puddonhead
11-30 11:01 AM
I have filed for and recieved AP twice so far. I have done both paper and e-filing and combinations. When I lawyer files, he e-files. When I do it - I paper file. I have done different combinations. First time, with 485 - lawyer filed both for me and wife. Next year, my company suddenly decided they dont want to pay the lawyer fee for the dependent AP/EAD - so I paper-filed for my wife while mine was e-filed. Next year - my company decided to pay for both and my lawyer did e-filed mine and paper-filed my wife's application (dont know why).
Based on my experience (which is pretty extensive on both modes of filing as explained above for both AP and EAD) - I will always perfer paper filing. It has always been faster, easier and less hassle for me.
It sounds counter-intuitive that paper-filing would be faster/easier than e-filing - but that is USCIS for you.
Based on my experience (which is pretty extensive on both modes of filing as explained above for both AP and EAD) - I will always perfer paper filing. It has always been faster, easier and less hassle for me.
It sounds counter-intuitive that paper-filing would be faster/easier than e-filing - but that is USCIS for you.
wallpaper Megan Fox Thumbs Up. megan fox
logiclife
08-21 06:07 PM
Some people have said that employers will never agree to employee hiring their own lawyers if they are already having a company retained lawyer that they are using for all employees.
While employers who tend to provide free lawyers with the intention of controlling and stalling your immigration process will not agree with the idea of you having your own lawyer there is a possible way out.
For this, there are 2 solutions:
1. If you are already with this employer:
If you are already with the employer and represented by company's lawyer, then you need to change your lawyer. To do that, you need to negotiate this new arrangement at the time when your employer is most vulnerable and most amenable to bend to your terms. If you pick up the phone one fine morning and start arguing with your employer for changing your lawyer, that wont work.
You need to get your employer for negotiating tough things when you have just signed up for a new project. There is a very brief window of opportunity in consulting business when the individual has most bargaining power and the employer has the least. The time period between the contract (corp to corp or direct contract) getting signed between parties for a project and the time you report to the project physically. This short window of time, for 2-3 days (or maybe a week) is the time, when your employer cannot afford to dissolve the contract and fire your or let you go on your own way. HE WOULD THEREFORE NEGOTIATE with you about changing to a new lawyer who doesnt have conflict of interest. If he doesnt negotiate with you, then he risks losing the project, losing the reputation with client or preferred vendor (the middle party who is more close to client) as well as all future business opportunities. That is a loss no businessman (desi or American) can tolerate. So even his daddy will come on negotiation table and agree to your terms, whether its getting a new conflict-of-interest-free lawyer or getting a raise or getting moving expenses etc. USE THAT OPPORTUNITY.
2. If you plan on joining an untrustworthy employer in future:
When joining a new employer, if you have the luxury of joining and picking your employer before you quit your current job, then sure, ask them for all the terms, including your own independent lawyer, otherwise tell them "No deal". If you are a good hire for them, they will agree to terms. But you need to do that BEFORE you even transfer your H1. So that that record is straight from the get-go.
While employers who tend to provide free lawyers with the intention of controlling and stalling your immigration process will not agree with the idea of you having your own lawyer there is a possible way out.
For this, there are 2 solutions:
1. If you are already with this employer:
If you are already with the employer and represented by company's lawyer, then you need to change your lawyer. To do that, you need to negotiate this new arrangement at the time when your employer is most vulnerable and most amenable to bend to your terms. If you pick up the phone one fine morning and start arguing with your employer for changing your lawyer, that wont work.
You need to get your employer for negotiating tough things when you have just signed up for a new project. There is a very brief window of opportunity in consulting business when the individual has most bargaining power and the employer has the least. The time period between the contract (corp to corp or direct contract) getting signed between parties for a project and the time you report to the project physically. This short window of time, for 2-3 days (or maybe a week) is the time, when your employer cannot afford to dissolve the contract and fire your or let you go on your own way. HE WOULD THEREFORE NEGOTIATE with you about changing to a new lawyer who doesnt have conflict of interest. If he doesnt negotiate with you, then he risks losing the project, losing the reputation with client or preferred vendor (the middle party who is more close to client) as well as all future business opportunities. That is a loss no businessman (desi or American) can tolerate. So even his daddy will come on negotiation table and agree to your terms, whether its getting a new conflict-of-interest-free lawyer or getting a raise or getting moving expenses etc. USE THAT OPPORTUNITY.
2. If you plan on joining an untrustworthy employer in future:
When joining a new employer, if you have the luxury of joining and picking your employer before you quit your current job, then sure, ask them for all the terms, including your own independent lawyer, otherwise tell them "No deal". If you are a good hire for them, they will agree to terms. But you need to do that BEFORE you even transfer your H1. So that that record is straight from the get-go.
needhelp!
10-10 05:41 PM
time to move on...
2011 Megan Fox Thumbs Pictures
logiclife
06-18 06:04 PM
Exactly the same as mine (except that I needed to copy whole passport)
That is the exact list my lawyer has sent me. Ditto. Also, he too asked for copy of all pages (blank and printed, every single page) of passport.
That is the exact list my lawyer has sent me. Ditto. Also, he too asked for copy of all pages (blank and printed, every single page) of passport.
more...
immi_enthu
08-14 03:29 PM
Since July 2nd people can claim they sent when VB was showing current. July17th onward will have revised VB.
No status for July3rd to July16 applications.:eek:
"Applications already properly filed with USCIS will also be accepted."
http://www.uscis.gov/files/pressrelease/VisaBulletinUpdate17Jul07.pdf
Dont worry if you filed everything properly.
No status for July3rd to July16 applications.:eek:
"Applications already properly filed with USCIS will also be accepted."
http://www.uscis.gov/files/pressrelease/VisaBulletinUpdate17Jul07.pdf
Dont worry if you filed everything properly.
pmpforgc
11-01 02:49 PM
Dear Friends
My I-140 (Sch-A cat-II, recipt date 08/24/2006, upgraded to premium on Oct-25) got approved on Oct-30, 2006
My I-485 was also filed concurrently. I already got finger printed 09/06/06 and there were LUDs on I-485s after that on O9/07/06 and 09/14/06.
After my I-140 approval on Oct-30, My and my families I-485s has LUDs on 10/31/06 and 11/1/06.
Based on your experience, does the recent LUDs on my I-485s suggest some type of approval process?
Can you share your expereiences and knowledge and tell me what these recent LUDs on my I-485s means?
thanks
My I-140 (Sch-A cat-II, recipt date 08/24/2006, upgraded to premium on Oct-25) got approved on Oct-30, 2006
My I-485 was also filed concurrently. I already got finger printed 09/06/06 and there were LUDs on I-485s after that on O9/07/06 and 09/14/06.
After my I-140 approval on Oct-30, My and my families I-485s has LUDs on 10/31/06 and 11/1/06.
Based on your experience, does the recent LUDs on my I-485s suggest some type of approval process?
Can you share your expereiences and knowledge and tell me what these recent LUDs on my I-485s means?
thanks
more...
garybanz
10-27 01:04 PM
Hi All,
7 years of stay in the US and 3 green card applications later, I finally got the 485 approval e-mail.....aaahhha......there is light at the end of this long long tunnel after all.
However I did not get any FP notice yet! Do you know if Biometrics is a requirement for issuing the physical green card and also any idea how long it takes to get the card from this point of time.
following is the current status in the online status of my 485:
Post Decision Activity
On October 26, 2010, we mailed you a notice that we have approved this I485 APPLICATION TO REGISTER PERMANENT RESIDENCE OR TO ADJUST STATUS. Please follow any instructions on the notice. If you move before you receive the notice, call customer service at 1-800-375-5283.
For approved applications/petitions, post-decision activity may include USCIS sending notification of the approved application/petition to the National Visa Center or the Department of State. For denied applications/petitions, post-decision activity may include the processing of an appeal and/or motions to reopen or reconsider and revocations.
7 years of stay in the US and 3 green card applications later, I finally got the 485 approval e-mail.....aaahhha......there is light at the end of this long long tunnel after all.
However I did not get any FP notice yet! Do you know if Biometrics is a requirement for issuing the physical green card and also any idea how long it takes to get the card from this point of time.
following is the current status in the online status of my 485:
Post Decision Activity
On October 26, 2010, we mailed you a notice that we have approved this I485 APPLICATION TO REGISTER PERMANENT RESIDENCE OR TO ADJUST STATUS. Please follow any instructions on the notice. If you move before you receive the notice, call customer service at 1-800-375-5283.
For approved applications/petitions, post-decision activity may include USCIS sending notification of the approved application/petition to the National Visa Center or the Department of State. For denied applications/petitions, post-decision activity may include the processing of an appeal and/or motions to reopen or reconsider and revocations.
2010 Thumbs up! When Megan Fox was
walking_dude
08-01 11:20 PM
Dear Tennesseans,
I have started the Tennessee chapter of IV with the approval of the IV core. I request you to join me in fighting the injustice heaped on us for no fault of ours. Like all other state chapters IV TN will be a secure and trusted group of like-mided individuals. Hence I request you to provide your full name, IV Id, PHONE NUMBER and Zip Code while submitting request to join the group.
I appreciate your concern for privacy and anonymity. But we also have to keep state chapters clear of anonymous anti-immigrants opposed to our cause. Hence no exceptions will be made to the rule. I will call and verify you as soon as I can. If you feel inconvenienced, please understand that I'll have to call and verify every one who requests to join. This is something we have to bear for the common good of our organization.
Ping me through a Private Message if you feel your request has been unduly delayed. Of course, I can't approve you if you haven't given be the mandatory information essential in approving requests. I appreciate your cooperation in this process.
If you are interested in my Bios, I have previously led the Michigan (MI) chapter. My contributions to IV includes Testimony before the MI Senate when MI state refused to issue DLs to temporary residents. I am a monthly contributor to IV, and have contributed to most of the recent IV funding drives. I am a Sep 18th rally veteran and recently visited Washington DC a few months back - in person - to lobby for some of the bills that are considered 'Hot News' today.
All this is nothing compared to what IV has given back to me as an organization. I was saved thousands of dollars due to July VB reversal. EAD helped me change jobs and leave MI in this tough economic downturn and auto companies inching toward bankruptcy. I just got my 2 year EAD today , and I thank IV for saving me hundreds of Dollars by getting EAD/AP period extended to 2 years. I don't know any other organization or person who has done so much for me. I am immensely grateful to be part of this movement.
It's my pleasure to start a volunteer group in the 'Volunteer State'. Hope we won't be short of volunteers :). It makes me nostalgic about the times MI chapter started as a group of few individuals and today boasts of 60+ members. Lets get organized here too. That's the only way to make our voices heard.
This is my promise to you - I won't ask you to do anything which I haven't done myself. And I won't force you to do anything, unless you feel that waiting for others to step up will not take you anywhere, and you feel ready to do something to help yourself and your family. When you decide to do that, you'll find me by your side working with you.
IV TN Chapter Web Address - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ivtn
REQUESTS WITHOUT PHONE NUMBER AND COMPLETE INFO WILL NOT BE APPROVED.
I have started the Tennessee chapter of IV with the approval of the IV core. I request you to join me in fighting the injustice heaped on us for no fault of ours. Like all other state chapters IV TN will be a secure and trusted group of like-mided individuals. Hence I request you to provide your full name, IV Id, PHONE NUMBER and Zip Code while submitting request to join the group.
I appreciate your concern for privacy and anonymity. But we also have to keep state chapters clear of anonymous anti-immigrants opposed to our cause. Hence no exceptions will be made to the rule. I will call and verify you as soon as I can. If you feel inconvenienced, please understand that I'll have to call and verify every one who requests to join. This is something we have to bear for the common good of our organization.
Ping me through a Private Message if you feel your request has been unduly delayed. Of course, I can't approve you if you haven't given be the mandatory information essential in approving requests. I appreciate your cooperation in this process.
If you are interested in my Bios, I have previously led the Michigan (MI) chapter. My contributions to IV includes Testimony before the MI Senate when MI state refused to issue DLs to temporary residents. I am a monthly contributor to IV, and have contributed to most of the recent IV funding drives. I am a Sep 18th rally veteran and recently visited Washington DC a few months back - in person - to lobby for some of the bills that are considered 'Hot News' today.
All this is nothing compared to what IV has given back to me as an organization. I was saved thousands of dollars due to July VB reversal. EAD helped me change jobs and leave MI in this tough economic downturn and auto companies inching toward bankruptcy. I just got my 2 year EAD today , and I thank IV for saving me hundreds of Dollars by getting EAD/AP period extended to 2 years. I don't know any other organization or person who has done so much for me. I am immensely grateful to be part of this movement.
It's my pleasure to start a volunteer group in the 'Volunteer State'. Hope we won't be short of volunteers :). It makes me nostalgic about the times MI chapter started as a group of few individuals and today boasts of 60+ members. Lets get organized here too. That's the only way to make our voices heard.
This is my promise to you - I won't ask you to do anything which I haven't done myself. And I won't force you to do anything, unless you feel that waiting for others to step up will not take you anywhere, and you feel ready to do something to help yourself and your family. When you decide to do that, you'll find me by your side working with you.
IV TN Chapter Web Address - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ivtn
REQUESTS WITHOUT PHONE NUMBER AND COMPLETE INFO WILL NOT BE APPROVED.
more...
gcfriend65
05-14 04:24 PM
Guys,
The timing of this visa bulletin is suspicious. Right at the nick of time, when the senate is discussing increasing EB quotas, this news comes in. Plus they are saying that there will be forward movement, in the EB cut-off dates in the coming months to rhyme with the current negotatitions in Congress on CIR/ SKIL.
IV should not step behind in their legislation efforts. Even, if visa bulletin dates are current today, they might retrogress later, when the I-485 application starts to process (Current I-485 processing time shows applications processing as of Sept. 10, 2006, which is 8 months before). No one knows, if eight months from now, the cut-off dates will retrogress further or advance, due to the BEC closing out in Sept. 2007 and PERM applications processed from March 2005 onwards.
The timing of this visa bulletin is suspicious. Right at the nick of time, when the senate is discussing increasing EB quotas, this news comes in. Plus they are saying that there will be forward movement, in the EB cut-off dates in the coming months to rhyme with the current negotatitions in Congress on CIR/ SKIL.
IV should not step behind in their legislation efforts. Even, if visa bulletin dates are current today, they might retrogress later, when the I-485 application starts to process (Current I-485 processing time shows applications processing as of Sept. 10, 2006, which is 8 months before). No one knows, if eight months from now, the cut-off dates will retrogress further or advance, due to the BEC closing out in Sept. 2007 and PERM applications processed from March 2005 onwards.
hair megan fox thumbs
ngopikrishnan
06-24 10:51 PM
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25356825/
more...
Radhika
10-01 01:46 PM
I have similar question. My visa on the passport has expired in Dec 2005. But we have valid h1 extention approval. what I have to select for the question "Are you applying for same visa class that expired in the last 12 months?"
'yes' or 'No ' for this question.
If I select 'no' it is not showing any appointments dates :confused:
'yes' or 'No ' for this question.
If I select 'no' it is not showing any appointments dates :confused:
hot Megan Fox: Still Thumbs Up in
sidd_k2002
02-11 07:46 PM
eyeswe:
Thanks for your detail explanation. I dont have any siblings in India, and i am an alone child. Regarding my savings, i have been a full time employee of the company for which i work since i was on my CPT and now as i am on my OPT. Now the question to me is that since i have about 16k dollars in my saving account right now, should i sponsor them based on my OPT or should i just remit all the amount back to india back into my fathers account, and ask him to self sponsor him.
I have heard that the visa officer does ask you about the transactions that are fairly big and failry recent ones. Woudnt it create a further doubt if i transfer this savings back to my fathers account, and be in more problem.
Please Guys , if you can share your advice here, it would be really helpful for me here. I really dont want my parents visa to get rejected the third time.
Sidd
Thanks for your detail explanation. I dont have any siblings in India, and i am an alone child. Regarding my savings, i have been a full time employee of the company for which i work since i was on my CPT and now as i am on my OPT. Now the question to me is that since i have about 16k dollars in my saving account right now, should i sponsor them based on my OPT or should i just remit all the amount back to india back into my fathers account, and ask him to self sponsor him.
I have heard that the visa officer does ask you about the transactions that are fairly big and failry recent ones. Woudnt it create a further doubt if i transfer this savings back to my fathers account, and be in more problem.
Please Guys , if you can share your advice here, it would be really helpful for me here. I really dont want my parents visa to get rejected the third time.
Sidd
more...
house megan fox thumbs up.
anurakt
12-21 04:19 PM
I promise ... last bump of the day !! or may be not......:D
tattoo Megan Fox#39;s Motorola Ad Thumb
zoooom
05-05 04:10 PM
i second that...
more...
pictures megan fox thumbs up. megan fox
delhirocks
07-02 11:55 AM
ah well...atleast I can get back to work now, my productivity had dropped many folds since this drama started.
Its time to make money for my beloved employer.;)
Its time to make money for my beloved employer.;)
dresses Borat Thumbs Up
mps
08-03 10:39 AM
the more important part of my question is...
"using approved 140 from an EX-employer" and using that to a get 3 yr extension when doing a h1b transfer to a new employer (who has not in anyway started a new perm labor)
H1B is always portable to new employer and if the basis of extension is pending GC application at any stage with other employer - thats perfectly fine.
What you do is, get H1B transfer to new employer and start your PERM with them ASAP so that,
either your PERM may be pending for more than a year before your H1B expires,
OR
you get new I-140 (if date current you get EAD if not you get another 3 year on H1B)
- I have done it myself in H1 7th year with pending LC so my situation was worse than your
Rule of thumb is GC for future employement so it does not matter which employer has pending application.
"using approved 140 from an EX-employer" and using that to a get 3 yr extension when doing a h1b transfer to a new employer (who has not in anyway started a new perm labor)
H1B is always portable to new employer and if the basis of extension is pending GC application at any stage with other employer - thats perfectly fine.
What you do is, get H1B transfer to new employer and start your PERM with them ASAP so that,
either your PERM may be pending for more than a year before your H1B expires,
OR
you get new I-140 (if date current you get EAD if not you get another 3 year on H1B)
- I have done it myself in H1 7th year with pending LC so my situation was worse than your
Rule of thumb is GC for future employement so it does not matter which employer has pending application.
more...
makeup thumbs up! More Megan Fox
harivenkat
05-06 08:54 PM
Tech firms play quiet role in immigration-overhaul push - Politics AP - MiamiHerald.com (http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/05/06/1617199_p2/tech-firms-play-quiet-role-in.html)
WASHINGTON � The technology sector, a little-publicized but key player in the coalition that's pushing for an overhaul of immigration laws, has given mixed reviews to the proposal that Senate Democrats unveiled last week.
Public dialogue on immigration has focused largely on a path to legalization for the estimated 11 million to 12 million illegal immigrants living in the United States, but technology companies have lobbied for years to streamline and ease the process of hiring skilled legal immigrant workers. They hope to capitalize on the momentum that surrounds immigration.
Peter Muller is the director of government relations for Intel, one of the largest sponsors of H-1B temporary visas for skilled workers. The company was approved for 723 new H-1B visas in 2009. Muller said Intel had been hindered in hiring and keeping the most qualified people by the annual caps on H-1B visas and the sometimes decade-long delay in processing green card applications.
"To not be able to hire the people who really drive innovation in our company is a frustration," he said.
The number of H-1B visas issued each year is capped at 65,000, with another 20,000 reserved for foreign-born students who graduate from U.S. schools with advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering and math, programs from which companies such as Intel recruit many of their workers. In past years, the allotment often was gone within days after the application period opened in April. Last year, it took until December to hit the cap.
Even with a slower economy reducing demand for workers, however, tech companies say they want the system overhauled.
"Companies are still hiring, so fixing the problems and fixing the system is important," said Jessica Herrera-Flanigan, the co-executive director of Compete America, a coalition of companies that are lobbying for more high-skilled immigration. "It's an issue today for some companies, and it's going to continue to be an issue that needs to be addressed."
For H-1B workers who want to stay in the country permanently, the wait for a green card can take years. Ashish Sharma, an Indian citizen who's working for a technology company in California, has waited for a green card for seven years. At one point, Sharma said, he considered leaving the United States because of the uncertainty of his status.
"The long wait does bother people," he said. "I did look at what Canada was offering, where they give you a green card within three months."
Sharma ultimately decided to stay for the sake of his two children, who were raised in the U.S., but some employers as well as workers have chosen to go abroad. Microsoft, a top sponsor of H-1B visas with 1,318 petitions approved in 2009, opened a development center in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 2007, in part to take advantage of Canada's more lenient immigration laws.
Compete America praised some aspects of the Democratic immigration framework that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and Sens. Charles Schumer of New York and Robert Menendez of New Jersey put forward last week.
The coalition favors a provision that would offer green cards to foreign students who graduate from U.S. universities with advanced degrees in specialized fields, but it's pushing back against provisions that would limit the hiring of H-1B workers and increase government scrutiny of companies that sponsor the temporary visas.
The language in the Democrats' framework that deals with temporary visas came largely from a bill intended to curb abuses in the H-1B system that Sens. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., and Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, introduced last year.
Durbin said in an e-mailed statement that the H-1B program was too easily abused by employers who used it to, in effect, outsource jobs that American workers could fill.
"Congress created the H-1B visa program so an employer could hire a foreign guest worker when a qualified American worker could not be found," he said. "However, the H-1B visa program is plagued with fraud and abuse and is now a vehicle for outsourcing that deprives qualified American workers of their jobs."
Tech industry representatives disagreed.
"We are all for strong enforcement," Herrera-Flanigan said. "But the way the provisions are written, it's much more far-reaching than that, and it could have an adverse effect on companies that are not bad actors."
The H-1B provisions came in for criticism from people who represent immigrant workers as well as from employers. Aman Kapoor, the president of Immigration Voice, a network of skilled immigrant workers, called the proposal draconian and said the restrictions could render the H-1B process essentially useless.
Schumer's office didn't respond to requests for comment.
Advocates in the broader immigration-overhaul coalition said support from the technology industry would be key to winning the wide political backing that was necessary to give a comprehensive bill a shot at passing.
"I think it is important, and in part that is because tech is one of the key business sectors that will be necessary to bring the Republican votes we will need, in the Senate, especially," said Jeanne Butterfield, a senior adviser for the National Immigration Forum, a group that advocates policies that are more welcoming toward immigrants.
Technology companies make up a substantial portion of the voices that are lobbying for federal immigration revisions. Of the 288 federal lobbyist filings that had reported lobbying on immigration issues in the first quarter of the year as of Monday, an analysis shows that about 17 percent came from companies and organizations that represent the technology and engineering sectors. Others represented fields such as medicine and education, which also are interested in skilled immigrants.
The people who are lobbying on behalf of the tech sector said that although their issues with the immigration system were specific, they had no plans to peel off from the broader overhaul coalition to pursue a more tailored bill.
Muller said the word from Capitol Hill had been that immigration was too contentious an issue to tackle piecemeal.
PROVISIONS THAT WOULD AFFECT TECH SECTOR:
Green cards (legal permanent resident visas):
* Foreign students who graduate from U.S. schools with advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering or mathematics automatically would be eligible for green cards if U.S. employers offer them jobs.
* The caps that limit the numbers of immigrants who can come from specific countries would be eliminated.
H-1B visas (temporary work visas for foreign workers in specialized jobs):
* Would forbid employers from giving priority to H-1B applicants and would limit the number of H-1B employees that large employers may hire.
* Would authorize the Department of Labor to investigate applications for possible fraud and would require the department to audit companies that have large numbers of H-1B employees.
WASHINGTON � The technology sector, a little-publicized but key player in the coalition that's pushing for an overhaul of immigration laws, has given mixed reviews to the proposal that Senate Democrats unveiled last week.
Public dialogue on immigration has focused largely on a path to legalization for the estimated 11 million to 12 million illegal immigrants living in the United States, but technology companies have lobbied for years to streamline and ease the process of hiring skilled legal immigrant workers. They hope to capitalize on the momentum that surrounds immigration.
Peter Muller is the director of government relations for Intel, one of the largest sponsors of H-1B temporary visas for skilled workers. The company was approved for 723 new H-1B visas in 2009. Muller said Intel had been hindered in hiring and keeping the most qualified people by the annual caps on H-1B visas and the sometimes decade-long delay in processing green card applications.
"To not be able to hire the people who really drive innovation in our company is a frustration," he said.
The number of H-1B visas issued each year is capped at 65,000, with another 20,000 reserved for foreign-born students who graduate from U.S. schools with advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering and math, programs from which companies such as Intel recruit many of their workers. In past years, the allotment often was gone within days after the application period opened in April. Last year, it took until December to hit the cap.
Even with a slower economy reducing demand for workers, however, tech companies say they want the system overhauled.
"Companies are still hiring, so fixing the problems and fixing the system is important," said Jessica Herrera-Flanigan, the co-executive director of Compete America, a coalition of companies that are lobbying for more high-skilled immigration. "It's an issue today for some companies, and it's going to continue to be an issue that needs to be addressed."
For H-1B workers who want to stay in the country permanently, the wait for a green card can take years. Ashish Sharma, an Indian citizen who's working for a technology company in California, has waited for a green card for seven years. At one point, Sharma said, he considered leaving the United States because of the uncertainty of his status.
"The long wait does bother people," he said. "I did look at what Canada was offering, where they give you a green card within three months."
Sharma ultimately decided to stay for the sake of his two children, who were raised in the U.S., but some employers as well as workers have chosen to go abroad. Microsoft, a top sponsor of H-1B visas with 1,318 petitions approved in 2009, opened a development center in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 2007, in part to take advantage of Canada's more lenient immigration laws.
Compete America praised some aspects of the Democratic immigration framework that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and Sens. Charles Schumer of New York and Robert Menendez of New Jersey put forward last week.
The coalition favors a provision that would offer green cards to foreign students who graduate from U.S. universities with advanced degrees in specialized fields, but it's pushing back against provisions that would limit the hiring of H-1B workers and increase government scrutiny of companies that sponsor the temporary visas.
The language in the Democrats' framework that deals with temporary visas came largely from a bill intended to curb abuses in the H-1B system that Sens. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., and Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, introduced last year.
Durbin said in an e-mailed statement that the H-1B program was too easily abused by employers who used it to, in effect, outsource jobs that American workers could fill.
"Congress created the H-1B visa program so an employer could hire a foreign guest worker when a qualified American worker could not be found," he said. "However, the H-1B visa program is plagued with fraud and abuse and is now a vehicle for outsourcing that deprives qualified American workers of their jobs."
Tech industry representatives disagreed.
"We are all for strong enforcement," Herrera-Flanigan said. "But the way the provisions are written, it's much more far-reaching than that, and it could have an adverse effect on companies that are not bad actors."
The H-1B provisions came in for criticism from people who represent immigrant workers as well as from employers. Aman Kapoor, the president of Immigration Voice, a network of skilled immigrant workers, called the proposal draconian and said the restrictions could render the H-1B process essentially useless.
Schumer's office didn't respond to requests for comment.
Advocates in the broader immigration-overhaul coalition said support from the technology industry would be key to winning the wide political backing that was necessary to give a comprehensive bill a shot at passing.
"I think it is important, and in part that is because tech is one of the key business sectors that will be necessary to bring the Republican votes we will need, in the Senate, especially," said Jeanne Butterfield, a senior adviser for the National Immigration Forum, a group that advocates policies that are more welcoming toward immigrants.
Technology companies make up a substantial portion of the voices that are lobbying for federal immigration revisions. Of the 288 federal lobbyist filings that had reported lobbying on immigration issues in the first quarter of the year as of Monday, an analysis shows that about 17 percent came from companies and organizations that represent the technology and engineering sectors. Others represented fields such as medicine and education, which also are interested in skilled immigrants.
The people who are lobbying on behalf of the tech sector said that although their issues with the immigration system were specific, they had no plans to peel off from the broader overhaul coalition to pursue a more tailored bill.
Muller said the word from Capitol Hill had been that immigration was too contentious an issue to tackle piecemeal.
PROVISIONS THAT WOULD AFFECT TECH SECTOR:
Green cards (legal permanent resident visas):
* Foreign students who graduate from U.S. schools with advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering or mathematics automatically would be eligible for green cards if U.S. employers offer them jobs.
* The caps that limit the numbers of immigrants who can come from specific countries would be eliminated.
H-1B visas (temporary work visas for foreign workers in specialized jobs):
* Would forbid employers from giving priority to H-1B applicants and would limit the number of H-1B employees that large employers may hire.
* Would authorize the Department of Labor to investigate applications for possible fraud and would require the department to audit companies that have large numbers of H-1B employees.
girlfriend 2011 megan fox thumbs up.
hopefull
05-25 01:58 AM
No need to be scared of CIR. Even CIR is passed in current form US will reward right people those who are ready to take challenges. Make note of people who came for study in 1970 to 1995 How did they survive and overcome lot of issues. Those who want to get greencard on arrival has to forget and pack the bags. Those who has patience and work hard will get all including gc. There is always a way.
Dude since 1999 to 2006 ..nothing
Dude since 1999 to 2006 ..nothing
hairstyles glow is a total thumbs up!
mammoy2k
01-14 05:11 PM
Check out venture fund organizations in your area (such as sdvg.org). Also prominent universities such as Duke/Stanford/UPenn have Startup Challenges (google duke/stanford/wharton startup challenge).
The first thing you need to do though is to figure out what you want to do and what you are good at. You need to define a field such as biotech, CAD, supply chain etc and network with the people in this segment (www.linkedin.com is one source). But you have to be very careful when you apprach these people. Dont sound impatient and understand that they are busy people. If you are from IIT/MIT dont flaunt it. No one cares.
Coming to the second point, you may start a company but you need to be willing to give command to someone else, if needed. You may be a super techie but running a business requires different skills (soft skills and business skills). So move out of the CEO chair, if needed. It is here where I see greatest difficulty with Tech people. They get into love of the tech they developed and think that customers would line up for the better mouse trap they built. Unfortunately that rarely happens.
Disclaimer: a former scientist who moved to business side.
For a long time, I have had this urge to be self employed but personal reasons and the immigration system was a deterrent factor for me in turning this into a reality. Now that I have an EAD, I would like to reexplore this idea and wanted to know if there are any entrepreneurial organizations that I could become a member of that will help me network with like minded people. I have heard of TiE and am getting to know more about this organization. If any of you are members, feedback on how it has helped you will help a lot of people planning to join. Are there any other clubs/orgs that help people like me can bounce ideas off of and help bring together like minded people under the same roof?
Thanks
PS: I had plans of pursuing an MBA for the sole purpose of networking. Unfortunately, this is not something I can do at this point of time.
The first thing you need to do though is to figure out what you want to do and what you are good at. You need to define a field such as biotech, CAD, supply chain etc and network with the people in this segment (www.linkedin.com is one source). But you have to be very careful when you apprach these people. Dont sound impatient and understand that they are busy people. If you are from IIT/MIT dont flaunt it. No one cares.
Coming to the second point, you may start a company but you need to be willing to give command to someone else, if needed. You may be a super techie but running a business requires different skills (soft skills and business skills). So move out of the CEO chair, if needed. It is here where I see greatest difficulty with Tech people. They get into love of the tech they developed and think that customers would line up for the better mouse trap they built. Unfortunately that rarely happens.
Disclaimer: a former scientist who moved to business side.
For a long time, I have had this urge to be self employed but personal reasons and the immigration system was a deterrent factor for me in turning this into a reality. Now that I have an EAD, I would like to reexplore this idea and wanted to know if there are any entrepreneurial organizations that I could become a member of that will help me network with like minded people. I have heard of TiE and am getting to know more about this organization. If any of you are members, feedback on how it has helped you will help a lot of people planning to join. Are there any other clubs/orgs that help people like me can bounce ideas off of and help bring together like minded people under the same roof?
Thanks
PS: I had plans of pursuing an MBA for the sole purpose of networking. Unfortunately, this is not something I can do at this point of time.
hoolahoous
02-10 10:50 AM
while you breached contract, the broke the law. tell them that you going to report them to DoL and see what they say.
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I am not a lawyer. do not take my advice as legal advice.
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I am not a lawyer. do not take my advice as legal advice.
lostinbeta
10-02 12:52 PM
That is great eilsoe! You have much talent with Photoshop=)
