sledge_hammer
02-07 07:46 PM
Just put in my year.
When you sign for membership, there is a question you answer about EB category and PD, so I guess all 8600+ members have that. I mean we already have the information and most of the members seem to be in S/W.
Is there anyway we can use this information thats in out database already, to come up with numbers? I assume that it should be do-able, however I am practically ignorant when it comes to computers. I mean I can use word and surf on the net, but thats it, but among all the experts we have here, maybe someone can work something out.
The admin will be able to answer this ....
When you sign for membership, there is a question you answer about EB category and PD, so I guess all 8600+ members have that. I mean we already have the information and most of the members seem to be in S/W.
Is there anyway we can use this information thats in out database already, to come up with numbers? I assume that it should be do-able, however I am practically ignorant when it comes to computers. I mean I can use word and surf on the net, but thats it, but among all the experts we have here, maybe someone can work something out.
The admin will be able to answer this ....
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arihant
10-26 05:13 PM
A) Yes, you can transfer the pending h1 extension to premium.
B) For current status https://egov.immigration.gov/cris/jsps/ptimes.jsp with your respective service center.
Thank you for your response. ANy idea how long the conversion would take?
B) For current status https://egov.immigration.gov/cris/jsps/ptimes.jsp with your respective service center.
Thank you for your response. ANy idea how long the conversion would take?
forever_waiting
01-06 02:21 PM
It has happened several times in the past when a members thought a certain bill had a lot of scope...then started advocating on the forums for IV to take up the cause and start lobbying for it...and if it didnt work out or no one showed interest, IV core team ended up receiving brickbats that they never put in the neccessary efforts. This is just a fact.
The advocacy and lobbying for any bill doesnt follow the "top-down" but the "bottom-up" approach. IV can coordnate lobbying and advocacy at the national level but requires our members across the country to meet with their lawmakers to get specific responses on whether they will support that bill.
IV usually lobbies or works on bills that seem to have some traction in Congress. If members are very sure that there are other bills that should be focussed on - they should gather together the numbers (i.e. members who think this will help), meet with lawmakers in their districts - try to find co-sponsors for the bills. Then, if truly a momentum exists - the IV core team can step in and help with additional lobbying.
I have met 3 congressmen in my area - one is an anti-immig and the other two fully support EB legislation but at this point are judging the climate in the new Congress.
As another member stated IV is "me and you". And the bottomline is asking IV to take up a cause is not the right approach. Advocacy and the momentum has to be started by the members.
The advocacy and lobbying for any bill doesnt follow the "top-down" but the "bottom-up" approach. IV can coordnate lobbying and advocacy at the national level but requires our members across the country to meet with their lawmakers to get specific responses on whether they will support that bill.
IV usually lobbies or works on bills that seem to have some traction in Congress. If members are very sure that there are other bills that should be focussed on - they should gather together the numbers (i.e. members who think this will help), meet with lawmakers in their districts - try to find co-sponsors for the bills. Then, if truly a momentum exists - the IV core team can step in and help with additional lobbying.
I have met 3 congressmen in my area - one is an anti-immig and the other two fully support EB legislation but at this point are judging the climate in the new Congress.
As another member stated IV is "me and you". And the bottomline is asking IV to take up a cause is not the right approach. Advocacy and the momentum has to be started by the members.
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pappu
05-14 08:41 AM
Good Morning.
more...
fasterthanlight�
06-06 02:51 PM
Awesome 3 of my 36 stamps got in :P
But seriously, i wish you put in my pink nebula one! oh well! :)
But seriously, i wish you put in my pink nebula one! oh well! :)
aksaharan
10-14 06:02 PM
I believe this has been going on for last year or so, with no outcome yet..
Unified Agenda and Regulatory Plan Search Results (http://www.reginfo.gov/public/servlet/ForwardServlet?SearchTarget=Agenda&textfield=1615-AB82)
Lets hope they do it this time.
Unified Agenda and Regulatory Plan Search Results (http://www.reginfo.gov/public/servlet/ForwardServlet?SearchTarget=Agenda&textfield=1615-AB82)
Lets hope they do it this time.
more...
rjgleason
September 27th, 2004, 08:57 AM
Rob, What have you been eating? :D
I did hear, however, from a reliable source, that Canon will be upgrading the next 1D Mark II to have an in-camera phone.
I did hear, however, from a reliable source, that Canon will be upgrading the next 1D Mark II to have an in-camera phone.
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maximus777
09-16 03:20 PM
done
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WaldenPond
01-07 12:54 PM
Hi All,
I am a new user to this forum. I have been reading all the messages in this forum silently from the past couple of weeks. This is very interesting to see lot of efforts are going on to get the relief from the retrogression. I am also one of the victim for this. Here are my details.
Labor PD: 19 Nov 2003.
Labor Approved: 17 Nov 2005
140 filed: 5 Dec 2005.
AD???????
Hello gcloker,
It was very nice talking to you just now. We feel that motivated individuals like you can really make the difference with this effort.
Thanks You for extending your active volunteering and participation with this effort. Please continue to invite more of your friends and we will together make it happen.
-WP
I am a new user to this forum. I have been reading all the messages in this forum silently from the past couple of weeks. This is very interesting to see lot of efforts are going on to get the relief from the retrogression. I am also one of the victim for this. Here are my details.
Labor PD: 19 Nov 2003.
Labor Approved: 17 Nov 2005
140 filed: 5 Dec 2005.
AD???????
Hello gcloker,
It was very nice talking to you just now. We feel that motivated individuals like you can really make the difference with this effort.
Thanks You for extending your active volunteering and participation with this effort. Please continue to invite more of your friends and we will together make it happen.
-WP
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TomTancredo
03-16 04:33 PM
I was in a similar frame of mind like you a few days ago...thinking whether to switch to EAD with different company or not.
On technical side, job title and description does not need to be word-to-word same. Just use common-sense (if a programmer is going to be working as an Electrician or Systems Administrator, that might cause a problem. Otherwise you should be able to prove the similarity.)
On the other side, EAD is a gift USCIS has given while your 485 is pending. Even being on H1B, there is nothing much you can do if you run out of luck. So, why not enjoy the freedom? Come out in the sky. You will "feel" it, especially if your current employer is "desi" or if you have to call them 10 times in a month to get your paycheck.
I am myself invoking AC21 in April. Whatever happens, I know I will survive. Wherever I live later (India or US), I know I will be with my family and I will still have tens of reasons to thank God for.
If you want to be a little more conservative, spend few dollars and get a back-up of an attorney.
Let go of the negativity. Do it.
Good luck.
There is no point in worrying about a future RFE ... My lawyer told me not to file AC21..
I dont think its worth it to fight the rejection of 485 and start all over again.. If they reject my 485 I will go home and be happy ... Most of the people on this forum are blessed compared to so many other Indians ..
This is my view with 2004 PD :)
On technical side, job title and description does not need to be word-to-word same. Just use common-sense (if a programmer is going to be working as an Electrician or Systems Administrator, that might cause a problem. Otherwise you should be able to prove the similarity.)
On the other side, EAD is a gift USCIS has given while your 485 is pending. Even being on H1B, there is nothing much you can do if you run out of luck. So, why not enjoy the freedom? Come out in the sky. You will "feel" it, especially if your current employer is "desi" or if you have to call them 10 times in a month to get your paycheck.
I am myself invoking AC21 in April. Whatever happens, I know I will survive. Wherever I live later (India or US), I know I will be with my family and I will still have tens of reasons to thank God for.
If you want to be a little more conservative, spend few dollars and get a back-up of an attorney.
Let go of the negativity. Do it.
Good luck.
There is no point in worrying about a future RFE ... My lawyer told me not to file AC21..
I dont think its worth it to fight the rejection of 485 and start all over again.. If they reject my 485 I will go home and be happy ... Most of the people on this forum are blessed compared to so many other Indians ..
This is my view with 2004 PD :)
more...
santa123
08-15 07:21 AM
Welcome back vdlrao...
what does the SEP VB indicate to you?
you had predicted that there will be a mild retro and does the fwd movement indicate better days ahead?
We IVians look fwd to your analysis and insight. Thanks!
what does the SEP VB indicate to you?
you had predicted that there will be a mild retro and does the fwd movement indicate better days ahead?
We IVians look fwd to your analysis and insight. Thanks!
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Libra
10-24 10:08 AM
yeah it took almost a year to send an RFE that too after repeated calls to CIS.
Libra,
Congrats!!! Did it take an year for the RFE itself???
Romesh and naresh,
Any updates?
thanks,
Sampath
Libra,
Congrats!!! Did it take an year for the RFE itself???
Romesh and naresh,
Any updates?
thanks,
Sampath
more...
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pappu
01-20 11:34 PM
most uni's have a indian student association, the contact is usually found on the website, that would the best way to find them, also orkut has alot of desi student in us communities
Would you be interested in contacting all such associations and orkut communities around the country? It will be a big help.
Would you be interested in contacting all such associations and orkut communities around the country? It will be a big help.
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chantu
06-02 03:05 PM
I think she can study. She can go on F1.
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raju123
06-26 02:51 PM
Numberusa reported following possible 24 amendments and Cantwell/Kyl amendment is not there. I hope this news is not right.
Democratic Amendments
* Dodd-Menendez S.A. 1199: would increase the annual cap on green cards for parents and extend the parent visitor visa.
* Webb S.A. 1313: Community ties for [amnesty]
* Baucus-Tester S.A. 1236: would strike all reference[s] to REAL ID.
* Sanders-Grassley S.A. 1332 : prohibits companies that have announced mass lay-offs from receiving any new visas, unless these companies could prove that overall employment at their companies would not be reduced by these lay-offs.
* Byrd-Gregg-Cochran S.A. 1344: adds a $500 fee to obtain [amnesty] and sets aside the revenues collected in order to fund border and interior enforcement.
* Menendez-Obama-Feingold S.A. 1317: increases family points in merit system
* Brown S.A. 1340: requires that before employers can be approved to employ Y-1 workers, they must have listed the specific job opportunity with the state employment service agency.
* McCaskill S.A. 1468: increases ban on federal contracts, grants or cooperative agreements to employers who are repeat violators of hiring immigrants who are not authorized to work
* Levin-Brownback S.A.1486: gives access to Iraqis to apply for refugee status under existing U.S. law.
* Leahy S.A. 1386: protect scholars who have been persecuted in their home countries on account of their beliefs, scholarship, or identity.
* Schumer: provides for tamper-proof biometric social security cards
* Boxer S.A. 1198: reduces Y visa cap by number of Y workers who overstay
Republican Amendments
* Alexander S.A. 1161: requires DHS and the Department of State to notify a foreign embassy when one of their nationals has become a U.S. citizen
* Bond S.A. 1255: prohibits green cards for [illegal aliens granted amnesty]
* Coleman S.A. 1473: outlaws state and local policies that prevent public officials * including police and health and safety workers (except for emergency medical assistance)*from inquiring about the immigration status of those they serve if there is �probable cause� to believe the individual being questioned is undocumented.
* Domenici S.A. 1335/1258: increases Federal judgeships
* Ensign S.A. 1490: redetermines work history for current beneficiaries of social security depending on their citizenship status
* Graham S.A. 1465: enforcement. Still being drafted.
* Grassley-Baucus-Obama S.A. 1441: strikes and replaces Title III on employer enforcement
* Hutchinson S.A. 1440: changes the �touchback� requirement from the time of applying for adjustment of status, as it currently stands in the Senate proposed bill, to the time of applying for the Z visa. Increases the number of individuals required to touchback
* Thune S.A. 1174: prevents [illegal aliens] from [being granted amnesty] until all triggers have been met.
* Chambliss S.A. 1318: Totalization agreements
* Isakson S.A. 1282: Preemption/Home Depot
* Graham: Criminal penalties/mandatory minimums for overstays
There is a news in news article thread that Senators Cantwell & Kyl have proposed a amendment which will open up a parallel employer sponsored GC path. Anyone has information regarding this amendment?
Democratic Amendments
* Dodd-Menendez S.A. 1199: would increase the annual cap on green cards for parents and extend the parent visitor visa.
* Webb S.A. 1313: Community ties for [amnesty]
* Baucus-Tester S.A. 1236: would strike all reference[s] to REAL ID.
* Sanders-Grassley S.A. 1332 : prohibits companies that have announced mass lay-offs from receiving any new visas, unless these companies could prove that overall employment at their companies would not be reduced by these lay-offs.
* Byrd-Gregg-Cochran S.A. 1344: adds a $500 fee to obtain [amnesty] and sets aside the revenues collected in order to fund border and interior enforcement.
* Menendez-Obama-Feingold S.A. 1317: increases family points in merit system
* Brown S.A. 1340: requires that before employers can be approved to employ Y-1 workers, they must have listed the specific job opportunity with the state employment service agency.
* McCaskill S.A. 1468: increases ban on federal contracts, grants or cooperative agreements to employers who are repeat violators of hiring immigrants who are not authorized to work
* Levin-Brownback S.A.1486: gives access to Iraqis to apply for refugee status under existing U.S. law.
* Leahy S.A. 1386: protect scholars who have been persecuted in their home countries on account of their beliefs, scholarship, or identity.
* Schumer: provides for tamper-proof biometric social security cards
* Boxer S.A. 1198: reduces Y visa cap by number of Y workers who overstay
Republican Amendments
* Alexander S.A. 1161: requires DHS and the Department of State to notify a foreign embassy when one of their nationals has become a U.S. citizen
* Bond S.A. 1255: prohibits green cards for [illegal aliens granted amnesty]
* Coleman S.A. 1473: outlaws state and local policies that prevent public officials * including police and health and safety workers (except for emergency medical assistance)*from inquiring about the immigration status of those they serve if there is �probable cause� to believe the individual being questioned is undocumented.
* Domenici S.A. 1335/1258: increases Federal judgeships
* Ensign S.A. 1490: redetermines work history for current beneficiaries of social security depending on their citizenship status
* Graham S.A. 1465: enforcement. Still being drafted.
* Grassley-Baucus-Obama S.A. 1441: strikes and replaces Title III on employer enforcement
* Hutchinson S.A. 1440: changes the �touchback� requirement from the time of applying for adjustment of status, as it currently stands in the Senate proposed bill, to the time of applying for the Z visa. Increases the number of individuals required to touchback
* Thune S.A. 1174: prevents [illegal aliens] from [being granted amnesty] until all triggers have been met.
* Chambliss S.A. 1318: Totalization agreements
* Isakson S.A. 1282: Preemption/Home Depot
* Graham: Criminal penalties/mandatory minimums for overstays
There is a news in news article thread that Senators Cantwell & Kyl have proposed a amendment which will open up a parallel employer sponsored GC path. Anyone has information regarding this amendment?
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swamy
05-21 11:55 PM
This I think comes from AC21 regulations as well as one of the AC21 memos that were released. It mentions that a person can get H1 beyond 6 years even though they are not maitaining the H status as long as they can prove that their GC is pending . This may include pending I-485. I think the memo says that person need not maintain H status to get extension beyond 6 years without being counted against quota.
I think the H1 can be filed but since you are on EAD, you will not get I-94. This means that you will need to go out and get the H1 stamped and re-enter to get back on H status.
Again, various attorneys differ on this too. So consult few good attorneys for this would be good idea.
yes this is true (confirmed it with a top law firm)- but 140 needs to have been approved though and pd shouldnt be current. and you need to get the h1 stamped too.
I think the H1 can be filed but since you are on EAD, you will not get I-94. This means that you will need to go out and get the H1 stamped and re-enter to get back on H status.
Again, various attorneys differ on this too. So consult few good attorneys for this would be good idea.
yes this is true (confirmed it with a top law firm)- but 140 needs to have been approved though and pd shouldnt be current. and you need to get the h1 stamped too.
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Redeye
12-12 05:05 PM
I have EB3 PD of 2004 and it will take a while to get GC for sure. I am in a situation where I do not want to go for stamping and want to use AP in Feb 2008. If I do use AP will it invalidate my H1 with the same employer. My H1 6th year ends in 2010. If I get married in India at a later date will it be an issue to bring my spouse on H4 since I am a parolee?
Is there a way around this with a H1 extention at a later date and stamping at a later date?
Thanks
Is there a way around this with a H1 extention at a later date and stamping at a later date?
Thanks
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Becks
02-10 07:18 PM
Once you strart using EAD your H1 will be terminated. If you want to switch to H1 again your need to apply for fresh H1 in the new quota. You cant renew because its terminated.
So try to switch the job with H1 transfer if your new employer supports. Use EAD only when you dont have H1 option.
So assuming that I switch to EAD, does this mean that incase for whatever reason our I 485 application is denied, I can re claim the pending time on my h1b ? I am trying to figure out how is my h1b an umbrella?
So try to switch the job with H1 transfer if your new employer supports. Use EAD only when you dont have H1 option.
So assuming that I switch to EAD, does this mean that incase for whatever reason our I 485 application is denied, I can re claim the pending time on my h1b ? I am trying to figure out how is my h1b an umbrella?
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brintonwhite
06-07 06:14 PM
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ChainReaction
04-18 07:09 AM
www.immigration-law.com
04/18/2006: Bi-Specialization and Reshaping Service Centers Processing Times Report
The bi-specialization initiative that went into effect on April 1, 2006 is expected to bring about the changes in the Service Centers processing times report. The latest reports have already reported the following two changes in I-140 petition processing times report:
California Service Center ceased reporting I-140 processing times
Nebraska Service Center I-140 petition processing times have jumped remarkably since the April 10, 2006 report as follows:
04/10/2006 Report 04/15/2006 Report
EB-1A 10/01/2005 03/01/2006
EB-1B 11/12/2005 03/01/2006
EB-1C 12/17/2005 03/15/2006
EB-2 12/10/2005 12/15/2005
NIW 12/10/2005 03/15/2006
EB-3 10/16/2005 02/15/2006
EB-3EW 01/15/2006 03/15/2006
Schedule A 12/17/2005 02/01/2006
Texas Service Center I-140 petition processing times was already January 2006 in April 10, 2006 Report. It is likely that TSC I-140 processing times may also reveal some changes in the next report.
We will keep watching the development and effect of the bi-specialization program. The next review will focus on EB-485 processing patterns in these Service Centers. Please stay tuned to this web site.
Speedy processing times will help some of the recent PERM application filers whose H-1B approaches the six-year limit and who cannot apply for extension of 7th-year extension of H-1B for failure to prove 365 days pending labor certification before reaching H-1B six year limit. Since the PERM applications are nowadays adjudicated in about three months and I-140 petition adjudication takes between two months and three months, they will be able to apply for three-year increment H-1B extension if their visa numbers are retrogressed. Late starters of PERM applications should consider two options to extend their H-1B extension beyond six years while they wait for the visa numbers: One is overseas trips and recapture of H-1B times abroad. The second is prompt processing of I-140 petitions and filing of three-year increment H-1B extensions.
04/18/2006: Bi-Specialization and Reshaping Service Centers Processing Times Report
The bi-specialization initiative that went into effect on April 1, 2006 is expected to bring about the changes in the Service Centers processing times report. The latest reports have already reported the following two changes in I-140 petition processing times report:
California Service Center ceased reporting I-140 processing times
Nebraska Service Center I-140 petition processing times have jumped remarkably since the April 10, 2006 report as follows:
04/10/2006 Report 04/15/2006 Report
EB-1A 10/01/2005 03/01/2006
EB-1B 11/12/2005 03/01/2006
EB-1C 12/17/2005 03/15/2006
EB-2 12/10/2005 12/15/2005
NIW 12/10/2005 03/15/2006
EB-3 10/16/2005 02/15/2006
EB-3EW 01/15/2006 03/15/2006
Schedule A 12/17/2005 02/01/2006
Texas Service Center I-140 petition processing times was already January 2006 in April 10, 2006 Report. It is likely that TSC I-140 processing times may also reveal some changes in the next report.
We will keep watching the development and effect of the bi-specialization program. The next review will focus on EB-485 processing patterns in these Service Centers. Please stay tuned to this web site.
Speedy processing times will help some of the recent PERM application filers whose H-1B approaches the six-year limit and who cannot apply for extension of 7th-year extension of H-1B for failure to prove 365 days pending labor certification before reaching H-1B six year limit. Since the PERM applications are nowadays adjudicated in about three months and I-140 petition adjudication takes between two months and three months, they will be able to apply for three-year increment H-1B extension if their visa numbers are retrogressed. Late starters of PERM applications should consider two options to extend their H-1B extension beyond six years while they wait for the visa numbers: One is overseas trips and recapture of H-1B times abroad. The second is prompt processing of I-140 petitions and filing of three-year increment H-1B extensions.
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."
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