EndlessWait
07-10 11:36 AM
bbye monseiur!
wallpaper 2BE-GE-002 Golden Eagle in
test101
07-03 08:11 PM
do you mind using what you wrote for emaling the media ?
thanks.
Posting here as asked by Pappu:
------
Hi Jessie,
I am contacting you today regarding the recent chain of events concerning employment-based immigrants.
I am positive you are aware of the recent debacle skilled professionals waiting for years in the immigration backlog have sufferred thanks to the Dept of State and the USCIS.
Some Facts:
- On June 13, DoS announced the July Visa Bulletin which made visa numbers available for all categories of employment-based immigrant visas, for all countries of chargeability. The July Visa Bulletin made all categories for all countries "CURRENT", giving a ray of hope to skilled professionals waiting in line for years to get a green card.
http://travel.state.gov/visa/frvi/bulletin/bulletin_3258.html (http://immigrationvoice.org/forum/redir.aspx?URL=http%3a%2f%2ftravel.state.gov%2fvis a%2ffrvi%2fbulletin%2fbulletin_3258.html)
- Faced with this news, applicants and their families spent significant time and resources to put together the required documentation in a very short time, in many cases procuring important documents from their home countries and getting them couriered at considerable expense; and having family members like spouses and children fly in to the U.S. to be able to apply for a green card. Thousands of dollars were spent on this, and on the required medical checkups, and in many cases lawyers' fees, in order to submit the applications for the final stage of green card - Adjustment of Status (AOS), by filing Form I-485 by end of June so it reaches USCIS by July 2.
- Once a Visa Bulletin for the next month is announced, USCIS accepts all applications to adjust status that are received in that month. They may not have enough visa numbers for all applications received, and as such are not bound to actually issue green cards to all applicants in the month. However, applicants and their family members can receive interim benefits after filing e.g.:
1. Employment Authorization (EAD): This is particularly important for spouses, who are often unable to work because they are on H4 visas, and do not belong to specialized occupations that would entitle them to get an H1B visa.
2. Advanced Parole: Allowing applicants to travel freely.
3. Portability: Allows applicants to change employers 180 days after filing AOS, if the new job is the same as the one they based their positions/original green card applications on. This is very important for most professionals, who are bound to a particular employer for years during the green card processing, marred by its delays and complexity.
- Early on July 2, the first day when USCIS started receiving applications for AOS, the Dept of State announced an updated Visa Bulletin, stating that USCIS has issued extraordinary number of immigrant visas (60,000) for employment-based immigrants (between the July 2007 Visa Bulletin announcement on June 13 and end of June = June 29), thus running out of any available visa numbers for the rest of the year!
http://travel.state.gov/visa/frvi/bulletin/bulletin_3263.html (http://immigrationvoice.org/forum/redir.aspx?URL=http%3a%2f%2ftravel.state.gov%2fvis a%2ffrvi%2fbulletin%2fbulletin_3263.html)
- Following that, displaying amazing coordination, USCIS posted an update on its web site stating any AOS applications receivedi n the month of July will be rejected, effective immediately (July 2).
http://www.uscis.gov/files/pressrelease/VisaBulletin2Jul07.pdf (http://immigrationvoice.org/forum/redir.aspx?URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.uscis.gov%2ffiles% 2fpressrelease%2fVisaBulletin2Jul07.pdf)
In effect, this closed the available window for filing AOS applications - the entire month of July - even before it opened!
- The fact that a Visa Bulletin gets updated mid-month is unprecedented.
- The fact that the USCIS processed and adjudicated roughly the same number of AOS applications in about 15 days as they have done in the previous 10 months is both alarming and shocking!
- The American Immigrant Law Foundation is considering a class-action lawsuit agains USCIS/DoS.
- Immigration Voice (www.immigrationvoice.org (http://immigrationvoice.org/forum/redir.aspx?URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.immigrationvoice.o rg%2f)), an organization of skilled professionals/documented immigrants is considering the same.
- Here's a Press Release from ImmigrationVoice.org:
http://www.prlog.org/10022648-no-celebration-for-thousands-of-highly-skilled-future-americans-this-july-4th.html (http://immigrationvoice.org/forum/redir.aspx?URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.prlog.org%2f100226 48-no-celebration-for-thousands-of-highly-skilled-future-americans-this-july-4th.html)
- Also of interest, the following blog post by immigration lawyer Greg Siskind:
Full-Blown Scandal
http://blogs.ilw.com/gregsiskind/2007/07/full-blown-scan.html (http://immigrationvoice.org/forum/redir.aspx?URL=http%3a%2f%2fblogs.ilw.com%2fgregsi skind%2f2007%2f07%2ffull-blown-scan.html)
- Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren has issued a statement against this move, and written to both USCIS and DoS:
http://lofgren.house.gov/PRArticle.aspx?NewsID=1808 (http://immigrationvoice.org/forum/redir.aspx?URL=http%3a%2f%2flofgren.house.gov%2fPR Article.aspx%3fNewsID%3d1808)
- Following link is from Forbes, a wire story by AP that got picked up by many media outlets in the last 24 hours:
Legal Workers Lose Chance at Green Cards
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/07/02/ap3879453.html (http://immigrationvoice.org/forum/redir.aspx?URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.forbes.com%2ffeeds %2fap%2f2007%2f07%2f02%2fap3879453.html)
Hoping you will be able to highlight the plight of tens of thousands of such folks who got their single glimmer of hope taken away from them in a flash, before it even became available. (Ironically, all this happened whilst in the background lawmakers were considering legalizing 12-20 million undocumented immigrants.)
Thanks,
thanks.
Posting here as asked by Pappu:
------
Hi Jessie,
I am contacting you today regarding the recent chain of events concerning employment-based immigrants.
I am positive you are aware of the recent debacle skilled professionals waiting for years in the immigration backlog have sufferred thanks to the Dept of State and the USCIS.
Some Facts:
- On June 13, DoS announced the July Visa Bulletin which made visa numbers available for all categories of employment-based immigrant visas, for all countries of chargeability. The July Visa Bulletin made all categories for all countries "CURRENT", giving a ray of hope to skilled professionals waiting in line for years to get a green card.
http://travel.state.gov/visa/frvi/bulletin/bulletin_3258.html (http://immigrationvoice.org/forum/redir.aspx?URL=http%3a%2f%2ftravel.state.gov%2fvis a%2ffrvi%2fbulletin%2fbulletin_3258.html)
- Faced with this news, applicants and their families spent significant time and resources to put together the required documentation in a very short time, in many cases procuring important documents from their home countries and getting them couriered at considerable expense; and having family members like spouses and children fly in to the U.S. to be able to apply for a green card. Thousands of dollars were spent on this, and on the required medical checkups, and in many cases lawyers' fees, in order to submit the applications for the final stage of green card - Adjustment of Status (AOS), by filing Form I-485 by end of June so it reaches USCIS by July 2.
- Once a Visa Bulletin for the next month is announced, USCIS accepts all applications to adjust status that are received in that month. They may not have enough visa numbers for all applications received, and as such are not bound to actually issue green cards to all applicants in the month. However, applicants and their family members can receive interim benefits after filing e.g.:
1. Employment Authorization (EAD): This is particularly important for spouses, who are often unable to work because they are on H4 visas, and do not belong to specialized occupations that would entitle them to get an H1B visa.
2. Advanced Parole: Allowing applicants to travel freely.
3. Portability: Allows applicants to change employers 180 days after filing AOS, if the new job is the same as the one they based their positions/original green card applications on. This is very important for most professionals, who are bound to a particular employer for years during the green card processing, marred by its delays and complexity.
- Early on July 2, the first day when USCIS started receiving applications for AOS, the Dept of State announced an updated Visa Bulletin, stating that USCIS has issued extraordinary number of immigrant visas (60,000) for employment-based immigrants (between the July 2007 Visa Bulletin announcement on June 13 and end of June = June 29), thus running out of any available visa numbers for the rest of the year!
http://travel.state.gov/visa/frvi/bulletin/bulletin_3263.html (http://immigrationvoice.org/forum/redir.aspx?URL=http%3a%2f%2ftravel.state.gov%2fvis a%2ffrvi%2fbulletin%2fbulletin_3263.html)
- Following that, displaying amazing coordination, USCIS posted an update on its web site stating any AOS applications receivedi n the month of July will be rejected, effective immediately (July 2).
http://www.uscis.gov/files/pressrelease/VisaBulletin2Jul07.pdf (http://immigrationvoice.org/forum/redir.aspx?URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.uscis.gov%2ffiles% 2fpressrelease%2fVisaBulletin2Jul07.pdf)
In effect, this closed the available window for filing AOS applications - the entire month of July - even before it opened!
- The fact that a Visa Bulletin gets updated mid-month is unprecedented.
- The fact that the USCIS processed and adjudicated roughly the same number of AOS applications in about 15 days as they have done in the previous 10 months is both alarming and shocking!
- The American Immigrant Law Foundation is considering a class-action lawsuit agains USCIS/DoS.
- Immigration Voice (www.immigrationvoice.org (http://immigrationvoice.org/forum/redir.aspx?URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.immigrationvoice.o rg%2f)), an organization of skilled professionals/documented immigrants is considering the same.
- Here's a Press Release from ImmigrationVoice.org:
http://www.prlog.org/10022648-no-celebration-for-thousands-of-highly-skilled-future-americans-this-july-4th.html (http://immigrationvoice.org/forum/redir.aspx?URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.prlog.org%2f100226 48-no-celebration-for-thousands-of-highly-skilled-future-americans-this-july-4th.html)
- Also of interest, the following blog post by immigration lawyer Greg Siskind:
Full-Blown Scandal
http://blogs.ilw.com/gregsiskind/2007/07/full-blown-scan.html (http://immigrationvoice.org/forum/redir.aspx?URL=http%3a%2f%2fblogs.ilw.com%2fgregsi skind%2f2007%2f07%2ffull-blown-scan.html)
- Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren has issued a statement against this move, and written to both USCIS and DoS:
http://lofgren.house.gov/PRArticle.aspx?NewsID=1808 (http://immigrationvoice.org/forum/redir.aspx?URL=http%3a%2f%2flofgren.house.gov%2fPR Article.aspx%3fNewsID%3d1808)
- Following link is from Forbes, a wire story by AP that got picked up by many media outlets in the last 24 hours:
Legal Workers Lose Chance at Green Cards
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/07/02/ap3879453.html (http://immigrationvoice.org/forum/redir.aspx?URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.forbes.com%2ffeeds %2fap%2f2007%2f07%2f02%2fap3879453.html)
Hoping you will be able to highlight the plight of tens of thousands of such folks who got their single glimmer of hope taken away from them in a flash, before it even became available. (Ironically, all this happened whilst in the background lawmakers were considering legalizing 12-20 million undocumented immigrants.)
Thanks,
grimreaper
07-21 02:02 PM
Because of all these experiences, even when you genuinely smile or strike a conversation with a desi, he/she first suspects you to be an ammway guy. I face it everyday, being "outgoing extrovert" in nature, I tend to smile and talk to people in elevators, walkways, malls, restrooms, groceries etc... which is mostly casual fun stuff and most times desis suspect that I am a ammway guy and cut me out harshly.
When I moved to Cali about 2 yrs back from the midwest, I saw a guy at a desi store in the bay area who looked very similar to an old school friend whom I have not seen in 14 yrs. I went upto him and started talking to him asking if he was the same guy, He insulted me and avoided me like the plague. In midwest, I have not had any similar exp when I have tried stiking any conversation with a desi, so I was shocked. Then my BIL who had been living in the bay area for a while tole me about amway cons being in huge numbers and the fact that Desis do not trust anyone in the bayarea who appear friendly and the probable reason why this guy behaved the way he did. It is sad that we cannot be friendly to our own countrymen.
When I moved to Cali about 2 yrs back from the midwest, I saw a guy at a desi store in the bay area who looked very similar to an old school friend whom I have not seen in 14 yrs. I went upto him and started talking to him asking if he was the same guy, He insulted me and avoided me like the plague. In midwest, I have not had any similar exp when I have tried stiking any conversation with a desi, so I was shocked. Then my BIL who had been living in the bay area for a while tole me about amway cons being in huge numbers and the fact that Desis do not trust anyone in the bayarea who appear friendly and the probable reason why this guy behaved the way he did. It is sad that we cannot be friendly to our own countrymen.
2011 makeup Golden Eagle golden
alisa
02-15 02:13 AM
How would letting "people" know that there is a problem help? The only people that matter are politicians.
I dont' mean people in general. I mean people like you and I.
Average Joe is probably not googling 'retrogression' as he enjoys his baby back ribs.
People like you and I are.
It would increase membership. Which would increase funding. Which would enable us to lobby more. Which will have a greater chance of success.
From Einstein's famous equation:
membership+funding+lobbying+patience = chance of success
Anything else = Absolute failure.
I dont' mean people in general. I mean people like you and I.
Average Joe is probably not googling 'retrogression' as he enjoys his baby back ribs.
People like you and I are.
It would increase membership. Which would increase funding. Which would enable us to lobby more. Which will have a greater chance of success.
From Einstein's famous equation:
membership+funding+lobbying+patience = chance of success
Anything else = Absolute failure.
more...
sarath99
10-20 01:00 PM
Hi,
My sister is a citizen and she applied GC for my parents who are in India.She applied for I-130 in April and it was approved in 2 months.She now has to fill the form I-864 and is in the process of doing so.Meanwhile my parents would like to visit USA.They'll be coming in December and be staying for 6 mos.They have a 10 yr visa and visited us back in 2004.
My question is it ok for them to visit USA?I read that they might be denied entry becasue of their approved I-130.We do not want to apply AOS here and they will return in June 09.
Thanks for any advice.
My sister is a citizen and she applied GC for my parents who are in India.She applied for I-130 in April and it was approved in 2 months.She now has to fill the form I-864 and is in the process of doing so.Meanwhile my parents would like to visit USA.They'll be coming in December and be staying for 6 mos.They have a 10 yr visa and visited us back in 2004.
My question is it ok for them to visit USA?I read that they might be denied entry becasue of their approved I-130.We do not want to apply AOS here and they will return in June 09.
Thanks for any advice.
dilipcr
06-11 07:49 PM
"Now with this huge deluge of immigrants, especially from the desi consulting companies, I feel that my quality of life is getting adversely impacted. Do not rush to conclusions that I am anti Indian or anti immigrant. 12 years back when I first got my H1 visa, the requirements to qualify were strict. "
i am not interested in giving red or blue dots but i do hope your citizenship application gets stuck in a processing delay, you too will then realize the implication of your so called Darwinian flush :rolleyes: As they say...when it happens to others its a recession, when it happens to you it turns into a depression...good luck..
I hope your post did not imply that the ones who got GC's were the 'brightest and the best'.
My intention was not to devalue the merits of the incoming batch of immigrants. As I said, around 20% of the group are truly the best and the brightest. This was the case after the dotcom crash and will most likely be the case going forward. We had the same delays, retrogressions , guaranteed employment verification RFEs etc. Immigrationportal.com used to be the immigrationvoice of the times. I do not see much difference for the techies between what was then and what is going on now in terms of delays. I see 2 dramatic changes though
1. People arent patient enough during these times. You would agree to the amount of venting going on in this site.
2. The incessant dumping of low cost of L1s by the outsourcing companies.
If you think through deeply, the second point is what is causing all the heartburn among the people waiting for their GCs. Believe me. All these extrapolated timelines that scream that getting GC today would take 10 years are all bogus. These headlines were the same then too. I can confidently say that the GC process will move fast within a year's time once the layoffs stop. It is just that can you survive till the govt policies become more rational ? That is where the argument about the best and the brightest come into place. If you are one, you would survive this and you will get your GC within 3 years. Honestly, my ntention was to calm the nerves of those people genuinely talented and waiting for their GCs. If I had missed out on that count, I think I should improve my communication. The arwinian flush was just to highlight that fact.
i am not interested in giving red or blue dots but i do hope your citizenship application gets stuck in a processing delay, you too will then realize the implication of your so called Darwinian flush :rolleyes: As they say...when it happens to others its a recession, when it happens to you it turns into a depression...good luck..
I hope your post did not imply that the ones who got GC's were the 'brightest and the best'.
My intention was not to devalue the merits of the incoming batch of immigrants. As I said, around 20% of the group are truly the best and the brightest. This was the case after the dotcom crash and will most likely be the case going forward. We had the same delays, retrogressions , guaranteed employment verification RFEs etc. Immigrationportal.com used to be the immigrationvoice of the times. I do not see much difference for the techies between what was then and what is going on now in terms of delays. I see 2 dramatic changes though
1. People arent patient enough during these times. You would agree to the amount of venting going on in this site.
2. The incessant dumping of low cost of L1s by the outsourcing companies.
If you think through deeply, the second point is what is causing all the heartburn among the people waiting for their GCs. Believe me. All these extrapolated timelines that scream that getting GC today would take 10 years are all bogus. These headlines were the same then too. I can confidently say that the GC process will move fast within a year's time once the layoffs stop. It is just that can you survive till the govt policies become more rational ? That is where the argument about the best and the brightest come into place. If you are one, you would survive this and you will get your GC within 3 years. Honestly, my ntention was to calm the nerves of those people genuinely talented and waiting for their GCs. If I had missed out on that count, I think I should improve my communication. The arwinian flush was just to highlight that fact.
more...
Pegasus503
02-14 08:05 PM
..............
Enforce country cap on Family based GC/DV lotterry for the diversity sake. FYI India and China don't have access to DV Lottery. This system is insane and let's not fight among ourselves to defend this crappy immigration system. . U may see ROW retrogress to 1998 in next VB and what will u say then ?. Bottom line is Fighting will not take us anywhere and changing this unpredictable system will be the only way to go.
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2006/72835.htm
the Divertsity Visa Lottery progam,
following countries[1] are not eligible to apply because they sent a total of more than 50,000 immigrants to the United States over the period of the previous five years:
BRAZIL, CANADA, CHINA (mainland-born), COLOMBIA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, EL SALVADOR, HAITI, INDIA, JAMAICA, MEXICO, PAKISTAN, PHILIPPINES, PERU, POLAND, RUSSIA, SOUTH KOREA, UNITED KINGDOM (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent territories, and VIETNAM. Persons born in Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR and Taiwan are eligible.
The point being that until the law changes, USCIS deals with individuals from different countries differently.
Concerning ROW retrogression, my H1b is an October expiry (I've been here since 1999) so I file my renewal in April (6 months in advance) with my i-140 approved I qualified for 3 years additional H1b. But with the fiasco quotas last May, June and July I was able i-485, however because USCIS issued a receipt for the i-485 they only gave me 12 months H1b renewal. then to add insult to the injury ROW retrogressed meaning another H1b renewal is likely.
At some point I will have to decide whether to begin the H1b renewal process again.
Enforce country cap on Family based GC/DV lotterry for the diversity sake. FYI India and China don't have access to DV Lottery. This system is insane and let's not fight among ourselves to defend this crappy immigration system. . U may see ROW retrogress to 1998 in next VB and what will u say then ?. Bottom line is Fighting will not take us anywhere and changing this unpredictable system will be the only way to go.
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2006/72835.htm
the Divertsity Visa Lottery progam,
following countries[1] are not eligible to apply because they sent a total of more than 50,000 immigrants to the United States over the period of the previous five years:
BRAZIL, CANADA, CHINA (mainland-born), COLOMBIA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, EL SALVADOR, HAITI, INDIA, JAMAICA, MEXICO, PAKISTAN, PHILIPPINES, PERU, POLAND, RUSSIA, SOUTH KOREA, UNITED KINGDOM (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent territories, and VIETNAM. Persons born in Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR and Taiwan are eligible.
The point being that until the law changes, USCIS deals with individuals from different countries differently.
Concerning ROW retrogression, my H1b is an October expiry (I've been here since 1999) so I file my renewal in April (6 months in advance) with my i-140 approved I qualified for 3 years additional H1b. But with the fiasco quotas last May, June and July I was able i-485, however because USCIS issued a receipt for the i-485 they only gave me 12 months H1b renewal. then to add insult to the injury ROW retrogressed meaning another H1b renewal is likely.
At some point I will have to decide whether to begin the H1b renewal process again.
2010 Golden Eagle in Flight P0627
OLDMONK
07-24 04:29 PM
Its not the question of economy alone. When deciding to go back. Its a question about convenience.
a) I don't want to stand in line to pay my Electric/Telephone/House Tax/Income Tax/Train Ticket/Air Ticket/Bus Ticket/Children Admission-donations/Petrol Line/LP Gas Line/Restaurant Line/Chola Bhatura Line/Samosa Line/RTO Office line/Registration line/License Line/Stock Buy line/Stock Sell Line/Bank Deposit Line/Bank Draft Line/Fixed Deposit Line/Kisaan Vikas Patra Line/Registered/Speed post Line/Blue Dart Line/Company registration line/College admission line/College fee line/University degree line/Interview Line/Booking a Car line/Beer Whisky Line/Canteen Line.
Half the country stands in line, the other half manages the line. Neither has any civic sense.
b) I don't want to bribe babus who manage above lines to get ahead in line.
d) I don't want power failures/cooler failures/ac failures/broken roads/or other catastrophic system failures.
e) I dont want fake or mixed eating oil / flour / milk / cheese / butter / peppers / lentils / rice
f) I don't want dangerous chemical fertilizers in my produce (slow killers - massive kidney failure rate in India for past 10 years)
g) I don't want to teach my children dishonesty and tricks of survival/street smartness (in ref to corruption in India) which don't add any value to their personality.
h) The only reason I would wanna go back is for my immediate family and friends. Thats the only thing I miss when it comes to India.
I wouldn't go back and I believe even MK Gandhi himself would'nt leave from Africa for India in todays times.
Also Its the enemy within (corruption) which can cause great harm and we have that kind of enemy now. You can never ever change the attitudes which people carry in India without another revolution.
I am sure I can come up with a huge list of positives too, They will sound very good and will give me a great feeling of fake National Pride.
Now go ahead and kill me for saying all the above.!!
a) I don't want to stand in line to pay my Electric/Telephone/House Tax/Income Tax/Train Ticket/Air Ticket/Bus Ticket/Children Admission-donations/Petrol Line/LP Gas Line/Restaurant Line/Chola Bhatura Line/Samosa Line/RTO Office line/Registration line/License Line/Stock Buy line/Stock Sell Line/Bank Deposit Line/Bank Draft Line/Fixed Deposit Line/Kisaan Vikas Patra Line/Registered/Speed post Line/Blue Dart Line/Company registration line/College admission line/College fee line/University degree line/Interview Line/Booking a Car line/Beer Whisky Line/Canteen Line.
Half the country stands in line, the other half manages the line. Neither has any civic sense.
b) I don't want to bribe babus who manage above lines to get ahead in line.
d) I don't want power failures/cooler failures/ac failures/broken roads/or other catastrophic system failures.
e) I dont want fake or mixed eating oil / flour / milk / cheese / butter / peppers / lentils / rice
f) I don't want dangerous chemical fertilizers in my produce (slow killers - massive kidney failure rate in India for past 10 years)
g) I don't want to teach my children dishonesty and tricks of survival/street smartness (in ref to corruption in India) which don't add any value to their personality.
h) The only reason I would wanna go back is for my immediate family and friends. Thats the only thing I miss when it comes to India.
I wouldn't go back and I believe even MK Gandhi himself would'nt leave from Africa for India in todays times.
Also Its the enemy within (corruption) which can cause great harm and we have that kind of enemy now. You can never ever change the attitudes which people carry in India without another revolution.
I am sure I can come up with a huge list of positives too, They will sound very good and will give me a great feeling of fake National Pride.
Now go ahead and kill me for saying all the above.!!
more...
GCplease
10-09 02:35 PM
I mailed the following message to Senators, Representatives, President's Office, various News organizations sometime in April this year. No one bought it except for some standard reply from the Senator's Offices. At this time, when they have bigger issues, we would be at the bottom of the pile -
"The Economy is inching towards Recession. The President’s Economic stimulus plan will take at least 6 months to bring in the questionable benefits of the Plan. The Fed is aggressively cutting interest rates to turn around the economy. The questionable benefits of these will take a minimum of 6 months to bear fruit.
Nothing can prevent the economy from going into Recession if the Housing crisis is not fixed, neither the Economic stimulus nor the Feds cutting the interest rates.
Now, how do we fix this Housing Crisis. We need to figure out a way to add home buyers. Now, where are the buyers, you may ask. There is surprisingly an easy answer – Employment based Legal Immigrants. These are immigrants who came into this country legally, pay their taxes and social security and who apply for their Employment based Green Cards, the legal way.
There is a huge backlog of employment based legal immigrants who are waiting to get their Employment based permanent residency (Green card). There are approximately 750,000 applicants in line. This backlog has been caused by the annual quota of employment based green cards whose annual limit (140,000) was set decades ago.
These are the immigrants who have already passed through two stages of immigration processes – the Labor Certification where it has been verified that no American talent has been available for the Job Descriptions these immigrants were hired for and The I-140 where the employer is verified to be a genuine employer with financial ability to pay for the immigrants so that they don’t become a liability for the state. They are in the final stage of the Green Card process where this huge back log is.
On top of this, visas not used on a calendar year due to enough resources not available to process them, are wasted. Over the years, these un-used visas amount to around 160,000.
Increasing the annual quota of employment based Green cards from 140,000 to 300,000 would be ideal. Even Microsoft’s Bill Gates has supported this idea in his recent Congressional testimony on March 12, 2008. But that would require the act of Congress and the Senate and it needs to take its course. We need an immediate solution. Re-capturing the unused visas just needs some administrative fixes and this has been done in the past as recent as 2005.
Senator John Cornyn is working on an Amendment that would allow the Department of State and DHS to recapture unused employment based visas. Refer -
http://cornyn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ForPress.NewsReleases&ContentRecord_id=E3CA3FF5-802A-23AD-4A46-BA89FCCC0735
In this he states,
“This (recapture) is not an increase in employment-based numbers but rather, a direction for the agencies to use all the visa numbers that are available today”.
If these unused visas are captured and issued to the Employment based legal immigrants, who have stayed in the country for at least 6 years, we are adding a significant amount of home buyers to the economy.
These immigrants will eventually get their Green Cards in 2 to 4 years. Why not give it to them now so that it will be beneficial to the ailing economy.
The 160,000 un-used visas that are captured and the annual quota of 140,000 employment based Greencards for 2008 amounts to 300,000 green cards which amounts to approximately 150,000 families getting a green card.
Employment based legal immigrants (EB1, EB2 and EB3) who have stayed in the country for 6 years are economically well off and have excellent credit history. Once they get a Green Card, they'll feel more secure and think about buying a home and settling down.
Of the 150,000 families, 25 % may already own a home. 25% may not have the intention of buying a home due to various reasons. Even if the remaining 50 % buy a home,75,000 homes will be taken off the market. This will act as the much needed catalyst and will ease the Housing crisis a little bit.
At a median price of 200,000 (this could be much higher as most of the Employment Based GC aspirants live in the metro areas where the price of houses are much higher), this is an addition of 15 Billion dollars into the economy. By this time, the President’s Economic stimulus plan and the Fed’s interest rate cut will come into effect and the Economy will be saved from going into a full blown recession. "
"The Economy is inching towards Recession. The President’s Economic stimulus plan will take at least 6 months to bring in the questionable benefits of the Plan. The Fed is aggressively cutting interest rates to turn around the economy. The questionable benefits of these will take a minimum of 6 months to bear fruit.
Nothing can prevent the economy from going into Recession if the Housing crisis is not fixed, neither the Economic stimulus nor the Feds cutting the interest rates.
Now, how do we fix this Housing Crisis. We need to figure out a way to add home buyers. Now, where are the buyers, you may ask. There is surprisingly an easy answer – Employment based Legal Immigrants. These are immigrants who came into this country legally, pay their taxes and social security and who apply for their Employment based Green Cards, the legal way.
There is a huge backlog of employment based legal immigrants who are waiting to get their Employment based permanent residency (Green card). There are approximately 750,000 applicants in line. This backlog has been caused by the annual quota of employment based green cards whose annual limit (140,000) was set decades ago.
These are the immigrants who have already passed through two stages of immigration processes – the Labor Certification where it has been verified that no American talent has been available for the Job Descriptions these immigrants were hired for and The I-140 where the employer is verified to be a genuine employer with financial ability to pay for the immigrants so that they don’t become a liability for the state. They are in the final stage of the Green Card process where this huge back log is.
On top of this, visas not used on a calendar year due to enough resources not available to process them, are wasted. Over the years, these un-used visas amount to around 160,000.
Increasing the annual quota of employment based Green cards from 140,000 to 300,000 would be ideal. Even Microsoft’s Bill Gates has supported this idea in his recent Congressional testimony on March 12, 2008. But that would require the act of Congress and the Senate and it needs to take its course. We need an immediate solution. Re-capturing the unused visas just needs some administrative fixes and this has been done in the past as recent as 2005.
Senator John Cornyn is working on an Amendment that would allow the Department of State and DHS to recapture unused employment based visas. Refer -
http://cornyn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ForPress.NewsReleases&ContentRecord_id=E3CA3FF5-802A-23AD-4A46-BA89FCCC0735
In this he states,
“This (recapture) is not an increase in employment-based numbers but rather, a direction for the agencies to use all the visa numbers that are available today”.
If these unused visas are captured and issued to the Employment based legal immigrants, who have stayed in the country for at least 6 years, we are adding a significant amount of home buyers to the economy.
These immigrants will eventually get their Green Cards in 2 to 4 years. Why not give it to them now so that it will be beneficial to the ailing economy.
The 160,000 un-used visas that are captured and the annual quota of 140,000 employment based Greencards for 2008 amounts to 300,000 green cards which amounts to approximately 150,000 families getting a green card.
Employment based legal immigrants (EB1, EB2 and EB3) who have stayed in the country for 6 years are economically well off and have excellent credit history. Once they get a Green Card, they'll feel more secure and think about buying a home and settling down.
Of the 150,000 families, 25 % may already own a home. 25% may not have the intention of buying a home due to various reasons. Even if the remaining 50 % buy a home,75,000 homes will be taken off the market. This will act as the much needed catalyst and will ease the Housing crisis a little bit.
At a median price of 200,000 (this could be much higher as most of the Employment Based GC aspirants live in the metro areas where the price of houses are much higher), this is an addition of 15 Billion dollars into the economy. By this time, the President’s Economic stimulus plan and the Fed’s interest rate cut will come into effect and the Economy will be saved from going into a full blown recession. "
hair Golden eagle in flight
viva
01-29 02:51 AM
pappu- i got the message. sorry, if i became overzealous. just wanted to help iv...
i will not raise any more questions asking non-contributing members to contribute.
go iv .....go core team!
i will not raise any more questions asking non-contributing members to contribute.
go iv .....go core team!
more...
sumagiri
07-25 08:40 PM
I dont know what this means. He said previously EB3 backlog is massive. So assuming40 percent of indians would give 160,000. Out of those assuming 50 percent for EB2 would give 80,000. Question: Is eb2:eb3 ration 50% ??
"I think that the numbers are generally accurate, but I disagree with the conclusion. In large part, I rely on what I was told in a conversation with the State Department officer responsible for calculating cutoff dates. He told me that the Indian E2 cutoff date is going to retrogress back to late 2002 or early 2003 in October. He said that the Indian E2 backlog is MASSIVE.
Looking at the total number of people who have filed AOS applications, or who have been reported as documentarily qualified to consular posts, we see a group of at least 400,000. This was as of a couple of months ago, after much of this year's quota had been used. I'm told that between 40% and 45% of the people in the known backlog are chargeable to India - and most of those are E2".
IMO, "MASSIVE" is a relative term. Even if there are 400,000 applicants and 45% of them are India and 60% of those are E2, the total is just 108,000. Not that bad if we look at the calculations and E2 numbers India gets this year and next year. I think it is sensible to say the actual number would be lower than 108K.
Having said that, before horizontal spill over, all these numbers (spill overs) were going to E3 ROW. Why is E3 ROW still severely retrogressed? Apart from calculations, I am attempting to do all reality checks. Is the volume of E3 ROW so heavy that around 50k + additional visas are not helping to bring E3 ROW to current. Read some where about amnesty causing this back log. Any one knows this for sure?
"I think that the numbers are generally accurate, but I disagree with the conclusion. In large part, I rely on what I was told in a conversation with the State Department officer responsible for calculating cutoff dates. He told me that the Indian E2 cutoff date is going to retrogress back to late 2002 or early 2003 in October. He said that the Indian E2 backlog is MASSIVE.
Looking at the total number of people who have filed AOS applications, or who have been reported as documentarily qualified to consular posts, we see a group of at least 400,000. This was as of a couple of months ago, after much of this year's quota had been used. I'm told that between 40% and 45% of the people in the known backlog are chargeable to India - and most of those are E2".
IMO, "MASSIVE" is a relative term. Even if there are 400,000 applicants and 45% of them are India and 60% of those are E2, the total is just 108,000. Not that bad if we look at the calculations and E2 numbers India gets this year and next year. I think it is sensible to say the actual number would be lower than 108K.
Having said that, before horizontal spill over, all these numbers (spill overs) were going to E3 ROW. Why is E3 ROW still severely retrogressed? Apart from calculations, I am attempting to do all reality checks. Is the volume of E3 ROW so heavy that around 50k + additional visas are not helping to bring E3 ROW to current. Read some where about amnesty causing this back log. Any one knows this for sure?
hot The Golden Eagle is mostly
akred
02-18 12:31 PM
Reason it was retrogressed is probably everyone was getting everyone of their relatives, etc., to come to USA through employment base. The country quota in my mind is designed to prevent such abuses of people making an end run and designing systems to get people from certain countries here.
You are theorizing based on circumstantial evidence, but the history and origin of the country quota does not support your conclusion. The fact that the DOL and UCCIS would not be able to keep abreast of illegal behavior is not something that would have been known at the time the country quota was introduced.
The other issue with your theory is that the abuse you are referring has its roots in the fact that the employer controls the green card process not the country quota. If I really want to abuse the country quota I would change my name and get a fake SSN / green card and wait for the periodic legalization initiatives or even simpler, get a birth certificate from the right country.
You are theorizing based on circumstantial evidence, but the history and origin of the country quota does not support your conclusion. The fact that the DOL and UCCIS would not be able to keep abreast of illegal behavior is not something that would have been known at the time the country quota was introduced.
The other issue with your theory is that the abuse you are referring has its roots in the fact that the employer controls the green card process not the country quota. If I really want to abuse the country quota I would change my name and get a fake SSN / green card and wait for the periodic legalization initiatives or even simpler, get a birth certificate from the right country.
more...
house wallpaper a golden eagle in
ramus
07-03 11:09 PM
Cool... Please put her contact email so others can send her email too..
Thanks.
Just sent her a thank you note and my letter above.
Thanks.
Just sent her a thank you note and my letter above.
tattoo Golden Eagle image
vkrishn
07-28 03:25 AM
Sure with dead bobhead braincells of yours, nobody expects your self image to be high enough. Its not for wimps wearing zippers to the side like you. If you are man enough come and talk to me, and will see who gets handcuffed.
Talk to you about what? Amway?:D Whole point is we don't Amway guys chasing us with your cheesy lines or "brilliant" ideas.. So stop chasing us! Go rope in your relatives or any other insane person.
Why would i want to talk to a Amway guy when i am saying i don;t want to. If one comes to me and talks about Amway and does not understand the word "NO", "I AM NOT INTERESTED" and keeps chasing me he will face the law.
Now if you are a man/women/whatever and if you talk to me about AMWAY be ready to face the music!
Talk to you about what? Amway?:D Whole point is we don't Amway guys chasing us with your cheesy lines or "brilliant" ideas.. So stop chasing us! Go rope in your relatives or any other insane person.
Why would i want to talk to a Amway guy when i am saying i don;t want to. If one comes to me and talks about Amway and does not understand the word "NO", "I AM NOT INTERESTED" and keeps chasing me he will face the law.
Now if you are a man/women/whatever and if you talk to me about AMWAY be ready to face the music!
more...
pictures Golden Eagle (Aquila
thomachan72
03-27 03:11 PM
people went to see another guy taking oath too, who caused recent genocide in Iraq.. Indian PMs are way better than that asshole. Atleast they are only corrupt and dont cause genocide.
:mad:
are you sure?? or did you mean that they did not have the means to make that much damage??? US could afford Bush because, see what is happening now... an almost perfect young and highly motivated guy is cleaning up the mess. but that is not the case in india. each one leaves the office with more mess.
:mad:
are you sure?? or did you mean that they did not have the means to make that much damage??? US could afford Bush because, see what is happening now... an almost perfect young and highly motivated guy is cleaning up the mess. but that is not the case in india. each one leaves the office with more mess.
dresses Golden Eagle (Aquila
sunty
02-12 11:00 PM
Lawsuit might be worth looking into...If you see majority of any type of immigration fixes, a lawsuit or a threat of a lawsuit has been one of the major reasons for USCIS to give some ground....
more...
makeup or golden eagle) in flight
proengineer
10-15 02:59 PM
Interesting statistics posted on Ron Gotcher forum
Credit to Nolefan
Hello Ron,
I have been silent spectator for long and I greatly enjoy reading this blog. The knowledge you bring is great. The blog is very informative & insightful and has given us lots of useful information. I have been thinking of contributing to this blog for sometime related to Pending visa number and spillover topic and this is my first post regarding that.
Recently, I did some calculations on EB1 & EB spillover to EB2 India/China for FY 2010. Here are points I considered
* Average Consular processing numbers for EB1 & EB2 / year are based on historic data from 1998 to 2008. (Data is available on DHS site)
* All ROW EB1 & EB2 applications from following categories will be approved before spill over happens
o consular processing (EB1 & EB2)
o ROW (EB1 & EB2) + Mexico + Philippines
* most applications for India / China EB2 from 2004 and prior are approved except few as mentioned on CIS report.
* Even if there are EB2 ROW I140 applications are pending, they may not be more than few thousands (based historic EB2 usage from EB2 ROW). Based on economic conditions, I assumed 5000 new I485 applications after approval of I140.
Calculations
EB1 spill over
Total quota allowed: 40040
Average consular processing: 5290
AOS Pending: 4050
New applications: 2500
spill over from EB1 ~ 40040 - 5290 � 4050 � 2500
spill over from EB1~ 28500
EB2 spill over
Total quota allowed: 40040
Average consular processing: 2199
AOS Pending (ROW): 7871
New applications: 2500
spill over from EB1 ~ 40040 - 2199 � 7871 � 2500
spill over from EB1~ 27470
Total EB1 & EB2 spill over = 28500 + 27470
Total EB1 & EB2 spill over = 55970
EB4 spill over
Total quota allowed: 9800
Average visa numbers used: 7432�� based on data from 1998 to 2008
spill over = 2368
EB5 spill over
Total quota allowed: 9800
Average visa numbers used: 465 �� based on data from 1998 to 2008
2008 data: 1360
spill over : 8440
Total spill over for EB2 India / China: spill over from (EB1 + EB2 + EB3 + EB4)
i.e. 28500 + 27470 + 2368 + 8440 ..
Total spill over for EB2 India / China: 66778
Preadjudicated EB2 India / China applications ~ 51000
Total pending EB2 India / China ~ 67061
If spill over occurs quarterly, then I would expect EB2 India / China dates should faster throughout year may be current by end of FY 2010.
Credit to Nolefan
Hello Ron,
I have been silent spectator for long and I greatly enjoy reading this blog. The knowledge you bring is great. The blog is very informative & insightful and has given us lots of useful information. I have been thinking of contributing to this blog for sometime related to Pending visa number and spillover topic and this is my first post regarding that.
Recently, I did some calculations on EB1 & EB spillover to EB2 India/China for FY 2010. Here are points I considered
* Average Consular processing numbers for EB1 & EB2 / year are based on historic data from 1998 to 2008. (Data is available on DHS site)
* All ROW EB1 & EB2 applications from following categories will be approved before spill over happens
o consular processing (EB1 & EB2)
o ROW (EB1 & EB2) + Mexico + Philippines
* most applications for India / China EB2 from 2004 and prior are approved except few as mentioned on CIS report.
* Even if there are EB2 ROW I140 applications are pending, they may not be more than few thousands (based historic EB2 usage from EB2 ROW). Based on economic conditions, I assumed 5000 new I485 applications after approval of I140.
Calculations
EB1 spill over
Total quota allowed: 40040
Average consular processing: 5290
AOS Pending: 4050
New applications: 2500
spill over from EB1 ~ 40040 - 5290 � 4050 � 2500
spill over from EB1~ 28500
EB2 spill over
Total quota allowed: 40040
Average consular processing: 2199
AOS Pending (ROW): 7871
New applications: 2500
spill over from EB1 ~ 40040 - 2199 � 7871 � 2500
spill over from EB1~ 27470
Total EB1 & EB2 spill over = 28500 + 27470
Total EB1 & EB2 spill over = 55970
EB4 spill over
Total quota allowed: 9800
Average visa numbers used: 7432�� based on data from 1998 to 2008
spill over = 2368
EB5 spill over
Total quota allowed: 9800
Average visa numbers used: 465 �� based on data from 1998 to 2008
2008 data: 1360
spill over : 8440
Total spill over for EB2 India / China: spill over from (EB1 + EB2 + EB3 + EB4)
i.e. 28500 + 27470 + 2368 + 8440 ..
Total spill over for EB2 India / China: 66778
Preadjudicated EB2 India / China applications ~ 51000
Total pending EB2 India / China ~ 67061
If spill over occurs quarterly, then I would expect EB2 India / China dates should faster throughout year may be current by end of FY 2010.
girlfriend Golden Eagle In Flight. A golden eagle soars through the sky
ilwaiting
03-17 10:33 AM
The sooner LC substitution goes away the lesser we have to deal with such questions. And the sooner we would get our green cards.
hi All,
Can someone give me advice on this:
I have 4 yrs Bachelors + 6.5 yrs of IT exp. i am being offered a Pre- approved labor(EB3-PD-Nov.2003), which was filed for someone with a condition-Bachelors + 4 years exp., at the time of filing.
i graduated in June 2000, so i am about 1 year short for the 2003 PD. However i did some part time work during college in India and the lawyer says if i can get exp. letter from that company on a letter head, that should suffice.
i am concerned if that India exp. during graduation will work or not.
Has anyone faced a situation like this?
the (part time exp)company was very small, can this be risky? what do you guys think?
Thanks.
hi All,
Can someone give me advice on this:
I have 4 yrs Bachelors + 6.5 yrs of IT exp. i am being offered a Pre- approved labor(EB3-PD-Nov.2003), which was filed for someone with a condition-Bachelors + 4 years exp., at the time of filing.
i graduated in June 2000, so i am about 1 year short for the 2003 PD. However i did some part time work during college in India and the lawyer says if i can get exp. letter from that company on a letter head, that should suffice.
i am concerned if that India exp. during graduation will work or not.
Has anyone faced a situation like this?
the (part time exp)company was very small, can this be risky? what do you guys think?
Thanks.
hairstyles Golden Eagle
alterego
12-21 05:18 PM
albertpinto,
I agree that it is not going to be easy - but I don't see any other way.
It is easy to throw numbers - 200K, 500K waiting, 750K apps received etc. etc., but unless there is evidence to back it up, these numbers mean nothing. What is our answer to a Senator who asks how many people are waiting in line Eb category? And what is the source of that data?
How else can we estimate how much money we are paying every year in taxes and contributing to the growth of the economy? Or, how many really intend to buy a house on receipt of the Green Card?
Perhaps we can think of some other strategy to arrive at some concrete numbers - but I sincerely don't think a database of anonymous unverifiable members is of much use. By the way, when I said verifiable, I meant that if a representative from a senators office were to randomly call a number from the database, he would find a legal immigrant at the other end who is trying to find his way through this process.
I like the idea of a temporary green card - there has been talk about it in the forums in the past. We could also consider pitching the idea of "expedited/early evaluation/adjudication", of the I-485, for a fee. The main point could be:
- For a fee, you will know for sure whether all your paperwork/interview work is complete, the case has been adjudicated, and your application is waiting only for a visa umber.
- Once the case is adjudicated - the USCIS sends you a letter that it is complete. Now can do almost anything with your EAD/AP - work for any employer, any field, any state, study, start a business etc.
The USCIS can define the criteria for accepting cases for early evaluation, such as:
- PD older than 3 years
- Buying a house etc.
- Attempting to start a business, changing job, going back to school to enhance skills etc.
Any other thoughts, any one?
In my view that sets the bar too low for us. You can never get any certainty with an EAD/AP, with a green card one is considered a "probationary American". With this sort of request, there will be a "probationary period to probationary citizenship".
At this juncture, if you are in a secure job and can hold that job, especially if other jobs depend on yours, and feel secure enough to buy a home in this country, you are a tremendous asset to this country at this time.......period.
The skills, savings mentality, strong family values, capital and international contacts that we possess are a net plus to this country.
I have not come to this country to beg for anything, I have come to benefit myself while benefiting America. There are synergies here for us and any fair minded person will see this. Only narrow minded people who have a zero sum mindset eg Lou Dobbs can't see this. If an EB5 investor, a spouse of a citizen, and other categories can get a green card right away, why would a similar option not be afforded someone who will in a substantially tangible way benefit the economy near and long term. The American public will embrace this if presented to them in the appropriate way.
I agree that it is not going to be easy - but I don't see any other way.
It is easy to throw numbers - 200K, 500K waiting, 750K apps received etc. etc., but unless there is evidence to back it up, these numbers mean nothing. What is our answer to a Senator who asks how many people are waiting in line Eb category? And what is the source of that data?
How else can we estimate how much money we are paying every year in taxes and contributing to the growth of the economy? Or, how many really intend to buy a house on receipt of the Green Card?
Perhaps we can think of some other strategy to arrive at some concrete numbers - but I sincerely don't think a database of anonymous unverifiable members is of much use. By the way, when I said verifiable, I meant that if a representative from a senators office were to randomly call a number from the database, he would find a legal immigrant at the other end who is trying to find his way through this process.
I like the idea of a temporary green card - there has been talk about it in the forums in the past. We could also consider pitching the idea of "expedited/early evaluation/adjudication", of the I-485, for a fee. The main point could be:
- For a fee, you will know for sure whether all your paperwork/interview work is complete, the case has been adjudicated, and your application is waiting only for a visa umber.
- Once the case is adjudicated - the USCIS sends you a letter that it is complete. Now can do almost anything with your EAD/AP - work for any employer, any field, any state, study, start a business etc.
The USCIS can define the criteria for accepting cases for early evaluation, such as:
- PD older than 3 years
- Buying a house etc.
- Attempting to start a business, changing job, going back to school to enhance skills etc.
Any other thoughts, any one?
In my view that sets the bar too low for us. You can never get any certainty with an EAD/AP, with a green card one is considered a "probationary American". With this sort of request, there will be a "probationary period to probationary citizenship".
At this juncture, if you are in a secure job and can hold that job, especially if other jobs depend on yours, and feel secure enough to buy a home in this country, you are a tremendous asset to this country at this time.......period.
The skills, savings mentality, strong family values, capital and international contacts that we possess are a net plus to this country.
I have not come to this country to beg for anything, I have come to benefit myself while benefiting America. There are synergies here for us and any fair minded person will see this. Only narrow minded people who have a zero sum mindset eg Lou Dobbs can't see this. If an EB5 investor, a spouse of a citizen, and other categories can get a green card right away, why would a similar option not be afforded someone who will in a substantially tangible way benefit the economy near and long term. The American public will embrace this if presented to them in the appropriate way.
lazycis
02-12 10:33 PM
Educate yourself, check these out:
http://www.ailf.org/lac/asylee_adjustment.asp
http://www.uscis.gov/vgn-ext-templating/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=1dc6aca797e63110VgnVCM10000047 18190aRCRD&vgnextchannel=1dc6aca797e63110VgnVCM1000004718190a RCRD
http://www.ailf.org/lac/asylee_adjustment.asp
http://www.uscis.gov/vgn-ext-templating/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=1dc6aca797e63110VgnVCM10000047 18190aRCRD&vgnextchannel=1dc6aca797e63110VgnVCM1000004718190a RCRD
doknek
07-17 01:33 PM
If PD moves to last quarter of 2007 within a year, then there would be no candidates (EB2), since all will still be stuck in PERM audits which will take 6-12 more months to clear + I-140 processing time.
So, they move PD dates faster but freeze PERM apps. I am confused:confused: Any insights?
So, they move PD dates faster but freeze PERM apps. I am confused:confused: Any insights?
