ronhira
04-26 07:44 PM
this is how cir will end..... with a procedural vote -
Financial regulation plan fails first Senate test - U.S. business- msnbc.com (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36770907/ns/business-us_business/)
bet $100?
Financial regulation plan fails first Senate test - U.S. business- msnbc.com (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36770907/ns/business-us_business/)
bet $100?
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ars01
06-27 10:48 AM
My lawyer asked me to write my A# from my OPT card that I used in 1999-2000. According to him A# is assigend once for an individual and if you were assigned before you can continue to use that in future. Though I never used that in the past 7-8 years.
My wife got an OPT card last month and we used A# from that card for her dependent I-485 application
My wife got an OPT card last month and we used A# from that card for her dependent I-485 application
reddog
06-25 01:09 PM
Me and my group of friends have used this method and the photos look better than the Walgreen/CVS ones. And they are already on US passports/other stuff.
http://www.dpchallenge.com/tutorial.php?TUTORIAL_ID=22 Photoshop/GIMP required.
Another cheap place is Sams Club, if you dont have a digital camera(pun intended) they give 3 photos for 5 bucks.
http://www.dpchallenge.com/tutorial.php?TUTORIAL_ID=22 Photoshop/GIMP required.
Another cheap place is Sams Club, if you dont have a digital camera(pun intended) they give 3 photos for 5 bucks.
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neel_gump
01-29 12:02 PM
you should be lucky enough to get in 15 days :) my son's PIO took 5 weeks...
more...
lostinbeta
10-21 05:54 PM
The new host is actually Steves brother :) They kind of look alike as well.
But yeah, you are right.... Steve was much better. My sister used to work at a day care center where one of her kids was like a 2nd cousin to that guy or something like that. She said Steve was forced to wear the long sleeve shirt because his arms are covered with tattoos. Just more useless facts.
But yeah, you are right.... Steve was much better. My sister used to work at a day care center where one of her kids was like a 2nd cousin to that guy or something like that. She said Steve was forced to wear the long sleeve shirt because his arms are covered with tattoos. Just more useless facts.
green_mile
09-14 01:41 PM
This is a great idea I am in.
more...
gc_chahiye
02-17 09:43 PM
3) If I invoke AC21 using my EAD and in the worst case scenario, if my 140 and 485 is rejected, can I then transfer my H1B to an other company (I still have some years left) or will that be a problem because I was not on H-1b at that time?
I think you can still re-capture any year left in your 6 your term on your H1B. That is, even after going to EAD you can revert back to H1B in case of any issues. As always, this is just my understanding and could be wrong even.
you can get back to H1 status, it might involve:
- filing a H1 petition (you wont be counted agianst hte quota)
- leaving US and coming back in, to "Activate" the h1.
I think you can still re-capture any year left in your 6 your term on your H1B. That is, even after going to EAD you can revert back to H1B in case of any issues. As always, this is just my understanding and could be wrong even.
you can get back to H1 status, it might involve:
- filing a H1 petition (you wont be counted agianst hte quota)
- leaving US and coming back in, to "Activate" the h1.
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mattresscoil
10-18 08:48 AM
My 485 interview (employment based) has been scheduled in San Jose, CA for Oct,29th.
Interview letter says bring following documents:
All Passports, all documents that submitted during 485, current employment letter, W2s , marriage certificate, insurance policies, rental agreements etc�.
I have few questions on this:
1.My wife interview is at 7:45AM and mine is 8:15AM. Does it mean we have to go
separate or can we go at the same time?
2. Do I need to carry employer tax returns also?
3. Do I need to carry affidavit of support for my wife?
4. Are there any documents that I need to carry apart from mentioned in the above list?
Also if you have attended interview in San Jose field office, please share your experience.
Thanks.
1.My wife interview is at 7:45AM and mine is 8:15AM. Does it mean we have to go separate or can we go at the same time? - Most likely the officer will call you together.
2. Do I need to carry employer tax returns also? - No, just carry the letter of continued employment from your employer stating your income and that you work full time 40 hors a week form them.
3. Do I need to carry affidavit of support for my wife? - Not require but carry notarized cope if you really want to.
4. Are there any documents that I need to carry apart from mentioned in the above list? - Just carry every thing. Make sure you keep things sorted/organized so that you can pull whatever the officer wants from the stack.
Good luck and let the group know what happens.
Thanks, Mattresscoil!!
Interview letter says bring following documents:
All Passports, all documents that submitted during 485, current employment letter, W2s , marriage certificate, insurance policies, rental agreements etc�.
I have few questions on this:
1.My wife interview is at 7:45AM and mine is 8:15AM. Does it mean we have to go
separate or can we go at the same time?
2. Do I need to carry employer tax returns also?
3. Do I need to carry affidavit of support for my wife?
4. Are there any documents that I need to carry apart from mentioned in the above list?
Also if you have attended interview in San Jose field office, please share your experience.
Thanks.
1.My wife interview is at 7:45AM and mine is 8:15AM. Does it mean we have to go separate or can we go at the same time? - Most likely the officer will call you together.
2. Do I need to carry employer tax returns also? - No, just carry the letter of continued employment from your employer stating your income and that you work full time 40 hors a week form them.
3. Do I need to carry affidavit of support for my wife? - Not require but carry notarized cope if you really want to.
4. Are there any documents that I need to carry apart from mentioned in the above list? - Just carry every thing. Make sure you keep things sorted/organized so that you can pull whatever the officer wants from the stack.
Good luck and let the group know what happens.
Thanks, Mattresscoil!!
more...
raysaikat
03-17 03:46 PM
(I am not an attorney)
File in EB1-OR. That has slightly lower requirements than EB1-EA. Since you are in research and have a job, you may have better success with EB1-OR (EB1_ExtraOrdinaryAbilities_Tips (immigrate2usaorg) (http://bit.ly/dophyK)). I guess maybe because EB1-OR does not have premium processing, you applied in EB1-EA?
File regular PERM application. If your perm gets approved, then you can renew H1B in yearly increments. Once you get 140 approved, then you can renew at 3 year phases.
I recall USCIS had 140 in premium processing if your H1B was expiring soon (in few months). Check up on that.
EB1-OR requires the petitioner to hold a tenured or tenure-track position. Research faculties are generally not on tenure-track. "Comparable" positions are eligible, but USCIS might not consider a research faculty position as comparable in an university/dept that does have tenure-track positions.
To answer the original question:
You just need to extend the H1-B status when it is about to expire. You can keep doing that for 6 years without any additional issue. If your stay in H1 status (count both H1-B and H4 days) is going to be 6 years, then you make your university submit an EB2 petition. Once the labor is 1 year old (i.e., the submission date is 1 year old) or you get your EB2 I-140 approved (should be a piece of cake for any university faculty; tenure-track or otherwise), based on the EB2 petition you can keep extending your H1-B status (AFAIK) indefinitely.
File in EB1-OR. That has slightly lower requirements than EB1-EA. Since you are in research and have a job, you may have better success with EB1-OR (EB1_ExtraOrdinaryAbilities_Tips (immigrate2usaorg) (http://bit.ly/dophyK)). I guess maybe because EB1-OR does not have premium processing, you applied in EB1-EA?
File regular PERM application. If your perm gets approved, then you can renew H1B in yearly increments. Once you get 140 approved, then you can renew at 3 year phases.
I recall USCIS had 140 in premium processing if your H1B was expiring soon (in few months). Check up on that.
EB1-OR requires the petitioner to hold a tenured or tenure-track position. Research faculties are generally not on tenure-track. "Comparable" positions are eligible, but USCIS might not consider a research faculty position as comparable in an university/dept that does have tenure-track positions.
To answer the original question:
You just need to extend the H1-B status when it is about to expire. You can keep doing that for 6 years without any additional issue. If your stay in H1 status (count both H1-B and H4 days) is going to be 6 years, then you make your university submit an EB2 petition. Once the labor is 1 year old (i.e., the submission date is 1 year old) or you get your EB2 I-140 approved (should be a piece of cake for any university faculty; tenure-track or otherwise), based on the EB2 petition you can keep extending your H1-B status (AFAIK) indefinitely.
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rsb
06-19 07:47 PM
Fellows,
I had my PERM labour and I-140 approved with priority date Dec 2005 in EB2 category. I changed my job in April and was hoping to get the priority date transferred to with new labour and I-140 from new employer. I have not started the GC process with new employer and am in good terms with old employer. With the priority dates being current for July (and probably for August too), what are the options I have:
1. Filing new labour and pray to get approved before end of August. Then file for I-140 and I-485 concurrently. Do I stand a chance there, with advertisement publishing and other formalities?
2. Can I file my I-485 with old employer while working with new employer. What are the documents I would need from old employer.
3. If answer to question 2 is 'yes', do I need to go back and work for old employer ever (before or after getting green card)?
Thanks
I had my PERM labour and I-140 approved with priority date Dec 2005 in EB2 category. I changed my job in April and was hoping to get the priority date transferred to with new labour and I-140 from new employer. I have not started the GC process with new employer and am in good terms with old employer. With the priority dates being current for July (and probably for August too), what are the options I have:
1. Filing new labour and pray to get approved before end of August. Then file for I-140 and I-485 concurrently. Do I stand a chance there, with advertisement publishing and other formalities?
2. Can I file my I-485 with old employer while working with new employer. What are the documents I would need from old employer.
3. If answer to question 2 is 'yes', do I need to go back and work for old employer ever (before or after getting green card)?
Thanks
more...
karanp25
07-30 01:45 PM
We are in exact same situation. Mine got approved 2 weeks back, even though i am on H1, but we are patiently for my wife's EAD approval.
To make things worse, this whole drama of EB2 current in August will screw me all the more, as she will get 1 yr EAD and then i have to go through this whole nightmare one more time next yr.
For me, it's been almost 3 months now...and they tell me the case is within processing dates published on their website. I've seen people who applied almost 1.5 months later than me get their approvals....
Same situation happened to me - My status shows as card production ordered while hers have no update.
The sad part is that I m continuing on H1 while she is working on her EAD and needs it approved soon
To make things worse, this whole drama of EB2 current in August will screw me all the more, as she will get 1 yr EAD and then i have to go through this whole nightmare one more time next yr.
For me, it's been almost 3 months now...and they tell me the case is within processing dates published on their website. I've seen people who applied almost 1.5 months later than me get their approvals....
Same situation happened to me - My status shows as card production ordered while hers have no update.
The sad part is that I m continuing on H1 while she is working on her EAD and needs it approved soon
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mymyanmar@gmail.com
08-11 01:31 PM
Hi,
I am not sure this is the right thread to post my question. I recently moved to new address and as soon as I moved, I did change address using AR-11 online through USCIS website. And I did received the change address confirmation from USCIS. But in that confirmation, it's only mentioned about my wife's case status number and I didn't see any for mine.
And Aug 4, when i checked my case status online, it's said, "Document mailed to applicant". So just now I called to UCSIS customer service to find out my change of address has been updated in their system because I am afraid they might send that "document" to my old address. The CSR from USCIS told me on the phone that he cannot check my address(cos it's personal information) and the only thing I can find out is take infopass appointment. He also told me my case has been approved. I don't believe what he said was true cos I haven't done any FP yet. I did got EAD and AP approvals for both me and my wife since 2007, Sep.
So my questions are
1) Can my 485 case be approved without FP?
2) Is infopass the only way to find out my address change is updated in their system?
Any reply is highly appreciated.
My info
EB3 ROW - PD 2005, Mar
485 filed on Jul 5, 2007.
Thanks in advance,
ROW Guy
I am not sure this is the right thread to post my question. I recently moved to new address and as soon as I moved, I did change address using AR-11 online through USCIS website. And I did received the change address confirmation from USCIS. But in that confirmation, it's only mentioned about my wife's case status number and I didn't see any for mine.
And Aug 4, when i checked my case status online, it's said, "Document mailed to applicant". So just now I called to UCSIS customer service to find out my change of address has been updated in their system because I am afraid they might send that "document" to my old address. The CSR from USCIS told me on the phone that he cannot check my address(cos it's personal information) and the only thing I can find out is take infopass appointment. He also told me my case has been approved. I don't believe what he said was true cos I haven't done any FP yet. I did got EAD and AP approvals for both me and my wife since 2007, Sep.
So my questions are
1) Can my 485 case be approved without FP?
2) Is infopass the only way to find out my address change is updated in their system?
Any reply is highly appreciated.
My info
EB3 ROW - PD 2005, Mar
485 filed on Jul 5, 2007.
Thanks in advance,
ROW Guy
more...
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langagadu
12-13 07:48 PM
I am not clear about the problem but it may be possible they messed up the xerox copies they sent you with some one else? I would suggest to check that first.
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softwareguy
07-05 12:14 PM
Pick your battles!!
Battle ONE:
Make USCIS do or prove otherwise that what they publish and say is useless. So why publish at all.
BENEFITS:
1. My wife can work.
2. My son can get scholarships in college.
3. I can change jobs - so what if it is similar.
Battle TWO:
When I sink in Glory of winning battle #1 - I would definitely participate in getting Visa # increased - The longer and more difficult of the TWO Battles.
BTW - Let me know if battle # 2 is easier.
I do not know why is everyone facing "Attention Deficit Disorder".
Battle ONE:
Make USCIS do or prove otherwise that what they publish and say is useless. So why publish at all.
BENEFITS:
1. My wife can work.
2. My son can get scholarships in college.
3. I can change jobs - so what if it is similar.
Battle TWO:
When I sink in Glory of winning battle #1 - I would definitely participate in getting Visa # increased - The longer and more difficult of the TWO Battles.
BTW - Let me know if battle # 2 is easier.
I do not know why is everyone facing "Attention Deficit Disorder".
more...
pictures Don#39;t like Tom Brady#39;s hair?
tonyHK12
10-04 03:00 PM
. As you said we can take off the contribution from our gross for tax purpose
That was for Indian residents, don't think IRS recognizes PF, it wouldn't get tax benefit here. 8% FD after tax is still 5.5% annual interest.
Without a green card, we are still temporary workers, check with a tax consultant about worldwide income too.
That was for Indian residents, don't think IRS recognizes PF, it wouldn't get tax benefit here. 8% FD after tax is still 5.5% annual interest.
Without a green card, we are still temporary workers, check with a tax consultant about worldwide income too.
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WeShallOvercome
12-26 12:49 PM
I suppose you are living in USA.
On the second option "non-resident alien", if you are residing in USA, then you are not considered as non-resident. So I would eliminate this option.
On the first option "non-permanent resident alien", if you are residing in USA, I would choose this as the right option. Since holding an H1B means that you are a temporary (non-permanent) resident alien. Holding an EAD does not allow you to stay here permanently. It is only a temporary authorization to allow you to work without H1B. Remember that it requires renewal every year.
To answer your question, you are a non-permanent resident alien.
Venram,
I'm afraid your understanding of the term 'resident' or 'non-resident' is not correct.
In US immigration jargon, a resident-alien is someone who lives and works in US on a permanent basis- like on a Green card.
The term non-resident here does not mean that you are not residing in the US. It only means that you are an alien, living and/or working in the US on a temporary basis, and you are not a (Permanent) resident.
Resident alien - An alien living here on a permanent basis
NonResident Alien - An alien living here on a temporary basis
I've never heard of the term 'non-permanent Resident alien'.. I think it is same as non-resident alien..
On the second option "non-resident alien", if you are residing in USA, then you are not considered as non-resident. So I would eliminate this option.
On the first option "non-permanent resident alien", if you are residing in USA, I would choose this as the right option. Since holding an H1B means that you are a temporary (non-permanent) resident alien. Holding an EAD does not allow you to stay here permanently. It is only a temporary authorization to allow you to work without H1B. Remember that it requires renewal every year.
To answer your question, you are a non-permanent resident alien.
Venram,
I'm afraid your understanding of the term 'resident' or 'non-resident' is not correct.
In US immigration jargon, a resident-alien is someone who lives and works in US on a permanent basis- like on a Green card.
The term non-resident here does not mean that you are not residing in the US. It only means that you are an alien, living and/or working in the US on a temporary basis, and you are not a (Permanent) resident.
Resident alien - An alien living here on a permanent basis
NonResident Alien - An alien living here on a temporary basis
I've never heard of the term 'non-permanent Resident alien'.. I think it is same as non-resident alien..
more...
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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
girlfriend Tom Brady#39;s Long Locks Are
sainwa
04-16 01:48 PM
Any one from Sugarland (Houston TX)? Its rated one of the best place to buy the house NOW .
http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2008/real_estate/0804/gallery.best_buy_home.moneymag/6.html
How is the IT job market there? who are the big employers in Houston area?
http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2008/real_estate/0804/gallery.best_buy_home.moneymag/6.html
How is the IT job market there? who are the big employers in Houston area?
hairstyles Tom Brady may have lucked into
fromnaija
10-05 12:49 PM
On the flip side, I know people who have gotten selected in DV the very first time. Like you said, that's why it's called a lottery. Anything can happen.
Does anyone know if it makes any difference if you file early or late? I know it's supposed be completely random but does anyone have any theory on how you might have a better chance? My take is that if you file too early (first few days) and if (with a big if) there is a bug in system then your application might get lost. So let the bugs be fixed in first few days and then file.
This is my strategy. I play my entry in the early weeks and play my wife's entry towards the end.
Does anyone know if it makes any difference if you file early or late? I know it's supposed be completely random but does anyone have any theory on how you might have a better chance? My take is that if you file too early (first few days) and if (with a big if) there is a bug in system then your application might get lost. So let the bugs be fixed in first few days and then file.
This is my strategy. I play my entry in the early weeks and play my wife's entry towards the end.
amslonewolf
09-22 03:01 PM
Can or do attorneys provide the service to obtain an Visa appointment?? How effective is this approach? Anyone tried this route??
Aah_GC
08-28 11:12 PM
I have had the same problem. I have contributed $700 so far, but any attempts to access donor forum was just left to emails where Pappu would point to some other guy. This guy would mess up my profile and I would be left with interupted access to even my non-donor profile.
The moment I cancelled monthly contribution off, I got an email and then some prompt follow ups. I explained my case and got a phone number to follow up which I did not call. Why should I?
I understand this site is not run by dedicated professionals, but what about folks who have contributed not just in terms of money but by participating, acting on action items, promoting IV? Why cant you just give access to donor forums to folks who contributed in excess of atleast $500? (just to satiate my selfish limit)?
The moment I cancelled monthly contribution off, I got an email and then some prompt follow ups. I explained my case and got a phone number to follow up which I did not call. Why should I?
I understand this site is not run by dedicated professionals, but what about folks who have contributed not just in terms of money but by participating, acting on action items, promoting IV? Why cant you just give access to donor forums to folks who contributed in excess of atleast $500? (just to satiate my selfish limit)?