cpolisetti
03-31 03:56 PM
She was also available for Q&A earlier today on Washington Post. I am quoting one question and answer in particular. Probably she can help in more visibilty of our voice?
Here is the link for todays Q&A:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2006/03/30/DI2006033001345.html
Question from Washington, D.C.: Thank you for your informative article on a topic that needs more attention.
I'm trying to get an sense of the scope of the problem from the perspective of an H-1B visa holder. Just how long does it typically take professionals from India and China/Taiwan to get a green card through their employer these days? What disinsentives are there for employers, other than the risk that the green card may not be approved and their employee will have to return to their home country?
Answer from S. Mitra Kalita: Absent from much of this debate are the voices of H-1B holders themselves and I thank you for your question. I talked to someone who wouldn't allow himself to be quoted by name (so I did not use him in today's story) but this particular individual's story is one I hear often: He has been here for nine years, first on a student visa, then an H-1B. His employer applied for his green card in 2002 and he has been waiting four years because it is tied up in the backlog for labor certification. He said he is giving it six more months and if it doesn't come through, he's heading back to India. This stage is the one that a lot of observers agree where a worker risks being exploited. They are beholden to the employer because of the green card sponsorship (an H-1B visa can travel with a worker from one company to another, however) and cannot get promoted because that is technically a change in job classification -- and would require a new application. On the other hand, a lot of companies say that they know once someone gets a green card, they are out the door because suddenly they can start a company, go work for someone else, get promoted... Anyway, I could go on and on with background on this but instead I will post a story I did last summer on the green card backlog. Hang on.
Todays article:
Most See Visa Program as Severely Flawed
By S. Mitra Kalita
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, March 31, 2006; D01
Somewhere in the debate over immigration and the future of illegal workers, another, less-publicized fight is being waged over those who toil in air-conditioned offices, earn up to six-figure salaries and spend their days programming and punching code.
They are foreign workers who arrive on H-1B visas, mostly young men from India and China tapped for skilled jobs such as software engineers and systems analysts. Unlike seasonal guest workers who stay for about 10 months, H-1B workers stay as long as six years. By then, they must obtain a green card or go back home.
Yesterday, the House Judiciary Committee heard testimony for and against expanding the H-1B program. This week, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved legislation that would increase the H-1B cap to 115,000 from 65,000 and allow some foreign students to bypass the program altogether and immediately get sponsored for green cards, which allow immigrants to be permanent residents, free to live and work in the United States.
But underlying the arguments is a belief, even among the workers themselves, that the current H-1B program is severely flawed.
Opponents say the highly skilled foreign workers compete with and depress the wages of native-born Americans.
Supporters say foreign workers stimulate the economy, create more opportunities for their U.S. counterparts and prevent jobs from being outsourced overseas. The problem, they say, is the cumbersome process: Immigrants often spend six years as guest workers and then wait for green card sponsorship and approval.
At the House committee hearing yesterday, Stuart Anderson, executive director of the National Foundation for American Policy, a nonprofit research group, spoke in favor of raising the cap. Still, he said in an interview, the H-1B visa is far from ideal. "What you want to have is a system where people can get hired directly on green cards in 30 to 60 days," he said.
Economists seem divided on whether highly skilled immigrants depress wages for U.S. workers. In 2003, a study for the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta found no effect on salaries, with an average income for both H-1B and American computer programmers of $55,000.
Still, the study by Madeline Zavodny, now an economics professor at Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Ga., concluded "that unemployment was higher as a result of these H-1B workers."
In a working paper released this week, Harvard University economist George J. Borjas studied the wages of foreigners and native-born Americans with doctorates, concluding that the foreigners lowered the wages of competing workers by 3 to 4 percent. He said he suspected that his conclusion also measured the effects of H-1B visas.
"If there is a demand for engineers and no foreigners to take those jobs, salaries would shoot through the roof and make that very attractive for Americans," Borjas said.
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers-USA says H-1B salaries are lower. "Those who are here on H-1B visas are being worked as indentured servants. They are being paid $13,000 less in the engineering and science worlds," said Ralph W. Wyndrum Jr., president of the advocacy group for technical professionals, which favors green-card-based immigration, but only for exceptional candidates.
Wyndrum said the current system allows foreign skilled workers to "take jobs away from equally good American engineers and scientists." He based his statements about salary disparities on a December report by John Miano, a software engineer, who favors tighter immigration controls. Miano spoke at the House hearing and cited figures from the Occupational Employment Statistics program that show U.S. computer programmers earn an average $65,000 a year, compared with $52,000 for H-1B programmers.
"Is it really a guest-worker program since most people want to stay here? Miano said in an interview. "There is direct displacement of American workers."
Those who recruit and hire retort that a global economy mandates finding the best employees in the world, not just the United States. And because green-card caps are allocated equally among countries (India and China are backlogged, for example), the H-1B becomes the easiest way to hire foreigners.
It is not always easy. Last year, Razorsight Corp., a technology company with offices in Fairfax and Bangalore, India, tried to sponsor more H-1B visas -- but they already were exhausted for the year. Currently, the company has 12 H-1B workers on a U.S. staff of 100, earning $80,000 to $120,000 a year.
Charlie Thomas, Razorsight's chief executive, said the cap should be based on market demand. "It's absolutely essential for us to have access to a global talent," he said. "If your product isn't the best it can be with the best cost structure and development, then someone else will do it. And that someone else may not be a U.S.-based company."
Because H-1B holders can switch employers to sponsor their visas, some workers said they demand salary increases along the way. But once a company sponsors their green cards, workers say they don't expect to be promoted or given a raise.
Now some H-1B holders are watching to see how Congress treats the millions of immigrants who crossed the borders through stealthier means.
Sameer Chandra, 30, who lives in Fairfax and works as a systems analyst on an H-1B visa, said he is concerned that Congress might make it easier for immigrants who entered the U.S. illegally to get a green card than people like him. "What is the point of staying here legally?" he said.
His Houston-based company has sponsored his green card, and Chandra said he hopes it is processed quickly. If it is not, he said, he will return to India. "There's a lot of opportunities there in my country."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2006/03/30/DI2006033001345.html
Here is the link for todays Q&A:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2006/03/30/DI2006033001345.html
Question from Washington, D.C.: Thank you for your informative article on a topic that needs more attention.
I'm trying to get an sense of the scope of the problem from the perspective of an H-1B visa holder. Just how long does it typically take professionals from India and China/Taiwan to get a green card through their employer these days? What disinsentives are there for employers, other than the risk that the green card may not be approved and their employee will have to return to their home country?
Answer from S. Mitra Kalita: Absent from much of this debate are the voices of H-1B holders themselves and I thank you for your question. I talked to someone who wouldn't allow himself to be quoted by name (so I did not use him in today's story) but this particular individual's story is one I hear often: He has been here for nine years, first on a student visa, then an H-1B. His employer applied for his green card in 2002 and he has been waiting four years because it is tied up in the backlog for labor certification. He said he is giving it six more months and if it doesn't come through, he's heading back to India. This stage is the one that a lot of observers agree where a worker risks being exploited. They are beholden to the employer because of the green card sponsorship (an H-1B visa can travel with a worker from one company to another, however) and cannot get promoted because that is technically a change in job classification -- and would require a new application. On the other hand, a lot of companies say that they know once someone gets a green card, they are out the door because suddenly they can start a company, go work for someone else, get promoted... Anyway, I could go on and on with background on this but instead I will post a story I did last summer on the green card backlog. Hang on.
Todays article:
Most See Visa Program as Severely Flawed
By S. Mitra Kalita
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, March 31, 2006; D01
Somewhere in the debate over immigration and the future of illegal workers, another, less-publicized fight is being waged over those who toil in air-conditioned offices, earn up to six-figure salaries and spend their days programming and punching code.
They are foreign workers who arrive on H-1B visas, mostly young men from India and China tapped for skilled jobs such as software engineers and systems analysts. Unlike seasonal guest workers who stay for about 10 months, H-1B workers stay as long as six years. By then, they must obtain a green card or go back home.
Yesterday, the House Judiciary Committee heard testimony for and against expanding the H-1B program. This week, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved legislation that would increase the H-1B cap to 115,000 from 65,000 and allow some foreign students to bypass the program altogether and immediately get sponsored for green cards, which allow immigrants to be permanent residents, free to live and work in the United States.
But underlying the arguments is a belief, even among the workers themselves, that the current H-1B program is severely flawed.
Opponents say the highly skilled foreign workers compete with and depress the wages of native-born Americans.
Supporters say foreign workers stimulate the economy, create more opportunities for their U.S. counterparts and prevent jobs from being outsourced overseas. The problem, they say, is the cumbersome process: Immigrants often spend six years as guest workers and then wait for green card sponsorship and approval.
At the House committee hearing yesterday, Stuart Anderson, executive director of the National Foundation for American Policy, a nonprofit research group, spoke in favor of raising the cap. Still, he said in an interview, the H-1B visa is far from ideal. "What you want to have is a system where people can get hired directly on green cards in 30 to 60 days," he said.
Economists seem divided on whether highly skilled immigrants depress wages for U.S. workers. In 2003, a study for the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta found no effect on salaries, with an average income for both H-1B and American computer programmers of $55,000.
Still, the study by Madeline Zavodny, now an economics professor at Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Ga., concluded "that unemployment was higher as a result of these H-1B workers."
In a working paper released this week, Harvard University economist George J. Borjas studied the wages of foreigners and native-born Americans with doctorates, concluding that the foreigners lowered the wages of competing workers by 3 to 4 percent. He said he suspected that his conclusion also measured the effects of H-1B visas.
"If there is a demand for engineers and no foreigners to take those jobs, salaries would shoot through the roof and make that very attractive for Americans," Borjas said.
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers-USA says H-1B salaries are lower. "Those who are here on H-1B visas are being worked as indentured servants. They are being paid $13,000 less in the engineering and science worlds," said Ralph W. Wyndrum Jr., president of the advocacy group for technical professionals, which favors green-card-based immigration, but only for exceptional candidates.
Wyndrum said the current system allows foreign skilled workers to "take jobs away from equally good American engineers and scientists." He based his statements about salary disparities on a December report by John Miano, a software engineer, who favors tighter immigration controls. Miano spoke at the House hearing and cited figures from the Occupational Employment Statistics program that show U.S. computer programmers earn an average $65,000 a year, compared with $52,000 for H-1B programmers.
"Is it really a guest-worker program since most people want to stay here? Miano said in an interview. "There is direct displacement of American workers."
Those who recruit and hire retort that a global economy mandates finding the best employees in the world, not just the United States. And because green-card caps are allocated equally among countries (India and China are backlogged, for example), the H-1B becomes the easiest way to hire foreigners.
It is not always easy. Last year, Razorsight Corp., a technology company with offices in Fairfax and Bangalore, India, tried to sponsor more H-1B visas -- but they already were exhausted for the year. Currently, the company has 12 H-1B workers on a U.S. staff of 100, earning $80,000 to $120,000 a year.
Charlie Thomas, Razorsight's chief executive, said the cap should be based on market demand. "It's absolutely essential for us to have access to a global talent," he said. "If your product isn't the best it can be with the best cost structure and development, then someone else will do it. And that someone else may not be a U.S.-based company."
Because H-1B holders can switch employers to sponsor their visas, some workers said they demand salary increases along the way. But once a company sponsors their green cards, workers say they don't expect to be promoted or given a raise.
Now some H-1B holders are watching to see how Congress treats the millions of immigrants who crossed the borders through stealthier means.
Sameer Chandra, 30, who lives in Fairfax and works as a systems analyst on an H-1B visa, said he is concerned that Congress might make it easier for immigrants who entered the U.S. illegally to get a green card than people like him. "What is the point of staying here legally?" he said.
His Houston-based company has sponsored his green card, and Chandra said he hopes it is processed quickly. If it is not, he said, he will return to India. "There's a lot of opportunities there in my country."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2006/03/30/DI2006033001345.html
mariner5555
02-08 09:05 AM
my first EAD expires on aug 16 2008. should I file for new one 180 days before or is it 120 before expiry.
is it better to efile for the above extension or by mail. I guess a lawyer is not needed for the above - am I right ? Thanks in advance !
is it better to efile for the above extension or by mail. I guess a lawyer is not needed for the above - am I right ? Thanks in advance !
nogc_noproblem
04-24 10:51 AM
Is there any formal announcement from IV for letter / flower campaign? We left with very short time.
Thanks Arnab221 for posting the schedule. April 30th is the hearing date, and we know the members of this committee:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_House_Committee_on_the_Judiciary
and the members of the sub-committee:
http://judiciary.house.gov/committeestructure.aspx?committee=4
What are we waiting for guys, lets start a letter campaign (to express our problems) OR flower campaign (to convey our thanks for looking into this important matter).
Thanks Arnab221 for posting the schedule. April 30th is the hearing date, and we know the members of this committee:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_House_Committee_on_the_Judiciary
and the members of the sub-committee:
http://judiciary.house.gov/committeestructure.aspx?committee=4
What are we waiting for guys, lets start a letter campaign (to express our problems) OR flower campaign (to convey our thanks for looking into this important matter).
abracadabra102
11-19 08:18 PM
Chris, Can you change the title. This is actually good news. USCIS is coming out with some real solutions now. It is known quite for some time that USCIS data capturing is so poor, they can not sort and order AOS applications on PD. We know how they issued GCs to 2006 PD ahead of 2002/2003 PDs this august. If this email thing works correctly, we can expect steady movement of cut off dates in future instead of wild jumps back and forth.
more...
glus
12-18 01:05 PM
Hi guys,
I wonder if anyone noticed that. I am a July 2nd filer and my priority date is not current and long will not be. But I noticed many many LUDS on my I485 and no change in messages. Has anyone noticed that too?
My LUDS: 9/7, 9/11, 10/3(after FP), 12/10, 12/11, 12/15, 12/18.....
I wonder what is happening....
I wonder if anyone noticed that. I am a July 2nd filer and my priority date is not current and long will not be. But I noticed many many LUDS on my I485 and no change in messages. Has anyone noticed that too?
My LUDS: 9/7, 9/11, 10/3(after FP), 12/10, 12/11, 12/15, 12/18.....
I wonder what is happening....
abhi_jais
12-04 03:24 PM
Bharmohan and Mukesh:
What happened to your case? Is it still pending or you got it stamped?
Please let us know.
What happened to your case? Is it still pending or you got it stamped?
Please let us know.
more...
GCNirvana007
10-04 06:10 PM
What all other questions, like "Are you still working for the GC sponsored employer" ?
Asked me if i am married or single - I mean wtf you dont see my status in the computer screen
Asked me if i am married or single - I mean wtf you dont see my status in the computer screen
ca_gc
05-14 05:23 PM
Didn't the last recapture of visas (AC21) happen in 2000, an election year ? Also H1B law was modified to include 20000 visas for US Masters students during 2004. Actually, history is in our favor.
more...
indianindian2006
10-09 05:20 PM
Hi,
It is not money issue but if I send the new fee they might reject saying it should be old! So i just wanted to be sure! Thanks for the replies!
You have another option of attaching both the old and new fees in 2seperate checks along with a letter explaining your case,you can add in the letter that they could cash the check they felt right and return the other check.My attorney did this for me one time.You also consult your attorney for the same.
It is not money issue but if I send the new fee they might reject saying it should be old! So i just wanted to be sure! Thanks for the replies!
You have another option of attaching both the old and new fees in 2seperate checks along with a letter explaining your case,you can add in the letter that they could cash the check they felt right and return the other check.My attorney did this for me one time.You also consult your attorney for the same.
keepwalking
05-21 12:22 PM
Thank you very much for your prompt reply.
Please let know if you took infopass appointment or help from Congressmen to push for your wife's I485 processing
Filed at : Nebraska Service Center
For Wife
Filed 485 on March 10, Finger printing May 6th, GC Approved May 9th, GC received May 13th
My Wife was on EAD/OPT based on her student visa (and not on H4)
Please let know if you took infopass appointment or help from Congressmen to push for your wife's I485 processing
Filed at : Nebraska Service Center
For Wife
Filed 485 on March 10, Finger printing May 6th, GC Approved May 9th, GC received May 13th
My Wife was on EAD/OPT based on her student visa (and not on H4)
more...
gjoe
04-30 09:52 PM
What is the agenda now?
arnet
07-12 02:19 PM
it is highly unfortunate......if you dont mind, what is the new procedure, can we know? which stage u r in now? where u have to start it?
good luck.....
good luck.....
more...
yabadaba
07-31 02:34 PM
check out immigrationportal.com
the reason you wont get anywhere in terms of answers in a public forum is because you have not provided us with any relevant information. which forms were filed by your grandfather...which category was it filed under.
did your grandfather not file form I-765? that is an employment authorization document...giving your mom unrestricted permission to work.
the reason you wont get anywhere in terms of answers in a public forum is because you have not provided us with any relevant information. which forms were filed by your grandfather...which category was it filed under.
did your grandfather not file form I-765? that is an employment authorization document...giving your mom unrestricted permission to work.
sledge_hammer
02-20 06:06 PM
1) What is her current status H1B or H4?
A) H1
2) how long can she wait to search job, assuming if she does not get job in next 2-3 months, how long will be H1B status Valid.
A) It is her employer's responsibility to cancel her H-1B if he did not pay her and offer the job she was promised. In my opinion, she is already out of status.
3) If she travels to india, will she has to get H1B stamped or she can re-enter on H4.
A) She will have to re-apply for H4 and re-enter the country.
4) What are the options to get her back on H4. I have to file my extension in sept-2009.
A) Contact an attorney.
Members,
I need some help to act in right direction.
In Oct -2008 my wife got H1B. She was on H4 before that. The employer is still searching client for her to start work. She has got no pay, as practically she never started work. She still have valid-H4 VISa till sept-2009.
1) What is her current status H1B or H4?
2) how long can she wait to search job, assuming if she does not get job in next 2-3 months, how long will be H1B status Valid.
3) If she travels to india, will she has to get H1B stamped or she can re-enter on H4.
4) What are the options to get her back on H4. I have to file my extension in sept-2009.
Feedbacks, as highly appreciated.
~cheers
A) H1
2) how long can she wait to search job, assuming if she does not get job in next 2-3 months, how long will be H1B status Valid.
A) It is her employer's responsibility to cancel her H-1B if he did not pay her and offer the job she was promised. In my opinion, she is already out of status.
3) If she travels to india, will she has to get H1B stamped or she can re-enter on H4.
A) She will have to re-apply for H4 and re-enter the country.
4) What are the options to get her back on H4. I have to file my extension in sept-2009.
A) Contact an attorney.
Members,
I need some help to act in right direction.
In Oct -2008 my wife got H1B. She was on H4 before that. The employer is still searching client for her to start work. She has got no pay, as practically she never started work. She still have valid-H4 VISa till sept-2009.
1) What is her current status H1B or H4?
2) how long can she wait to search job, assuming if she does not get job in next 2-3 months, how long will be H1B status Valid.
3) If she travels to india, will she has to get H1B stamped or she can re-enter on H4.
4) What are the options to get her back on H4. I have to file my extension in sept-2009.
Feedbacks, as highly appreciated.
~cheers
more...
whiteStallion
05-15 03:16 PM
You are right. These certifications may add some value when applying for H1B Visa but not for GC Processing with USCIS. You can just ignore those certifications....
I would like to clarify one thing....
Are these Certifications from Sun Microsystems, Oracle and IBM consider as supporting documents for 4 year degree or equivalent to any educational qualifications or experience?
I mean, people are doing these certifications even with out a job or while on bench....
I do not want to degrade or project these certifications in low profile or so, I do know the value of these certifications while searching for a job, but could not understand how they will help you in education or experience with USCIS.
Correct me if I am wrong.....
- B+ve
I would like to clarify one thing....
Are these Certifications from Sun Microsystems, Oracle and IBM consider as supporting documents for 4 year degree or equivalent to any educational qualifications or experience?
I mean, people are doing these certifications even with out a job or while on bench....
I do not want to degrade or project these certifications in low profile or so, I do know the value of these certifications while searching for a job, but could not understand how they will help you in education or experience with USCIS.
Correct me if I am wrong.....
- B+ve
dvnagesh
12-05 05:01 PM
Congratulations !! Thanks for sharing the info on the forum and for offering your help...
more...
pappu
05-24 01:58 PM
Only last week I saw an article that said something to the effect that " Want US GC, get Masters". At that time, we all laughed at how these reports are compiled and brushed them off as tabloids.
Unfortunately , this time IV has got the right message and the publicity, but how will an average reader decide which article is saying the truth. People will understand/interpret the news the way their minds wants it to be , regardless of what the absolute truth is.
Regardless , a step in the positive direction for us
IV thanks its member- English_august for getting us this interview.
Yes this time TOI got it right. IV thanks TOI for this article too.
Unfortunately , this time IV has got the right message and the publicity, but how will an average reader decide which article is saying the truth. People will understand/interpret the news the way their minds wants it to be , regardless of what the absolute truth is.
Regardless , a step in the positive direction for us
IV thanks its member- English_august for getting us this interview.
Yes this time TOI got it right. IV thanks TOI for this article too.
nixstor
06-30 06:35 PM
Any thing related to EB immigration, whether it be H1B cap/VB/Retrogression, it has been spreading like wild fire and traveling faster than the speed of wire. On one occasion, I felt that we and lawyers are probably giving more input to the USCIS. Some rumor/educated guess kicks off some where and it ends up in the lap of USCIS. Like H1B cap. People predicted and predicted non stop for 2 months that it will be over on day one. Its not a prediction. It was a forced situation to some extent. This whole VB revision is similar, if it happens
authrd
08-23 10:59 AM
bumping/hoping for replies
chennaigc
11-21 04:27 PM
I have one question . What about the I-94 which comes with I-797 ? Can we use this as replacement?
kumar1305
02-25 05:10 PM
WOW. Stealing $30 worth of stuff makes her so bad?
I wonder what stealing from an employer by leaving early from work would mean.
You are beyond hopeless.
Here people are putting more than 8 hours a day. Many are doing twice the job. Doing Administration and development, development and support and what not. Employers do not want to recruit a new one. Have thrown all the stuff on poor H1Bs, can't run away just have to work hard to keep the status.
Which company which let you go early in the current economy? This kind of statements are an insult to all the hard working guys on this forum.
I wonder what stealing from an employer by leaving early from work would mean.
You are beyond hopeless.
Here people are putting more than 8 hours a day. Many are doing twice the job. Doing Administration and development, development and support and what not. Employers do not want to recruit a new one. Have thrown all the stuff on poor H1Bs, can't run away just have to work hard to keep the status.
Which company which let you go early in the current economy? This kind of statements are an insult to all the hard working guys on this forum.
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