panky72
06-25 04:31 PM
I don't know if this question has been asked before. Is there a benefit for filing AP by paper rather then electronically. I filed EAD by paper to TCS and got the "Card Production Ordered" email yesterday (in 14 days) for myself and my wife. My friends who efiled just received finger printing appointment notification and no receipts. Is there same benefit with AP? Please calrify.
Main benefit of paper filing is that you do not have to go for repeat Finger printing.
Main benefit of paper filing is that you do not have to go for repeat Finger printing.
wallpaper BLACK EYED PEAS THE BEGINNING
laborchic
10-05 05:19 PM
Absolutely agree to that..
Especially when you have FREE drinks and chapter leader dance :eek:
Especially when you have FREE drinks and chapter leader dance :eek:
jsb
08-11 08:58 AM
As visa bulletin is taking time, it suggests that somebody is putting some efforts in determining new cutoff dates. And they need to use up leftover visas. Hope to get a movement all across.
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miththoo
11-08 12:52 PM
I have an nre repatriable demat acct thru icici - it took all of 5 mnths and over 30 calls to cust svc to get the acct opened. The acct was mainly for utilizing the indian stock opts given by employer. You can trade as an NRI but online trading is not available for US residents on nre demat accts - u can however trade thru a broker like sharekhan etc.
All dividends are credited only to your NRE savings a/c - not to regular savings a/c. Any stock sale requires an authorization number which the broker can provide. Taxes on capital gains must be paid only if you sell within a year of purchase - the percentage is the same as for Indian citizens. There is no tax on long term cap gains
Since we do not have any taxable income in India, and many NRIs make charitable contributions regularly, the tax liabilities are usually not very high
Also there is a very informative section on sify.com for NRI taxation. You are not required to file any tax returns if you are in NRI status and are within the exemption limits.
Thanks Ramaonline.
Which broker do you use to do the online trading ?
All dividends are credited only to your NRE savings a/c - not to regular savings a/c. Any stock sale requires an authorization number which the broker can provide. Taxes on capital gains must be paid only if you sell within a year of purchase - the percentage is the same as for Indian citizens. There is no tax on long term cap gains
Since we do not have any taxable income in India, and many NRIs make charitable contributions regularly, the tax liabilities are usually not very high
Also there is a very informative section on sify.com for NRI taxation. You are not required to file any tax returns if you are in NRI status and are within the exemption limits.
Thanks Ramaonline.
Which broker do you use to do the online trading ?
more...
jonty_11
07-18 12:36 PM
Was there a bill to create this category or this was decision taken by the USCIS.
Its a good move, I know that this initiative was started by an Officer from US Army whose interpreter was getting death threats for helping the US. When he saw that it was not an isolated incidence he started lobbying the state department to create a separate category. I have been following that story for a couple of months, but was not aware that a bill was passed to create a new category or visas. (i am sure, that USCIS cannot take a unilateral decision to add more visas or else why would we be begging for recapture bills)
Whcih categories do Political Asylees or Refugees get into?
I think that is an Open category and anyone who can show that their life is in danger in their Homeland can apply...For Iraq, since tehre are too many, they may be limiting 5K per year...
Its a good move, I know that this initiative was started by an Officer from US Army whose interpreter was getting death threats for helping the US. When he saw that it was not an isolated incidence he started lobbying the state department to create a separate category. I have been following that story for a couple of months, but was not aware that a bill was passed to create a new category or visas. (i am sure, that USCIS cannot take a unilateral decision to add more visas or else why would we be begging for recapture bills)
Whcih categories do Political Asylees or Refugees get into?
I think that is an Open category and anyone who can show that their life is in danger in their Homeland can apply...For Iraq, since tehre are too many, they may be limiting 5K per year...
floridasun
04-19 06:39 PM
good post... agreed for the most except - yes this is how free market enterprise works but this is also how economy is so vibrant and so many jobs are generated although US has only 300 million ppl most of whom are under-educated. if you are saying ppl in 30's should look elsewhere - where would so many ppl look jobs for ? why not they stick here for few more years and when time comes (read it as when they are forced to leave the country), they just go back to home country and make use of saved money/401k etc in their local currency. also focus on their kids.
Politicians always want to keep issues alive! If issues go away, there is nothing to fight, nothing to talk in the elections; without issues you cannot get "bulk" support from any specific group! So, the so called CIR will remain a "perpetual carrot". It will never happen in our life time.
We are all mature, educated people from a highly politically conscious environment! So...we are not naive, I am sure!
I take this opportunity to summarize a few things which have happened in the context of "long term indentured" labourers like us:
1. Quantum jump in terms of H1 ---> about 8 / 9 years back [happened because of pressure from corporations and their lobbies, nothing to with us. they wanted cheap labour and more profits!]
2. "Free for all" L1s ---> There is no cap, no specialty skill requirement. Not even sure if this has a min wage like H1. Why? Only because it serves the interests of the corporations to import 80% of the work force in any project!
3. Yearly H1 extensions based on Labour approvals / 3 year extensions for I 140 cases ---> When the "slaves" started returning after 6 years (without GCs being approved) the corporations growled and again the lobbies worked day and night. This has nothing to do with our pleading!
4. AC 21 ---> This is a good feature with a humane angle, but again there is NO WRITTEN MEMO permitting the employees to switch jobs 6 months after receving their EADs! This has been clearly articulated in a new item by Murthy.com! So AC21 is NOT a fool proof mechanism!
If the employer withdraws his I 140 there is a fair chance that 485 might be denied. (as per Murthy.com, there are a number of cases where such denials have happened). Again INS will never issue a memo, because it will antagonize the corporations
5. EAD / AP merger ---> this is a minor change in procedure, an admin fix! This is not a policy change. Full credit to several immigration forums and pleadings. However, this is not going to help many of us as our AP / EAD dates vary by several weeks and we might not be able to file them together
So, after 10 + years pleading, we have been able to get an admin fix :) That is amazing!!! Under the circumstances we cannot even dream of any legislative support or correction! Instead of Chinese / Indians in the endless line had citizens of the EU nations been affected, everything would have been fixed ages back!
Everyone is interested in the illegals and their "hard working" school children! That is because of the money, muscle, vote power they wield! Even if they were to have 1% of the law on their side, they would have achieved their objective ages back! They are holding us hostage because we have 100% of the law on our side and they have 0% of the law on their side. Otherwise, why should we law abiding immigrants be grouped with people who jumped fence?
Think...does this make sense at all? Correct me if I am wrong! I will accept my mistakes with all humility!
How is the CIR even relevant in our case? Did we do anythng illegal????
What are we all waiting for? ~ ~ ~
Honestly, NOTHING but the WILL of the SUPREME POWER can help us !!! (more than 99% of the population are believers, anyway)
Youngsters in the early to mid 30s with "non US citizen kids" please think seriously. Do not waste your time in this mess for decades. We have all suffered for 10 - 12 years now and have no options. If you cross the age of 40 then you cannot immigrate to any western country because you will lose in the "points system". It would be a good option to live in countries who have a clear cut time bound program which does not discriminate on the basis of your nationality.
When the corporations wanted you and I, H1 was increased - no one was bothered about your nationality at that time. Today when we want a future for our family and kids, people talk about quota and diversity! This is what is known as "Having the cake and eating it too"
Remember, the system has been designed to support and ensure long term indentured labour to sustain the greedy corporations! There is no place for empathy or compassion. It is business! It is money! Free market enterprise works this way!
If we are expecting miracles, we are chasing a mirage!!!
May the SUPREME POWER bless the EB2 / EB3 communities and give them the strength, resilience and the patience they badly need!!!
Politicians always want to keep issues alive! If issues go away, there is nothing to fight, nothing to talk in the elections; without issues you cannot get "bulk" support from any specific group! So, the so called CIR will remain a "perpetual carrot". It will never happen in our life time.
We are all mature, educated people from a highly politically conscious environment! So...we are not naive, I am sure!
I take this opportunity to summarize a few things which have happened in the context of "long term indentured" labourers like us:
1. Quantum jump in terms of H1 ---> about 8 / 9 years back [happened because of pressure from corporations and their lobbies, nothing to with us. they wanted cheap labour and more profits!]
2. "Free for all" L1s ---> There is no cap, no specialty skill requirement. Not even sure if this has a min wage like H1. Why? Only because it serves the interests of the corporations to import 80% of the work force in any project!
3. Yearly H1 extensions based on Labour approvals / 3 year extensions for I 140 cases ---> When the "slaves" started returning after 6 years (without GCs being approved) the corporations growled and again the lobbies worked day and night. This has nothing to do with our pleading!
4. AC 21 ---> This is a good feature with a humane angle, but again there is NO WRITTEN MEMO permitting the employees to switch jobs 6 months after receving their EADs! This has been clearly articulated in a new item by Murthy.com! So AC21 is NOT a fool proof mechanism!
If the employer withdraws his I 140 there is a fair chance that 485 might be denied. (as per Murthy.com, there are a number of cases where such denials have happened). Again INS will never issue a memo, because it will antagonize the corporations
5. EAD / AP merger ---> this is a minor change in procedure, an admin fix! This is not a policy change. Full credit to several immigration forums and pleadings. However, this is not going to help many of us as our AP / EAD dates vary by several weeks and we might not be able to file them together
So, after 10 + years pleading, we have been able to get an admin fix :) That is amazing!!! Under the circumstances we cannot even dream of any legislative support or correction! Instead of Chinese / Indians in the endless line had citizens of the EU nations been affected, everything would have been fixed ages back!
Everyone is interested in the illegals and their "hard working" school children! That is because of the money, muscle, vote power they wield! Even if they were to have 1% of the law on their side, they would have achieved their objective ages back! They are holding us hostage because we have 100% of the law on our side and they have 0% of the law on their side. Otherwise, why should we law abiding immigrants be grouped with people who jumped fence?
Think...does this make sense at all? Correct me if I am wrong! I will accept my mistakes with all humility!
How is the CIR even relevant in our case? Did we do anythng illegal????
What are we all waiting for? ~ ~ ~
Honestly, NOTHING but the WILL of the SUPREME POWER can help us !!! (more than 99% of the population are believers, anyway)
Youngsters in the early to mid 30s with "non US citizen kids" please think seriously. Do not waste your time in this mess for decades. We have all suffered for 10 - 12 years now and have no options. If you cross the age of 40 then you cannot immigrate to any western country because you will lose in the "points system". It would be a good option to live in countries who have a clear cut time bound program which does not discriminate on the basis of your nationality.
When the corporations wanted you and I, H1 was increased - no one was bothered about your nationality at that time. Today when we want a future for our family and kids, people talk about quota and diversity! This is what is known as "Having the cake and eating it too"
Remember, the system has been designed to support and ensure long term indentured labour to sustain the greedy corporations! There is no place for empathy or compassion. It is business! It is money! Free market enterprise works this way!
If we are expecting miracles, we are chasing a mirage!!!
May the SUPREME POWER bless the EB2 / EB3 communities and give them the strength, resilience and the patience they badly need!!!
more...
ramaonline
04-09 07:41 PM
Once you go back to your home countries - If your jobs can't be filled locally they will be sent offshore - The impact on the employers will not be too big for Congress to take notice.
2010 lack eyed peas time album artwork. The Black Eyed Peas - The Time lack
belmontboy
03-15 10:01 PM
Thank you La_guy and others....
Do they ask me regarding this at the POE? In what forms do I have to fill the info? I am not sure, as one of you suggested, if they ask we will tell them. But does this record appear in their computer screen and if we did not mention to them, will it be treated as another crime?
God please help me , It's THE WORST thing ever I did and been trhu a painful experience
Thank you guys........
Any visa form or I-94 form at POE will contain a section for declaring these.
Yes, you have to indicate. If you don't and they findout it would constitute perjury leading to revocation and possibly complicate your life further.
Do they ask me regarding this at the POE? In what forms do I have to fill the info? I am not sure, as one of you suggested, if they ask we will tell them. But does this record appear in their computer screen and if we did not mention to them, will it be treated as another crime?
God please help me , It's THE WORST thing ever I did and been trhu a painful experience
Thank you guys........
Any visa form or I-94 form at POE will contain a section for declaring these.
Yes, you have to indicate. If you don't and they findout it would constitute perjury leading to revocation and possibly complicate your life further.
more...
vikki76
04-08 02:01 PM
Gandhi was in S Africa for how many years before he returned to India? If he hadn't been humiliated in S Africa and didn't decide to perform Satyagraha-who knows what shape our freedom movement might have taken?S Africa made Mohandas a "Gandhi"
Maybe, we all need to go to our home countries-and free them from "beloved politicians":-)
Maybe, we all need to go to our home countries-and free them from "beloved politicians":-)
hair art, the lack eyed peas,
hebbar77
05-01 09:25 PM
If all members of this community pay 100 grand , we can buy a country in africa and build our own country!!
This could be good substitute for buying houses here worth 500-1000k$
What do u think!?:D
This could be good substitute for buying houses here worth 500-1000k$
What do u think!?:D
more...
supplychainwalla
05-22 12:46 PM
Are they processing based on received date or notice date???
hot lack eyed peas time album artwork. for the Black Eyed Peas#39;
delhirocks
06-28 02:08 PM
http://www.jackson-hertogs.com/JH/memos/3090.pdf
Please see the attached document section B2.
It implies that one can apply for EAD even if I-140 is pending, but the said law firm advises against it if the case is not straight forward (Labor substitution etc...)
Also, I just got off the phone with my lawyer and she confirmed that
"Though it is advisable to apply for EAD after I-140 is approved, it is not neccesary".
In my particular case, since my H1 is valid till July'08, she mentioned it shouldn't be a problem. But she mentioned that they intend to convert the I-140 application to Premium, the moment USCIS reinstates it to be on the safer side.
Please see the attached document section B2.
It implies that one can apply for EAD even if I-140 is pending, but the said law firm advises against it if the case is not straight forward (Labor substitution etc...)
Also, I just got off the phone with my lawyer and she confirmed that
"Though it is advisable to apply for EAD after I-140 is approved, it is not neccesary".
In my particular case, since my H1 is valid till July'08, she mentioned it shouldn't be a problem. But she mentioned that they intend to convert the I-140 application to Premium, the moment USCIS reinstates it to be on the safer side.
more...
house Black Eyed Peas — The
mpadapa
10-09 01:57 PM
count me in.. I might be slightly late..
I'll try to sneak out of office early:D
So mpdapa can we expect you on Friday ?
I'll try to sneak out of office early:D
So mpdapa can we expect you on Friday ?
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NKR
07-04 12:21 PM
I agree, if you are past 180 days since you applied for 485 and if your 140 is approved, it shouldn't matter if your ex employer withdraws 140 now, though I doubt he would.
This is another example of a bad desi employer trying to screw an employee. these stories make me puke. the employer did not have a problem when you found a project, when you negotiated rates and when you worked with the same client for 3 years and now all of a sudden he is holding you accountable. totally unprofessional . sic.
This is another example of a bad desi employer trying to screw an employee. these stories make me puke. the employer did not have a problem when you found a project, when you negotiated rates and when you worked with the same client for 3 years and now all of a sudden he is holding you accountable. totally unprofessional . sic.
more...
pictures Black Eyed Peas go from #39;END#39;
LONGGCQUE
05-31 08:40 AM
Anything for EB relief ? I dont see a content in the bill language.
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k_usa
08-11 10:50 AM
Thanks nrk. I am keeping my fingers crossed. I was current for two months in 2008 but did not get. So hoping for the best this time but again I would not be surprised if I don't get it, especially looking at USCIS/DOS works.
Hi Sailesh, congrats...Don't worry this time you will get it. Now USCIS is far better compared to where they are in 2008.
I felt bad in 2008 as i could n't get it after filing the application on July 2nd also...
Hi Sailesh, congrats...Don't worry this time you will get it. Now USCIS is far better compared to where they are in 2008.
I felt bad in 2008 as i could n't get it after filing the application on July 2nd also...
more...
makeup lack eyed peas beginning
ragz4u
04-03 10:50 AM
These are the talking points that AILA is suggesting for calls made to the Senators :
http://capwiz.com/aila2/callalert/index.tt?alertid=8554496&type=CO
(please call between 9am & 5pm)
Ask For: Immigration Staffer
Talking Points:
1) Tell your Senator to support the Judiciary Committee's comprehensive immigration reform bill!
2) Tell them that we need a workable solution and path to eventual permanent status for the 12 million undocumented!
3) Tell them that we need a new temporary worker program that offers labor protections and a path to permanent status!
4) Tell them that the family and employment backlog provisions in the Chairman's Mark are good and should remain in the bill!
5) Tell them that full access to the Circuit Courts of Appeal must be preserved!
I hope knnmbd realizes here that AILA has no mention of legal immigrants in the call to Senators.....your thoughts knnmbd?
http://capwiz.com/aila2/callalert/index.tt?alertid=8554496&type=CO
(please call between 9am & 5pm)
Ask For: Immigration Staffer
Talking Points:
1) Tell your Senator to support the Judiciary Committee's comprehensive immigration reform bill!
2) Tell them that we need a workable solution and path to eventual permanent status for the 12 million undocumented!
3) Tell them that we need a new temporary worker program that offers labor protections and a path to permanent status!
4) Tell them that the family and employment backlog provisions in the Chairman's Mark are good and should remain in the bill!
5) Tell them that full access to the Circuit Courts of Appeal must be preserved!
I hope knnmbd realizes here that AILA has no mention of legal immigrants in the call to Senators.....your thoughts knnmbd?
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Humhongekamyab
01-15 03:35 PM
i'll take this as joke.
Trust me, if he wants to kill you, he won't ask for your money.
If he asks for your money/car, he doesn't intend to kill you.
You think anybody can mug 'sledge hammer'?
Trust me, if he wants to kill you, he won't ask for your money.
If he asks for your money/car, he doesn't intend to kill you.
You think anybody can mug 'sledge hammer'?
hairstyles Black Eyed Peas Album Art
mannan74
08-15 06:43 PM
Applied for EAD extension on July 08-2008 (expiring on Sep 30-08), less than 90 days. Got a 2 year extension in Mail Aug-14-2008 (Approval date Aug 07-2008).
Thanks
Thanks
getgreensoon1
04-20 11:45 AM
You are right -- 3 Year Bachelor + 3 year Master (in related field) is good to go. 3 Year Bachelor + 2 year Master is unlikely to sail through.
In this case, OP need to establish that his/her Masters is 3 years.
Looks like a few people at USCIS know that some kind of masters degree from india with a 3 years bachelors unrelated to ones profession cannot be used in place of US masters. Did not realize that USCIS has some people who know the rules and play by them. If all USCIS people who approve these cases know about this and if lawyers stop justifying that correspondence masters degree is equivalent of US masters, bogus initial eb2 applications as well as porting could be stopped.
Looks like policiticans are doing some work here.
In this case, OP need to establish that his/her Masters is 3 years.
Looks like a few people at USCIS know that some kind of masters degree from india with a 3 years bachelors unrelated to ones profession cannot be used in place of US masters. Did not realize that USCIS has some people who know the rules and play by them. If all USCIS people who approve these cases know about this and if lawyers stop justifying that correspondence masters degree is equivalent of US masters, bogus initial eb2 applications as well as porting could be stopped.
Looks like policiticans are doing some work here.
kanta80
04-25 11:00 PM
Here is the link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/25/AR2006042501963.html
Sorry if someone else had already posted it.
Thanks.
Ed to add text in case link gets outdated:
Skilled Immigrants Turn to K Street
High-Tech Workers Awaiting Green Cards Hire Lobbyists, Hit the Hill
By S. Mitra Kalita
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, April 26, 2006; Page D01
On the December day when Congress killed a budget amendment that might have allowed him to become an American a little sooner, Aman Kapoor started a movement.
He did not march through streets, carry signs, wave a flag from here or there. He did not walk off the job or file out of school. The computer programmer simply went online to a message board tracked by thousands of people in his predicament: highly skilled foreigners waiting years for their green cards.
"I think we can do better and really create the impact with organized effort," he wrote. "To achieve this we need a group of individuals who have shown commitment and motivation in this forum."
The next night, a dozen people living across the United States shed their Internet handles -- Kapoor's was "WaldenPond," a nod to his hero, Henry David Thoreau -- and addressed one another by name on a conference call that lasted an hour. Today, just four months later, the organization they dubbed Immigration Voice boasts 3,000 members; a fundraising goal of $200,000; and, most notably, a partnership with a high-powered lobbying firm, Quinn Gillespie & Associates LLC.
The group's transformation from an insular circle to a politically active movement offers a window into an alternative immigrant campaign being waged as the Senate this week resumes its work on immigration laws.
Most members and all the core organizers of Immigration Voice hail from India, though Chinese membership numbers in the hundreds and is on the rise. Most arrived on an international student visa or a visa known as the H-1B, reserved for highly skilled workers who can stay for up to six years -- unless an employer sponsors their green cards, which grant immigrants permanent residence in the United States and the right to live and work here freely. Over the past decade, the largest numbers of H-1Bs have been awarded to high-technology workers from India and China.
Thus, while the passage of a strict border-security bill introduced by Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner Jr. (R-Wis.) mobilized many other immigrants in December, members of this high-tech group had their eye on another: a budget reconciliation bill that, in the Senate version, would have allowed those waiting in line for a green card to proceed even if the quota had been exhausted. The provision was cut in conference committee, stirring many to action and leading to the founding of Immigration Voice.
While hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets to get Congress's attention, Immigration Voice took a decidedly different approach. Shortly after the group was established, Kapoor and other volunteers began interviewing lobbyists, relying mostly on Google searches and data from the Center for Public Integrity's Web site.
"If it was not going to be big, it would not be worth the effort," said Kapoor, who works for Florida State University and has traveled to Washington nine times in the past three months. "Most of us have reached that point, having waited for eight or nine years, where individual lives are on hold."
Neither Quinn Gillespie nor Immigration Voice would disclose the amount being paid for the firm's services. Kapoor said it is "less than five figures."
"This is a sympathetic story," said Nick Maduros, a lobbyist for Quinn Gillespie. "For this group, their issues are very technical and are frankly not that controversial, but they have been overshadowed ."
Immigration Voices also enlisted the help of Rick Swartz, who has his own firm and has long been a leading lobbyist for immigration groups. Swartz gathered members of the group at his home one January weekend for a crash course in American politics, teaching them to position themselves as the "new Cubans for the Republicans."
Although their numbers are far smaller -- fewer than 2 million Indians live in the United States, according to the 2000 Census -- the group is among the more affluent immigrant communities. And because their numbers are smaller than those of Hispanics, they are trying to focus on other ways they can exert power -- through their wealth, their positions of influence in the high-tech and business communities, and their alliances with more established advocacy groups such as one for Indian physicians and an Indian political action committee.
While the immigrant marchers' demands have covered a range of issues, including allowing immigrants to gain legal status and eventually citizenship, the members of this association are more narrowly focused: They want Congress to pass measures that would end the years-long wait for a green card. In fact, they warn that efforts to enable millions of illegal immigrants to remain here permanently would result in the same bureaucratic nightmare legal immigrants are now facing.
"If you're going to reform, reform across the board," said Bharati Mandapati, who oversees content for the group, which means she has learned how to word and pitch legislative amendments.
The group has refrained from taking a stand on the fate of the undocumented workers, though it monitors chatter on its Web site to ensure that frustrated high-tech workers don't disparage lower-skilled laborers such as landscapers and restaurant workers. It also has stayed mum on raising the cap on H-1Bs, the visas that made most of their passages possible.
Under a proposal introduced by Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), the number of employment-based green cards being issued would increase from 140,000 to 290,000. Currently, no one country is supposed to take up more than 7 percent of the allotment, though unused green cards can be redistributed to countries that have already met their quota. That has made possible migrations in excess of 7 percent from nations such as India, China, Mexico and the Philippines. Under the proposal, the per-country cap would be increased to a hard and fast 10 percent. Proponents say this would prevent one country from dominating the category and would retain jobs for native-born Americans.
But Mandapati, a California-based economist, argues that the restriction would hurt the United States because the demand for skills changes. "It just so happens that computer technology and certain technical skills are in great demand here and all over the world. It just so happens that there are two countries that have invested a lot of resources in educating people in these fields . . . India and China."
About a half-million immigrants are caught in the green-card backlog, some as they wait for Labor Department approval or because quotas have been exceeded. In that time, they cannot be promoted or given substantial pay increases because that would mean a change in job description and salary. They turn to Web sites to compare their wait times with others, and their Internet handles, such as "stucklabor" and "waiting_labor," exude their frustration.
During meetings on Capitol Hill, Maduros and at least one Immigration Voice representative lay out the group's platform, weaving in the personal stories of members. Shilpa Ghodgaonkar, a Germantown housewife, has become a staple anecdote -- and a frequent visitor on the Hill.
For four years, she and her husband have been waiting for their green cards. Ghodgaonkar's husband arrived on an H-1B visa, and she followed as his dependent, unauthorized to work here. To pass the time, she learned to cook. Then she volunteered as a career counselor in Montgomery County. Last year, she earned her MBA from George Washington University. In December, around the time Kapoor sent out his e-mail plea for mass mobilization, Ghodgaonkar had run out of options.
"I just couldn't keep quiet anymore," Ghodgaonkar said. "I cannot be depressed anymore."
She keeps a spreadsheet that lays out appointment times and the senators' offices she has visited or still plans to: Specter, Frist, Schumer, Brownback, Bingaman, Feinstein, Feingold. Wednesdays bring a weekly call with Quinn Gillespie. And every few nights, there are conference calls among Immigration Voice's core team.
Now the group plans to closely watch the debate resuming in the Senate Judiciary Committee. Earlier this month, Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) proposed amendments with all of the group's provisions. Other lawmakers confirm that they are still meeting with the group to hear their concerns.
Immigration Voice leaders say the past few months have focused and politicized Indian immigrants in a way that was not apparent in the past. "There is a very 'Mr. Smith Goes to Washington' quality" about the current effort, Mandapati said. "It's been a journey, a loss of naivete and getting to know about American politics."
Sorry if someone else had already posted it.
Thanks.
Ed to add text in case link gets outdated:
Skilled Immigrants Turn to K Street
High-Tech Workers Awaiting Green Cards Hire Lobbyists, Hit the Hill
By S. Mitra Kalita
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, April 26, 2006; Page D01
On the December day when Congress killed a budget amendment that might have allowed him to become an American a little sooner, Aman Kapoor started a movement.
He did not march through streets, carry signs, wave a flag from here or there. He did not walk off the job or file out of school. The computer programmer simply went online to a message board tracked by thousands of people in his predicament: highly skilled foreigners waiting years for their green cards.
"I think we can do better and really create the impact with organized effort," he wrote. "To achieve this we need a group of individuals who have shown commitment and motivation in this forum."
The next night, a dozen people living across the United States shed their Internet handles -- Kapoor's was "WaldenPond," a nod to his hero, Henry David Thoreau -- and addressed one another by name on a conference call that lasted an hour. Today, just four months later, the organization they dubbed Immigration Voice boasts 3,000 members; a fundraising goal of $200,000; and, most notably, a partnership with a high-powered lobbying firm, Quinn Gillespie & Associates LLC.
The group's transformation from an insular circle to a politically active movement offers a window into an alternative immigrant campaign being waged as the Senate this week resumes its work on immigration laws.
Most members and all the core organizers of Immigration Voice hail from India, though Chinese membership numbers in the hundreds and is on the rise. Most arrived on an international student visa or a visa known as the H-1B, reserved for highly skilled workers who can stay for up to six years -- unless an employer sponsors their green cards, which grant immigrants permanent residence in the United States and the right to live and work here freely. Over the past decade, the largest numbers of H-1Bs have been awarded to high-technology workers from India and China.
Thus, while the passage of a strict border-security bill introduced by Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner Jr. (R-Wis.) mobilized many other immigrants in December, members of this high-tech group had their eye on another: a budget reconciliation bill that, in the Senate version, would have allowed those waiting in line for a green card to proceed even if the quota had been exhausted. The provision was cut in conference committee, stirring many to action and leading to the founding of Immigration Voice.
While hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets to get Congress's attention, Immigration Voice took a decidedly different approach. Shortly after the group was established, Kapoor and other volunteers began interviewing lobbyists, relying mostly on Google searches and data from the Center for Public Integrity's Web site.
"If it was not going to be big, it would not be worth the effort," said Kapoor, who works for Florida State University and has traveled to Washington nine times in the past three months. "Most of us have reached that point, having waited for eight or nine years, where individual lives are on hold."
Neither Quinn Gillespie nor Immigration Voice would disclose the amount being paid for the firm's services. Kapoor said it is "less than five figures."
"This is a sympathetic story," said Nick Maduros, a lobbyist for Quinn Gillespie. "For this group, their issues are very technical and are frankly not that controversial, but they have been overshadowed ."
Immigration Voices also enlisted the help of Rick Swartz, who has his own firm and has long been a leading lobbyist for immigration groups. Swartz gathered members of the group at his home one January weekend for a crash course in American politics, teaching them to position themselves as the "new Cubans for the Republicans."
Although their numbers are far smaller -- fewer than 2 million Indians live in the United States, according to the 2000 Census -- the group is among the more affluent immigrant communities. And because their numbers are smaller than those of Hispanics, they are trying to focus on other ways they can exert power -- through their wealth, their positions of influence in the high-tech and business communities, and their alliances with more established advocacy groups such as one for Indian physicians and an Indian political action committee.
While the immigrant marchers' demands have covered a range of issues, including allowing immigrants to gain legal status and eventually citizenship, the members of this association are more narrowly focused: They want Congress to pass measures that would end the years-long wait for a green card. In fact, they warn that efforts to enable millions of illegal immigrants to remain here permanently would result in the same bureaucratic nightmare legal immigrants are now facing.
"If you're going to reform, reform across the board," said Bharati Mandapati, who oversees content for the group, which means she has learned how to word and pitch legislative amendments.
The group has refrained from taking a stand on the fate of the undocumented workers, though it monitors chatter on its Web site to ensure that frustrated high-tech workers don't disparage lower-skilled laborers such as landscapers and restaurant workers. It also has stayed mum on raising the cap on H-1Bs, the visas that made most of their passages possible.
Under a proposal introduced by Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), the number of employment-based green cards being issued would increase from 140,000 to 290,000. Currently, no one country is supposed to take up more than 7 percent of the allotment, though unused green cards can be redistributed to countries that have already met their quota. That has made possible migrations in excess of 7 percent from nations such as India, China, Mexico and the Philippines. Under the proposal, the per-country cap would be increased to a hard and fast 10 percent. Proponents say this would prevent one country from dominating the category and would retain jobs for native-born Americans.
But Mandapati, a California-based economist, argues that the restriction would hurt the United States because the demand for skills changes. "It just so happens that computer technology and certain technical skills are in great demand here and all over the world. It just so happens that there are two countries that have invested a lot of resources in educating people in these fields . . . India and China."
About a half-million immigrants are caught in the green-card backlog, some as they wait for Labor Department approval or because quotas have been exceeded. In that time, they cannot be promoted or given substantial pay increases because that would mean a change in job description and salary. They turn to Web sites to compare their wait times with others, and their Internet handles, such as "stucklabor" and "waiting_labor," exude their frustration.
During meetings on Capitol Hill, Maduros and at least one Immigration Voice representative lay out the group's platform, weaving in the personal stories of members. Shilpa Ghodgaonkar, a Germantown housewife, has become a staple anecdote -- and a frequent visitor on the Hill.
For four years, she and her husband have been waiting for their green cards. Ghodgaonkar's husband arrived on an H-1B visa, and she followed as his dependent, unauthorized to work here. To pass the time, she learned to cook. Then she volunteered as a career counselor in Montgomery County. Last year, she earned her MBA from George Washington University. In December, around the time Kapoor sent out his e-mail plea for mass mobilization, Ghodgaonkar had run out of options.
"I just couldn't keep quiet anymore," Ghodgaonkar said. "I cannot be depressed anymore."
She keeps a spreadsheet that lays out appointment times and the senators' offices she has visited or still plans to: Specter, Frist, Schumer, Brownback, Bingaman, Feinstein, Feingold. Wednesdays bring a weekly call with Quinn Gillespie. And every few nights, there are conference calls among Immigration Voice's core team.
Now the group plans to closely watch the debate resuming in the Senate Judiciary Committee. Earlier this month, Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) proposed amendments with all of the group's provisions. Other lawmakers confirm that they are still meeting with the group to hear their concerns.
Immigration Voice leaders say the past few months have focused and politicized Indian immigrants in a way that was not apparent in the past. "There is a very 'Mr. Smith Goes to Washington' quality" about the current effort, Mandapati said. "It's been a journey, a loss of naivete and getting to know about American politics."
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