vidhya_srini
01-01 09:09 AM
i attended interview on dec 20th.. i havn' t recd my passport yet.. i had to cancel my tickets bcos of this..:mad:
wallpaper Pictures of mitsubishi gto
pappu
12-01 06:42 PM
Leo07,
Thanks for the ideas.
Lack of contributions will reduce our investments in lobbying efforts and that will hurt our chances of overall success. In the last 3 weeks we have received just above 2K. This will be hardly of any consequence when you buy lobbying benefits from the top firm in the country. We will simply invest as much as we can get from members. If members pay us less, we will be able to get less. Provisions in the Omnibus bill are not going to be easy.
If anyone has any doubts about how much we are feared by our opponents they can read
http://www.jobdestruction.org/NewsArchive/index.htm
Titled: 2007-11-29 DC lobbying campaign by Indian special interest groups.htm
Now answering your points
1) On our own IV site, we can consider adding google ads only on Forum pages. However before that we need an assessment from someone that is an expert in google ads to calculate how much we can earn via google ads. Experts in this area can contact us.
2) Advertising is expensive and we cannot afford it. If anyone has contacts with websites, pls use those contacts and get us free space. We can put banner ads on those sites
3) We had $20 as a minimum amount and even then we got only 300+ people to pay. Infact, since most who could have contributed more, only contributed $20 our contributions went down significantly and we were unable to keep up with the Lobbying expenses. At that time several people complained that $20 is too high and it should be $10 or $1. This has been discussed several times on the forum and we have answered many people same question. If people think the value of the effort we all are putting and the price of increasing the chances of their greencard is just worth $20 or $5, then I do not think we should even pursue this effort and even keep this website up.
4) This is a good idea. Next time I start spotlight thread, I would request members to donate if they found the topic helpful. Likewise all active members who help others on the forum by answering their questions can request readers to consider donating if the answers were helpful.
5) This is tough to implement without knowing who is conducting such campaign and if the person can be trusted.
Thanks for the ideas.
Lack of contributions will reduce our investments in lobbying efforts and that will hurt our chances of overall success. In the last 3 weeks we have received just above 2K. This will be hardly of any consequence when you buy lobbying benefits from the top firm in the country. We will simply invest as much as we can get from members. If members pay us less, we will be able to get less. Provisions in the Omnibus bill are not going to be easy.
If anyone has any doubts about how much we are feared by our opponents they can read
http://www.jobdestruction.org/NewsArchive/index.htm
Titled: 2007-11-29 DC lobbying campaign by Indian special interest groups.htm
Now answering your points
1) On our own IV site, we can consider adding google ads only on Forum pages. However before that we need an assessment from someone that is an expert in google ads to calculate how much we can earn via google ads. Experts in this area can contact us.
2) Advertising is expensive and we cannot afford it. If anyone has contacts with websites, pls use those contacts and get us free space. We can put banner ads on those sites
3) We had $20 as a minimum amount and even then we got only 300+ people to pay. Infact, since most who could have contributed more, only contributed $20 our contributions went down significantly and we were unable to keep up with the Lobbying expenses. At that time several people complained that $20 is too high and it should be $10 or $1. This has been discussed several times on the forum and we have answered many people same question. If people think the value of the effort we all are putting and the price of increasing the chances of their greencard is just worth $20 or $5, then I do not think we should even pursue this effort and even keep this website up.
4) This is a good idea. Next time I start spotlight thread, I would request members to donate if they found the topic helpful. Likewise all active members who help others on the forum by answering their questions can request readers to consider donating if the answers were helpful.
5) This is tough to implement without knowing who is conducting such campaign and if the person can be trusted.
bugsbunny
04-20 01:38 PM
ok, I did not take private coaching (not that its relevant to a 3/4 year degree) and we had quite a few lower-middle class students in engineering.
As for poor families - A MCA at IGNOU costs a little over $1000. I'm sure its similar in other distant learning courses too.
that may be the case...but maybe the guy couldn't afford the 4 year engg...did the way way cheaper 3 yr bachelors...then worked ...made some dough...decided to study further to advance...so did MCA ( repeating a 4 yr bachelors is not sensible or economical at this point)
This is all speculation ofcourse...the point is we don't fully know the person's circumstances and should not judge based on face value of the degree...if the person is talented he/she will be retained by companies who want to keep them.
As for poor families - A MCA at IGNOU costs a little over $1000. I'm sure its similar in other distant learning courses too.
that may be the case...but maybe the guy couldn't afford the 4 year engg...did the way way cheaper 3 yr bachelors...then worked ...made some dough...decided to study further to advance...so did MCA ( repeating a 4 yr bachelors is not sensible or economical at this point)
This is all speculation ofcourse...the point is we don't fully know the person's circumstances and should not judge based on face value of the degree...if the person is talented he/she will be retained by companies who want to keep them.
2011 Japanese Mitsubishi GTO patrol
ras
07-02 12:53 AM
following few more reasons may be added.
- When a new employee arrives his/her knowledge of immigration matters is quite less and doesn't intend to take risks of going against the employers wishes. This is being exploited by many employers by way of threatening to cancel H1, intimidating that they will have to return back, instilling fear in all ways and means in the employees about the negative aspects. This leads the employee to think and step back in going against the employer.
Soln : Better educate the new employee about his rights as soon as he arrives. This could be either through forums, websites or even an official supplement from USCIS which should be handed over to the employee when his H1 is approved. ( It could mention and clear all myths officially by USCIS). This instills courage in the employee to question the employer if not go ahead with law suits. Also, this even may reduce threatening by the employer.
- Further most of the employees want their career slate to be clean without any law suit, dots, etc until their life is secured by way of GC approvals or some form of assurance from the Govt. This makes them step back on taking action against the employer.
Soln: Well if there could be a system where anonymous complaints/whistle blowers are allowed, they probably may come out. However, rarely employee wants to reveal his identity though he suffers.
- The immigration matters are so complicated with so many RFE's people are scared to add another their event to their history. Any transaction with USCIS is kind of a risky feel for the employee.
Soln: This feeling should be removed.
- immigration decisions are uncertain so people want to be cautious in taking bold steps.
Soln : There should be assurance from USCIS that provided everything on the candidates side is good that his GC will be approved. If an employee believes that based on his/her good credentials in all respects they should assured be of a GC, they may come forward to fight against the erring employers
Soln: How do we make employee believe if everything is right on their part, an appropriate decision will be taken by USCIS. People still dont have confidence in USCIS decision making process.
- And for GC applicants, they fear anything against the employer would affect their GC process. At every stage (Labor, I 140 and I 485 ) they are being exploited in one or the other way. Always it the employee who is at the loosing end. I have never seen an empoyer loosing because of an employee...
These are some of the thoughts...
- When a new employee arrives his/her knowledge of immigration matters is quite less and doesn't intend to take risks of going against the employers wishes. This is being exploited by many employers by way of threatening to cancel H1, intimidating that they will have to return back, instilling fear in all ways and means in the employees about the negative aspects. This leads the employee to think and step back in going against the employer.
Soln : Better educate the new employee about his rights as soon as he arrives. This could be either through forums, websites or even an official supplement from USCIS which should be handed over to the employee when his H1 is approved. ( It could mention and clear all myths officially by USCIS). This instills courage in the employee to question the employer if not go ahead with law suits. Also, this even may reduce threatening by the employer.
- Further most of the employees want their career slate to be clean without any law suit, dots, etc until their life is secured by way of GC approvals or some form of assurance from the Govt. This makes them step back on taking action against the employer.
Soln: Well if there could be a system where anonymous complaints/whistle blowers are allowed, they probably may come out. However, rarely employee wants to reveal his identity though he suffers.
- The immigration matters are so complicated with so many RFE's people are scared to add another their event to their history. Any transaction with USCIS is kind of a risky feel for the employee.
Soln: This feeling should be removed.
- immigration decisions are uncertain so people want to be cautious in taking bold steps.
Soln : There should be assurance from USCIS that provided everything on the candidates side is good that his GC will be approved. If an employee believes that based on his/her good credentials in all respects they should assured be of a GC, they may come forward to fight against the erring employers
Soln: How do we make employee believe if everything is right on their part, an appropriate decision will be taken by USCIS. People still dont have confidence in USCIS decision making process.
- And for GC applicants, they fear anything against the employer would affect their GC process. At every stage (Labor, I 140 and I 485 ) they are being exploited in one or the other way. Always it the employee who is at the loosing end. I have never seen an empoyer loosing because of an employee...
These are some of the thoughts...
more...
GCwaitforever
06-07 12:27 PM
So you guys are saying that because you are on a H1B you are working harder than others? Let me tell you that working hard does not guarantee your job. I have seen hard workers laid off left and right, be it US citizens, green card holders or H1Bs. In fact one of my GC friends said that it is a constant fear for him to be employed at all times, he was unemployed for 10 months after the dot com bust. That changed him completely, he said what will I do with my GC, can I feed my kids with a GC? I need a job. So it is everyone's perspective. I look at him and say at least you have a GC, he says at least you have a job. :)
Probably most of you are aware of these things. So, let me say this advice is for newbies in the job. Lay-offs are done for business reasons and cost considerations. An American friend of mine lost his managerial job after 18 years of loyalty and experience. Company did not see the reason to continue to be in that business and the entire division related to the business was laid off. So working hard is good. Definitely a deserved trait. Do it for self-satisfaction, but not out of fear of loosing the job. At the same time, we should not be cloistered within the company working long hours. There are other things imprtant in life apart from the eight hours we spend at the office. I tend to my hobbies to keep my sanity after work. I look out for business indicators/news regarding how my company is doing. Good financial planning mandates savings around 6-12 months of living expenses which would lessen the impact of lay-off.;)
Probably most of you are aware of these things. So, let me say this advice is for newbies in the job. Lay-offs are done for business reasons and cost considerations. An American friend of mine lost his managerial job after 18 years of loyalty and experience. Company did not see the reason to continue to be in that business and the entire division related to the business was laid off. So working hard is good. Definitely a deserved trait. Do it for self-satisfaction, but not out of fear of loosing the job. At the same time, we should not be cloistered within the company working long hours. There are other things imprtant in life apart from the eight hours we spend at the office. I tend to my hobbies to keep my sanity after work. I look out for business indicators/news regarding how my company is doing. Good financial planning mandates savings around 6-12 months of living expenses which would lessen the impact of lay-off.;)
vsrinir
09-17 10:56 AM
They might got feed back from DOS and USCIS also.
I hope DOS and USCIS give positive feedback to recapture visas.
I hope DOS and USCIS give positive feedback to recapture visas.
more...
smodekurti
10-12 04:44 PM
Hey SmartBoy,
Thank you for efforts to calm us down. But my H1b transfer to the new company has been already approved and now they have reopened the one from my previous employer.
Thank you for efforts to calm us down. But my H1b transfer to the new company has been already approved and now they have reopened the one from my previous employer.
2010 Mitsubishi GTO Breathable Car Cover
cowboy
07-18 01:29 PM
For all practical purposes, the date on which it was recieved is your RD=> Receipt Date. The postmark date has no relevance except for records unless USCIS explicitly states so ( which it did once in 2001 http://www.uscis.gov/propub/ProPubVAP.jsp?dockey=89a5f3cee754ad0499e55e731191f 360).
485 filings are strictly Receipt date. I am still searching for the uscis link and will post one as soon as I find one.
Thanks...but isn't the post mark date is when you send the mail ?
485 filings are strictly Receipt date. I am still searching for the uscis link and will post one as soon as I find one.
Thanks...but isn't the post mark date is when you send the mail ?
more...
StuckInTheMuck
05-01 09:50 AM
I heard it is six months. But someone should clarify whether its 6 or 1 yr. And also it is really necessary to work for 6 months/1 Yr or not??
I doubt if any one can clarify this question more than what is already said so far. Neither DHS nor USCIS specified the minimum time one should stay with the (GC-sponsoring) employer after becoming PR. At the end it comes down to establishing your intention, that is, making sure your decision does not raise a red flag when USCIS pulls up your employment history later (during your citizenship interview, or if something else triggers a background check, e.g. your employer being investigated for a potential fraud). There are mitigating circumstances that should help if you leave early, such as being laid off soon after becoming PR, or as someone pointed out, if you invoked AC21 while waiting for GC etc. (These are things I admit I do not know much about, as my own GC was self-sponsored.) We are talking intangibles here, and you are unlikely to find any set-in-stone rule.
Having said that, your decision should not (read never) be dictated entirely by how USCIS may interpret your intention. There are other priorities, such as family, that should come first and foremost. After years of letting USCIS be the lord-and-master while we waited for GC, it is high time we step up and take control of our life. Besides, after looking up several threads over quite some time, I did not come across a single case of anyone being denied citizenship, or having GC revoked, on employment history alone. (The biggest deciding factor has almost always been "moral character".) Knowing the importance of this issue, if any of you have read (not heard from a friend of a friend of a friend of a...) a counter example where someone indeed faced problem because of employment, please post the link.
I doubt if any one can clarify this question more than what is already said so far. Neither DHS nor USCIS specified the minimum time one should stay with the (GC-sponsoring) employer after becoming PR. At the end it comes down to establishing your intention, that is, making sure your decision does not raise a red flag when USCIS pulls up your employment history later (during your citizenship interview, or if something else triggers a background check, e.g. your employer being investigated for a potential fraud). There are mitigating circumstances that should help if you leave early, such as being laid off soon after becoming PR, or as someone pointed out, if you invoked AC21 while waiting for GC etc. (These are things I admit I do not know much about, as my own GC was self-sponsored.) We are talking intangibles here, and you are unlikely to find any set-in-stone rule.
Having said that, your decision should not (read never) be dictated entirely by how USCIS may interpret your intention. There are other priorities, such as family, that should come first and foremost. After years of letting USCIS be the lord-and-master while we waited for GC, it is high time we step up and take control of our life. Besides, after looking up several threads over quite some time, I did not come across a single case of anyone being denied citizenship, or having GC revoked, on employment history alone. (The biggest deciding factor has almost always been "moral character".) Knowing the importance of this issue, if any of you have read (not heard from a friend of a friend of a friend of a...) a counter example where someone indeed faced problem because of employment, please post the link.
hair Mitsubishi Gto
hope4gc
01-22 11:41 AM
Smisachu,
One more question for now
Do i need to apparoach an immigration lawyer and a CPA for setting up a company?
I have PMed you with some questions you have asked
Thanks
One more question for now
Do i need to apparoach an immigration lawyer and a CPA for setting up a company?
I have PMed you with some questions you have asked
Thanks
more...
immi2006
05-25 11:06 AM
We all had a good time so far in US compared to the freshers .
It seems like any change in the immigration system is only going to land us in a worst position than we are in....
And looking at what is happening, I think it is naive to think we can influence the system to make it better for us.
Any noise we make seems to be making our opponents solidify and press us even harder.
I know this is not an upbeat comment that every IV member seem to expect, but this has been a depressing week, in an already depressing decade. :(
It seems like any change in the immigration system is only going to land us in a worst position than we are in....
And looking at what is happening, I think it is naive to think we can influence the system to make it better for us.
Any noise we make seems to be making our opponents solidify and press us even harder.
I know this is not an upbeat comment that every IV member seem to expect, but this has been a depressing week, in an already depressing decade. :(
hot 1976 Mitsubishi Galant GTO
vikki76
10-28 06:15 PM
wow!!!..just amazing. But irony is that while your case was pending, nobody informed you that why case was sitting on the shelf.
Never mind- sometimes, no activity is actually good. I am seeing repeated LUD's on my approved 140 and now wondering what is going on.
Never mind- sometimes, no activity is actually good. I am seeing repeated LUD's on my approved 140 and now wondering what is going on.
more...
house mitsubishi-gto-twinturbo-95
Karthikthiru
07-11 08:24 PM
Any new updates for this thread
Karthik
Karthik
tattoo Tags: mitsubishi 3000gt
realizeit
06-12 02:51 PM
I posted this before, but got nowhere (read: did not get the answer I hoped for), hopefully people with little bit more legalese can answer on this discrepancy.
According to 8usc 1153 (b)(3)A : "Visas shall be made available, in a number not to exceed 28.6 percent of such worldwide level, plus any visas not required for the classes specified in paragraphs (1) and (2), to the following classes of aliens who are not described in paragraph (2)".
Which means that EB3 should be getting the unused visa numbers from EB1 at around the same time as EB2, and not only if EB2 also does not need the numbers.
Is the reading that EB2 and EB3 should concurrently share the number on the right track? And if so, is USCIS rolling over the numbers in the right manner?
If EB3 were to get rolled over numbers only after EB2 is satisfied consuming EB1, the language would have been similarly worded as the last part of 1153(b)(3)A "... to the following classes of aliens who are not described in paragraph (2)".
See the following link for explanation:
http://travel.state.gov/visa/frvi/bulletin/bulletin_4252.html
Excerpt from above link
EMPLOYMENT-BASED PREFERENCES
First: Priority Workers: 28.6% of the worldwide employment-based preference level, plus any numbers not required for fourth and fifth preferences.
Second: Members of the Professions Holding Advanced Degrees or Persons of Exceptional Ability: 28.6% of the worldwide employment-based preference level, plus any numbers not required by first preference.
Third: Skilled Workers, Professionals, and Other Workers: 28.6% of the worldwide level, plus any numbers not required by first and second preferences, not more than 10,000 of which to "Other Workers".
Fourth: Certain Special Immigrants: 7.1% of the worldwide level.
Fifth: Employment Creation: 7.1% of the worldwide level, not less than 3,000 of which reserved for investors in a targeted rural or high-unemployment area, and 3,000 set aside for investors in regional centers by Sec. 610 of P.L. 102-395.
According to 8usc 1153 (b)(3)A : "Visas shall be made available, in a number not to exceed 28.6 percent of such worldwide level, plus any visas not required for the classes specified in paragraphs (1) and (2), to the following classes of aliens who are not described in paragraph (2)".
Which means that EB3 should be getting the unused visa numbers from EB1 at around the same time as EB2, and not only if EB2 also does not need the numbers.
Is the reading that EB2 and EB3 should concurrently share the number on the right track? And if so, is USCIS rolling over the numbers in the right manner?
If EB3 were to get rolled over numbers only after EB2 is satisfied consuming EB1, the language would have been similarly worded as the last part of 1153(b)(3)A "... to the following classes of aliens who are not described in paragraph (2)".
See the following link for explanation:
http://travel.state.gov/visa/frvi/bulletin/bulletin_4252.html
Excerpt from above link
EMPLOYMENT-BASED PREFERENCES
First: Priority Workers: 28.6% of the worldwide employment-based preference level, plus any numbers not required for fourth and fifth preferences.
Second: Members of the Professions Holding Advanced Degrees or Persons of Exceptional Ability: 28.6% of the worldwide employment-based preference level, plus any numbers not required by first preference.
Third: Skilled Workers, Professionals, and Other Workers: 28.6% of the worldwide level, plus any numbers not required by first and second preferences, not more than 10,000 of which to "Other Workers".
Fourth: Certain Special Immigrants: 7.1% of the worldwide level.
Fifth: Employment Creation: 7.1% of the worldwide level, not less than 3,000 of which reserved for investors in a targeted rural or high-unemployment area, and 3,000 set aside for investors in regional centers by Sec. 610 of P.L. 102-395.
more...
pictures sport cars. Mitsubishi GTO
bugsbunny
03-29 03:43 PM
Came to USA on H1B, paid for the H1B fees(at that time didn't know it was illegal to do so)
however after coming here , Paid for my own ticket and landed here on start of january 2011.
I am a little doubtful...if this was illegal.
Since you had no knowledge at the time that it was illegal.
Being a foreign national you may not be expected to know every law here.
How much did you pay? was it more than what the fee was?
Did the employer processes your visa or did they use the services of an attorney?
if you...then you have a case to sue the employer for scamming you in civil court...as he may have used this trick to eat your money knowing fully well what would happen to you once you landed here.
Talk to an attorney here before you leave.
however after coming here , Paid for my own ticket and landed here on start of january 2011.
I am a little doubtful...if this was illegal.
Since you had no knowledge at the time that it was illegal.
Being a foreign national you may not be expected to know every law here.
How much did you pay? was it more than what the fee was?
Did the employer processes your visa or did they use the services of an attorney?
if you...then you have a case to sue the employer for scamming you in civil court...as he may have used this trick to eat your money knowing fully well what would happen to you once you landed here.
Talk to an attorney here before you leave.
dresses Mitsubishi Gto Link Page
prince7
09-30 09:51 PM
hi smartboy/wawa,
I have sent a private message to you , could you pls check and respond to it .
BTW, I have checked status of all my previous approvals and found one of them
being reopened for review , that means I have 2 approved h1s being reopened. Lets see
if this is something new development .
I have sent a private message to you , could you pls check and respond to it .
BTW, I have checked status of all my previous approvals and found one of them
being reopened for review , that means I have 2 approved h1s being reopened. Lets see
if this is something new development .
more...
makeup Mitsubishi GTO Mark 2 - Side
unchew
06-04 11:07 PM
thx! :D
girlfriend Mitsubishi Gto
rheoretro
09-13 03:36 PM
Yes, I obviously cannot diasgree with that logic; it is all about votes. But, I looked at the articles: the one in WASH POST is about illegal immigration. Also, there is no article in NY TIMES. We need the big newspapers and PBS to discuss our issue repeatedly.
Also, all these articles should be on a sitcky thread for all to see.
Why don't you write and sumbit an op-ed piece to The NY Times? While I personally like watching Jim Lehrer's newshour on PBS, we shouldn't get obsessed with a particular program. We have been featured all over the mainstream media.
Here's the Washington Post Article that inspired me to join IV in April. I challenge you to write an article that will get us our next 6,000 members. And alll news articles about IV exist on a thread. Please look carefully before you trash our efforts. Thank you.
RR
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Skilled Immigrants Turn to K Street
High-Tech Workers Awaiting Green Cards Hire Lobbyists, Hit the Hill
By S. Mitra Kalita
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, April 26, 2006; D01
On the December day when Congress killed a budget amendment that might have allowed him to become an American a little sooner, Aman Kapoor started a movement.
He did not march through streets, carry signs, wave a flag from here or there. He did not walk off the job or file out of school. The computer programmer simply went online to a message board tracked by thousands of people in his predicament: highly skilled foreigners waiting years for their green cards.
"I think we can do better and really create the impact with organized effort," he wrote. "To achieve this we need a group of individuals who have shown commitment and motivation in this forum."
The next night, a dozen people living across the United States shed their Internet handles -- Kapoor's was "WaldenPond," a nod to his hero, Henry David Thoreau -- and addressed one another by name on a conference call that lasted an hour. Today, just four months later, the organization they dubbed Immigration Voice boasts 3,000 members; a fundraising goal of $200,000; and, most notably, a partnership with a high-powered lobbying firm, Quinn Gillespie & Associates LLC.
The group's transformation from an insular circle to a politically active movement offers a window into an alternative immigrant campaign being waged as the Senate this week resumes its work on immigration laws.
Most members and all the core organizers of Immigration Voice hail from India, though Chinese membership numbers in the hundreds and is on the rise. Most arrived on an international student visa or a visa known as the H-1B, reserved for highly skilled workers who can stay for up to six years -- unless an employer sponsors their green cards, which grant immigrants permanent residence in the United States and the right to live and work here freely. Over the past decade, the largest numbers of H-1Bs have been awarded to high-technology workers from India and China.
Thus, while the passage of a strict border-security bill introduced by Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner Jr. (R-Wis.) mobilized many other immigrants in December, members of this high-tech group had their eye on another: a budget reconciliation bill that, in the Senate version, would have allowed those waiting in line for a green card to proceed even if the quota had been exhausted. The provision was cut in conference committee, stirring many to action and leading to the founding of Immigration Voice.
While hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets to get Congress's attention, Immigration Voice took a decidedly different approach. Shortly after the group was established, Kapoor and other volunteers began interviewing lobbyists, relying mostly on Google searches and data from the Center for Public Integrity's Web site.
"If it was not going to be big, it would not be worth the effort," said Kapoor, who works for Florida State University and has traveled to Washington nine times in the past three months. "Most of us have reached that point, having waited for eight or nine years, where individual lives are on hold."
Neither Quinn Gillespie nor Immigration Voice would disclose the amount being paid for the firm's services. Kapoor said it is "less than five figures."
"This is a sympathetic story," said Nick Maduros, a lobbyist for Quinn Gillespie. "For this group, their issues are very technical and are frankly not that controversial, but they have been overshadowed ."
Immigration Voices also enlisted the help of Rick Swartz, who has his own firm and has long been a leading lobbyist for immigration groups. Swartz gathered members of the group at his home one January weekend for a crash course in American politics, teaching them to position themselves as the "new Cubans for the Republicans."
Although their numbers are far smaller -- fewer than 2 million Indians live in the United States, according to the 2000 Census -- the group is among the more affluent immigrant communities. And because their numbers are smaller than those of Hispanics, they are trying to focus on other ways they can exert power -- through their wealth, their positions of influence in the high-tech and business communities, and their alliances with more established advocacy groups such as one for Indian physicians and an Indian political action committee.
While the immigrant marchers' demands have covered a range of issues, including allowing immigrants to gain legal status and eventually citizenship, the members of this association are more narrowly focused: They want Congress to pass measures that would end the years-long wait for a green card. In fact, they warn that efforts to enable millions of illegal immigrants to remain here permanently would result in the same bureaucratic nightmare legal immigrants are now facing.
"If you're going to reform, reform across the board," said Bharati Mandapati, who oversees content for the group, which means she has learned how to word and pitch legislative amendments.
The group has refrained from taking a stand on the fate of the undocumented workers, though it monitors chatter on its Web site to ensure that frustrated high-tech workers don't disparage lower-skilled laborers such as landscapers and restaurant workers. It also has stayed mum on raising the cap on H-1Bs, the visas that made most of their passages possible.
Under a proposal introduced by Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), the number of employment-based green cards being issued would increase from 140,000 to 290,000. Currently, no one country is supposed to take up more than 7 percent of the allotment, though unused green cards can be redistributed to countries that have already met their quota. That has made possible migrations in excess of 7 percent from nations such as India, China, Mexico and the Philippines. Under the proposal, the per-country cap would be increased to a hard and fast 10 percent. Proponents say this would prevent one country from dominating the category and would retain jobs for native-born Americans.
But Mandapati, a California-based economist, argues that the restriction would hurt the United States because the demand for skills changes. "It just so happens that computer technology and certain technical skills are in great demand here and all over the world. It just so happens that there are two countries that have invested a lot of resources in educating people in these fields . . . India and China."
About a half-million immigrants are caught in the green-card backlog, some as they wait for Labor Department approval or because quotas have been exceeded. In that time, they cannot be promoted or given substantial pay increases because that would mean a change in job description and salary. They turn to Web sites to compare their wait times with others, and their Internet handles, such as "stucklabor" and "waiting_labor," exude their frustration.
During meetings on Capitol Hill, Maduros and at least one Immigration Voice representative lay out the group's platform, weaving in the personal stories of members. Shilpa Ghodgaonkar, a Germantown housewife, has become a staple anecdote -- and a frequent visitor on the Hill.
For four years, she and her husband have been waiting for their green cards. Ghodgaonkar's husband arrived on an H-1B visa, and she followed as his dependent, unauthorized to work here. To pass the time, she learned to cook. Then she volunteered as a career counselor in Montgomery County. Last year, she earned her MBA from George Washington University. In December, around the time Kapoor sent out his e-mail plea for mass mobilization, Ghodgaonkar had run out of options.
"I just couldn't keep quiet anymore," Ghodgaonkar said. "I cannot be depressed anymore."
She keeps a spreadsheet that lays out appointment times and the senators' offices she has visited or still plans to: Specter, Frist, Schumer, Brownback, Bingaman, Feinstein, Feingold. Wednesdays bring a weekly call with Quinn Gillespie. And every few nights, there are conference calls among Immigration Voice's core team.
Now the group plans to closely watch the debate resuming in the Senate Judiciary Committee. Earlier this month, Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) proposed amendments with all of the group's provisions. Other lawmakers confirm that they are still meeting with the group to hear their concerns.
Immigration Voice leaders say the past few months have focused and politicized Indian immigrants in a way that was not apparent in the past. "There is a very 'Mr. Smith Goes to Washington' quality" about the current effort, Mandapati said. "It's been a journey, a loss of naivet� and getting to know about American politics."
� 2006 The Washington Post Company
Also, all these articles should be on a sitcky thread for all to see.
Why don't you write and sumbit an op-ed piece to The NY Times? While I personally like watching Jim Lehrer's newshour on PBS, we shouldn't get obsessed with a particular program. We have been featured all over the mainstream media.
Here's the Washington Post Article that inspired me to join IV in April. I challenge you to write an article that will get us our next 6,000 members. And alll news articles about IV exist on a thread. Please look carefully before you trash our efforts. Thank you.
RR
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Skilled Immigrants Turn to K Street
High-Tech Workers Awaiting Green Cards Hire Lobbyists, Hit the Hill
By S. Mitra Kalita
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, April 26, 2006; D01
On the December day when Congress killed a budget amendment that might have allowed him to become an American a little sooner, Aman Kapoor started a movement.
He did not march through streets, carry signs, wave a flag from here or there. He did not walk off the job or file out of school. The computer programmer simply went online to a message board tracked by thousands of people in his predicament: highly skilled foreigners waiting years for their green cards.
"I think we can do better and really create the impact with organized effort," he wrote. "To achieve this we need a group of individuals who have shown commitment and motivation in this forum."
The next night, a dozen people living across the United States shed their Internet handles -- Kapoor's was "WaldenPond," a nod to his hero, Henry David Thoreau -- and addressed one another by name on a conference call that lasted an hour. Today, just four months later, the organization they dubbed Immigration Voice boasts 3,000 members; a fundraising goal of $200,000; and, most notably, a partnership with a high-powered lobbying firm, Quinn Gillespie & Associates LLC.
The group's transformation from an insular circle to a politically active movement offers a window into an alternative immigrant campaign being waged as the Senate this week resumes its work on immigration laws.
Most members and all the core organizers of Immigration Voice hail from India, though Chinese membership numbers in the hundreds and is on the rise. Most arrived on an international student visa or a visa known as the H-1B, reserved for highly skilled workers who can stay for up to six years -- unless an employer sponsors their green cards, which grant immigrants permanent residence in the United States and the right to live and work here freely. Over the past decade, the largest numbers of H-1Bs have been awarded to high-technology workers from India and China.
Thus, while the passage of a strict border-security bill introduced by Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner Jr. (R-Wis.) mobilized many other immigrants in December, members of this high-tech group had their eye on another: a budget reconciliation bill that, in the Senate version, would have allowed those waiting in line for a green card to proceed even if the quota had been exhausted. The provision was cut in conference committee, stirring many to action and leading to the founding of Immigration Voice.
While hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets to get Congress's attention, Immigration Voice took a decidedly different approach. Shortly after the group was established, Kapoor and other volunteers began interviewing lobbyists, relying mostly on Google searches and data from the Center for Public Integrity's Web site.
"If it was not going to be big, it would not be worth the effort," said Kapoor, who works for Florida State University and has traveled to Washington nine times in the past three months. "Most of us have reached that point, having waited for eight or nine years, where individual lives are on hold."
Neither Quinn Gillespie nor Immigration Voice would disclose the amount being paid for the firm's services. Kapoor said it is "less than five figures."
"This is a sympathetic story," said Nick Maduros, a lobbyist for Quinn Gillespie. "For this group, their issues are very technical and are frankly not that controversial, but they have been overshadowed ."
Immigration Voices also enlisted the help of Rick Swartz, who has his own firm and has long been a leading lobbyist for immigration groups. Swartz gathered members of the group at his home one January weekend for a crash course in American politics, teaching them to position themselves as the "new Cubans for the Republicans."
Although their numbers are far smaller -- fewer than 2 million Indians live in the United States, according to the 2000 Census -- the group is among the more affluent immigrant communities. And because their numbers are smaller than those of Hispanics, they are trying to focus on other ways they can exert power -- through their wealth, their positions of influence in the high-tech and business communities, and their alliances with more established advocacy groups such as one for Indian physicians and an Indian political action committee.
While the immigrant marchers' demands have covered a range of issues, including allowing immigrants to gain legal status and eventually citizenship, the members of this association are more narrowly focused: They want Congress to pass measures that would end the years-long wait for a green card. In fact, they warn that efforts to enable millions of illegal immigrants to remain here permanently would result in the same bureaucratic nightmare legal immigrants are now facing.
"If you're going to reform, reform across the board," said Bharati Mandapati, who oversees content for the group, which means she has learned how to word and pitch legislative amendments.
The group has refrained from taking a stand on the fate of the undocumented workers, though it monitors chatter on its Web site to ensure that frustrated high-tech workers don't disparage lower-skilled laborers such as landscapers and restaurant workers. It also has stayed mum on raising the cap on H-1Bs, the visas that made most of their passages possible.
Under a proposal introduced by Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), the number of employment-based green cards being issued would increase from 140,000 to 290,000. Currently, no one country is supposed to take up more than 7 percent of the allotment, though unused green cards can be redistributed to countries that have already met their quota. That has made possible migrations in excess of 7 percent from nations such as India, China, Mexico and the Philippines. Under the proposal, the per-country cap would be increased to a hard and fast 10 percent. Proponents say this would prevent one country from dominating the category and would retain jobs for native-born Americans.
But Mandapati, a California-based economist, argues that the restriction would hurt the United States because the demand for skills changes. "It just so happens that computer technology and certain technical skills are in great demand here and all over the world. It just so happens that there are two countries that have invested a lot of resources in educating people in these fields . . . India and China."
About a half-million immigrants are caught in the green-card backlog, some as they wait for Labor Department approval or because quotas have been exceeded. In that time, they cannot be promoted or given substantial pay increases because that would mean a change in job description and salary. They turn to Web sites to compare their wait times with others, and their Internet handles, such as "stucklabor" and "waiting_labor," exude their frustration.
During meetings on Capitol Hill, Maduros and at least one Immigration Voice representative lay out the group's platform, weaving in the personal stories of members. Shilpa Ghodgaonkar, a Germantown housewife, has become a staple anecdote -- and a frequent visitor on the Hill.
For four years, she and her husband have been waiting for their green cards. Ghodgaonkar's husband arrived on an H-1B visa, and she followed as his dependent, unauthorized to work here. To pass the time, she learned to cook. Then she volunteered as a career counselor in Montgomery County. Last year, she earned her MBA from George Washington University. In December, around the time Kapoor sent out his e-mail plea for mass mobilization, Ghodgaonkar had run out of options.
"I just couldn't keep quiet anymore," Ghodgaonkar said. "I cannot be depressed anymore."
She keeps a spreadsheet that lays out appointment times and the senators' offices she has visited or still plans to: Specter, Frist, Schumer, Brownback, Bingaman, Feinstein, Feingold. Wednesdays bring a weekly call with Quinn Gillespie. And every few nights, there are conference calls among Immigration Voice's core team.
Now the group plans to closely watch the debate resuming in the Senate Judiciary Committee. Earlier this month, Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) proposed amendments with all of the group's provisions. Other lawmakers confirm that they are still meeting with the group to hear their concerns.
Immigration Voice leaders say the past few months have focused and politicized Indian immigrants in a way that was not apparent in the past. "There is a very 'Mr. Smith Goes to Washington' quality" about the current effort, Mandapati said. "It's been a journey, a loss of naivet� and getting to know about American politics."
� 2006 The Washington Post Company
hairstyles Mitsubishi Gto Cars,
kondur_007
01-30 04:46 PM
just voted, it is question no 11 now
sdrk
07-19 06:47 PM
Writing the cheques to individuals might be a bad idea, might get into income tax hassles.
If they can create a separte account, within the immigration voice realm.
I will do my bit
If they can create a separte account, within the immigration voice realm.
I will do my bit
gc_lover
07-10 02:55 PM
talked to my attorney and he did get 1 or 2 applications back from USCIS. but he is not sure whether it is from July 2nd filers or after that.
obviously they are returning applications.
Were they send back after the delivery acceptance from USCIS? Or were they send back because USCIS refused to accept the package from fedex/ups/usps?
obviously they are returning applications.
Were they send back after the delivery acceptance from USCIS? Or were they send back because USCIS refused to accept the package from fedex/ups/usps?
No comments:
Post a Comment