eastindia
05-14 04:15 PM
It is time to pass the DREAM Act.
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msp1976
02-12 10:28 AM
msp1976, I found out that it would take at least a month to get a new passport (is this right?), and I did not have time for it. I'll be sure to post my experience here.
Thank you!
I have heard of people getting passport in 1 day or so in New York...But you have to go in person.....The mail service would take longer....
Also once they give you a stanp for the whole duration.. as someone mentioned earlier...you need to carry the old passport and the new booklet they give you...That works out just fine.....
About what happnes at the POE depneds on the USCIS officer....It is just a draw of luck..
Thank you!
I have heard of people getting passport in 1 day or so in New York...But you have to go in person.....The mail service would take longer....
Also once they give you a stanp for the whole duration.. as someone mentioned earlier...you need to carry the old passport and the new booklet they give you...That works out just fine.....
About what happnes at the POE depneds on the USCIS officer....It is just a draw of luck..
walking_dude
11-21 11:33 AM
You are probably refering to Cubans in Cuba and their leader Castro.
I'm refering to Cubans in Florida who are a solid 'vote bank' for Republican Party. They have even become Senators and Congressman, without sacrificing their Cuban heritage.
No they are NOT if you are talking about immigration!They are highly passionate and vocal in support for their own country and its leader (well are we???).
I'm refering to Cubans in Florida who are a solid 'vote bank' for Republican Party. They have even become Senators and Congressman, without sacrificing their Cuban heritage.
No they are NOT if you are talking about immigration!They are highly passionate and vocal in support for their own country and its leader (well are we???).
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VMH_GC
07-17 06:21 PM
I pledge $100 right now to IV. I will make the payment tonight.
I just made the payment. It is easy folks please contribute....
I just made the payment. It is easy folks please contribute....
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.
gomirage
07-30 02:05 AM
Why do you need to go to Canada ? If your you have I797 you are approved and can start working with adjustment of status. Am I missing something ?
more...
bekugc
12-11 08:00 PM
as for Mohits qn. i agree with pragirs' answer.
during AC21, if new job description is similar to orig LC thing, and if the new cmpany can put that on paper in offer or empl letter, this shud be enuf... a colleague of mine, who was a developer had his LC as a programmer, after 485 apply/180days/Ead etc, he lost his client and my company waited for 3 weeks & laid him off...he used ac21 and joined a small company, who gave him a QA job, but on paper it was put exactly as what orig LC said. in the july flood, he got his GC, no qns asked.
as for difference in salary, i remember in one of the free teleconf calls done by a prominent attorney , he said if u move from one geographic loc to another, then diff in stds of living etc will allow for same job desc to have pretty diff salary ranges. but if u chg in same geography and have significantly diff salary, it may raise eyebrow...but again what significant means is Gray...
during AC21, if new job description is similar to orig LC thing, and if the new cmpany can put that on paper in offer or empl letter, this shud be enuf... a colleague of mine, who was a developer had his LC as a programmer, after 485 apply/180days/Ead etc, he lost his client and my company waited for 3 weeks & laid him off...he used ac21 and joined a small company, who gave him a QA job, but on paper it was put exactly as what orig LC said. in the july flood, he got his GC, no qns asked.
as for difference in salary, i remember in one of the free teleconf calls done by a prominent attorney , he said if u move from one geographic loc to another, then diff in stds of living etc will allow for same job desc to have pretty diff salary ranges. but if u chg in same geography and have significantly diff salary, it may raise eyebrow...but again what significant means is Gray...
2010 of the common bile duct,
Anders �stberg
May 2nd, 2005, 02:38 PM
Thanks Brent!
I'll experiment a bit the next time, it's just practice runs so far so I can afford some misses.
I'll experiment a bit the next time, it's just practice runs so far so I can afford some misses.
more...
macml
01-29 05:44 PM
Sorry, I can't help you out on how to fill out the application. My lawyer did it for me.
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ss_79
05-10 04:18 PM
I sincerely think that the reason why various immigration agencies are getting away with 'doing nothing' for Legal immigrants is because media does not discuss the backlogs in the immigration system. If we can focus on some really shocking statistics....data...and request some reasonable media personnel to discuss and take up as a story...it would be more helpful than all flower campaigns...and other forms of protests. I wrote to Fareed Zakaria today and you can do so as well. We can try other famous personalities on CNN such as Soledad O�Brien. If you know anybody on the Fox News side who might sympathize and investigate the issue, try them as well. Every media and politicians bracket us in the same group as illegals or fraud H1Bs...that image needs to change before something can happen...its absolutely bizarre and immoral in my opinion when the head of DHS cannot go to congress and say that there is an unfair situation for Legal Immigrants from India/China in the immigration system and she needs temporary assistance in fixing the system. Sec of State and Head of DHS surely have the authority to refer an unfair situation in the congress for a temporary legislative solution until the CIR is addressed.
more...
glus
01-03 11:03 AM
Going to school itself will not have any effect on your H-1B status. If you stop working for the H1b employer, then your H-1B status is gone. If you have EAD, you can continue working for anyone else. This has no effect on GC processing, as long as you can show that there is the same or similar position for you when they adjudicate your i485. I assume your 485 has been pending for more than 180days and that your I140 is approved. Your new employer, if you leave h-1b, will need to produce a letter that he has a position that is similar in title and duties to the orginal sponsor's position. Only with such a proof your GC can be approved later on. Keep in mind you must keep EAD always if you leave your H-1B employer.
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canmt
11-14 06:48 PM
If the job offered is for 15-1031 and job responsiblities remain the same as 15-1031. It should be ok to work on SAP or any other bleeding edge technologies. Call USCIS and ask them for information.
more...
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snathan
05-12 07:05 PM
My PD is Sep-03, EB3-India. I left the employer who sponsored me one year after I filled 485 (thanks to July-07 fiasco). I have over 12 years of experience and was wondering if it was possible to port to EB-2 without having to file for new labor by just refilling I-140.
Thanks
Nope...you can not.
Thanks
Nope...you can not.
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askreddy
08-16 05:03 PM
Hi
What is your Received and Notice dates for 485.Just checking is this related topre adjuducation process.
Thanks
What is your Received and Notice dates for 485.Just checking is this related topre adjuducation process.
Thanks
more...
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GCSOON-Ihope
06-14 04:57 PM
On what basis does I-485 get processed?
Is it based on Labor application (Priority Date) or by date of receipt of I-485 application? :confused:
Or by luck of the draw?:cool:
The applications themselves are processed by receipt date but the approval still depends on your PD.Someone correct me if I am wrong...
Is it based on Labor application (Priority Date) or by date of receipt of I-485 application? :confused:
Or by luck of the draw?:cool:
The applications themselves are processed by receipt date but the approval still depends on your PD.Someone correct me if I am wrong...
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singhsa3
09-05 12:21 PM
No, it is not too late but JUST IN TIME.
After this hearing, first set of votes will be taken to decide if this bill should be made debatable or not. It just requires simple majority.
Then, the real thing begins. Debate , amendments and the final voting followed by reconcillation between the two houses.
Even if the bill pass "as it is" we will be in MUCH BETTER POSITION " then what we are in today.
After all, the effective green cards are increased to 725K per year , along with recapture provisions and exemption for people with certain master degree.
From http://www.immigration-law.com/Canada.html
List of Witnesses To Testify at House Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee Hearing Tomorrow
The list:
Congressman Jeff Flake, R-AZ, co-sponsor of STRIVE Act of 2007
Congressman Joe Beca, D-CA
Congressman Ray Lahood, R-CA
Congessman Brian Bilbray, R-CA
Tony Wasilewsi, Small Business Owner, Schiller Park, IL
Eduardo Gonzalez, U.S. Navy Petty Officer Second Class, Jacsonville, FL
Rev. Luis Cortes, Jr., President Esperanza USA
Joshua Hoyt, Executive Director Illinois Coalition for Immigrant & Refugee Rights
Cassandra Q. Butts, Sr. Vice President for Domestic Policy Center for American Progress
David Lizarraga, Chirman of U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Julie Kirchner, Director of Government Relations Federation of American Immigration Reform
Corey Stewart, Chairman At-Large, William County Board of Supervisors, FL
The list indicates that the skilled worker immigrant worker community is not well represented in this hearing. We will post the text of the testimony as soon as it becomes available.
After this hearing, first set of votes will be taken to decide if this bill should be made debatable or not. It just requires simple majority.
Then, the real thing begins. Debate , amendments and the final voting followed by reconcillation between the two houses.
Even if the bill pass "as it is" we will be in MUCH BETTER POSITION " then what we are in today.
After all, the effective green cards are increased to 725K per year , along with recapture provisions and exemption for people with certain master degree.
From http://www.immigration-law.com/Canada.html
List of Witnesses To Testify at House Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee Hearing Tomorrow
The list:
Congressman Jeff Flake, R-AZ, co-sponsor of STRIVE Act of 2007
Congressman Joe Beca, D-CA
Congressman Ray Lahood, R-CA
Congessman Brian Bilbray, R-CA
Tony Wasilewsi, Small Business Owner, Schiller Park, IL
Eduardo Gonzalez, U.S. Navy Petty Officer Second Class, Jacsonville, FL
Rev. Luis Cortes, Jr., President Esperanza USA
Joshua Hoyt, Executive Director Illinois Coalition for Immigrant & Refugee Rights
Cassandra Q. Butts, Sr. Vice President for Domestic Policy Center for American Progress
David Lizarraga, Chirman of U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Julie Kirchner, Director of Government Relations Federation of American Immigration Reform
Corey Stewart, Chairman At-Large, William County Board of Supervisors, FL
The list indicates that the skilled worker immigrant worker community is not well represented in this hearing. We will post the text of the testimony as soon as it becomes available.
more...
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insbaby
07-17 08:02 AM
Hello freinds :
I would appreciate if anyone can guide me through the situation I am in. I have been working for a company for past 4yrs. After the July bulletin was released on June 15, my employer has stopped responding to my emails, voicemails and registered mails by normal post. When I try to reach him on the telephone his voicemail message says that he is travelling and not to leave any voicemail messages but to email him and he will respond when he gets a chance. When I email him I get an out of office response. There are two other people working in the same company. I sent emails to these people and also left voicemail messages but they are also not responding.
This has put me in a very difficult situation as I dont know what is the status of my H1B application which expired recently. They were supposed to extend it. They are also not telling me the status of I140 application. My labor PD is June 2004. I would like to file the I485 application if USCIS reverses their decision.
Has anyone been throught the same or similar situation ?
This is my third employer and third GC attempt in the 11yrs I have been in this country.
Buddy, I am sorry for your situatiuon. It looks like you thought everything is employer's responsibility. They don't move even a small piece for you unless you follow up in time.
You said, your H1B expired recently (!!!!). You must have known that the H1B petition can be filed for extension 180 days before. Also, you must have read that how much time each procession center takes for this extension of H1B (min 6 months). In such case, did you ask the employer to extend the H1B in FEBRUARY? If they have applied, then they should have got an "Recepit Notice", which makes your stay VALID. If they have received something else, they should have let you know, because "IT CREATES BIG PROBLEM FOR THEM TO KEEP SOMEONE with H1B EXPIRED". So, it looks like, your petition went ok and your are now SAFE.
If you have given pressure to your employer the day before the H1B expires, (sorry to say this) it is your problem, not theirs. Their job is not looking at your expiration of H1B, it is your. This often happens in small companies, big companies usually have HRD, who takes care of this issues in time.
On I-140 approval: If I assume your company is fairly small, then you can not avoid interacting with the lawer while filing such things. (Usually there is not anyone doing this job, but you do, sending documents, confirmations to lawer). In such case, CALL THE LAWER for the status or your petition reference number to check online.
It is very uncommon a lawer is instructed by the company not to provide information, it makes the small companies life easy if you deal directly with the lawer.
So there are ways to solve the problem in time without bugging the Employer with no ears. Move fast and file your 485 before end of july !!!!! :cool:
I would appreciate if anyone can guide me through the situation I am in. I have been working for a company for past 4yrs. After the July bulletin was released on June 15, my employer has stopped responding to my emails, voicemails and registered mails by normal post. When I try to reach him on the telephone his voicemail message says that he is travelling and not to leave any voicemail messages but to email him and he will respond when he gets a chance. When I email him I get an out of office response. There are two other people working in the same company. I sent emails to these people and also left voicemail messages but they are also not responding.
This has put me in a very difficult situation as I dont know what is the status of my H1B application which expired recently. They were supposed to extend it. They are also not telling me the status of I140 application. My labor PD is June 2004. I would like to file the I485 application if USCIS reverses their decision.
Has anyone been throught the same or similar situation ?
This is my third employer and third GC attempt in the 11yrs I have been in this country.
Buddy, I am sorry for your situatiuon. It looks like you thought everything is employer's responsibility. They don't move even a small piece for you unless you follow up in time.
You said, your H1B expired recently (!!!!). You must have known that the H1B petition can be filed for extension 180 days before. Also, you must have read that how much time each procession center takes for this extension of H1B (min 6 months). In such case, did you ask the employer to extend the H1B in FEBRUARY? If they have applied, then they should have got an "Recepit Notice", which makes your stay VALID. If they have received something else, they should have let you know, because "IT CREATES BIG PROBLEM FOR THEM TO KEEP SOMEONE with H1B EXPIRED". So, it looks like, your petition went ok and your are now SAFE.
If you have given pressure to your employer the day before the H1B expires, (sorry to say this) it is your problem, not theirs. Their job is not looking at your expiration of H1B, it is your. This often happens in small companies, big companies usually have HRD, who takes care of this issues in time.
On I-140 approval: If I assume your company is fairly small, then you can not avoid interacting with the lawer while filing such things. (Usually there is not anyone doing this job, but you do, sending documents, confirmations to lawer). In such case, CALL THE LAWER for the status or your petition reference number to check online.
It is very uncommon a lawer is instructed by the company not to provide information, it makes the small companies life easy if you deal directly with the lawer.
So there are ways to solve the problem in time without bugging the Employer with no ears. Move fast and file your 485 before end of july !!!!! :cool:
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ski_dude12
01-07 10:08 PM
lol @ Bangalored
the existing jobs have been bangalored...
the existing jobs have been bangalored...
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jonty_11
07-23 04:49 PM
I'm going to ask my employer/lawyer for the receipt as I have to go out of country in the second week of October. But you never know, these guys don't care about your life.. They might still not give it to you... (Yeah, everyone knows I-485 is OUR application and they do not have a legal right to hold our receipt notices, but we are at their mercy for atleast 180 days)
well if u dont have receipt hance no EAD/AP, you are at their mercy forever.
well if u dont have receipt hance no EAD/AP, you are at their mercy forever.
rockrocky
01-14 10:53 PM
I have used Hopeforhaiti.com to donate.
it is truly heart breaking to see the footage of the aftermath. I hope God gives them strength and courage to deal with the situation and the country rebuilds itself.
~R
it is truly heart breaking to see the footage of the aftermath. I hope God gives them strength and courage to deal with the situation and the country rebuilds itself.
~R
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
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