vin13
12-02 10:21 AM
Can we apply Emergency Ap for official visit ?
Probably not. Emergencies are typically for medical reasons or death in family. Most officail visits do not fall under emergency. Most of the decision is made case by case basis. It is upto you to prove the emergency nature and convince the IO.
Probably not. Emergencies are typically for medical reasons or death in family. Most officail visits do not fall under emergency. Most of the decision is made case by case basis. It is upto you to prove the emergency nature and convince the IO.
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Prashanthi
07-30 06:25 PM
My kids and I got our I485 (EB2 I PD 2005) approval in July 2008 and my wife's case was sent for Interview which we attended in December when they asked to redo the medicals. Medicals were submitted to them after which the case has gone "dead".
Questions :
1. What is the Immigration status of my wife during this time? Her H4 (which would have been nulled due to my AOS anyway) in December.
She has Advance Parole and EAD but everyday we are worried about challenges ranging from not being able to buy life insurance for her at competitive rates (she has been declined due to THIS immigration status), Drivers license renewal coming up. We havent been able to travel freely as a family outside the country due to the fact that AP is for emergency travel only.
2. What will happen to her case if something happens and I pass away while she is waiting?
3. Do I have to wait for my earlier PD (2005) to become current again before she gets approval. The way it is going with retrogression my kids and I may get citizenship before she gets her greencard.
4. Will writing to a congressman / senator help? It is really having a significant impact on our lives as a virtually "broken family".
Your help would be much appreciated.
First of all, lets hope nothing happens to you. At this time i suggest waiting, something might come up later this year or early next year with reference to making use of unused visa numbers, if this happens, your wifes date will become current and her I-485 will get approved. Unfortunately the petition dies with the petitioner. However in the case of family based I-130 petitions, The Attorney General may in his discretion reinstate the approval of your family-based visa. The Attorney General may exercise favorable discretion where "for humanitarian reasons revocation would be inappropriate." 8 C.RR. Sec. 205.1(a)(3)(i)(C).
Questions :
1. What is the Immigration status of my wife during this time? Her H4 (which would have been nulled due to my AOS anyway) in December.
She has Advance Parole and EAD but everyday we are worried about challenges ranging from not being able to buy life insurance for her at competitive rates (she has been declined due to THIS immigration status), Drivers license renewal coming up. We havent been able to travel freely as a family outside the country due to the fact that AP is for emergency travel only.
2. What will happen to her case if something happens and I pass away while she is waiting?
3. Do I have to wait for my earlier PD (2005) to become current again before she gets approval. The way it is going with retrogression my kids and I may get citizenship before she gets her greencard.
4. Will writing to a congressman / senator help? It is really having a significant impact on our lives as a virtually "broken family".
Your help would be much appreciated.
First of all, lets hope nothing happens to you. At this time i suggest waiting, something might come up later this year or early next year with reference to making use of unused visa numbers, if this happens, your wifes date will become current and her I-485 will get approved. Unfortunately the petition dies with the petitioner. However in the case of family based I-130 petitions, The Attorney General may in his discretion reinstate the approval of your family-based visa. The Attorney General may exercise favorable discretion where "for humanitarian reasons revocation would be inappropriate." 8 C.RR. Sec. 205.1(a)(3)(i)(C).
eastindia
05-14 04:15 PM
It is time to pass the DREAM Act.
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pra945
12-09 11:56 PM
i got 221(g) on DEC 1st 2009
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gc28262
02-24 12:15 PM
People may end up populating junk data, if we force them to enter profile details.
For statistical purposes, no-data is preferable over junk data.
For statistical purposes, no-data is preferable over junk data.
pachai_attai
08-03 03:34 PM
I received a NOID (Notice Of Intent Deny) from USCIS.
Reason: The Form I-693 is incomplete that there is no evidence that the required TB skin test has been conducted or any annotation from civil surgeon stating that this test was medically inappropriate. Therefore we are requesting that you submit a new form I-693 which indicates that the TB skin test has been administered along with the results.
I called the surgeon who did my medical exam in 2005, they said that during that time, the TB skin test is optional and they had done only x-ray test instead of skin test.
When I told the doctor about this NOID, he said they I can take only the skin test and they can attach the skin test result with the existing I-693 form and mail the sealed envelop to the USCIS.
Do you have any idea at what stage the NOID is issued? Am I close enough to get 485 approved?
Did anyone faced a similar situation like mine?
Reason: The Form I-693 is incomplete that there is no evidence that the required TB skin test has been conducted or any annotation from civil surgeon stating that this test was medically inappropriate. Therefore we are requesting that you submit a new form I-693 which indicates that the TB skin test has been administered along with the results.
I called the surgeon who did my medical exam in 2005, they said that during that time, the TB skin test is optional and they had done only x-ray test instead of skin test.
When I told the doctor about this NOID, he said they I can take only the skin test and they can attach the skin test result with the existing I-693 form and mail the sealed envelop to the USCIS.
Do you have any idea at what stage the NOID is issued? Am I close enough to get 485 approved?
Did anyone faced a similar situation like mine?
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chillfakter
02-19 03:22 PM
As many of you assured me, the date on the I-94 reflected the date on my I-797 (I received a B, not an A). It did not have anything to do with my passport expiration date as I was fearing. Thanks everyone!
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somegchuh
10-26 01:11 PM
I hope they mail it back because that's something I definitely need. I didn't know they will look at my I797. I wish I had known this before my wife went for visa stamping. There's alway a new kink, isn't it :-)
My wife had her visa stamped in Bombay consulate - and during the interview they asked to see the I797 - but i had instructed her to ask for it back and she specifically asked the officer if she could have it back because I needed it - and he promptly gave it.
maybe Delhi Consulate works differently. Hopefully they will mail you back the 797 notice with the passport.
My wife had her visa stamped in Bombay consulate - and during the interview they asked to see the I797 - but i had instructed her to ask for it back and she specifically asked the officer if she could have it back because I needed it - and he promptly gave it.
maybe Delhi Consulate works differently. Hopefully they will mail you back the 797 notice with the passport.
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gc_on_demand
01-08 03:23 PM
from an old article: http://heather.cs.ucdavis.edu/H1BSummary.pdf?popup=false
Here is an outline of my proposal:
� To be eligible to an H-1B, the employer would be required to have not have laid off Americans
in similar jobs within the last 6 months, and not employ H-1Bs in more than 15% of its technical
workforce.
� An employer who wishes to hire an H-1B would be required to advertise the job on a central Dept. of
Labor (DOL) Web page for 30 days. If the employer did not hire an American during this period, the
employer would have automatic permission to hire the H-1B.
� The wage paid to an H-1B would be required to be at least the national median for all workers in the
field, including those with all levels of experience.
� After hiring the H-1B, the employer would update the entry in the database, stating the qualifications
of the H-1B who was hired.33
� The visa would be valid for 3 years. During this time, the worker could move from employer to
employer at will, providing that each new employer goes through the 30-day ad procedure on the
DOL database.
� If the worker were to stay employed in the tech field for all but 60 days during the 3-year period, the
worker would be deemed as having proved his/her value to the economy, and would automatically be
granted permanent-resident (i.e. green card) status.
� If on the other hand, the worker were to become unemployed for more than 60 days, he/she would be
required to leave the country within 15 days.
One major flaw in this one :
What if I want to change job 4 times in 3 year. Total advertise period will be 120 days and I wont be able to get GC. What if I am laid off and future company is just have requirement with in that week. They cannot hire me till they pass 30days and what if they get lots of resume from USC and DOL audit ..will company wait ??
More administrative process will encourage to hire only USC. When I graduated from school in USA , I applied to 4-5 big companies and I got reply back too. but when I told I need sponsership I was denied. I went to desi and I checked with one of company to see if they have same job. Lucky I found and I told them H1b transfer will be in week if they spend 1000 USD .. Guess what they agreed. and I am still with same company.
I think for permant residency it is good but for h1b.. bad for us. Eventully desi firms will sell 30 days approved labor.
Here is an outline of my proposal:
� To be eligible to an H-1B, the employer would be required to have not have laid off Americans
in similar jobs within the last 6 months, and not employ H-1Bs in more than 15% of its technical
workforce.
� An employer who wishes to hire an H-1B would be required to advertise the job on a central Dept. of
Labor (DOL) Web page for 30 days. If the employer did not hire an American during this period, the
employer would have automatic permission to hire the H-1B.
� The wage paid to an H-1B would be required to be at least the national median for all workers in the
field, including those with all levels of experience.
� After hiring the H-1B, the employer would update the entry in the database, stating the qualifications
of the H-1B who was hired.33
� The visa would be valid for 3 years. During this time, the worker could move from employer to
employer at will, providing that each new employer goes through the 30-day ad procedure on the
DOL database.
� If the worker were to stay employed in the tech field for all but 60 days during the 3-year period, the
worker would be deemed as having proved his/her value to the economy, and would automatically be
granted permanent-resident (i.e. green card) status.
� If on the other hand, the worker were to become unemployed for more than 60 days, he/she would be
required to leave the country within 15 days.
One major flaw in this one :
What if I want to change job 4 times in 3 year. Total advertise period will be 120 days and I wont be able to get GC. What if I am laid off and future company is just have requirement with in that week. They cannot hire me till they pass 30days and what if they get lots of resume from USC and DOL audit ..will company wait ??
More administrative process will encourage to hire only USC. When I graduated from school in USA , I applied to 4-5 big companies and I got reply back too. but when I told I need sponsership I was denied. I went to desi and I checked with one of company to see if they have same job. Lucky I found and I told them H1b transfer will be in week if they spend 1000 USD .. Guess what they agreed. and I am still with same company.
I think for permant residency it is good but for h1b.. bad for us. Eventully desi firms will sell 30 days approved labor.
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amsgc
04-17 08:36 PM
The word "transfer" is a misnomer. There is no such thing. The new company files a new H-1B petition to hire you, with the request that the new H-1B petition not be counted against the yearly cap. This new application doesn't affect your current H-1B status; in fact if you change your mind about the new offer, you are not even required to go work for the new employer.
It is always good to wait till the new application is approved, and the approval notice has been received, before you give your two weeks notice.
on what basis can i work for old company coz my H1 is already transfered right??? i'm confused... btw this is the new company's lawyers telling me.. i just wanted to see if any one has been in this situation or know of somebody in such a situation..
It is always good to wait till the new application is approved, and the approval notice has been received, before you give your two weeks notice.
on what basis can i work for old company coz my H1 is already transfered right??? i'm confused... btw this is the new company's lawyers telling me.. i just wanted to see if any one has been in this situation or know of somebody in such a situation..
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yetanotherguyinline
11-09 01:01 PM
I have decent writing skills and can help.
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ramus
06-07 01:10 PM
Please contribute to IV..
Thanks.
I am surprised with this thread. There is no Deadline for employemnt based GC (this was mentioned by Sen. Robert (Bob) Men�ndez,NJ when requesting to move the FB deadline which is clearly mentioned in the bill as May 01, 2005) . Please read the summary and text carefully.
Summary:
First five years
Total number of merit-based green cards includes sum of:
a.) First five fiscal years have same number of green cards as made available to EB category in 2005. This number is 246,878.
b.) Any visa number not used by family based category.
How the total number will be divided between Current system and new merit-based system and Y visa holders --
- 10,000 (or more) reserved for exceptional aliens under �Y� visa category.
- 90,000 (exactly 90,000 � not more not less) for backlogged (pending or approved I-140 applications). Currently, this number is 140,000.
- Remaining possibly goes to new merits system. Until the merits system is ready for accepting petitions, the Y visa holders probably get a shot at this since the clause says �No more than 10,000� � leaving room to let it go up from 10,000 to whatever is left.
and the TEXT of the Bill
�(A) for the first five fiscal years shall be equal to the
33 number of immigrant visas made available to aliens
34 seeking immigrant visas under section 203(b) of this
35 Act for fiscal year 2005, plus any immigrant visas
36 not required for the class specified in (c), of which:
37 (i) at least 10,000 will be for exceptional aliens
38 in nonimmigrant status under section
39 101(a)(15)(Y); and
40 (ii) 90,000 will be for aliens who were the
41 beneficiaries of an application that was pending
42 or approved at the time of the effective date of
43 this section, per Section 502(d) of the [Insert
44 title of Act] ( Act not the bill)
(c) EFFECTIVE DATE.�The amendments made by this section shall take
11 effect on the first day of the fiscal year subsequent to the fiscal year of
12 enactment.
So a bill becomes law only after signed by the president, and the effective date could be Oct 01, 2007 if not Oct 01, 2008.
So all the I-140 filed on of before Effective date are considered as pending!!
I don't know why even lawyers are getting confused here!:confused:
Thanks.
I am surprised with this thread. There is no Deadline for employemnt based GC (this was mentioned by Sen. Robert (Bob) Men�ndez,NJ when requesting to move the FB deadline which is clearly mentioned in the bill as May 01, 2005) . Please read the summary and text carefully.
Summary:
First five years
Total number of merit-based green cards includes sum of:
a.) First five fiscal years have same number of green cards as made available to EB category in 2005. This number is 246,878.
b.) Any visa number not used by family based category.
How the total number will be divided between Current system and new merit-based system and Y visa holders --
- 10,000 (or more) reserved for exceptional aliens under �Y� visa category.
- 90,000 (exactly 90,000 � not more not less) for backlogged (pending or approved I-140 applications). Currently, this number is 140,000.
- Remaining possibly goes to new merits system. Until the merits system is ready for accepting petitions, the Y visa holders probably get a shot at this since the clause says �No more than 10,000� � leaving room to let it go up from 10,000 to whatever is left.
and the TEXT of the Bill
�(A) for the first five fiscal years shall be equal to the
33 number of immigrant visas made available to aliens
34 seeking immigrant visas under section 203(b) of this
35 Act for fiscal year 2005, plus any immigrant visas
36 not required for the class specified in (c), of which:
37 (i) at least 10,000 will be for exceptional aliens
38 in nonimmigrant status under section
39 101(a)(15)(Y); and
40 (ii) 90,000 will be for aliens who were the
41 beneficiaries of an application that was pending
42 or approved at the time of the effective date of
43 this section, per Section 502(d) of the [Insert
44 title of Act] ( Act not the bill)
(c) EFFECTIVE DATE.�The amendments made by this section shall take
11 effect on the first day of the fiscal year subsequent to the fiscal year of
12 enactment.
So a bill becomes law only after signed by the president, and the effective date could be Oct 01, 2007 if not Oct 01, 2008.
So all the I-140 filed on of before Effective date are considered as pending!!
I don't know why even lawyers are getting confused here!:confused:
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delax
07-16 08:55 AM
USCIS decided a date Jun 1, 2006 to be current for EB2, so that Visa Numbers are not lost this year. This they decided on the basis of numbers of applications they were able to process by Jul 8, 2008. We all know that I485 Processing Date for NSC was Jul 28, 2007 and TSC was July 17, 2007. These dates were posted on Jun 15 and by July 8, might have moved by a day or two.
Last year USCIS announced (I remember it was last quarter) that for processing all the files received will take around 18 months. We have just 6-9 months gone.
Jul - Sep, the Priority date should not change, because USCIS has to approve all the processed application, they think approvable.
In Oct, also it may remain same, but after that, it will not be able to sustain demand and face retrogression. Nov 2008 to Jun 2009 there may be seesaw of Priority Date +/-1 years of 2005.
Jul-Aug 2009 USCIS may come across similar situation as this year - but in this case all applications of July 2007 processed - I think that time PD will be some date in 2005.
Right now Processing date might be frozen of 2-3 months, because USCIS may put entire energy in approving EB2 processed cases.
You may be correct about the PD see-saw but I am not convinced about the RD logic. I know of at least a dozen friends (EB2-I) with PD in mid 2003 who filed in June 2007 and were approved by Oct 2007. The RD during that time was in 2006.
Last year USCIS announced (I remember it was last quarter) that for processing all the files received will take around 18 months. We have just 6-9 months gone.
Jul - Sep, the Priority date should not change, because USCIS has to approve all the processed application, they think approvable.
In Oct, also it may remain same, but after that, it will not be able to sustain demand and face retrogression. Nov 2008 to Jun 2009 there may be seesaw of Priority Date +/-1 years of 2005.
Jul-Aug 2009 USCIS may come across similar situation as this year - but in this case all applications of July 2007 processed - I think that time PD will be some date in 2005.
Right now Processing date might be frozen of 2-3 months, because USCIS may put entire energy in approving EB2 processed cases.
You may be correct about the PD see-saw but I am not convinced about the RD logic. I know of at least a dozen friends (EB2-I) with PD in mid 2003 who filed in June 2007 and were approved by Oct 2007. The RD during that time was in 2006.
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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
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Sachin_Stock
09-18 10:29 AM
Healthcare reforms and their covering of "illegal aliens" in question.
Both are non-issue in this forum!
Both are non-issue in this forum!
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sbmallik
09-01 09:32 AM
If you live ourside of US and work for an non-US Company then you are not in H-1B; you will be in Spanish resident visa status. However, on your return to the previous company in the US, you can recepture the time spend in Spain on your H-1B visa.
I would try to explore the remote working options from Spain for the US employer.
I would try to explore the remote working options from Spain for the US employer.
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n_2006
07-16 10:25 AM
As core team migth be knowing the solution, Can you please provide us some information whether we should go ahead and file today.
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immigrationvoice1
01-31 09:36 PM
Has anyone analyzed who would be an ideal president from our point of view? Does IV endorse any candidate?
In my opinion IV should not be "endorsing" any candidate and one among the many reasons could be, none of the members of IV have voting rights in this country! Why should IV even think of endorsing anyone in this scenario ?
I guess what you meant to ask was who amongst the current contestants does the IV leadership thinks would be pro legal highly skilled immigrant if he/she happens to get elected to the White House.
Please correct me if I am wrong with the above.
In my opinion IV should not be "endorsing" any candidate and one among the many reasons could be, none of the members of IV have voting rights in this country! Why should IV even think of endorsing anyone in this scenario ?
I guess what you meant to ask was who amongst the current contestants does the IV leadership thinks would be pro legal highly skilled immigrant if he/she happens to get elected to the White House.
Please correct me if I am wrong with the above.
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Caliber
05-05 10:09 AM
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hsd31
05-12 10:44 AM
In principle the main criteria would be whether the job requires a person with a masters or higher degree. If the company can prove that the job description and requirements match that for a person with masters then he would qualify. Again this is based on my awareness from reading various posts on the IV and similar websites. The attorney would be the best to decide. I know many of our friends in the IV have masters but the main problem they are facing is that the job description does not specify a masters. So the employer hesitates to reaply in EB2 catagory. If your husband fits in then I believe all he has to do is to file another 140 and port the PD of the EB3 application.
How frustating this can be, right? :(
The above statement is incorrect. You will have to re-file the LC in addition to the I-140 for a port. There is some more info on Eb3 to Eb2 here: Upgrading from EB3 to EB2 (http://www.imminfo.com/Library/green_cards/EB/upgrading_eb3_eb2.html)
How frustating this can be, right? :(
The above statement is incorrect. You will have to re-file the LC in addition to the I-140 for a port. There is some more info on Eb3 to Eb2 here: Upgrading from EB3 to EB2 (http://www.imminfo.com/Library/green_cards/EB/upgrading_eb3_eb2.html)
asdfgh
10-13 01:53 PM
Got notice today from CSC stating below
we transferred this I485 APPLICATION TO REGISTER PERMANENT RESIDENCE OR TO ADJUST STATUS to our LINCOLN, NE location for processing because they now have jurisdiction over the case. We sent you a notice of this transfer. Please follow any instructions on this notice. You will be notified by mail when a decision is made, or if the office needs something from you. If you move while this case is pending, call customer service. We process cases in the order we receive them. You can use our processing dates to estimate when this case will be done. This case has been sent to our LINCOLN, NE location. Follow the link below to check processing dates. You can also receive automatic e-mail updates as we process your case. Just follow the link below to register.
Havent recd. Receipt Notice, EAD, AP or FP notice yet...any idea what above means?
Thanks.
we transferred this I485 APPLICATION TO REGISTER PERMANENT RESIDENCE OR TO ADJUST STATUS to our LINCOLN, NE location for processing because they now have jurisdiction over the case. We sent you a notice of this transfer. Please follow any instructions on this notice. You will be notified by mail when a decision is made, or if the office needs something from you. If you move while this case is pending, call customer service. We process cases in the order we receive them. You can use our processing dates to estimate when this case will be done. This case has been sent to our LINCOLN, NE location. Follow the link below to check processing dates. You can also receive automatic e-mail updates as we process your case. Just follow the link below to register.
Havent recd. Receipt Notice, EAD, AP or FP notice yet...any idea what above means?
Thanks.
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