six years in the United States, he is considering returning to India after learning that the green card he applied for in November 2004 could take another four or five years.
Being on a temporary work visa means that he cannot leave his job. Nor does he want to buy a home for his family without knowing he will stay in the country.
"Even if the job market is not as good as here, you can get a very good salary in India," he said. "If I have offers there, I will think of moving."
Let's utilize this write up and start quoting the link in our personal comments / emails to other news anchors, commentators, blogs etc.
I thought this deserves it's own thread. Please comment and act.
Many skilled foreigners leaving U.S.
Exodus rooted in backlog for permanent status
Karin Rives, Staff Writer
When the Senate immigration bill fell apart last week, it did more than stymie efforts to deal with illegal immigration.
It derailed efforts to deal with an equally vexing business concern: a backlog in applications for so-called green cards, the coveted cards that are actually pink or white and that offer proof of lawful permanent residency.
Many people now wait six years or longer for the card. There are 526,000 applications pending, according to Immigration Voice, an advocacy group that tracks government data.
Lately, this has prompted an exodus of foreign workers who tired of waiting, to return home or go further afield. With the economies in Asia and elsewhere on the rise, they can easily find work in the native countries or in third nations that are more generous with their visas.
"You have China, Russia, India -- a lot of countries where you can go and make a lot of money. That's the biggest thing that has changed," said Murali Bashyam, a Raleigh immigration lawyer who helps companies sponsor immigrants. "Before, people were willing to wait it out. Now they can do just as well going back home, and they do."
Mike Plueddeman said he lost three employees (one a senior programmer with a doctorate) at Durham-based DynPro in the past two years because they tired of waiting for their green cards.
All three found good jobs in their home countries within a few weeks of leaving Durham, said Plueddeman, the software consultancy's human resource director.
"We are talking about very well-educated and highly skilled people who have been in the labor force a long time," he said. "You hate losing them."
This budding brain drain comes as the first American baby boomers retire and projections show a huge need for such professionals in the years ahead. U.S. universities graduate about 70,000 information technology students annually. Many people say that number won't meet the need for a projected 600,000 additional openings for information systems professionals between 2002 and 2012, and the openings made by retirements.
"We just don't have the pipeline right now," said Joe Freddoso, director of Cisco Systems' Research Triangle Park operations. "We are concerned there's going to be a shortage, and we're already seeing that in some areas."
Cisco has advertised an opening for a data-security specialist in Atlanta for several months, unable to find the right candidate. Freddoso believes the problem will spread unless the government allows more foreign workers to enter the country, and expedites their residency process.
However, not everybody believes in the labor shortage that corporations fret about.
Critics say that proposals to allow more skilled workers into the country would only depress wages and displace American-born workers who have yet to fully recover from the dot-com bust.
"We should only issue work-related visas if we really need them," said Caroline Espinosa, a spokeswoman with NumbersUSA, a Washington, D.C., group pushing for immigration reduction. "There are 2.5 million native born American workers in the math and computer field who are currently out of work. It begs the question whether we truly need foreign workers."
She added that the immigration backlog would be aggravated by raising the cap for temporary and permanent visas, which would make it harder for those who deserve to immigrate to do so.
Waiting since 2003
Sarath Chandrand, 44, a software consultant from India, moved with his wife and two young daughters from Raleigh to Toronto in December because he couldn't live with more uncertainty. He applied for his green card in early 2003 and expects it will take at least two more years to get it.
His former employer continues to sponsor his application for permanent residency, hoping that he will eventually return. But Chandrand doesn't know what the future will hold.
"I miss Raleigh, the weather, the people," he said in a phone interview. "But it's a very difficult decision to make, once you've settled in a country, to move out. You go through a lot of mental strain. Making another move will be difficult."
Canada won him over because its residency process takes only a year and a half and doesn't require sponsorship from an employer.
The competition from Canada also worries Plueddeman, who said several of his employees are also applying for residency in both countries. "They'll go with whoever comes first," he said.
And it's not just India and Canada that beckon. New Zealand and Australia are among nations that actively market themselves to professionals in the United States, with perks such as an easy process to get work visas.
New Zealand, with a population of 4 million, has received more than 1,900 applications from skilled migrants and their families in the past two years, said Don Badman, the Los Angeles marketing director for that country's immigration agency. Of those, about 17 percent were non-Americans working in the United States.
Badman's team has hired a public relations agency to get the word out. They have also run ads in West Coast newspapers and attended trade shows, mainly to attract professionals in health care and information technology.
Dana Hutchison, an operating room nurse from Cedar Mountain south of Asheville, could have joined a hospital in the United States that offers fat sign-on bonuses. Instead, she's in the small town of Tauranga, east of Auckland, working alongside New Zealand nurses and doctors.
"It would be hard for me to work in the U.S. again," she said. Where she is now, "the working conditions are so fabulous. Everybody is friendly and much less stressed. It's like the U.S. was in the 1960s."
Limit of 140,000
Getting a green card was never a quick process. The official limit for employment-based green cards is 140,000 annually.
And there is a bottleneck of technology professionals from India and China. They hold many, if not most, of all temporary work visas, and many try to convert their work visa to permanent residency, and eventually full citizenship. But under current rules, no single nationality can be allotted more than 7 percent of the green cards.
In his February economic report, President Bush outlined proposals to overhaul the system for employment-based green cards:
* Open more slots by exempting spouses and children from the annual limit of 140,000 green cards. Such dependents now make up about half of all green card recipients, because workers sponsored by employers can include their family in the application.
* Replace the current cap with a "flexible market-based cap" that responds to the need that employers have for foreign workers.
* Raise the 7 percent limit for nations such as India that have many highly skilled workers.
After steady lobbying from technology companies, Congress is also paying more attention to the issue. The Senate immigration bill had proposed raising the annual cap for green cards to 290,000.
Kumar Gupta, a 33-year-old software engineer, has been watching the legislative proposals as he weighs his options. After six years in the United States, he is considering returning to India after learning that the green card he applied for in November 2004 could take another four or five years.
Being on a temporary work visa means that he cannot leave his job. Nor does he want to buy a home for his family without knowing he will stay in the country.
"Even if the job market is not as good as here, you can get a very good salary in India," he said. "If I have offers there, I will think of moving."
Let's utilize this write up and start quoting the link in our personal comments / emails to other news anchors, commentators, blogs etc.
I thought this deserves it's own thread. Please comment and act.
vb1589
05-04 09:13 AM
Good job cagedcactus.
As I said it was work of a fellow member. But I dont see why you cant use the same letter. If you think this is a good format, please go ahead and use it.
thanks.....
As I said it was work of a fellow member. But I dont see why you cant use the same letter. If you think this is a good format, please go ahead and use it.
thanks.....
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