pmat, a word of caution and experience on FBI fingerprints/background checks.
If you're submitting fingerprints for yourself and your spouse, make sure you have certified funds of $18 (I believe that's the correct amount, but I might be wrong) PER PERSON, i.e., $36 for two people. In the instructions they just say "$18 for the background check" and give you a form to list yourself and any other adults in your family. I had to call and confirm that it's $18 a person.
They have a backlog of these background checks now; in the instructions it says the process takes up to 8 weeks, while nowadays it's up to 3 months and sometimes even longer.
It might take about a year for the Canadian Consulate to process your first batch of documents. In my case, it took 11 months. Then they notified us that our interviews were waived. In the same letter they requested the following docs:
updated letters of experience from my current employer;
updated financial docs (tax returns, pay stubs, W2's, and bank funds confirmation);
updated FBI certificates.
It doesn't say anywhere in the instructions that your fingerprint cards are only good for 1 year. When I sent my "old" fingerprints (I had two sets of those made the first time we applied), FBI returned them unprocessed after 3 months and asked for the updated fingerprint cards. Then it took them another 2 months to process those.
If you're submitting fingerprints for yourself and your spouse, make sure you have certified funds of $18 (I believe that's the correct amount, but I might be wrong) PER PERSON, i.e., $36 for two people. In the instructions they just say "$18 for the background check" and give you a form to list yourself and any other adults in your family. I had to call and confirm that it's $18 a person.
They have a backlog of these background checks now; in the instructions it says the process takes up to 8 weeks, while nowadays it's up to 3 months and sometimes even longer.
It might take about a year for the Canadian Consulate to process your first batch of documents. In my case, it took 11 months. Then they notified us that our interviews were waived. In the same letter they requested the following docs:
updated letters of experience from my current employer;
updated financial docs (tax returns, pay stubs, W2's, and bank funds confirmation);
updated FBI certificates.
It doesn't say anywhere in the instructions that your fingerprint cards are only good for 1 year. When I sent my "old" fingerprints (I had two sets of those made the first time we applied), FBI returned them unprocessed after 3 months and asked for the updated fingerprint cards. Then it took them another 2 months to process those.
wallpaper hot Los Alamos National
Indians are masters in creating unnecessary ourage. Look what a big deal the Indian media made of students being attacked in Australia. Indians declared Australia as a racist country and they branded Britain also as racist when Shilpa Shetty episode took place. Now also they are making a non-issue as a big deal. It seems that Indians thinking is buillt around that all the world is racist and biased toward India. But, when it comes to showing ourage to genuine issues they are always silent. So many horrible things happen to millions of Indians everyday but no body cares about them. Also, when chinese think tank published a report last week about breaking India in many states, there was no outrage. As compared to this news SRK news is nothing. The reason is simple chinese will shut Indians out because they know what works while dealing with Indians.
Anti.... welcome to 21st century assertive Indianness. We fight for our rights!
Anti.... welcome to 21st century assertive Indianness. We fight for our rights!
I set up a yahoo group to discuss the issue. To subscribe, send an e-mail to
visa-recapture-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Please include your IV alias when you confirm your subscribe request.
Also, just wanted to clarify that I will not be able to spearhead the issue. I will contribute as I can: financially, doing legal research, reviewing briefs and generating ideas. But I do not have a lot of time to dedicate to this initiative. I also think it should be somebody who is affected by retrogression. People should be willing to change their situation, otherwise I do not see the reason to help them.
visa-recapture-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Please include your IV alias when you confirm your subscribe request.
Also, just wanted to clarify that I will not be able to spearhead the issue. I will contribute as I can: financially, doing legal research, reviewing briefs and generating ideas. But I do not have a lot of time to dedicate to this initiative. I also think it should be somebody who is affected by retrogression. People should be willing to change their situation, otherwise I do not see the reason to help them.
2011 2010 Los Alamos National
whenever a good idea is raised .. we all obey hte dynamics of group behavior and divide ourselves into two parts
FOR and AGAINST the idea..
soon discussion ensues.. and since pessimism is more scary than optimism... and we have other "less viable" alternatives.. the good idea is soon forgotten.
Can we do something different this time and give this great idea the attention it deserves?
FOR and AGAINST the idea..
soon discussion ensues.. and since pessimism is more scary than optimism... and we have other "less viable" alternatives.. the good idea is soon forgotten.
Can we do something different this time and give this great idea the attention it deserves?
Visa number retrogression has no basis in the number of I 485s received. It is based on the number approved.
In the current melee, it will be a huge number of 485s applied, it does not mean the 485s will be approved any quicker.
Hence I am not sure where you all are getting these rumors from.
In the current melee, it will be a huge number of 485s applied, it does not mean the 485s will be approved any quicker.
Hence I am not sure where you all are getting these rumors from.
Hi there,
I also used automatic revalidation about 3 months back.. Dont worry, The immigration officer there knows all the rules. FYI, I went by car from rainbow bridge. While comming back officer just asked me normal questions such as "Where are you from ? " and "When are you flying back to Houston ?". Thats about it..
--HumHongeKamiyab
I just arrived yesterday from Canada with an expired Visa and my extension notice from INS.
Unfortunatly, they officer was an ignorant pig without any knowledge about immigration. Luckily, I was sent to an office where officers were nice and well trained,
I recommend you to print out the actual law so you can have more arguments and arrive earlier to the airport if you are flying
I also used automatic revalidation about 3 months back.. Dont worry, The immigration officer there knows all the rules. FYI, I went by car from rainbow bridge. While comming back officer just asked me normal questions such as "Where are you from ? " and "When are you flying back to Houston ?". Thats about it..
--HumHongeKamiyab
I just arrived yesterday from Canada with an expired Visa and my extension notice from INS.
Unfortunatly, they officer was an ignorant pig without any knowledge about immigration. Luckily, I was sent to an office where officers were nice and well trained,
I recommend you to print out the actual law so you can have more arguments and arrive earlier to the airport if you are flying
ByeUsa - all the very best. May be I ll see you in Canada soon too.
2010 Los Alamos National Laboratory
Has anyone been able to get case status from TSC IO?
I managed to reach a IO but they now say that they are not giving out case status over teh phone and the only way to get it is to put in a 'service request' which will be responded to by regular mail?
I managed to reach a IO but they now say that they are not giving out case status over teh phone and the only way to get it is to put in a 'service request' which will be responded to by regular mail?
Next wave of investments will go here :
http://www.hindu.com/2007/05/14/stories/2007051407820100.htm
Companies in line : IBM, MicroSoft, Dell, Sun, HP etc.
http://www.hindu.com/2007/05/14/stories/2007051407820100.htm
Companies in line : IBM, MicroSoft, Dell, Sun, HP etc.
hair above Los Alamos National
Just my thoughts its okay for companies to use preapproved labor of the enployees who are no more with them ,but what about employees who have worked with them for many years and when the time comes to file the employees I-140, either the the employee is layed off, or they file I-140 application with important documents missing resulting in RFE, no way of knowing whether your experience letters, your evaluation certificate with the evaluators credentials were ever submitted.(Ganda hai per dhanda hai ye).
US knows that Pakistan is the mother of Terrorism, doesn't look like with all the aid flowing in, that it is being reduced to rubble. Terrorism is a deeper debate, and it borders on uneven economics, social structures, global imbalance to name a few. We have quite a few terrorists in India too, just look up Sikh riots of 1984 and Gujrat riots of 2002, the culprits walk scott free. You talk about Israel, how safe is Israel? Would you settle in Israel given a chance? The same is with the US, in the pretext of 9/11 the residual racism is now emerging in these situations.
Whether we like it or not, Kasab will be hung to death. He is definitely a criminal, and it shines on our judicial system and independent media (both are screwed in their own ways) that we can tell that a terrorist hasn't been reduced to a weakling to not demand the food of his choice.
If you are soft state they will after you...How come Israel surviving with all hostile neighbour....Do you know the seven day war. Do we have the guts to do that with any country who are launching terrorist into our land.?
Yes...US is not attacking Pak...because Pak is living at US mercy.
Whether we like it or not, Kasab will be hung to death. He is definitely a criminal, and it shines on our judicial system and independent media (both are screwed in their own ways) that we can tell that a terrorist hasn't been reduced to a weakling to not demand the food of his choice.
If you are soft state they will after you...How come Israel surviving with all hostile neighbour....Do you know the seven day war. Do we have the guts to do that with any country who are launching terrorist into our land.?
Yes...US is not attacking Pak...because Pak is living at US mercy.
hot images Los Alamos National
Are you suggesting that IV's efforts would increase the wait times for ROW?
What incentive does ROW have to work with IV then?
Generally speakin' we are all "Rest of the World".
Let's not just be theoretic. Our positive thinking and movement together will help resolve the issues.
Even that I'm here since 2000 & my husband 1999(H1B-ROW) we will wait and fight together with India, China...
Go, India! Go, China!
What incentive does ROW have to work with IV then?
Generally speakin' we are all "Rest of the World".
Let's not just be theoretic. Our positive thinking and movement together will help resolve the issues.
Even that I'm here since 2000 & my husband 1999(H1B-ROW) we will wait and fight together with India, China...
Go, India! Go, China!
house makeup los alamos national
To summarize the discussions on this thread:
Yes, it is 7 % for all countries.
Now it is manifestly obvious that the 7 % figure is arbitrary, and not fair. That much we can all agree on.
The real question, as raised in the first post of the thread by soljabhai is:
(A) Is that constitutional?
(B) (And this is the real question): If it is, what should we do about it?
Intelligent questions, both.
The answer to (A) is not clear. We need a competent constitutional expert to opine on the matter.
For (B), (which is what the thread is really all about), there are lively discussions with differing views.
lazycis has presented good evidence that the case is not cut and dried legally. It might be unfair, but those are the laws.
mbartosik, alterego, me and others have argued (from different angles) in terms of pragmatism. (Cost is not worth the benefit)
garybanz, soljabhai, and others have argued that it is worth it (Cost is worth the benefit).
Anyway, agree or disagree, its an interesting thread with interesting posts..
Yes, it is 7 % for all countries.
Now it is manifestly obvious that the 7 % figure is arbitrary, and not fair. That much we can all agree on.
The real question, as raised in the first post of the thread by soljabhai is:
(A) Is that constitutional?
(B) (And this is the real question): If it is, what should we do about it?
Intelligent questions, both.
The answer to (A) is not clear. We need a competent constitutional expert to opine on the matter.
For (B), (which is what the thread is really all about), there are lively discussions with differing views.
lazycis has presented good evidence that the case is not cut and dried legally. It might be unfair, but those are the laws.
mbartosik, alterego, me and others have argued (from different angles) in terms of pragmatism. (Cost is not worth the benefit)
garybanz, soljabhai, and others have argued that it is worth it (Cost is worth the benefit).
Anyway, agree or disagree, its an interesting thread with interesting posts..
tattoo wallpaper Los Alamos National
Hi,
Here is my issue regarding the PD.
My Employer applied for labor through RIR under EB2 March6th 2004 which was then transffered to Philadelphia Backlog Center. Our Attorney suggested that we Apply through PERM process and Retain PD from the old case. Converted to PERM and applied on 09/26/2006 which was approved on 12/29/2006 but the letter said that they are not retaining PD from the old application as address is changed. Our employer moved 1 street accross in between these to application in Feb 2006. only street address changed everything including phone number remained same. My attorney said that he talked to the labor department in Chicago telling them that phone number didn't change. They said they will consider it and asked him to send a letter. It has been over 15 months he send the first letter. He said last month he also received a call from chicago office saying that they will take a look at the files.
In the meantime applied for I-140 and I-485 concurrently in July/Aug 2007. I-140 got approved on 05/28/2008 and got RFE for I-485 on 06/13/2008. responded to RFE and now case process resumed.
At this point I am trying to see if anyone have this kinda of issue and got resolved or there is away to get this resolved.
thank you
Here is my issue regarding the PD.
My Employer applied for labor through RIR under EB2 March6th 2004 which was then transffered to Philadelphia Backlog Center. Our Attorney suggested that we Apply through PERM process and Retain PD from the old case. Converted to PERM and applied on 09/26/2006 which was approved on 12/29/2006 but the letter said that they are not retaining PD from the old application as address is changed. Our employer moved 1 street accross in between these to application in Feb 2006. only street address changed everything including phone number remained same. My attorney said that he talked to the labor department in Chicago telling them that phone number didn't change. They said they will consider it and asked him to send a letter. It has been over 15 months he send the first letter. He said last month he also received a call from chicago office saying that they will take a look at the files.
In the meantime applied for I-140 and I-485 concurrently in July/Aug 2007. I-140 got approved on 05/28/2008 and got RFE for I-485 on 06/13/2008. responded to RFE and now case process resumed.
At this point I am trying to see if anyone have this kinda of issue and got resolved or there is away to get this resolved.
thank you
pictures at Los Alamos National
I agree to a lot of your points - the community has to evolve and not be pushed. All I say is for those who talk the talk, if they walk the talk - they become a good example and the community will grow.
Please do not take this as criticism. I respect everyone's space - come on folks we can collectively do it - why do we want to resist unity? It does no damage to us but only helps us for whatever cause we want to achieve, otherwise we will always be under the radar of people like Lou Dobbs and his likes - just because we are not vocal.
I am sure, one day the community will rise :)
There is moment in history when everything starts falling in place, until then nothing will seem like working right.
But when we reach the critical mass you will see this thing take off, until then buckel up your seat belts and expect the tide to set in soon.
Please do not take this as criticism. I respect everyone's space - come on folks we can collectively do it - why do we want to resist unity? It does no damage to us but only helps us for whatever cause we want to achieve, otherwise we will always be under the radar of people like Lou Dobbs and his likes - just because we are not vocal.
I am sure, one day the community will rise :)
There is moment in history when everything starts falling in place, until then nothing will seem like working right.
But when we reach the critical mass you will see this thing take off, until then buckel up your seat belts and expect the tide to set in soon.
dresses pictures Los Alamos National
Very good idea, with interest rate going down there is an opportunity for those who are looking to buy the house.
And for those who already have house, If their green card messed up than you see more foreclosures.
No matter, who are planning to buy house or who already bought house both will contribute to the economy in their own way.
I guess many have given up and many are just trying to hang on to their jobs ..but don't give up ..just think about the peace of mind that a GC gives ..no more headaches from lawyers, USCIS, RFE's, employers, DL etc ..at the very least comment on this idea but before you dismiss it come up with a better idea (it is very stupid of people who just criticize but don't come up with alternative ideas).
----------------
what if all immigrants and members were to call their local realtors - show interest in buying a house and once the realtor is interested ..tell her / him that you are postponing your home buying decision since the green card has got delayed ..and maybe ask him / her to tell the NAR (national realtor agency) to speak about speeding green cards to legal immigrants who are already here ??
...if people are motivated then maybe we can do media campaign too ..
------
the above idea does not need any money / members can do it from the comfort of their homes ..please comment and either support this or come up with better idea ..Thanks in advance !!!
(if the idea sounds good ..then all members can spread the word in their community - i.e. temples, churches, local potlucks, subdivision, apartment, AMWAY meetings etc etc ..at the very least IV membership will increase)
And for those who already have house, If their green card messed up than you see more foreclosures.
No matter, who are planning to buy house or who already bought house both will contribute to the economy in their own way.
I guess many have given up and many are just trying to hang on to their jobs ..but don't give up ..just think about the peace of mind that a GC gives ..no more headaches from lawyers, USCIS, RFE's, employers, DL etc ..at the very least comment on this idea but before you dismiss it come up with a better idea (it is very stupid of people who just criticize but don't come up with alternative ideas).
----------------
what if all immigrants and members were to call their local realtors - show interest in buying a house and once the realtor is interested ..tell her / him that you are postponing your home buying decision since the green card has got delayed ..and maybe ask him / her to tell the NAR (national realtor agency) to speak about speeding green cards to legal immigrants who are already here ??
...if people are motivated then maybe we can do media campaign too ..
------
the above idea does not need any money / members can do it from the comfort of their homes ..please comment and either support this or come up with better idea ..Thanks in advance !!!
(if the idea sounds good ..then all members can spread the word in their community - i.e. temples, churches, local potlucks, subdivision, apartment, AMWAY meetings etc etc ..at the very least IV membership will increase)
makeup at the Los Alamos National
We're all in this crap together, some worse than others... so let's stop with this ROW Vs India & China nonsense. Country quotas are unfair and frankly the entire GC process is unfair and unpredictable... We should aim for solutions that solve this issue in a comprehensive way, not by dividing us even further.
Well said. We are here only because we want to fix the employment-based GC processes. If I could fix the system on my own I wouldn't be hanging around here. Together we want to fix the system so lets propose solutions that helps everyone in IV.
For a start, everyone mail those letters to the President.
Well said. We are here only because we want to fix the employment-based GC processes. If I could fix the system on my own I wouldn't be hanging around here. Together we want to fix the system so lets propose solutions that helps everyone in IV.
For a start, everyone mail those letters to the President.
girlfriend on Los Alamos National
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,
------
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,
hairstyles the Los Alamos National
This only proves that this is an important immigrant issue. Pappu should help educate every one.
Hi TravInd
keep going on man
you are the Pappu of this Thread
Hi TravInd
keep going on man
you are the Pappu of this Thread
This is the most ridiculous article I've ever seen.
"I should have done my own homework before I applied" - no $hit. What makes you think going to med school in Indian means jack in Canada or the US. You have to get board certified. Duh. And I'm afraid cold calling doesn't work anywhere, including the US... does this work in India? Of course they're not going to listen to you. Jeez. People not doing their due diligence before THEY PACK UP AND MOVE HALF WAY ROUND the world... yeah, that proves to me you are smart enough to hire.
[QUOTE=sankap]Here's an article that appeared in Outlook (India) magazine 8 years ago. Apparently, the situation hasn't changed much since then:
http://outlookindia.com/full.asp?fname=international1&fodname=19990125&sid=1
Canada...The Grass Isn't Greener
Outlook: Jan 25, 1999
It's a dream gone sour. Thousands of Indian immigrants who land up in Canada are, more often than not, greeted with unemployment, racism, culture shocks...
SOHAILA CHARNALIA
"I didn't come here to be a chowkidar. I came here believing it to be a land of opportunity; a country that has never known the nepotism, the corruption, the shortages of India. I find I have only substituted one country for another... certainly not one set of values for another, as I hoped. " For Dr Gurdial Singh Dhillon, who was made to believe his qualifications would land him a good job fast, Canada was a real disappointment. When he did find work, it was that of a security guard. This, when the United Nations has declared Canada the best country to live in.
Some 200,000 people migrate to Canada every year, a majority from Asia. Hong Kong heads the list, followed by India, China, Taiwan and the Philippines. According to the Citizenship & Immigration Canada report, 21,249 Indians migrated to Canada in 1996 alone. (The high commission in Delhi, however, put the figure at 17,682). For many of them, especially those who are qualified professionals, dreams die fast. The life they face is never quite as rosy as made out by money-raking immigration lawyers.
Is the UN report the only reason for the increase in Indian applications for immigration? That, and the fact that it is easier to get entry into Canada than any other western country, says a Delhi-based immigration lawyer. Also, the fastest way of getting immigration to the US is through Canada.
Dhillon's disappointment is echoed by others. "I should have done my own homework before I applied", rues Aparna Shirodhkar, an architect from Mumbai, working as a saleswoman in a department store. "My husband is unemployed. I am the sole earner for a family of four. Sometimes I feel like running back". For Raheela Wasim, who's gone from being a schoolteacher in India to a telemarketer here, the experience was very discouraging, very disheartening. "I started losing confidence in myself. I felt I was not capable of the job market here".
Jobs are the sore point with Indian immigrants. The irony is, they are often more qualified than their Canadian peers, yet they end up with either no work, or with entry-level jobs that have no future. "I was not told that you require a Canadian degree to get a job here", says Paramjeet Parmar, a postgraduate in biochemistry from Bombay University. Parmar works as a telemarketer, which has turned her from an elite professional to an unskilled, daily wage labourer.
Ditto Opinder Khosla, a mechanical engineer from India, who has ended up as a salesman. "I found it difficult to even get an interview call", he says. The Canadian authorities are non-committal about the social and economic devaluation that the country imposes on immigrants.
"You can't come thinking you can just walk in and get a job in your profession", says Isabel Basset, minister of citizenship, culture and recreation, responsible for handling immigrants' woes in Canada's largest province, Ontario. But she admits that the licensing bodies regulating the professions need to be more accepting of people trained elsewhere.
That effort could only come from the government, argues Demetrius Oriopolis, co-author of Access, a government-commissioned report on assessing qualifications of newcomers, a 10-year-old report whose recommendations have still to be implemented. The report suggests certain rules of equivalence should be made binding on the regulatory bodies, which are exclusionist by nature.
But Basset won't even hear of making the regulatory bodies accountable: "We believe in private enterprise with a minimum of government checks. Besides, she argues, the exercise would cost millions of dollars".
Needless to say, the organisations are gleeful. Only professional bodies have the ability to determine what constitutes competence in a particular profession, was the cold response of the spokesperson for the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants, an institution that's responsible for the unemployment as well as under-employment of hundreds of qualified chartered accountants from India. They do not grant licences for professional practice, because Indian qualifications are not acceptable.
"What kind of society are we creating? Is it a new form of slavery?" asks an irate Bhausaheb Ubale, Canada's former human rights commissioner. Qualified immigrants work as drivers, guards. If this isn't job discrimination, what is? Dr Ubale lobbied intensely before Indians were accepted in the media. They now hold jobs as reporters and anchors, he says, but a lot more has to be done.
While skilled men may not be able to find jobs, their less qualified wives find it easier because they accept whatever comes their way. In several cases, the wives earn and support their husbands who are busy upgrading themselves, by studying for a Canadian degree. The working wife sometimes slogs away at three jobs. Sumitra starts at 7 am at her first job, teaching immigrants English; her second job as telemarketer starts at 4 pm. She gets back home around 8 pm, after which she begins selling cosmetics and household goods door to door. Till midnight. Sumitra supports three students, her husband and two school-going children.
The other problems Indians face here are the high taxes, high mortgage payments for new homes and the sort of hidebound laws that the benign anarchy back home hardly prepares them for. "You can't run a red light, you can't escape from a hit-and-run site even if you are just the witness, you can't smoke in public. Too many rules, so different from home", says Harminder Singh.
Two 'Indian' practices that do exist here, however, cause immigrants the maximum trouble. They are sifarish baazi (nepotism) and mufat ka kaam (free work). The Canadians, of course, have given them sophisticated terminologies, the former is referred to as 'networking' and the latter, 'volunteerism'. In a country where you are never encouraged to 'drop in' to meet someone, where the fax, the computer or the phone is used to complete most transactions, a job-seeking immigrant often has the phone put down on him. Polite but firm secretaries block access, unless the caller can drop a magic name that can help him gain entry. It takes at least a year for even the most enterprising immigrant to get to know somebody who can help him, before he can get a job at all.
'Networking' goes hand in hand with 'volunteerism'. Many immigrants put in a year of free service before they are given the job. Most writers and anchors of Asian origin are given only part-time jobs, paid by assignment and with no fringe benefits. The company insists on the word 'freelance' on their business cards, to make it clear they have not been hired by the company, and hence can't demand higher pay or any benefits. They can, and often are, fired at will.
Perhaps the greatest problem in Canada is the one that is least articulated--racism. According to a diversity report on Toronto (said to be the most ethnically diverse city in the world), the year 2000 will see its minority becoming its majority that is, 54 per cent of Toronto's population by the end of the millennium will be non-Whites. Keeping that in mind, it warned, if the discrimination against them in education, employment, income and housing, or incidents of hate are not addressed, it will lead to a growing sense of frustration.
"All our problems exist because of racism", sums up Anita Ferrao, who works in a firm. Anita has worked for them for three years and has got neither promotion nor raise. "As an Indian immigrant, you can never reach the top. They'll see to that. It's better to bring in some money here and start a business. It's the only way you'll do well here and be respected. "
But then if life is so tough here, why do people give up everything back home and come? The answer is the rosy picture of North America, inculcated right from childhood. Everything 'American' is considered superior. Better food, better homes, better life.
"I should have done my own homework before I applied" - no $hit. What makes you think going to med school in Indian means jack in Canada or the US. You have to get board certified. Duh. And I'm afraid cold calling doesn't work anywhere, including the US... does this work in India? Of course they're not going to listen to you. Jeez. People not doing their due diligence before THEY PACK UP AND MOVE HALF WAY ROUND the world... yeah, that proves to me you are smart enough to hire.
[QUOTE=sankap]Here's an article that appeared in Outlook (India) magazine 8 years ago. Apparently, the situation hasn't changed much since then:
http://outlookindia.com/full.asp?fname=international1&fodname=19990125&sid=1
Canada...The Grass Isn't Greener
Outlook: Jan 25, 1999
It's a dream gone sour. Thousands of Indian immigrants who land up in Canada are, more often than not, greeted with unemployment, racism, culture shocks...
SOHAILA CHARNALIA
"I didn't come here to be a chowkidar. I came here believing it to be a land of opportunity; a country that has never known the nepotism, the corruption, the shortages of India. I find I have only substituted one country for another... certainly not one set of values for another, as I hoped. " For Dr Gurdial Singh Dhillon, who was made to believe his qualifications would land him a good job fast, Canada was a real disappointment. When he did find work, it was that of a security guard. This, when the United Nations has declared Canada the best country to live in.
Some 200,000 people migrate to Canada every year, a majority from Asia. Hong Kong heads the list, followed by India, China, Taiwan and the Philippines. According to the Citizenship & Immigration Canada report, 21,249 Indians migrated to Canada in 1996 alone. (The high commission in Delhi, however, put the figure at 17,682). For many of them, especially those who are qualified professionals, dreams die fast. The life they face is never quite as rosy as made out by money-raking immigration lawyers.
Is the UN report the only reason for the increase in Indian applications for immigration? That, and the fact that it is easier to get entry into Canada than any other western country, says a Delhi-based immigration lawyer. Also, the fastest way of getting immigration to the US is through Canada.
Dhillon's disappointment is echoed by others. "I should have done my own homework before I applied", rues Aparna Shirodhkar, an architect from Mumbai, working as a saleswoman in a department store. "My husband is unemployed. I am the sole earner for a family of four. Sometimes I feel like running back". For Raheela Wasim, who's gone from being a schoolteacher in India to a telemarketer here, the experience was very discouraging, very disheartening. "I started losing confidence in myself. I felt I was not capable of the job market here".
Jobs are the sore point with Indian immigrants. The irony is, they are often more qualified than their Canadian peers, yet they end up with either no work, or with entry-level jobs that have no future. "I was not told that you require a Canadian degree to get a job here", says Paramjeet Parmar, a postgraduate in biochemistry from Bombay University. Parmar works as a telemarketer, which has turned her from an elite professional to an unskilled, daily wage labourer.
Ditto Opinder Khosla, a mechanical engineer from India, who has ended up as a salesman. "I found it difficult to even get an interview call", he says. The Canadian authorities are non-committal about the social and economic devaluation that the country imposes on immigrants.
"You can't come thinking you can just walk in and get a job in your profession", says Isabel Basset, minister of citizenship, culture and recreation, responsible for handling immigrants' woes in Canada's largest province, Ontario. But she admits that the licensing bodies regulating the professions need to be more accepting of people trained elsewhere.
That effort could only come from the government, argues Demetrius Oriopolis, co-author of Access, a government-commissioned report on assessing qualifications of newcomers, a 10-year-old report whose recommendations have still to be implemented. The report suggests certain rules of equivalence should be made binding on the regulatory bodies, which are exclusionist by nature.
But Basset won't even hear of making the regulatory bodies accountable: "We believe in private enterprise with a minimum of government checks. Besides, she argues, the exercise would cost millions of dollars".
Needless to say, the organisations are gleeful. Only professional bodies have the ability to determine what constitutes competence in a particular profession, was the cold response of the spokesperson for the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants, an institution that's responsible for the unemployment as well as under-employment of hundreds of qualified chartered accountants from India. They do not grant licences for professional practice, because Indian qualifications are not acceptable.
"What kind of society are we creating? Is it a new form of slavery?" asks an irate Bhausaheb Ubale, Canada's former human rights commissioner. Qualified immigrants work as drivers, guards. If this isn't job discrimination, what is? Dr Ubale lobbied intensely before Indians were accepted in the media. They now hold jobs as reporters and anchors, he says, but a lot more has to be done.
While skilled men may not be able to find jobs, their less qualified wives find it easier because they accept whatever comes their way. In several cases, the wives earn and support their husbands who are busy upgrading themselves, by studying for a Canadian degree. The working wife sometimes slogs away at three jobs. Sumitra starts at 7 am at her first job, teaching immigrants English; her second job as telemarketer starts at 4 pm. She gets back home around 8 pm, after which she begins selling cosmetics and household goods door to door. Till midnight. Sumitra supports three students, her husband and two school-going children.
The other problems Indians face here are the high taxes, high mortgage payments for new homes and the sort of hidebound laws that the benign anarchy back home hardly prepares them for. "You can't run a red light, you can't escape from a hit-and-run site even if you are just the witness, you can't smoke in public. Too many rules, so different from home", says Harminder Singh.
Two 'Indian' practices that do exist here, however, cause immigrants the maximum trouble. They are sifarish baazi (nepotism) and mufat ka kaam (free work). The Canadians, of course, have given them sophisticated terminologies, the former is referred to as 'networking' and the latter, 'volunteerism'. In a country where you are never encouraged to 'drop in' to meet someone, where the fax, the computer or the phone is used to complete most transactions, a job-seeking immigrant often has the phone put down on him. Polite but firm secretaries block access, unless the caller can drop a magic name that can help him gain entry. It takes at least a year for even the most enterprising immigrant to get to know somebody who can help him, before he can get a job at all.
'Networking' goes hand in hand with 'volunteerism'. Many immigrants put in a year of free service before they are given the job. Most writers and anchors of Asian origin are given only part-time jobs, paid by assignment and with no fringe benefits. The company insists on the word 'freelance' on their business cards, to make it clear they have not been hired by the company, and hence can't demand higher pay or any benefits. They can, and often are, fired at will.
Perhaps the greatest problem in Canada is the one that is least articulated--racism. According to a diversity report on Toronto (said to be the most ethnically diverse city in the world), the year 2000 will see its minority becoming its majority that is, 54 per cent of Toronto's population by the end of the millennium will be non-Whites. Keeping that in mind, it warned, if the discrimination against them in education, employment, income and housing, or incidents of hate are not addressed, it will lead to a growing sense of frustration.
"All our problems exist because of racism", sums up Anita Ferrao, who works in a firm. Anita has worked for them for three years and has got neither promotion nor raise. "As an Indian immigrant, you can never reach the top. They'll see to that. It's better to bring in some money here and start a business. It's the only way you'll do well here and be respected. "
But then if life is so tough here, why do people give up everything back home and come? The answer is the rosy picture of North America, inculcated right from childhood. Everything 'American' is considered superior. Better food, better homes, better life.
So next time of election, take vacation and go home, do campaigning, spend money and vote out the govt. you dislike, if you are real serious.
Will do whatever each one of us can, but at least for the fact that you are living and seen US be supportive of development in India and criticize corruption and corrupt politicians like gunda YSR.
There is wealth of information on YSR's corruption. People are vexed for a reason.
Will do whatever each one of us can, but at least for the fact that you are living and seen US be supportive of development in India and criticize corruption and corrupt politicians like gunda YSR.
There is wealth of information on YSR's corruption. People are vexed for a reason.
