Sandeep
01-06 12:53 PM
Guys, we have 200+ members on board but only a fraction have contributed. So does that mean that the rest do not know about this?
Please pass on this message to your friends
**************
As you probably know, Employment Based immigration is currently showing years of retrogression; more than 350,000 labor applications are stuck in the backlog centers and there is no information on when we can see even a ray of hope. Applicants have to wait for their green cards for as many as 4-7 years, depending on the country where they were born. With retrogression, applicants are unable to complete their final phase of green card even if they have cleared all the previous hurdles. We, a group of volunteers at www.immigrationvoice.org . We have set up a non profit organization to work towards resolution of these problems.
In the past we have seen that due to a lack of professional representation, employment based immigration issues have been ignored by the lawmakers. The latest example has been dropping of section 8001 & 8002 from the Budget Reconciliation Bill passed by the congress in December 2005. With comprehensive immigration reforms on the anvil in the early part of 2006, the time to act is now. However, with the current political scenario and the overpowering debate about illegal immigration, this is going to be an uphill battle. We have already initiated talks with professional strategists who have in the past been able to achieve goals similar to the ones we are working for. We feel that these are the following ways a professional strategist can help:
1. Identify feasible goals that can be achieved and are representative of the people in this forum. We should not have to piggy back on H1s or illegal immigration - we need an identity of our own
2. Identify the champions amongst the lawmakers, alliances, organizations who are willing to shoulder some or all of the responsibility in passing provisions to solve retrogression & address labor backlogs centers.
3. Identify opportunities to meet/interact with those mentioned in point no 2.
4. Help us in putting our points across cohesively and in a way relevant to the political situations
5. Keep a close monitor on the progress and the situation so as to identify the opportunities as they arrive.
Hiring professional strategists requires several thousands of dollars. If we hope to counter some of the anti immigration propaganda, we have to accumulate funds to the tune of atleast about $100k. Keeping this and the short deadline in mind, we would urge you to contribute at http://www.immigrationvoice.org . To lead by example, the volunteers have themselves come forward with contributions - in one night we had a collection of around $5000 from 20 contributors. This is a tiny fraction of what we as an organization need.
We also need your contribution in terms of your ideas and efforts by registering you as a Volunteer. Please be assured that funds and their utilization would be transparent in this process. All the volunteers will be provided a weekly update on the funds collected and their utilization. We look forward to you helping us and yourselves.
Please contact us for more info at info@immigrationvoice.org
Thanks
Your Name
**************
Please pass on this message to your friends
**************
As you probably know, Employment Based immigration is currently showing years of retrogression; more than 350,000 labor applications are stuck in the backlog centers and there is no information on when we can see even a ray of hope. Applicants have to wait for their green cards for as many as 4-7 years, depending on the country where they were born. With retrogression, applicants are unable to complete their final phase of green card even if they have cleared all the previous hurdles. We, a group of volunteers at www.immigrationvoice.org . We have set up a non profit organization to work towards resolution of these problems.
In the past we have seen that due to a lack of professional representation, employment based immigration issues have been ignored by the lawmakers. The latest example has been dropping of section 8001 & 8002 from the Budget Reconciliation Bill passed by the congress in December 2005. With comprehensive immigration reforms on the anvil in the early part of 2006, the time to act is now. However, with the current political scenario and the overpowering debate about illegal immigration, this is going to be an uphill battle. We have already initiated talks with professional strategists who have in the past been able to achieve goals similar to the ones we are working for. We feel that these are the following ways a professional strategist can help:
1. Identify feasible goals that can be achieved and are representative of the people in this forum. We should not have to piggy back on H1s or illegal immigration - we need an identity of our own
2. Identify the champions amongst the lawmakers, alliances, organizations who are willing to shoulder some or all of the responsibility in passing provisions to solve retrogression & address labor backlogs centers.
3. Identify opportunities to meet/interact with those mentioned in point no 2.
4. Help us in putting our points across cohesively and in a way relevant to the political situations
5. Keep a close monitor on the progress and the situation so as to identify the opportunities as they arrive.
Hiring professional strategists requires several thousands of dollars. If we hope to counter some of the anti immigration propaganda, we have to accumulate funds to the tune of atleast about $100k. Keeping this and the short deadline in mind, we would urge you to contribute at http://www.immigrationvoice.org . To lead by example, the volunteers have themselves come forward with contributions - in one night we had a collection of around $5000 from 20 contributors. This is a tiny fraction of what we as an organization need.
We also need your contribution in terms of your ideas and efforts by registering you as a Volunteer. Please be assured that funds and their utilization would be transparent in this process. All the volunteers will be provided a weekly update on the funds collected and their utilization. We look forward to you helping us and yourselves.
Please contact us for more info at info@immigrationvoice.org
Thanks
Your Name
**************
sivasiva
09-05 09:47 AM
just called USCIS and reached level 2 customer support. she still could not find my 485 information. She send a request to NSC to look for my application. and ask me to ask them after 45 days if I still not hear anything from NSC.
Dont worry. You will get it soon. .Same thing happened to me. Applied I-485 on July 2nd, EAD/AP in 2nd week of August. Got receipts for EAD/AP from NEC on Aug 29, checks cleared today for I-485 from TSC.
So Dont worry.. You should get it.
Dont worry. You will get it soon. .Same thing happened to me. Applied I-485 on July 2nd, EAD/AP in 2nd week of August. Got receipts for EAD/AP from NEC on Aug 29, checks cleared today for I-485 from TSC.
So Dont worry.. You should get it.
gauravsh
03-28 12:10 PM
Hi,
In 2005 I was working at california and my employer was at NJ. I did my tax filing with a all state agent abd he filed taxes for just NJ and federal.
Yesterday I got a notice from California that I have filed taxes using california address and didnot files state taxes for CA.
and I need to proof that I filed the taxes that year or file the taxes.
I went to HR block and prepared taxes for 2005 and mailed to them.
Same thing was there when I filed for 2006 taxes, my consultant didnt filed the taxes for CA.
So I prepared taxes for 2006 also and mailed to them. Both I mailed as a physical mail.
Did any one had similar experiance or any issues?
In 2005 I was working at california and my employer was at NJ. I did my tax filing with a all state agent abd he filed taxes for just NJ and federal.
Yesterday I got a notice from California that I have filed taxes using california address and didnot files state taxes for CA.
and I need to proof that I filed the taxes that year or file the taxes.
I went to HR block and prepared taxes for 2005 and mailed to them.
Same thing was there when I filed for 2006 taxes, my consultant didnt filed the taxes for CA.
So I prepared taxes for 2006 also and mailed to them. Both I mailed as a physical mail.
Did any one had similar experiance or any issues?
imind
03-12 03:50 PM
You can go to dice.com or any other jobportal and search for any IT job and you will see lot of jobs says:
NO H1Bs....ONLY EAD/GC/CITIZENSIP .
NO H1Bs....ONLY EAD/GC/CITIZENSIP .
more...
sethurama
06-05 12:59 AM
my 485 was filed by my attorney today and I came to know that they forgot to include application for EAD. When can I file EAD?. If I file separately, will it take more time to get approval?.
Also they messed up with my passport copies. 2 pages are missing. I don't know whether this will trigger RFE or denail.
Any help is appreciated.
Thanks
Also they messed up with my passport copies. 2 pages are missing. I don't know whether this will trigger RFE or denail.
Any help is appreciated.
Thanks
jasmin45
03-14 09:34 AM
Most of the american students (not all) does not develop the attitude and key qualities required for Higher education in science and technology. As per my observation, lot of them seems to have high ambition, which is good, but no focus on means to achieve it.
Overall development of personality and physique is good but the psychological preparedness to tackle the technical and scientific problem is lacking at a high degree. This can be attributed to the basic education system where the focus is on external physical and social development and hence they have good qualities for marketing but majority of the folks fail to realize that and instead of finetunning the strengths the lack of focus keep then working on other aspects during entire teen years. This is where they need direction from education specialists.
This is in contrast to what we see in south east asian countries where the focus is not on external and physical development but on cultivation of attitude and psychological preparedness which turns the students into science and technology much more than sports and fashion.
Even now their standard set for 3rd grade and 5th graders are way too low compared to Asian and European 1st & 2nd grades. Whole number to fractions transition does not take 2 grades. But understandably so, sudden changes in education standards will be harder on kids in immediate generation as the base is not set. Next gen will benefit.
There are pros and cons in both the system but the key is what is needed for the economy. Right now it is science and techno graduates in US and their system does not support it. It is hard to make that shift but If they can successfully put it together, in next 20 years you will see a fair amount of science and technology graduates in US which will include US born kids generation of immigrant population.
Overall development of personality and physique is good but the psychological preparedness to tackle the technical and scientific problem is lacking at a high degree. This can be attributed to the basic education system where the focus is on external physical and social development and hence they have good qualities for marketing but majority of the folks fail to realize that and instead of finetunning the strengths the lack of focus keep then working on other aspects during entire teen years. This is where they need direction from education specialists.
This is in contrast to what we see in south east asian countries where the focus is not on external and physical development but on cultivation of attitude and psychological preparedness which turns the students into science and technology much more than sports and fashion.
Even now their standard set for 3rd grade and 5th graders are way too low compared to Asian and European 1st & 2nd grades. Whole number to fractions transition does not take 2 grades. But understandably so, sudden changes in education standards will be harder on kids in immediate generation as the base is not set. Next gen will benefit.
There are pros and cons in both the system but the key is what is needed for the economy. Right now it is science and techno graduates in US and their system does not support it. It is hard to make that shift but If they can successfully put it together, in next 20 years you will see a fair amount of science and technology graduates in US which will include US born kids generation of immigrant population.
more...
pnagar
05-16 10:32 AM
My $100..
Paypal ID #8BB01536AL566510N
Thanks
Paypal ID #8BB01536AL566510N
Thanks
rajnag21
07-17 05:24 PM
Hi,
This is for a good friend of mine. He is going to get married in dec 2007. He has already applied for 140 premium processing. There is a opportunity to apply for 485 by end of this month and he has asked me for advice on this matter. His labor has PD March 2005(got cleared).
My request to all IV members is to give me some advice that I can pass on to him.
Please help !
This is for a good friend of mine. He is going to get married in dec 2007. He has already applied for 140 premium processing. There is a opportunity to apply for 485 by end of this month and he has asked me for advice on this matter. His labor has PD March 2005(got cleared).
My request to all IV members is to give me some advice that I can pass on to him.
Please help !
more...
solaris27
10-01 09:11 AM
yes and yes
trump_gc
07-06 08:19 AM
I would send in a notorized affidavit from the parents stating that the right name is so and so and that the regitered name in birth certificate was in-correct. you can send in some more supporting docusmnrts like , school / collge graduation cdertificates...wonder why u have the wrong name in marrigae certifcate,,,birth certificates I understand, but why is it wrong in marriage certificate?
more...
letstalklc
03-11 10:43 AM
I have no issues with SBI, transferred last month.....always the best for me in terms of every thing......
vijayfx35
03-02 06:16 PM
Hi,
I've been an infrequent visitor to this site in the past, but it has helped me substantially especially when I've been frustrated with the GC situation - I feel the need to share this, hoping that it might help others. I'm posting in this forum because this is the place people tend to ask questions of lawyers. I'll try to keep this simple so that its easy to understand.
Me: EB2 PD March 2005 for first job. I-140 approved 2006. Promoted to different tile in 2007 Jan, second EB2 filed in March 2007.
Wife: EB2 PD Feb 2007.
During the 'fiasco' of 2007, because I did not have an approved PERM for my new job title, we filed for 485's and 140s through my wife with me as the dependent (Having an AP is worth it when traveling overseas, especially if you anticipate traveling for emergencies and don't have the luxury of checking in for an appointment with the consulate to get a visa renewal - also removes the stress of another interview). Neither of us applied for EADs because we were more secure on the H1 visas - your status is immediately screwed if you switch to EAD and your 485 is denied.
In 2008, I received an RFE on my 2nd PERM application (which was addressed by my company - I have no clue what it was about). In 2009, I received an RFE on my 485 application through my wife, we replied to it through a very good lawyer.
Last year, my original LC PD became current! However, our 485s were tied to my wife's application. After speaking to many lawyers, we understood that there were the following options:-
1. Withdraw the earlier 485s, file completely new ones based on my PD (supposedly the safest from GC point of view, because it leaves no room for confusion. Downside is processing time, app getting lost, losing AP/EAD from earlier 485 etc)
2. File another completely new set of parallel 485s, and leave it to UCSIS to figure out that they needed to pick one with the earlier PD (overkill and confusing as well. UCSIS now deals with 4 485 applications, and chances that they will get confused magnify. High processing time as well)
3. Send a letter requesting that the 485 applications be reviewed based on my PD as opposed to my wife's. (Upside is that its potentially the fastest, is approved by the UCSIS, and you can track it by calling up. Downside is that they may simply don't respond because its not really a legal document that's being sent. Then you get stuck just running for Infopass, SR, Congressman etc)
I have to say that choosing the right lawyer to handle your case is possibly the most important thing you can do. What some of us don't know is that while the earlier stages of the GC process are applications made by the company, the 485 application is an individual application, and you are legally allowed to do so through any lawyer you wish to. In our case, we chose the law firm we trusted, even though it was more expensive. They recommended option 3, and we went with it. That was 4 months ago.
On Saturday (2/25) we received email saying that the card were in processing. This afternoon we got our cards in the mail - a nice surprise.
Moral of the story:-
1. Do your homework, get multiple opinions - no one will care about your GC app like you do.
2. When you move and update the AR-11, make sure you update the address for pending cases as well - this will ensure they mail your GC to the correct place.
3. Don't do anything illegal :)
4. Hire the best lawyer you can if your case is not straightforward. Our lawyer was always willing to talk to us at a few hours notice, was very prompt, and was proactive in checking up on UCSIS updates, bulletins etc.
Best wishes.
I've been an infrequent visitor to this site in the past, but it has helped me substantially especially when I've been frustrated with the GC situation - I feel the need to share this, hoping that it might help others. I'm posting in this forum because this is the place people tend to ask questions of lawyers. I'll try to keep this simple so that its easy to understand.
Me: EB2 PD March 2005 for first job. I-140 approved 2006. Promoted to different tile in 2007 Jan, second EB2 filed in March 2007.
Wife: EB2 PD Feb 2007.
During the 'fiasco' of 2007, because I did not have an approved PERM for my new job title, we filed for 485's and 140s through my wife with me as the dependent (Having an AP is worth it when traveling overseas, especially if you anticipate traveling for emergencies and don't have the luxury of checking in for an appointment with the consulate to get a visa renewal - also removes the stress of another interview). Neither of us applied for EADs because we were more secure on the H1 visas - your status is immediately screwed if you switch to EAD and your 485 is denied.
In 2008, I received an RFE on my 2nd PERM application (which was addressed by my company - I have no clue what it was about). In 2009, I received an RFE on my 485 application through my wife, we replied to it through a very good lawyer.
Last year, my original LC PD became current! However, our 485s were tied to my wife's application. After speaking to many lawyers, we understood that there were the following options:-
1. Withdraw the earlier 485s, file completely new ones based on my PD (supposedly the safest from GC point of view, because it leaves no room for confusion. Downside is processing time, app getting lost, losing AP/EAD from earlier 485 etc)
2. File another completely new set of parallel 485s, and leave it to UCSIS to figure out that they needed to pick one with the earlier PD (overkill and confusing as well. UCSIS now deals with 4 485 applications, and chances that they will get confused magnify. High processing time as well)
3. Send a letter requesting that the 485 applications be reviewed based on my PD as opposed to my wife's. (Upside is that its potentially the fastest, is approved by the UCSIS, and you can track it by calling up. Downside is that they may simply don't respond because its not really a legal document that's being sent. Then you get stuck just running for Infopass, SR, Congressman etc)
I have to say that choosing the right lawyer to handle your case is possibly the most important thing you can do. What some of us don't know is that while the earlier stages of the GC process are applications made by the company, the 485 application is an individual application, and you are legally allowed to do so through any lawyer you wish to. In our case, we chose the law firm we trusted, even though it was more expensive. They recommended option 3, and we went with it. That was 4 months ago.
On Saturday (2/25) we received email saying that the card were in processing. This afternoon we got our cards in the mail - a nice surprise.
Moral of the story:-
1. Do your homework, get multiple opinions - no one will care about your GC app like you do.
2. When you move and update the AR-11, make sure you update the address for pending cases as well - this will ensure they mail your GC to the correct place.
3. Don't do anything illegal :)
4. Hire the best lawyer you can if your case is not straightforward. Our lawyer was always willing to talk to us at a few hours notice, was very prompt, and was proactive in checking up on UCSIS updates, bulletins etc.
Best wishes.
more...
MetteBB
05-11 01:25 PM
on which one? all of them?
appreciate the comments/critique :pleased:
/mette
appreciate the comments/critique :pleased:
/mette
jags_e
08-30 02:58 PM
There is a main article on the reverse brain drain in EE Times and it mentions the IV's September 18 rally too.
The link is http://www.eetimes.com/news/latest/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=314X3PTACJUWMQSNDLOSK HSCJUNN2JVN;?articleID=201802703
EE Times: Latest News
Green-card red tape sends valuable engineers packing
Disenchanted with life in immigration limbo, San Antonio resident Praveen Arumbakkam is abandoning his American dream and returning to his native India.
A senior programmer at a fast-growing IT company, Arumbakkam volunteered for the Red Cross in Texas after Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005. He worked on disaster recovery management software to locate displaced persons, track donations and organize aid distribution.
He had hoped to start a nonprofit disaster recovery management solutions company in the United States, but now he's decided he doesn't want to wait any longer for his green card.
When professionals such as Arumbakkam give up on the States, it creates serious economic consequences, said Vivek Wadhwa, lead author of a study on the subject released last week.
"We've set the stage here for a massive reverse brain drain," said Wadhwa, Wertheim Fellow at Harvard Law School's Labor and Worklife Program.
By the end of fiscal 2006, half a million foreign nationals living in the U.S. were waiting for employment-based green cards, according to the study, released by the nonprofit Kauffman Foundation. Titled "Intellectual Property, the Immigration Backlog, and a Reverse Brain-Drain," the study was based on research by Duke, Harvard and New York University. If spouses and children are included, the number exceeds 1 million.
The study looked at the three main types of employment-based green cards, which cover skill-based immigrants and their immediate families. Including pros- pective immigrants awaiting U.S. legal permanent resident status but living abroad, the numbers hit almost 600,000 in the first group and almost 1.2 million in the second.
The number of available green cards in the three categories totals approximately 120,000. "If there are over a million persons in line for 120,000 visas a year, then we have already mortgaged almost nine years' worth of employment visas," said study author Guillermina Jasso, an NYU sociology professor.
The report also notes that foreign nationals were listed as inventors or co-inventors on 25.6 percent of the international-patent app-lications filed from the United States in 2006, up from 7.6 percent in 1998.
U.S. companies bring in many highly skilled foreigners on temporary visas and train them in U.S. business practices, noted Wadhwa, an executive in residence at Duke University's Pratt School of Engineering. Those workers are then forced to leave, and "they become our competitors. That's as stupid as it gets," he said. "How can this country be so dumb as to bring people in on temporary visas, train them in our way of doing business and then send them back to compete with us?"
Many in the engineering profession argue that American tech employers take advantage of the work visa system for their own benefit. They state that though there is plenty of American engineering talent available, employers use the programs to hire cheaper foreign labor.
And others counter the concern that large numbers of foreign residents will depart America. Most immigrants who have waited years for green cards will remain firm in their resolve, given the time and effort they have already invested, believes Norm Matloff, a computer science professor at the University of California at Davis. "People are here because they want to be here," he said. "They place a high value on immigrating."
But while Arumbakkam wants to be here, he has had enough of waiting. And his story is typical of those foreign-born tech professionals who return home.
In July 2001, the then 27-year-old Arumbakkam arrived on a student visa to get his master's in information technology at Clarkson University in Potsdam, New York. He has a bachelor's degree from the highly ranked University of Madras in southern India.
Arumbakkam said he "pretty much loved the society and the infrastructure for advanced education" in the States. In the post-Sept. 11 climate toward foreigners, however, he found it difficult to get work. After sending out countless resumes, he took an internship in Baltimore, followed by a job in Michigan.
That post didn't bring him any closer to his goal of permanent residency, however. He next took a job in San Antonio and insisted his employer secure him a green card. About that time, the government established an "application backlog elimination" center. "My application went straight into this chasm. I don't know what happened after that," he said. "That was pretty much a blow."
In 2005, he landed his current job, where he's happy with the work environment and the salary. His employer applied for a green card when the government rolled out an online system that was supposed to streamline the process.
But since then, with two applications in the works, Arumbakkam has been waiting-and waiting. In the meantime, his work status can't change, meaning no pay raises or promotions.
Page 2 of 2
Arumbakkam knows plenty of others in the same boat. In early 2006, he ran across Immigration Voice, a nonprofit national group that supports changes in immigration law affecting highly skilled workers. The 22,000-member organization includes professionals in a wide range of fields, from engineers and doctors to architects. Many have families, and all are stuck in the legal process.
"I heard horror stories," said Arumbakkam. One is the tale of a quality assurance engineer employed by a midsized consulting firm in Oklahoma working with Fortune 50 companies. The Indian engineer was hired at a salary that was 30 percent lower than he expected. This was in exchange for the promise that his employer would file a green card application. He was told the money would go to attorneys' fees.
For four years, the engineer asked about his application and was repeatedly told it was coming along. The employer blamed the slow progress on the law firm. In fact, the employer had never filed the application. Finally, the engineer found other work and restarted his efforts to obtain permanent residence.
In another case, a senior strategic projects manager who has an engineering background and is working for a Fortune 100 company has been waiting 13 years for his green card, Arumbakkam said.
That manager, also Indian, applied for permanent residency in Canada at the same time he applied for it in the States. After 18 months, Canada offered it to him and his family. His wife and children moved to Vancouver, B.C., where he visits regularly while waiting for a change in his U.S. residency status.
Indians in the United States often have too much trust in their employers and lack knowledge of resources that could help them understand their immigration options, Arumbakkam said. He plans to attend an Immigration Voice rally in Washington on Sept. 18 to urge congressional action on immigration.
But he isn't optimistic. "I just feel that I'm getting pushed further down as far as my career is concerned," he said.
...................
The link is http://www.eetimes.com/news/latest/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=314X3PTACJUWMQSNDLOSK HSCJUNN2JVN;?articleID=201802703
EE Times: Latest News
Green-card red tape sends valuable engineers packing
Disenchanted with life in immigration limbo, San Antonio resident Praveen Arumbakkam is abandoning his American dream and returning to his native India.
A senior programmer at a fast-growing IT company, Arumbakkam volunteered for the Red Cross in Texas after Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005. He worked on disaster recovery management software to locate displaced persons, track donations and organize aid distribution.
He had hoped to start a nonprofit disaster recovery management solutions company in the United States, but now he's decided he doesn't want to wait any longer for his green card.
When professionals such as Arumbakkam give up on the States, it creates serious economic consequences, said Vivek Wadhwa, lead author of a study on the subject released last week.
"We've set the stage here for a massive reverse brain drain," said Wadhwa, Wertheim Fellow at Harvard Law School's Labor and Worklife Program.
By the end of fiscal 2006, half a million foreign nationals living in the U.S. were waiting for employment-based green cards, according to the study, released by the nonprofit Kauffman Foundation. Titled "Intellectual Property, the Immigration Backlog, and a Reverse Brain-Drain," the study was based on research by Duke, Harvard and New York University. If spouses and children are included, the number exceeds 1 million.
The study looked at the three main types of employment-based green cards, which cover skill-based immigrants and their immediate families. Including pros- pective immigrants awaiting U.S. legal permanent resident status but living abroad, the numbers hit almost 600,000 in the first group and almost 1.2 million in the second.
The number of available green cards in the three categories totals approximately 120,000. "If there are over a million persons in line for 120,000 visas a year, then we have already mortgaged almost nine years' worth of employment visas," said study author Guillermina Jasso, an NYU sociology professor.
The report also notes that foreign nationals were listed as inventors or co-inventors on 25.6 percent of the international-patent app-lications filed from the United States in 2006, up from 7.6 percent in 1998.
U.S. companies bring in many highly skilled foreigners on temporary visas and train them in U.S. business practices, noted Wadhwa, an executive in residence at Duke University's Pratt School of Engineering. Those workers are then forced to leave, and "they become our competitors. That's as stupid as it gets," he said. "How can this country be so dumb as to bring people in on temporary visas, train them in our way of doing business and then send them back to compete with us?"
Many in the engineering profession argue that American tech employers take advantage of the work visa system for their own benefit. They state that though there is plenty of American engineering talent available, employers use the programs to hire cheaper foreign labor.
And others counter the concern that large numbers of foreign residents will depart America. Most immigrants who have waited years for green cards will remain firm in their resolve, given the time and effort they have already invested, believes Norm Matloff, a computer science professor at the University of California at Davis. "People are here because they want to be here," he said. "They place a high value on immigrating."
But while Arumbakkam wants to be here, he has had enough of waiting. And his story is typical of those foreign-born tech professionals who return home.
In July 2001, the then 27-year-old Arumbakkam arrived on a student visa to get his master's in information technology at Clarkson University in Potsdam, New York. He has a bachelor's degree from the highly ranked University of Madras in southern India.
Arumbakkam said he "pretty much loved the society and the infrastructure for advanced education" in the States. In the post-Sept. 11 climate toward foreigners, however, he found it difficult to get work. After sending out countless resumes, he took an internship in Baltimore, followed by a job in Michigan.
That post didn't bring him any closer to his goal of permanent residency, however. He next took a job in San Antonio and insisted his employer secure him a green card. About that time, the government established an "application backlog elimination" center. "My application went straight into this chasm. I don't know what happened after that," he said. "That was pretty much a blow."
In 2005, he landed his current job, where he's happy with the work environment and the salary. His employer applied for a green card when the government rolled out an online system that was supposed to streamline the process.
But since then, with two applications in the works, Arumbakkam has been waiting-and waiting. In the meantime, his work status can't change, meaning no pay raises or promotions.
Page 2 of 2
Arumbakkam knows plenty of others in the same boat. In early 2006, he ran across Immigration Voice, a nonprofit national group that supports changes in immigration law affecting highly skilled workers. The 22,000-member organization includes professionals in a wide range of fields, from engineers and doctors to architects. Many have families, and all are stuck in the legal process.
"I heard horror stories," said Arumbakkam. One is the tale of a quality assurance engineer employed by a midsized consulting firm in Oklahoma working with Fortune 50 companies. The Indian engineer was hired at a salary that was 30 percent lower than he expected. This was in exchange for the promise that his employer would file a green card application. He was told the money would go to attorneys' fees.
For four years, the engineer asked about his application and was repeatedly told it was coming along. The employer blamed the slow progress on the law firm. In fact, the employer had never filed the application. Finally, the engineer found other work and restarted his efforts to obtain permanent residence.
In another case, a senior strategic projects manager who has an engineering background and is working for a Fortune 100 company has been waiting 13 years for his green card, Arumbakkam said.
That manager, also Indian, applied for permanent residency in Canada at the same time he applied for it in the States. After 18 months, Canada offered it to him and his family. His wife and children moved to Vancouver, B.C., where he visits regularly while waiting for a change in his U.S. residency status.
Indians in the United States often have too much trust in their employers and lack knowledge of resources that could help them understand their immigration options, Arumbakkam said. He plans to attend an Immigration Voice rally in Washington on Sept. 18 to urge congressional action on immigration.
But he isn't optimistic. "I just feel that I'm getting pushed further down as far as my career is concerned," he said.
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more...
thomachan72
09-01 02:05 PM
Got the email this morning...
EB2I
PD : 10/04
RD : 07/02/07
Beat the 10 year deadline by couple of months :)
Congrads!! you seem to be lucky. I noticed that several other of our regular posters have PDs earlier than you and are still waiting. Why do you say 10 years? your PD is 04 so that makes it 5 years :D:D
EB2I
PD : 10/04
RD : 07/02/07
Beat the 10 year deadline by couple of months :)
Congrads!! you seem to be lucky. I noticed that several other of our regular posters have PDs earlier than you and are still waiting. Why do you say 10 years? your PD is 04 so that makes it 5 years :D:D
leo2606
09-15 06:39 PM
Do we have any guesstimate for the number of attendies for the rally?
more...
India76
07-16 09:30 PM
guys....please answer...
like many of you i am waiting to file my I-485. My attorney didn't file mine once news was out on july 2nd. and now i am going to india on 19th July as my mother is in serious condition and coming back on 3rd august.
If DHS/USCIS announce that we can file AOS in july, what are my options? can my attorney file my papers when i am in india?
like many of you i am waiting to file my I-485. My attorney didn't file mine once news was out on july 2nd. and now i am going to india on 19th July as my mother is in serious condition and coming back on 3rd august.
If DHS/USCIS announce that we can file AOS in july, what are my options? can my attorney file my papers when i am in india?
kanta80
03-03 05:09 PM
My F1 grace period is almost ending. I filed the change of status application to take H4 status and I have received the receipt for it. It says it takes about 100-150 days for the decision. My employer is going to apply for my H1B on April 1, 2006 and I think I will not have the H4 approval by then. Is it possible to apply for H1B with this pending H4 situation? I am concerned since my F1 grace period will end in a week. Will there be any problem at all?
Thanks.
Thanks.
chanduv23
02-26 12:37 PM
Congressman - things can move quick and you can get personalized attention.
Senator - things may be a bit slow because they handle the entire state.
How your case can be treated - there is a trick that I would like to share.
For any politician it is in their best duties to help their constituent and that too a law abiding tax paying constituent.
For any staffer at their office, it is best for them to be of help to the constituent because they get brownie points.
You must present yourself and your case with a lot of humility, clarity, easy language, proof of documents, and words of praise and humble request for help - then you can actually see that things do work.
USCIS has an internal liason called congressional liason and all congressional enquiries are routed carefully through that liason. It is in best interest of the liason to make sure they do everything right and come back with a responsible answer. Most times thei entire process is made visible to you via emails copied to you or printouts of conversation or sometimes the liason asks you to come to their office and talks to CIS in your presence.
This is not like Infopass where you can expect only luck to help you.
Another option is to approach the Ombudsman. Ombudsman's office is slow, but it is effective too.
Senator - things may be a bit slow because they handle the entire state.
How your case can be treated - there is a trick that I would like to share.
For any politician it is in their best duties to help their constituent and that too a law abiding tax paying constituent.
For any staffer at their office, it is best for them to be of help to the constituent because they get brownie points.
You must present yourself and your case with a lot of humility, clarity, easy language, proof of documents, and words of praise and humble request for help - then you can actually see that things do work.
USCIS has an internal liason called congressional liason and all congressional enquiries are routed carefully through that liason. It is in best interest of the liason to make sure they do everything right and come back with a responsible answer. Most times thei entire process is made visible to you via emails copied to you or printouts of conversation or sometimes the liason asks you to come to their office and talks to CIS in your presence.
This is not like Infopass where you can expect only luck to help you.
Another option is to approach the Ombudsman. Ombudsman's office is slow, but it is effective too.
number30
07-24 08:31 AM
Immigrant petition was filed only for me. However, AoS has been filed for the entire family. So in my opinion the answers to three questions sholuld be 1 - No, 2- No, 3- Yes.- Would that be Correct?
Since the primary applicant of form I-539 is my wife, i wasn't sure if there should be a mention of my immigrant petition when describing the circumstances on a separate sheet of paper. Should I add receipt number of form I-485 or attach a copy of the form as support documents?
Thanks!
Once you file I-485 it is as good as filing an Immigrant petition. So your Answer will be 'Yes' for Everyone who has applied for I-485.
Since the primary applicant of form I-539 is my wife, i wasn't sure if there should be a mention of my immigrant petition when describing the circumstances on a separate sheet of paper. Should I add receipt number of form I-485 or attach a copy of the form as support documents?
Thanks!
Once you file I-485 it is as good as filing an Immigrant petition. So your Answer will be 'Yes' for Everyone who has applied for I-485.
rb_248
04-15 11:07 AM
Is it B1 or B2 visa ?
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