Lollerskater
05-22 08:26 PM
I just saw the May processing dates.
I printed it out and used it to wipe my backside, then flushed it down the toilet.
I printed it out and used it to wipe my backside, then flushed it down the toilet.
wallpaper I MISS YOU TOO!
andycool
08-11 07:54 AM
visa bulletin for september 2010 (http://travel.state.gov/visa/bulletin/bulletin_5113.html)
the law firm is correct ...
the law firm is correct ...
jasmin45
08-25 12:24 PM
I have been thru this situation and luckly got the H1 extention on time to get it renewed the day it was suppose to expire.. I am sure this is going to be a problem for a lot of people in comming days due to mountain of applications to be processed by uscis.
2011 more i miss you poems
amoljak
05-14 07:33 AM
Recently, I stopped taking all these racial comments in a serious way, 2 days back my co worker made comments on how my "curry smells" when eat at my desk. My wife wakes up early in the morning and cooks the food with so much love and affection and I eat that, whereas he eats burgers and fries from cafeteria - look at who is commenting??????
I can understand the love your wife has for you. But I think you should enjoy that lovely lunch at a cafeteria. Smells can be very offensive. I love Indian food, but if I had to smell the Indian food in my cube everyday I would be pissed too. There is nothing racist here. I would be pissed if your coworker eats a burger with raw onions and then talks to me with that smell.
This is one of the first things new Indian students are told: Smell (or lack of it) is very important in America. Don't reuse socks, Use deodorant and enjoy the curry at home.
I can understand the love your wife has for you. But I think you should enjoy that lovely lunch at a cafeteria. Smells can be very offensive. I love Indian food, but if I had to smell the Indian food in my cube everyday I would be pissed too. There is nothing racist here. I would be pissed if your coworker eats a burger with raw onions and then talks to me with that smell.
This is one of the first things new Indian students are told: Smell (or lack of it) is very important in America. Don't reuse socks, Use deodorant and enjoy the curry at home.
more...
chanduv23
02-23 01:08 PM
My lawyer advised against filing AC21 proactively. His opinion is that it may trigger a big RFE requiring financial details of the new employer. How true is this? I have a feeling my previous employer might withdraw my approved I-140 on the advice of their corporate lawyers (Fragomen, who I believe recommend I-140 withdrawal as past of their standard procedure when an employee leaves). I would like to preempt that and file AC21 documentation.
Yes, most Attorneys advise against proactive filing primarily because AC21 has no formal process associated like form, fee, reciepting or standard. It is based on guidance, most times the AC21 docs may or may not reach your file.
Some Attorneys advise the HR to proactively file for AC21. There is one company (huge) where when you are being offered a job on EAD after AC21 - the HR dept makes a big fuss - asks for all documents like copy if Labor, 140, 485 reciept any any other documents and then makes you sign G 28 and then file for a G28 change in Attorney and associate AC21 docs with those. I guess, the Attorneys charge money so it is a business. If RFE or denial - then more money.
My recomendation is to hire a ethical and realistic lawyer and not a greedy one
Yes, most Attorneys advise against proactive filing primarily because AC21 has no formal process associated like form, fee, reciepting or standard. It is based on guidance, most times the AC21 docs may or may not reach your file.
Some Attorneys advise the HR to proactively file for AC21. There is one company (huge) where when you are being offered a job on EAD after AC21 - the HR dept makes a big fuss - asks for all documents like copy if Labor, 140, 485 reciept any any other documents and then makes you sign G 28 and then file for a G28 change in Attorney and associate AC21 docs with those. I guess, the Attorneys charge money so it is a business. If RFE or denial - then more money.
My recomendation is to hire a ethical and realistic lawyer and not a greedy one
kondur_007
04-17 04:39 PM
How can just copy of 140 approval enough. In order to port I think you need job title and description...
He is talking about porting the "Priority Date", for that all you need is I 140 approval notice.
What you are talking about is "AC 21 portability" and changing jobs using that portability: for that you do need details of job title, description etc.
He is talking about porting the "Priority Date", for that all you need is I 140 approval notice.
What you are talking about is "AC 21 portability" and changing jobs using that portability: for that you do need details of job title, description etc.
more...
tiinap
09-25 06:54 PM
I support this idea of a Silicon Valley rally. I also think that for our next rally we first need need some new concept or central idea that will make us heard loud and clear and get even more national attention. I guess we all agree that the next rally shouldn't be simply a repeat of DC in a different location, but in some way take things to the next level.
Our ranks are much smaller than the 12 million illegal immigrants, so we cannot get noticed based on sheer numbers alone. To get attention we need original & effective ideas. Like the flower campaign.
One idea that we could use in our next rally is to ask each participant to come with a sign that reads "Waiting since (year)" where the date is when you first came to the US as a student or H1 or J1. In my case that's 1999 and I'm not even able to get in line for a green card.
Our ranks are much smaller than the 12 million illegal immigrants, so we cannot get noticed based on sheer numbers alone. To get attention we need original & effective ideas. Like the flower campaign.
One idea that we could use in our next rally is to ask each participant to come with a sign that reads "Waiting since (year)" where the date is when you first came to the US as a student or H1 or J1. In my case that's 1999 and I'm not even able to get in line for a green card.
2010 I Didn#39;t Miss You (#39;J#39;
bah9422
08-26 08:13 AM
I have got renewed my NJ license while my H1 extension was pending. I did it at eatontown location. They asked for original receipt notice. Trenton location also does it. Probably there should be a location in north jersey which accepts the original receipt notice.
hope this helps.
thanks
hope this helps.
thanks
more...
sanju
01-15 01:21 PM
yeah.. So another reason to keep looking at the visa bulletins now. Once i get a GC I buy a house and get a gun. The american dream. ;-)
Thats my kind of dream. Just one addition to my list of things to do upon receiving my GC.
I will buy a house, get a gun and JOIN A LOCAL RELIGIOUS PLACE and choose my lord and savior. Hey, I want a passport to the heaven from here, I don't want to stand in green card line of heaven or go to hell.
BTW, move over here to WA state and you can buy a gun.
.
Thats my kind of dream. Just one addition to my list of things to do upon receiving my GC.
I will buy a house, get a gun and JOIN A LOCAL RELIGIOUS PLACE and choose my lord and savior. Hey, I want a passport to the heaven from here, I don't want to stand in green card line of heaven or go to hell.
BTW, move over here to WA state and you can buy a gun.
.
hair I miss you baby. Patrick J
abracadabra102
08-22 02:10 PM
hey aadimanav,
If the legislations dont change - my estimate would be even more than
7 years (come on they already have 500k pending app before this 300k
July2nd boom).
What Franklin said very logical - very realistic !
Thanks,
Diptam
Hi Diptam,
You spoiled Aadimanav's day already :D:D
If the legislations dont change - my estimate would be even more than
7 years (come on they already have 500k pending app before this 300k
July2nd boom).
What Franklin said very logical - very realistic !
Thanks,
Diptam
Hi Diptam,
You spoiled Aadimanav's day already :D:D
more...
bigboy007
05-28 06:58 PM
Your point is very much valid, But ok lets for a min assume H1b is eliminated completely. Do you think these big IT firms or even small consulting firms stop doing their business ? No. if not H1B there will be other way bringing ppl for short term. they will be some other way to do it. H1B is not designed keeping us in mind its designed keeping US Citizen employers in mind. and also it is adding to USCIS revenues. if you see even in current fiscal year i have seen all of my friends who did premium got thier H1b approvals.
The reason i said H1B outsourcing will start is most H1's are held by Big IT firms of India. If they do some thing that will hurt it they will do something else or reduce onsite avail or make it short term there will be some other workaround but no way these jobs will go back to americans.
Key point we have to argue and keep on doing it is the fact that , drawing a comparison between us and illegals. Even illegals have marched on streets and expressed their concern of not leaving USA if so why we paying millions of taxes adding source to housing market and GC in a valid stage , should ever even think of losing it ?
Exploitation is there everywhere. Illegals are being legalized for US employers but this will have disastrous consequences. Now with illegals only working behind the hood and will come out and did these americans ever thought of what will happen to all the ppl who work in restaurants etc and their wages. Yes all desi companies does the same thing becoz thats the only they can be in business. If you see many reasons why corp america is against merit based sys is there is no way its associating it with TIE-UP of h1b with them.
I dont know about others but saying 50% of h1b can be done by americans is lot easier to say rather make them work like that. I 100% validate your point as every system has its pros and cons. I would say rather 30% only.
But key point is we are already here . We are in the process of GC and its the key point that is to shed away ppl who are trying to shut doors. Corp america will some how take care of H1B i think [ even though its part of our resp] but key point is GC .. Eliminate or atleast reduce backlog to atleast where it was.
when it comes to laying off , many companies have laid off in 2000-01 , some are unlucky and most americans becoz of reducing fat in the company there used to be lot of benefits everything got screwed up . But rather they again started hiring but not left and right as they did earlier but very calculated decision. I am talking about Big comp not consulting. Consulting is mere consulting they wont bare the costs of H1b if they are bench more than 3 months even big 5 consulting .
The reason i said H1B outsourcing will start is most H1's are held by Big IT firms of India. If they do some thing that will hurt it they will do something else or reduce onsite avail or make it short term there will be some other workaround but no way these jobs will go back to americans.
Key point we have to argue and keep on doing it is the fact that , drawing a comparison between us and illegals. Even illegals have marched on streets and expressed their concern of not leaving USA if so why we paying millions of taxes adding source to housing market and GC in a valid stage , should ever even think of losing it ?
Exploitation is there everywhere. Illegals are being legalized for US employers but this will have disastrous consequences. Now with illegals only working behind the hood and will come out and did these americans ever thought of what will happen to all the ppl who work in restaurants etc and their wages. Yes all desi companies does the same thing becoz thats the only they can be in business. If you see many reasons why corp america is against merit based sys is there is no way its associating it with TIE-UP of h1b with them.
I dont know about others but saying 50% of h1b can be done by americans is lot easier to say rather make them work like that. I 100% validate your point as every system has its pros and cons. I would say rather 30% only.
But key point is we are already here . We are in the process of GC and its the key point that is to shed away ppl who are trying to shut doors. Corp america will some how take care of H1B i think [ even though its part of our resp] but key point is GC .. Eliminate or atleast reduce backlog to atleast where it was.
when it comes to laying off , many companies have laid off in 2000-01 , some are unlucky and most americans becoz of reducing fat in the company there used to be lot of benefits everything got screwed up . But rather they again started hiring but not left and right as they did earlier but very calculated decision. I am talking about Big comp not consulting. Consulting is mere consulting they wont bare the costs of H1b if they are bench more than 3 months even big 5 consulting .
hot (00:02:45) Bhunter – I Miss
FinalGC
02-28 04:03 PM
This article was written by IV sometime back. I think this is an excellent article, iIf you have it good, please ignore this posting....
Dude, where's my green card?
By Salil Pradhan
While a fierce battle is raging over immigration reform for unskilled and undocumented workers, we the high-skilled, legal immigrants are struggling for employment-based permanent residency. The wait, intended by Congress to be one year or less, can now be up to 10 years in certain categories.
I am a high-skilled, educated, legal, tax-paying resident of Stillwater, having dual master's degrees from Oklahoma State University. My wife obtained a Ph.D. from OSU and works there as a post-doctoral research scientist. After filing a plethora of immigration forms, paying exorbitant fees and waiting almost 5 years, our permanent residency application process is still in a state of limbo with no end in sight. In the absence of permanent residency and the associated uncertainty, we have missed several opportunities of economic investment and scientific research.
People presume that since we are highly qualified and legal residents, it would be a matter of one to two years to obtain permanent residency. On the contrary, I, my wife and thousands of highly skilled, highly educated legal immigrant members of Immigration Voice ( www.immigrationvoice.org) are stuck in a bureaucratic mess that has shattered our American dreams, stagnated our careers and prevented us from realizing our true potential.
The U.S. employment-based green card process is in need of a major overhaul. Hundreds of thousands of applicants have been stuck in the three-stage green card process � some since 1999. These highly skilled workers take up jobs for which qualified American citizens cannot be found. Though it's hard to imagine that a qualified American worker cannot be found for some high skilled jobs, there are several explanations for this disconnect.
More than 50 percent of American graduate degrees in science and engineering go to foreign students, a majority of whom continue to stay in the United States and work on H1-B visas. A shortage of American graduate students translates to a shortage of American workers in skilled positions such as chip design, materials science, microbiology or nursing. Also, qualified Americans may be unwilling to relocate to a particular location. This is especially true for physicians working in under-served areas.
Many misconceptions about H1-B visa holders have been propagated by largely anti-immigrant lobbies the most prominent being that they take away American jobs and are low-wage workers. The truth is that an H1-B visa holder can only be hired if a similarly qualified American citizen cannot be found. Also, the minimum H1-B wage, determined by the Department of Labor, cannot be less than that offered to an American worker in a similar job.
Another myth is that H1-B workers don't pay taxes. Be assured that all H1-B workers pay taxes equal to what American citizens pay, including Social Security and Medicare taxes.
If Congress passes S. 2691 and H.R. 5744, which Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Rep. John Shadegg, R-Ariz., have respectively introduced, America would undoubtedly become more competitive by ensuring availability of adequate high-skilled immigrants and by eliminating some of the red tape that plagues our legal immigration system.
Pradhan is a member of Immigration Voice.
Dude, where's my green card?
By Salil Pradhan
While a fierce battle is raging over immigration reform for unskilled and undocumented workers, we the high-skilled, legal immigrants are struggling for employment-based permanent residency. The wait, intended by Congress to be one year or less, can now be up to 10 years in certain categories.
I am a high-skilled, educated, legal, tax-paying resident of Stillwater, having dual master's degrees from Oklahoma State University. My wife obtained a Ph.D. from OSU and works there as a post-doctoral research scientist. After filing a plethora of immigration forms, paying exorbitant fees and waiting almost 5 years, our permanent residency application process is still in a state of limbo with no end in sight. In the absence of permanent residency and the associated uncertainty, we have missed several opportunities of economic investment and scientific research.
People presume that since we are highly qualified and legal residents, it would be a matter of one to two years to obtain permanent residency. On the contrary, I, my wife and thousands of highly skilled, highly educated legal immigrant members of Immigration Voice ( www.immigrationvoice.org) are stuck in a bureaucratic mess that has shattered our American dreams, stagnated our careers and prevented us from realizing our true potential.
The U.S. employment-based green card process is in need of a major overhaul. Hundreds of thousands of applicants have been stuck in the three-stage green card process � some since 1999. These highly skilled workers take up jobs for which qualified American citizens cannot be found. Though it's hard to imagine that a qualified American worker cannot be found for some high skilled jobs, there are several explanations for this disconnect.
More than 50 percent of American graduate degrees in science and engineering go to foreign students, a majority of whom continue to stay in the United States and work on H1-B visas. A shortage of American graduate students translates to a shortage of American workers in skilled positions such as chip design, materials science, microbiology or nursing. Also, qualified Americans may be unwilling to relocate to a particular location. This is especially true for physicians working in under-served areas.
Many misconceptions about H1-B visa holders have been propagated by largely anti-immigrant lobbies the most prominent being that they take away American jobs and are low-wage workers. The truth is that an H1-B visa holder can only be hired if a similarly qualified American citizen cannot be found. Also, the minimum H1-B wage, determined by the Department of Labor, cannot be less than that offered to an American worker in a similar job.
Another myth is that H1-B workers don't pay taxes. Be assured that all H1-B workers pay taxes equal to what American citizens pay, including Social Security and Medicare taxes.
If Congress passes S. 2691 and H.R. 5744, which Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Rep. John Shadegg, R-Ariz., have respectively introduced, America would undoubtedly become more competitive by ensuring availability of adequate high-skilled immigrants and by eliminating some of the red tape that plagues our legal immigration system.
Pradhan is a member of Immigration Voice.
more...
house I miss you Asma!
ItIsNotFunny
10-07 02:28 PM
What do you mean by priority dates were added?
Introduced, before that 485 was current for everything.
Introduced, before that 485 was current for everything.
tattoo I MISS YOU MARIAH HOPE YOU
thomachan72
08-24 11:08 AM
Hi buddy cannot findout how to vote. Please cast a vote for me PD >2006 (actually 2008)
more...
pictures girlfriend girlfriend miss you
illinois_alum
09-05 01:30 PM
I am not sure what's a Humanitarian AP...maybe the officer was just bluffin sumthin. I'm sure he mes've had a bad day.
Although I have not used the AP yet, to me it seems like ure exp was really bad and an "outlier" I guess. Havent heard ne such bad exp elsewhere...
Although I have not used the AP yet, to me it seems like ure exp was really bad and an "outlier" I guess. Havent heard ne such bad exp elsewhere...
dresses J♥E♥R♥S♥E♥Y middot; Miss You
mpadapa
06-12 12:46 PM
Most of the folks are missing the point about the prior years approval numbers. All the approvals from 2004 - 2008 are padded with huge visa number from FB spillover and the recapture provision of AC21. From this year onwards we have to live with the usual ~3K per country per category limit. This is the reason why Charles Oppenheim is predicting decade long wait for EB2 I/C and all EB3's. We continue to beat down Oppenheim claim with our own numbers, but he knows more about visa numbers than any one of us.
Let us dream about recapture being a panacea to the problem. There is only limited amount of visa's to be recaptured (~180K) even with that not all categories can become current. Also during that last recapture debates there where lots of suggestions to stagger the usage of recaptured visa over a long time frame like 5 yrs. Even with recapture, the date movement will not be rapid, but it will be remarkably better than what it is now.
As per replies to senator from USCIS
EB2 india has 50k and Eb3 india has 70k apps. See last 10 years with horizontal or vertical fall none get more than 15k in a given year.
If they do get same spill over then Eb2 india needs 3 years and Eb3 india needs 4 years after Eb2 get clear. OR USCIS stop receiving app from any one for next 1 and half year and then start accepting agian. ( Which is not possible as per law ).
So bottom line is
Either Recapture or removing counrty cap will end current backlog , both will end current as well future backlog and none will make situation worse if more demand from ROW.
Let us dream about recapture being a panacea to the problem. There is only limited amount of visa's to be recaptured (~180K) even with that not all categories can become current. Also during that last recapture debates there where lots of suggestions to stagger the usage of recaptured visa over a long time frame like 5 yrs. Even with recapture, the date movement will not be rapid, but it will be remarkably better than what it is now.
As per replies to senator from USCIS
EB2 india has 50k and Eb3 india has 70k apps. See last 10 years with horizontal or vertical fall none get more than 15k in a given year.
If they do get same spill over then Eb2 india needs 3 years and Eb3 india needs 4 years after Eb2 get clear. OR USCIS stop receiving app from any one for next 1 and half year and then start accepting agian. ( Which is not possible as per law ).
So bottom line is
Either Recapture or removing counrty cap will end current backlog , both will end current as well future backlog and none will make situation worse if more demand from ROW.
more...
makeup I Miss you grandma J!
Jaime
10-05 12:45 PM
Dear Sir/Madam:
Thank you for your attention. This is in regards to your online edition article today �Republicans Rev up for Economic Debate�
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119154966904949270.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
In your article the writer makes a link between high-skilled workers and illegal aliens by talking about the two groups in the same paragraph, thus conveying to the average reader that the two are connected, and/or that high-skilled workers are illegal yet �must be retained�
This is misleading in extreme. High-skilled workers are in the U.S. on Legal visas that are sponsored by their employers. These visas are issued to limited numbers of foreigners in areas where no American workers have been found. These legal workers have to go through grueling government �labor certifications� and extreme waits and red tape just to perform their work, which usually includes U.S. patents and successful start-ups. I urge you to make a correction or an errata to this article which is probably an honest mistake, but which is very unfair, misleading and just plain untrue. Thank you once more.
Sincerely:
Thank you for your attention. This is in regards to your online edition article today �Republicans Rev up for Economic Debate�
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119154966904949270.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
In your article the writer makes a link between high-skilled workers and illegal aliens by talking about the two groups in the same paragraph, thus conveying to the average reader that the two are connected, and/or that high-skilled workers are illegal yet �must be retained�
This is misleading in extreme. High-skilled workers are in the U.S. on Legal visas that are sponsored by their employers. These visas are issued to limited numbers of foreigners in areas where no American workers have been found. These legal workers have to go through grueling government �labor certifications� and extreme waits and red tape just to perform their work, which usually includes U.S. patents and successful start-ups. I urge you to make a correction or an errata to this article which is probably an honest mistake, but which is very unfair, misleading and just plain untrue. Thank you once more.
Sincerely:
girlfriend i miss you tumblr quotes.
RandyK
09-23 10:07 AM
I started calling the list.... I called last week as well.
I will update when I am done with calling everyone on the list.
I will update when I am done with calling everyone on the list.
hairstyles i miss you sister quotes. i
GCBy3000
11-03 12:14 PM
I know this is not releated with Immigration. If you dont want to answer, that is fine. Just ignore this.
I have money crunch in US. I have accumulated huge debt in my CC. In past I have sent some money to India, but now when I ask my parents to send it here, they tell it is not possible without losing 30%. This is what they heard from my bank. Any Idea on how to get money from India from my own account to which I have sent from here.
I have money crunch in US. I have accumulated huge debt in my CC. In past I have sent some money to India, but now when I ask my parents to send it here, they tell it is not possible without losing 30%. This is what they heard from my bank. Any Idea on how to get money from India from my own account to which I have sent from here.
StarSun
05-10 10:31 AM
Sunday June 6th, Training will start from 10:30 am. (Venue will be announced later)
Monday June 7th, Meeting with the legislative offices
Tuesday June 8th, Press conference in the morning; meeting with legislative offices and a congressional reception that will run to around 10/11 pm. So please book your flights back home on red eye flights Tuesday night or early morning flights on Wednesday.
Monday June 7th, Meeting with the legislative offices
Tuesday June 8th, Press conference in the morning; meeting with legislative offices and a congressional reception that will run to around 10/11 pm. So please book your flights back home on red eye flights Tuesday night or early morning flights on Wednesday.
mack
02-28 10:51 PM
Here is the first cut at story on 'Issues with GC + Retrogression 101' for media & public. Here goes:
Why there is no green light on green cards?
- By Vijay Reddiar
There have been lots of discussion and spotlights on H1-B issues in the past. One of the least heard, but the most pressing issue that continues to plague day-to-day lives of thousands of high-skilled legal immigrant workers in the US is Retrogression causing deep anxiety, frustration and considerable delay in processing and approving of permanent residency, also called Green Card.
For employment-based green cards, every country has a fixed number of immigrant visas or quota on a per-year basis. When I-485 adjudication or adjustment of status from non-immigrant to immigrant status (example H1-B to Permanent Resident) successfully concludes, it leads to approval of green card. This approval requires a visa number to be available. But, if the visa quota for a country has been used up, visa numbers become unavailable for that country. This unavailability of visa number is the effect of retrogression, wherein, the US Department of State, based on the current demand for the visas decides allocation of how many visa numbers can be released to meet the demand and be in conformance with the pre-set quota.
Employers file for green cards for skilled professionals to obtain a legal immigrant status for future employment. Skilled professionals who have green card processing pending typically wait for their green cards to be approved for an average period of 5 years. During this period, they have very limited, if any, freedom to exercise choice with changing jobs, or getting a raise or promotions, being with the same job, title, position and employer with no way out until it gets approved. The only way out would be to risk losing your green card or having to start all over again. Family members of such skilled professionals share the pain as well. Spouses who would like to obtain jobs and attain financial freedom do not have the legal rights to work until they at the least have an employment authorization. Children of such professionals who apply for college cannot benefit from federal government loans, but instead need their parents to seek private loans. Becoming a legal immigrant has become an increasingly challenging and frustrating experience as has been noted by the experiences of each individual of this community. Unless a legislative reform is made, green cards are not only going to be tough, but also seemingly impossible to materialize.
Immigration Voice, a non-profit organization in the US, founded in Nov 2005 has begun grassroots level effort to alleviate the untold sufferings of high skilled professionals and has been working actively through volunteer members of the organization, that has grown to 9,000+ members in just more than a year. Immigration Voice recently hired Patton Boggs, a top public affairs firm for lobbying efforts towards the immigration goals of the high skilled worker community. Immigration Voice is now heavily engaged pursuing CIR or the Comprehensive Immigration Reform which will be introduced in the Senate in early March 2007 and then proceed to the House before it will be signed by the President to be enacted. This may very well be the ray of hope for the thousands of immigrants stranded on the not-so-green-now land of green cards.
For more information on Immigration Voice, please visit – www.immigrationvoice.org
Why there is no green light on green cards?
- By Vijay Reddiar
There have been lots of discussion and spotlights on H1-B issues in the past. One of the least heard, but the most pressing issue that continues to plague day-to-day lives of thousands of high-skilled legal immigrant workers in the US is Retrogression causing deep anxiety, frustration and considerable delay in processing and approving of permanent residency, also called Green Card.
For employment-based green cards, every country has a fixed number of immigrant visas or quota on a per-year basis. When I-485 adjudication or adjustment of status from non-immigrant to immigrant status (example H1-B to Permanent Resident) successfully concludes, it leads to approval of green card. This approval requires a visa number to be available. But, if the visa quota for a country has been used up, visa numbers become unavailable for that country. This unavailability of visa number is the effect of retrogression, wherein, the US Department of State, based on the current demand for the visas decides allocation of how many visa numbers can be released to meet the demand and be in conformance with the pre-set quota.
Employers file for green cards for skilled professionals to obtain a legal immigrant status for future employment. Skilled professionals who have green card processing pending typically wait for their green cards to be approved for an average period of 5 years. During this period, they have very limited, if any, freedom to exercise choice with changing jobs, or getting a raise or promotions, being with the same job, title, position and employer with no way out until it gets approved. The only way out would be to risk losing your green card or having to start all over again. Family members of such skilled professionals share the pain as well. Spouses who would like to obtain jobs and attain financial freedom do not have the legal rights to work until they at the least have an employment authorization. Children of such professionals who apply for college cannot benefit from federal government loans, but instead need their parents to seek private loans. Becoming a legal immigrant has become an increasingly challenging and frustrating experience as has been noted by the experiences of each individual of this community. Unless a legislative reform is made, green cards are not only going to be tough, but also seemingly impossible to materialize.
Immigration Voice, a non-profit organization in the US, founded in Nov 2005 has begun grassroots level effort to alleviate the untold sufferings of high skilled professionals and has been working actively through volunteer members of the organization, that has grown to 9,000+ members in just more than a year. Immigration Voice recently hired Patton Boggs, a top public affairs firm for lobbying efforts towards the immigration goals of the high skilled worker community. Immigration Voice is now heavily engaged pursuing CIR or the Comprehensive Immigration Reform which will be introduced in the Senate in early March 2007 and then proceed to the House before it will be signed by the President to be enacted. This may very well be the ray of hope for the thousands of immigrants stranded on the not-so-green-now land of green cards.
For more information on Immigration Voice, please visit – www.immigrationvoice.org
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