chanduv23
09-10 07:54 AM
Though there are companies that do have ethics - most of these people have exploited their employees and continue to behave unethically - they drive expensive cars and behave with arrogance on face of their employees who are working hard and earning for these cayotes.
These cayotes have this love affair with Attorneys - and they have this common protocol on how to handle their employee.
As long as the community is scared - wants to lie low and not want to rise - we will still be in this situation.
IV HAS PROVIDED AN EXCELLENT PLATFORM FOR ALL THE PEOPLE TO COME FORWARD.
I would recommend that IV members who are affected by such cayotes must utilize the resources IV has provided and try to get more media attention.
I encourage people to do youtube videos using hidden cameras when their employers are trying to talk or do dirty deals.
Write blogs, make all this visible.
These cayotes have this love affair with Attorneys - and they have this common protocol on how to handle their employee.
As long as the community is scared - wants to lie low and not want to rise - we will still be in this situation.
IV HAS PROVIDED AN EXCELLENT PLATFORM FOR ALL THE PEOPLE TO COME FORWARD.
I would recommend that IV members who are affected by such cayotes must utilize the resources IV has provided and try to get more media attention.
I encourage people to do youtube videos using hidden cameras when their employers are trying to talk or do dirty deals.
Write blogs, make all this visible.
wallpaper in laden captured virus laden.
kish006
12-27 09:13 AM
I have H1 upt 2010 with Visa. Its for my wife I am worried. She got her H1 1 year back and she is working from past 4 months. She is has to India as her Grandfather is sick he want see her before.....
Any possible to get sooner. She is stuck here even thought her AP is approved(with wrong picture).
Any possible to get sooner. She is stuck here even thought her AP is approved(with wrong picture).
krishmunn
03-27 10:04 AM
I seriously doubt the genuinity of this poster. No authority will hold a valid passport of a foreign country, no country will allow to let one in with a copy of passport heck the airline will not even allow to board without a passport.
This guy may be here just to play some scare tactics.
This guy may be here just to play some scare tactics.
2011 in laden turban. in laden
Gravitation
12-09 08:28 PM
BTW, what are some of the online MS / MBA schools that the H1B community is attending ? Please share this information as I plan to take up one, and wanted to learn from your experirnce.
Thanks in advance.
I know many people who're going for part-time MBA, including myself. A good way of making best out of a stagnant career phase while waiting for GC.
Thanks in advance.
I know many people who're going for part-time MBA, including myself. A good way of making best out of a stagnant career phase while waiting for GC.
more...
docwa
04-12 06:50 PM
Thanks all. I called my lawyer, and she mentioned that there have been specific cases of the Neb Service Center rejecting I485 applications for internists while they are doing fellowships. I guess my plan would be to find a 'full time' position working a couple of nights a week in the same city where I am working as a fellow, and use that as proof of ongoing full time internist work.
I am not sure if they need just a letter, or a w2s also. I guess 'full time' is a very arbitrary word, and can be applied to more than 28-32 hrs a week, which is very easily doable.
I am not sure if they need just a letter, or a w2s also. I guess 'full time' is a very arbitrary word, and can be applied to more than 28-32 hrs a week, which is very easily doable.
saileshdude
07-21 09:56 AM
All you guys,
Take an Infopass appointment and tell them that you have not received FP notice. Sometimes taking infopass appt helps. So you can try that option.
Take an Infopass appointment and tell them that you have not received FP notice. Sometimes taking infopass appt helps. So you can try that option.
more...
srsrsr
07-20 06:09 PM
My PD is Nov 2004, I got 140 approved. Im not filing 485 now as im unmarried.
Any ideas when can be the date current again(for my PD atleast)?
Any ideas when can be the date current again(for my PD atleast)?
2010 There was incredible detail in
swadeshi
08-31 12:30 AM
OK so we're 1 million in the backlog. That could be a small country.
Instead of spending hundreds of thousands on lobbying, we can just buy a piece of land somewhere (big enough to have a passport office building), get immediate citizenship in our new country and then USCIS will be able to process our GC applications within a year.
Someone from Taiwan (and smaller neighboring countries) can get GC in 1 year but if you're from China you will wait 6-10 years. I am not sure of how much cultural differences exist between these two countries, all I know is that my Taiwanese friend speaks Chinese, goes to Chinese church. So much for diversity.
So.. if anyone has the info on how to register a new country, I'd like to know.
Sorry, its the wee hours and I just felt like posting this. Please close thread as and when desired.
Is it your wishful thinking bloke? if it was possible our chinni bhai would have done that instead of waiting this long...
Instead of spending hundreds of thousands on lobbying, we can just buy a piece of land somewhere (big enough to have a passport office building), get immediate citizenship in our new country and then USCIS will be able to process our GC applications within a year.
Someone from Taiwan (and smaller neighboring countries) can get GC in 1 year but if you're from China you will wait 6-10 years. I am not sure of how much cultural differences exist between these two countries, all I know is that my Taiwanese friend speaks Chinese, goes to Chinese church. So much for diversity.
So.. if anyone has the info on how to register a new country, I'd like to know.
Sorry, its the wee hours and I just felt like posting this. Please close thread as and when desired.
Is it your wishful thinking bloke? if it was possible our chinni bhai would have done that instead of waiting this long...
more...
arrarrgee
07-13 11:57 AM
my question too...why not wait till the announcement? :confused:
kinda confused here..
why do we need the rally.. if there is going to be some new that will resolve the issues?
If its going to leave some issues unresolved.. the we need this.
Go IV!!
kinda confused here..
why do we need the rally.. if there is going to be some new that will resolve the issues?
If its going to leave some issues unresolved.. the we need this.
Go IV!!
hair osama bin laden turban. in
sac-r-ten
03-29 01:03 PM
Sorry about your situation. Its really sad with kids here. I would say submit whatever letter vendor's providing. If that doesn't work, then client needs to force the vendor/employer to give copy of the contract/SOW.
hope you get its resolved soon and get back to your family.
thank you.
hope you get its resolved soon and get back to your family.
thank you.
more...
pd_recapturing
08-22 04:16 PM
i sent u a PM. Please respond, if u can.
hot osama bin laden turban.
alahiri
06-19 11:33 PM
In murthy.com website there is the following write up to explain how priority dates are significant after i485 has been filed:
From: http://www.murthy.com/news/UDpdhdtw.html
"If a person has already filed the I-485 application when the dates were current, but then the Visa Bulletin date retrogresses to a date before the priority date, the foreign national would still accrue the benefit of being able to remain in the U.S. with renewable EAD or work authorization and permission to travel, even after completing the six years on H1B status in the U.S. However, the I-485 could not be approved until the date again becomes "current.""
However my question is if priority dates really matter for i140 or i485 processing then what are the processing dates published by uscis all about?
https://egov.uscis.gov/cris/jsps/ptimes.jsp
Can anyone please clarify wether priority dates really matter after i485 filing?
As I can see that in NSC i485 of Sept 2006 are being processed.
From: http://www.murthy.com/news/UDpdhdtw.html
"If a person has already filed the I-485 application when the dates were current, but then the Visa Bulletin date retrogresses to a date before the priority date, the foreign national would still accrue the benefit of being able to remain in the U.S. with renewable EAD or work authorization and permission to travel, even after completing the six years on H1B status in the U.S. However, the I-485 could not be approved until the date again becomes "current.""
However my question is if priority dates really matter for i140 or i485 processing then what are the processing dates published by uscis all about?
https://egov.uscis.gov/cris/jsps/ptimes.jsp
Can anyone please clarify wether priority dates really matter after i485 filing?
As I can see that in NSC i485 of Sept 2006 are being processed.
more...
house osama turban. osama in laden
frostrated
10-26 10:58 AM
i think they are going to do it every quarter. i am thinking that the results in the aug 2009 file were third quarter FY 2009 data. so i am thinking that the data as of sept 2009 will be out in Nov. any other predictions?
tattoo So the question is,
asanghi
10-15 11:51 AM
What are you saying? Health Services dismal? I thought it was better than US in many aspects. The cost is cheap for treatment (unless you have some uncommon disease. Since the system is churning up so many doctors, there is a lot of competition. Even in small villages you will find many doctors competing for patients. Maybe that is not true for everywhere, but that is what I have seen in my home state Haryana.
Also the education system may not be perfect, but kids don't have to go to private schools, because public schools have run out of capacity. There are problems like not all-around development, and not all kids doing great in studies. But that is true even in US, unless you are sending your kids to a fine private school (which by the way you can do in India, if you have money). JMHO
US has been in number 1 in the past, moved to 2nd spot for a couple of years, in the world competitiveness rankings. For the first time, the US moved to the 6th Spot in the world rankings by the world economic forum (Europe based Institution). The main reason was because of the huge current account deficit and negative savings (mainly federal deficit) which is a threat to the US competitiveness. China moved down due to corruption etc. India moved up but any further movement will depend on structural reforms, especially controlling the huge public service and red-tape and a creaking infrastructure - power, roads, ports, water supply - all of which are run by the government. The health services in large parts of India is dismal and so is the public education system (K-12). With the left firmly controlling the ruling party, deregulation is slow and insipid, and it is the private sector which is basically contributing to the GDP and Competitiveness. Here is the link to the actual rankings for 2006-2007
http://www.weforum.org/pdf/Global_Competitiveness_Reports/Reports/gcr_2006/top50.pdf
The reasons for the rankings are given here
http://www.weforum.org/en/fp/gcr_2006-07_highlights/index.htm
Also the education system may not be perfect, but kids don't have to go to private schools, because public schools have run out of capacity. There are problems like not all-around development, and not all kids doing great in studies. But that is true even in US, unless you are sending your kids to a fine private school (which by the way you can do in India, if you have money). JMHO
US has been in number 1 in the past, moved to 2nd spot for a couple of years, in the world competitiveness rankings. For the first time, the US moved to the 6th Spot in the world rankings by the world economic forum (Europe based Institution). The main reason was because of the huge current account deficit and negative savings (mainly federal deficit) which is a threat to the US competitiveness. China moved down due to corruption etc. India moved up but any further movement will depend on structural reforms, especially controlling the huge public service and red-tape and a creaking infrastructure - power, roads, ports, water supply - all of which are run by the government. The health services in large parts of India is dismal and so is the public education system (K-12). With the left firmly controlling the ruling party, deregulation is slow and insipid, and it is the private sector which is basically contributing to the GDP and Competitiveness. Here is the link to the actual rankings for 2006-2007
http://www.weforum.org/pdf/Global_Competitiveness_Reports/Reports/gcr_2006/top50.pdf
The reasons for the rankings are given here
http://www.weforum.org/en/fp/gcr_2006-07_highlights/index.htm
more...
pictures osama bin laden turban.
Sakthisagar
02-24 03:45 PM
Yes, and Yes I am married and have dependendts so H4 also. Yes April 2010,
You can extend it one week before, one thing you need to keep in mind, in some of the States, your Driver's Licence is as long as your H1 is valid, so that means you cannot legally drive any vehicle if your Driver's licence is expired, usually DMV never accepts receipts they want to see the approved I-797.
So there are some disadvantages if your visa expiry date is so close, usually people apply on Premium processing giving more Extension fees. Premium Processing USCIS have to answer you within 10 working days. at least you will get the RFE before 10 days.
You can extend it one week before, one thing you need to keep in mind, in some of the States, your Driver's Licence is as long as your H1 is valid, so that means you cannot legally drive any vehicle if your Driver's licence is expired, usually DMV never accepts receipts they want to see the approved I-797.
So there are some disadvantages if your visa expiry date is so close, usually people apply on Premium processing giving more Extension fees. Premium Processing USCIS have to answer you within 10 working days. at least you will get the RFE before 10 days.
dresses osama bin laden turban. osama bin laden turban. osama bin laden turban.
TeddyKoochu
01-06 10:11 AM
Hey Teddy,
During you process for porting from EB3 to EB2 did you:
1. Do this within the same organization after getting your advanced degree?
2. Did you have to file for a new PERM and start from the begineeing under EB2?
3. Were you successfully able to port your PD or did you start with a new PD under EB2?
Hi Harry mine was an EB2 case to begin with, no porting. Only this is my timing was not correct and I missed the Jul 07 window, the labor filing took way too long. So kind of in the same boat as you, trying to find legal avenues to upgrade to EB1. Let�s wait for some advice to come by. Looking at your case as well I believe that EB1-A is the only option.
During you process for porting from EB3 to EB2 did you:
1. Do this within the same organization after getting your advanced degree?
2. Did you have to file for a new PERM and start from the begineeing under EB2?
3. Were you successfully able to port your PD or did you start with a new PD under EB2?
Hi Harry mine was an EB2 case to begin with, no porting. Only this is my timing was not correct and I missed the Jul 07 window, the labor filing took way too long. So kind of in the same boat as you, trying to find legal avenues to upgrade to EB1. Let�s wait for some advice to come by. Looking at your case as well I believe that EB1-A is the only option.
more...
makeup zdf, in laden, Turban,
Madhuri
04-09 11:30 AM
Thanks wellwishergc,
I need to clarify one thing though, my I-140 (which will be applied soon) is not pending for more than 365 days. Am I still eligible to file for 7th year?
Other thing is I also have a LC pending in PBEC (AD March 2005), but I am not with that employer and do not have any document/case number for that LC. Chances of getting these the that employer are bleak.
-Madhuri
I need to clarify one thing though, my I-140 (which will be applied soon) is not pending for more than 365 days. Am I still eligible to file for 7th year?
Other thing is I also have a LC pending in PBEC (AD March 2005), but I am not with that employer and do not have any document/case number for that LC. Chances of getting these the that employer are bleak.
-Madhuri
girlfriend bin laden poster. in laden
GCNirvana007
04-08 05:23 PM
This is unreal !!.
I just asked 2 basic questions AND i get reply completely irrelevant of those questions and i am the one who is being accused.
By the way, Gangutoleogleoddl or whatever - No , absolutely no time to reply to your irrelevant talk. Infact its a waste to read your post.
Reddog, GCPool - hats off to you guys staying sane over here.
Good luck everybody.
I just asked 2 basic questions AND i get reply completely irrelevant of those questions and i am the one who is being accused.
By the way, Gangutoleogleoddl or whatever - No , absolutely no time to reply to your irrelevant talk. Infact its a waste to read your post.
Reddog, GCPool - hats off to you guys staying sane over here.
Good luck everybody.
hairstyles We#39;re so not coming back.quot;
jasonalbany
07-04 12:28 PM
Access to Job Market in U.S. a Matter of Degrees
Foreign workers with high-tech skills are in demand, but visa quotas snarl the hiring process.
By Anna Gorman, Times Staff Writer
July 3, 2006
This spring, a U.S. high-tech company recruited British citizen Gareth Lloyd for a possible engineering job.
But before the Irvine office made its hiring decision, the number of available visas for skilled workers ran out, in a record time of less than two months.
Lloyd, who has degrees in applied physics and electrical and electronics engineering, found another job in Germany.
"I was a little bit incredulous," Lloyd, 34, said in a phone interview. "It seems arbitrary to put some kind of quota on this."
Much of the national debate on immigration has centered on undocumented workers who fill agriculture, construction and service jobs. But highly skilled foreign scientists, engineers and computer programmers recruited by U.S. companies to work here legally also have a lot at stake in the outcome. "The major focus for all the laws and all the bills has mainly been for illegal immigrants," said Swati Srivastava, an Indian software engineer who lives in Playa del Rey and is waiting for her green card. "We kind of get pushed to the sidelines."
The Senate's sweeping immigration bill that passed in May calls for increasing the number of H-1B visas, which are available for professional foreign workers, from 65,000 to 115,000 annually. Foreigners with certain advanced degrees would be exempt from the cap.
Despite President Bush's urging to increase such quotas, however, the House bill that passed late last year does not include any provisions for skilled-worker visas. And a conference committee, which would negotiate a compromise, has yet to be selected. U.S. companies complain that they are losing prospective employees to other countries because of a shortage of highly skilled and educated foreign workers. As a result, companies are either outsourcing science and engineering jobs or making do with fewer employees.
"There aren't enough U.S. citizens pursuing those types of degrees," said Jennifer Greeson, spokeswoman for Intel Corp. in Santa Clara, Calif., where about 5% of the company's U.S.-based employees are on H-1B visas. "U.S. companies being able to have access to talent, no matter where it originates, is key to our continued competitiveness."
But critics of the H-1B program argue that there are enough Americans qualified for the jobs. Companies just prefer to hire younger, less expensive workers from other countries, such as India and China, instead of more experienced American workers at higher salaries.
"The bottom line is cheap labor," said UC Davis computer-science professor Norman Matloff, who has studied the H-1B program.
The six-year visas are available to foreigners with at least a bachelor's degree. Firms must pay foreign workers the prevailing wage.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services agency begins accepting H-1B visa applications on April 1 each year. The agency received enough visas to hit the congressionally mandated cap of 65,000 at the end of May this year, compared with August in 2005 and October in 2004. Those who receive the visas can begin work Oct. 1, the start of the fiscal year.
There are also 20,000 additional visas available for foreign workers who earned a master's or higher-level degree in the U.S. The Citizenship and Immigration Services is still accepting applications for those visas.
Because the H-1B cap is reached more quickly each year, many companies prepare their paperwork ahead of time so they can be at the front of the line. But they say it's often difficult to make hiring decisions six months before the start date.
Orange County immigration attorney Mitchell Wexler has a courier ready on the first day to take his clients' completed applications to Citizenship and Immigration Services.
"The whole white-collar business community is kind of crossing our fingers" that the number of visas is raised, Wexler said. Highly skilled foreign workers, he said, are "the best and brightest" and should be invited into the economy.
"If we can't get them," Wexler added, "they will go to a country that will accept them, and they will get jobs in Canada, Australia and England and will compete against us."
One of Wexler's clients, Massachusetts-based Skyworks Solutions, develops and manufactures integrated circuits for cellphones. Connie Williams, senior human resources specialist at the company's Irvine office, said her firm was effectively cut off from a foreign labor pool that included Lloyd of Britain when the government stopped accepting H-1B applications.
Williams said she worries that if Congress fails to pass reform legislation, the door will slam shut even earlier next year. The company has just over 2,000 U.S.-based employees, roughly 100 of whom have H-1B visas.
"We need these highly skilled, highly educated, highly qualified engineers," said Williams. "These people are a needle in a haystack."
Once foreigners have H-1B visas, they face another hurdle � becoming permanent legal residents. Applicants are often forced to wait years because there are only 140,000 employment-based green cards available annually. A backlog at Citizenship and Immigration Services adds to the delays.
Swati and Aradhana Srivastava, 34, both Indian software engineers working in the U.S. on H-1B visas, began the green card process with their employer in November 2001. Since then, the sisters said they have not been able to change jobs, positions or salaries.
They have taken film classes and are eager to pursue second careers in filmmaking but cannot do so until after they get their green cards. They also are reluctant to buy property or start a business. If they don't get their green cards by the time they finish film school, the sisters may return home.
"It's like living in a holding pattern continuously," said Swati Srivastava, 28, a member of Immigration Voice, a new grass-roots organization of skilled foreign workers pushing for immigration reform. The Internet-based group formed late last year and has about 5,000 members scattered around the country.
"We work in [the] U.S. legally in high-skilled jobs, but we still get penalized for playing by the rules," Immigration Voice co-founder Aman Kapoor said in an e-mail. "Since no one was working on our issues, we decided to organize."
Sandy Boyd, vice president of the National Assn. of Manufacturers, said there is an urgency to fixing the problems facing highly skilled foreign workers, whether they're seeking temporary or permanent legal status. The Senate's proposed immigration bill would increase the number of available employment-based green cards.
If compromise legislation cannot be reached on the broader issues, Boyd said, Congress should pass a separate, more narrow reform bill.
"This is not an issue that can be put off until comprehensive immigration reform is passed," Boyd said, "because once we lose these jobs, it's very difficult for them to come back."
But industry lobbyists arguing against increases in H-1B visas say the program hurts U.S. citizens by lowering wages and increasing job competition. They cite a recent report by the Government Accountability Office that says the program lacks sufficient oversight from the Department of Labor.
"We feel for the most part there are not shortages of U.S. engineers and computer scientists that have the skills these companies are looking for," said Chris McManes, spokesman for the U.S. sector of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. "If the cap is increased, that will further hamper the ability of a U.S. engineer to find a job."
David Huber, a network engineer in Chicago and U.S. citizen by birth, said he twice lost out on jobs to foreign workers. He was passed over for one job and replaced at another, he said. Huber, who testified before the House in March, said he could not find work for nearly three years, despite his education and experience. "Too many of us cannot find jobs because companies are turning to H-1B workers as a first choice," Huber said in written testimony to the House.
Swadha Sharma, who lives in Arcadia, said she is not trying to replace U.S. workers. Sharma earned an electronics engineering degree in India but has long dreamed of becoming a math teacher. So while her husband worked here on an H-1B visa, she earned her teaching credential at Cal Poly Pomona.
Sharma, 30, started applying for teaching jobs early this year, but she said only one of three interested districts was willing to sponsor her for an H-1B visa. And that offer, from a Los Angeles charter school, came after the visa cap had been reached. Sharma now plans to pursue a master's degree but said the U.S. is "missing out on a catch."
"I am really qualified," she said. "Hopefully, I will be able to teach soon."
As for Lloyd, his plans to come to the United States are now on indefinite hold. He started his job in Germany but still laments the U.S. immigration system for limiting workers like himself from coming here.
"The H-1B scheme seems a little bit ridiculous," he said. "I would certainly be an asset to the American economy."
Foreign workers with high-tech skills are in demand, but visa quotas snarl the hiring process.
By Anna Gorman, Times Staff Writer
July 3, 2006
This spring, a U.S. high-tech company recruited British citizen Gareth Lloyd for a possible engineering job.
But before the Irvine office made its hiring decision, the number of available visas for skilled workers ran out, in a record time of less than two months.
Lloyd, who has degrees in applied physics and electrical and electronics engineering, found another job in Germany.
"I was a little bit incredulous," Lloyd, 34, said in a phone interview. "It seems arbitrary to put some kind of quota on this."
Much of the national debate on immigration has centered on undocumented workers who fill agriculture, construction and service jobs. But highly skilled foreign scientists, engineers and computer programmers recruited by U.S. companies to work here legally also have a lot at stake in the outcome. "The major focus for all the laws and all the bills has mainly been for illegal immigrants," said Swati Srivastava, an Indian software engineer who lives in Playa del Rey and is waiting for her green card. "We kind of get pushed to the sidelines."
The Senate's sweeping immigration bill that passed in May calls for increasing the number of H-1B visas, which are available for professional foreign workers, from 65,000 to 115,000 annually. Foreigners with certain advanced degrees would be exempt from the cap.
Despite President Bush's urging to increase such quotas, however, the House bill that passed late last year does not include any provisions for skilled-worker visas. And a conference committee, which would negotiate a compromise, has yet to be selected. U.S. companies complain that they are losing prospective employees to other countries because of a shortage of highly skilled and educated foreign workers. As a result, companies are either outsourcing science and engineering jobs or making do with fewer employees.
"There aren't enough U.S. citizens pursuing those types of degrees," said Jennifer Greeson, spokeswoman for Intel Corp. in Santa Clara, Calif., where about 5% of the company's U.S.-based employees are on H-1B visas. "U.S. companies being able to have access to talent, no matter where it originates, is key to our continued competitiveness."
But critics of the H-1B program argue that there are enough Americans qualified for the jobs. Companies just prefer to hire younger, less expensive workers from other countries, such as India and China, instead of more experienced American workers at higher salaries.
"The bottom line is cheap labor," said UC Davis computer-science professor Norman Matloff, who has studied the H-1B program.
The six-year visas are available to foreigners with at least a bachelor's degree. Firms must pay foreign workers the prevailing wage.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services agency begins accepting H-1B visa applications on April 1 each year. The agency received enough visas to hit the congressionally mandated cap of 65,000 at the end of May this year, compared with August in 2005 and October in 2004. Those who receive the visas can begin work Oct. 1, the start of the fiscal year.
There are also 20,000 additional visas available for foreign workers who earned a master's or higher-level degree in the U.S. The Citizenship and Immigration Services is still accepting applications for those visas.
Because the H-1B cap is reached more quickly each year, many companies prepare their paperwork ahead of time so they can be at the front of the line. But they say it's often difficult to make hiring decisions six months before the start date.
Orange County immigration attorney Mitchell Wexler has a courier ready on the first day to take his clients' completed applications to Citizenship and Immigration Services.
"The whole white-collar business community is kind of crossing our fingers" that the number of visas is raised, Wexler said. Highly skilled foreign workers, he said, are "the best and brightest" and should be invited into the economy.
"If we can't get them," Wexler added, "they will go to a country that will accept them, and they will get jobs in Canada, Australia and England and will compete against us."
One of Wexler's clients, Massachusetts-based Skyworks Solutions, develops and manufactures integrated circuits for cellphones. Connie Williams, senior human resources specialist at the company's Irvine office, said her firm was effectively cut off from a foreign labor pool that included Lloyd of Britain when the government stopped accepting H-1B applications.
Williams said she worries that if Congress fails to pass reform legislation, the door will slam shut even earlier next year. The company has just over 2,000 U.S.-based employees, roughly 100 of whom have H-1B visas.
"We need these highly skilled, highly educated, highly qualified engineers," said Williams. "These people are a needle in a haystack."
Once foreigners have H-1B visas, they face another hurdle � becoming permanent legal residents. Applicants are often forced to wait years because there are only 140,000 employment-based green cards available annually. A backlog at Citizenship and Immigration Services adds to the delays.
Swati and Aradhana Srivastava, 34, both Indian software engineers working in the U.S. on H-1B visas, began the green card process with their employer in November 2001. Since then, the sisters said they have not been able to change jobs, positions or salaries.
They have taken film classes and are eager to pursue second careers in filmmaking but cannot do so until after they get their green cards. They also are reluctant to buy property or start a business. If they don't get their green cards by the time they finish film school, the sisters may return home.
"It's like living in a holding pattern continuously," said Swati Srivastava, 28, a member of Immigration Voice, a new grass-roots organization of skilled foreign workers pushing for immigration reform. The Internet-based group formed late last year and has about 5,000 members scattered around the country.
"We work in [the] U.S. legally in high-skilled jobs, but we still get penalized for playing by the rules," Immigration Voice co-founder Aman Kapoor said in an e-mail. "Since no one was working on our issues, we decided to organize."
Sandy Boyd, vice president of the National Assn. of Manufacturers, said there is an urgency to fixing the problems facing highly skilled foreign workers, whether they're seeking temporary or permanent legal status. The Senate's proposed immigration bill would increase the number of available employment-based green cards.
If compromise legislation cannot be reached on the broader issues, Boyd said, Congress should pass a separate, more narrow reform bill.
"This is not an issue that can be put off until comprehensive immigration reform is passed," Boyd said, "because once we lose these jobs, it's very difficult for them to come back."
But industry lobbyists arguing against increases in H-1B visas say the program hurts U.S. citizens by lowering wages and increasing job competition. They cite a recent report by the Government Accountability Office that says the program lacks sufficient oversight from the Department of Labor.
"We feel for the most part there are not shortages of U.S. engineers and computer scientists that have the skills these companies are looking for," said Chris McManes, spokesman for the U.S. sector of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. "If the cap is increased, that will further hamper the ability of a U.S. engineer to find a job."
David Huber, a network engineer in Chicago and U.S. citizen by birth, said he twice lost out on jobs to foreign workers. He was passed over for one job and replaced at another, he said. Huber, who testified before the House in March, said he could not find work for nearly three years, despite his education and experience. "Too many of us cannot find jobs because companies are turning to H-1B workers as a first choice," Huber said in written testimony to the House.
Swadha Sharma, who lives in Arcadia, said she is not trying to replace U.S. workers. Sharma earned an electronics engineering degree in India but has long dreamed of becoming a math teacher. So while her husband worked here on an H-1B visa, she earned her teaching credential at Cal Poly Pomona.
Sharma, 30, started applying for teaching jobs early this year, but she said only one of three interested districts was willing to sponsor her for an H-1B visa. And that offer, from a Los Angeles charter school, came after the visa cap had been reached. Sharma now plans to pursue a master's degree but said the U.S. is "missing out on a catch."
"I am really qualified," she said. "Hopefully, I will be able to teach soon."
As for Lloyd, his plans to come to the United States are now on indefinite hold. He started his job in Germany but still laments the U.S. immigration system for limiting workers like himself from coming here.
"The H-1B scheme seems a little bit ridiculous," he said. "I would certainly be an asset to the American economy."
DallasBlue
09-26 09:14 PM
Check out the local chapter messages on how to call in.
old_hat
04-27 09:51 PM
http://www.dhs.gov/journal/leadership/
* USCIS has increased the emphasis on processing employment-based petitions. Our goal is to complete adjudication on the older I-140 petitions and to process newer petitions within our targeted processing time of four months. We are making progress toward this goal and anticipate reaching this goal by the end of September 2009.
* USCIS is issuing employment authorization documents valid for two years, as needed.
* USCIS is working with the State Department to make sure we use every available visa number. In 2007, we had more visas available in the family-based categories than were needed, so as permitted by law, we transferred those available family-based visas for use in the employment-based application process.
I recognize that this is a difficult and complex situation and USCIS is working hard to make improvements and to increase transparency in our processes.
Mike Aytes
Acting Deputy Director, USCIS
* USCIS has increased the emphasis on processing employment-based petitions. Our goal is to complete adjudication on the older I-140 petitions and to process newer petitions within our targeted processing time of four months. We are making progress toward this goal and anticipate reaching this goal by the end of September 2009.
* USCIS is issuing employment authorization documents valid for two years, as needed.
* USCIS is working with the State Department to make sure we use every available visa number. In 2007, we had more visas available in the family-based categories than were needed, so as permitted by law, we transferred those available family-based visas for use in the employment-based application process.
I recognize that this is a difficult and complex situation and USCIS is working hard to make improvements and to increase transparency in our processes.
Mike Aytes
Acting Deputy Director, USCIS
No comments:
Post a Comment