trueguy
08-13 12:35 PM
I see there is a very common misconception in these forums
First. EB2-I being current does not help EB3-I -- at least not directly. The numbers after EB2-I being current will not rollover into EB3-I. It goes to the general EB3 pool, from where first the 7% rule is applied, so unless EB3-World becomes current, EB3-I does not benefit from the numbers.
2nd, yes, the reclamation will help, but again not to a great extent -- at least not directly. All of the numbers so gained will go based on the 7% cutoff, so while we will get some extra numbers, but does not mean EB3-I will go ahead by leaps and bounds, that is until all the rest of the categories are current.
Most of recaptured numbers will come to EB2-I and EB3-I bcoz EB3-ROW is not that bad and EB2-ROW is always current. So yes, any recapture will benefit EB3-I significantly
First. EB2-I being current does not help EB3-I -- at least not directly. The numbers after EB2-I being current will not rollover into EB3-I. It goes to the general EB3 pool, from where first the 7% rule is applied, so unless EB3-World becomes current, EB3-I does not benefit from the numbers.
2nd, yes, the reclamation will help, but again not to a great extent -- at least not directly. All of the numbers so gained will go based on the 7% cutoff, so while we will get some extra numbers, but does not mean EB3-I will go ahead by leaps and bounds, that is until all the rest of the categories are current.
Most of recaptured numbers will come to EB2-I and EB3-I bcoz EB3-ROW is not that bad and EB2-ROW is always current. So yes, any recapture will benefit EB3-I significantly
wallpaper This tattoo represents a nice chunk of skin removed to reveal the anatomy
gc_on_demand
06-12 01:39 PM
Call and make the difference..
black_logs
04-08 09:51 AM
After meeting several administrative and Lawmakers staff, we concluded there's no legislation that can help people waiting for Labor Cert from BECs. But we thought if people get 3 year H1B ext. Atleast they can move on to new jobs etc and file in PERM etc. It will be a big relief.
Just contributed $100 and asked several of my friends to join.
Btw, I do not see anthing in the amendments to address labor backlog reduction problem? Is that not goal of IV any more?
Just contributed $100 and asked several of my friends to join.
Btw, I do not see anthing in the amendments to address labor backlog reduction problem? Is that not goal of IV any more?
2011 Skeletal back tattoo. (Link)
immi_twinges
07-15 07:38 AM
singed and done!
It was mentioned in the other thread.
It was mentioned in the other thread.
more...
Juan28210
04-19 02:56 PM
Thanks for your responses!
This link got very good discussions on ability to pay. May take me a couple of days to read all of them though... - http://tinyurl.com/2dego7
This link got very good discussions on ability to pay. May take me a couple of days to read all of them though... - http://tinyurl.com/2dego7
GIDOC
07-17 11:39 PM
Signed.
more...
burnt
07-15 07:42 AM
Signed
2010 Brain tattoo. (Link)
GCmuddu_H1BVaddu
04-07 09:47 AM
Thanks for everybody's hard work on giving me reds
Who filed GC for you any way.
Who filed GC for you any way.
more...
chanduv23
03-12 08:02 PM
I am an IV old timer and I was wondering where the IV old timers were?
black_logs, ragz4u. logiclife, waldenpond, berkleybee, shilpa?
How many core IV members have already received their GCs besides Aman, just curious?
Of late is there anything of note even happening on the lobbying front? IV seems to have become another Immigration Portal kinda website where people are now posting all sorts of info, some of it not even immigration related.
It would be nice if someone in the core team updated the rest of us, who cannot join the state chapters due to personal reasons on the website.
AFAIK, logiclife and pappu are just temporarily off IV due to some other priorities and will get back on board with a big bang soon. How do I know? I spoke to pappu recently.
Other core members, I am not sure, but will let a core member answer :)
black_logs, ragz4u. logiclife, waldenpond, berkleybee, shilpa?
How many core IV members have already received their GCs besides Aman, just curious?
Of late is there anything of note even happening on the lobbying front? IV seems to have become another Immigration Portal kinda website where people are now posting all sorts of info, some of it not even immigration related.
It would be nice if someone in the core team updated the rest of us, who cannot join the state chapters due to personal reasons on the website.
AFAIK, logiclife and pappu are just temporarily off IV due to some other priorities and will get back on board with a big bang soon. How do I know? I spoke to pappu recently.
Other core members, I am not sure, but will let a core member answer :)
hair X-ray fetus tattoo. (Link)
Better_Days
09-23 08:30 PM
http://boards.immigration.com/showthread.php?t=286606 :mad::mad:
I actually had to go and visit the URL to really make myself believe that someone can be this dumb. Well to each his own.
One thing I did notice was the comment "it is soon becoming the voice of rich and/or EB2 Indians only -- all other categories will either have no direct advantage with the efforts put in by IV, or they will actually see some negative effect from its activities. But that will be the case with any organization that claims to stand for a particular class. In reality, every core group will stand up for it and only itself."
Does someone care to explain this? I am EB3-ROW, I have occasionally donated and occasionally called but I don't think IV has ever HURT my case?
On a side note: just on the off chance that the comment is true and IV is truly a community of RICH Indians: can I borrow some money? :D :D The eay I look at it, if 50 of these rich, EB2 Indians give me $ 10,000 each, I can get my GC by investment and I will pay you all back in 2 years. :p
Have fun guys/gals: life will turn out as it is meant to turn out.
I actually had to go and visit the URL to really make myself believe that someone can be this dumb. Well to each his own.
One thing I did notice was the comment "it is soon becoming the voice of rich and/or EB2 Indians only -- all other categories will either have no direct advantage with the efforts put in by IV, or they will actually see some negative effect from its activities. But that will be the case with any organization that claims to stand for a particular class. In reality, every core group will stand up for it and only itself."
Does someone care to explain this? I am EB3-ROW, I have occasionally donated and occasionally called but I don't think IV has ever HURT my case?
On a side note: just on the off chance that the comment is true and IV is truly a community of RICH Indians: can I borrow some money? :D :D The eay I look at it, if 50 of these rich, EB2 Indians give me $ 10,000 each, I can get my GC by investment and I will pay you all back in 2 years. :p
Have fun guys/gals: life will turn out as it is meant to turn out.
more...
mdmd10
09-17 11:43 AM
Rep. Lamar Smith is now reading the DHS letter they recieved regarding 6020, last night.
hot Wrist anatomy tattoo illustrated by medical illustrator, Karen Bucher.
addsf345
11-07 04:47 PM
I am bumping this old thread since I might have missed something in this discussion.
Some advantages of staying on H1 stated earlier were:
For me:
(2) is invalid (Already married, wife on independent visa)
(3) don't know (Heard it's more flexible now, so willing to take this risk)
(4) USICS started issuing 2 year EAD, so the difference is only 1 year additional extension with H1 (Not a problem for me personally)
(5) is invalid (Most of us renew EADs even if we dont use them)
which brings me to (1). How does having H1 give peace of mind? Hypothetically, if 485 is denied and H1 was extended beyond 6 years based on a pending AOS, is it still valid during MTR/Appeal? If it is, since EAD doesn't provide this privelege, I think this is the only reason why people should stay on H1?
Thanks!
NO point#1 is not true. in fact it is biggest misconception - I remember reading some where that if you have consumed all your 6 years on H1, your extension of H1B beyond 6 years is only based on pending AOS. So in this case, if your 485 is rejected, also your H1B. If you continue to work on H1B even after this, it is illegal.
(This is what I believe & I may be wrong. I am not lawyer, this is not legal advice & check with your attorney first before deciding anything)
Some advantages of staying on H1 stated earlier were:
For me:
(2) is invalid (Already married, wife on independent visa)
(3) don't know (Heard it's more flexible now, so willing to take this risk)
(4) USICS started issuing 2 year EAD, so the difference is only 1 year additional extension with H1 (Not a problem for me personally)
(5) is invalid (Most of us renew EADs even if we dont use them)
which brings me to (1). How does having H1 give peace of mind? Hypothetically, if 485 is denied and H1 was extended beyond 6 years based on a pending AOS, is it still valid during MTR/Appeal? If it is, since EAD doesn't provide this privelege, I think this is the only reason why people should stay on H1?
Thanks!
NO point#1 is not true. in fact it is biggest misconception - I remember reading some where that if you have consumed all your 6 years on H1, your extension of H1B beyond 6 years is only based on pending AOS. So in this case, if your 485 is rejected, also your H1B. If you continue to work on H1B even after this, it is illegal.
(This is what I believe & I may be wrong. I am not lawyer, this is not legal advice & check with your attorney first before deciding anything)
more...
house Heart cancer tattoo designed by Leah Neuhauser. (Link)
bigboy007
07-18 05:18 PM
how can i talk to those knowledgeble service reps from the service center. can you please suggest me how i can get to them, i have been trying to talk to them since morning and i could not get beyond the first service rep. any tips on how to get to them
Simple : tell them u have applied and its been more than 3 weeks and no response yet and tell them that last week they asked to call back so that they can forward to other cs reps of service centers
Simple : tell them u have applied and its been more than 3 weeks and no response yet and tell them that last week they asked to call back so that they can forward to other cs reps of service centers
tattoo Hand tattoo. (Link)
eager_immi
07-18 10:23 AM
Can someone reserach and find out where exactly he has stated that. You cannot do that till you have proof. If you know the aprox date he said that i can look up his trascripts.
Can we also add a section that says that H1Bs also pay taxes...including medicare and SS?
Can we also add a section that says that H1Bs also pay taxes...including medicare and SS?
more...
pictures Arm muscles tattoo. (Link)
logiclife
02-05 05:27 PM
Ok Logiclife, i did not intend to start a war or anything of the sort. I was just giving suggestions in light of the fact that inspite of IV working VERY hard, nothing is happening on the GC front. That is the ONLY reason I put up this post.
One more thing. You mentioned that a lot of people are not contributing, maybe the reason is that not everyone wants a GC that desperately. Some people are fine with working here temporarily and then going back after making some money. Besides some members who have contributed in the past may be wondering if it even makes sense to contribute again, being that there has been no real progress on the GC front since Dec 2005 (the birth of IV). Now do not get me wrong I KNOW how hard the IV team has worked and how many time we came SO SO SO close to getting our dreams realized in the Senate only to be crushed in the house again.
My point was, maybe it is time to face the facts. The government has changed but the basic attitude towards the "immigrant" is the same. This is because the average American, views immigrants as a threat. Now we can argue all we want on that statement, but in our hearts we know that the "AVERAGE American" would rather Not have immigrants come to the US (legal or illegal). In light of these events does it not make sense to ask for simpler goals? Goals like 485 filing or H4 Eads etc. Sure it makes us look weak in front of the anti-immigrants, but then are we here to solve our problems or to prove the anti-immigrants wrong?
Lastly this was NOT a threat nor was it intended to be a Threat that "take my advice or i will leave". Just a simple suggestion in light of things to come.
I know you are not threatening to leave. But eventually some one will. It always happens when one or other item is included or excluded from agenda.
Anyways, this isnt about looking weak or strong against anti-immigrants. That is really not the issue here.
Its about how much we can have in our list of items. There is only so much anyone can do. Forget about us, even bigger organizations have priorities in order. Immigration Voice also has to have a priority. We cannot talk to anyone about fixing the H4 issues before the issues of retrogression are talked about. And we cannot talk about ALL OF THEM because there is room for only so much to talk about. There is a limit on everything. Limit on how much funds we have, limit on how much political capital does our lobbyist spend on our organization with lawmakers, limit on how much leverage the lawmaker uses to sponsor an amendment for us. No one has unlimited capacity to get things achieved. So in that sense, H4 issues really cannot be on the list. And as far as "nothing is happening, let's get temporary relief and let's not fight for more numbers" idea is concerned, we are already doing that by trying to get 485 filing provision done in next few days as a temporary relief. Now tell me, how is that not tied to H4s. EVERY SINGLE ITEM on our goals benefits H4 spouses indirectly. Including the short term goals of IV.
One more thing. You mentioned that a lot of people are not contributing, maybe the reason is that not everyone wants a GC that desperately. Some people are fine with working here temporarily and then going back after making some money. Besides some members who have contributed in the past may be wondering if it even makes sense to contribute again, being that there has been no real progress on the GC front since Dec 2005 (the birth of IV). Now do not get me wrong I KNOW how hard the IV team has worked and how many time we came SO SO SO close to getting our dreams realized in the Senate only to be crushed in the house again.
My point was, maybe it is time to face the facts. The government has changed but the basic attitude towards the "immigrant" is the same. This is because the average American, views immigrants as a threat. Now we can argue all we want on that statement, but in our hearts we know that the "AVERAGE American" would rather Not have immigrants come to the US (legal or illegal). In light of these events does it not make sense to ask for simpler goals? Goals like 485 filing or H4 Eads etc. Sure it makes us look weak in front of the anti-immigrants, but then are we here to solve our problems or to prove the anti-immigrants wrong?
Lastly this was NOT a threat nor was it intended to be a Threat that "take my advice or i will leave". Just a simple suggestion in light of things to come.
I know you are not threatening to leave. But eventually some one will. It always happens when one or other item is included or excluded from agenda.
Anyways, this isnt about looking weak or strong against anti-immigrants. That is really not the issue here.
Its about how much we can have in our list of items. There is only so much anyone can do. Forget about us, even bigger organizations have priorities in order. Immigration Voice also has to have a priority. We cannot talk to anyone about fixing the H4 issues before the issues of retrogression are talked about. And we cannot talk about ALL OF THEM because there is room for only so much to talk about. There is a limit on everything. Limit on how much funds we have, limit on how much political capital does our lobbyist spend on our organization with lawmakers, limit on how much leverage the lawmaker uses to sponsor an amendment for us. No one has unlimited capacity to get things achieved. So in that sense, H4 issues really cannot be on the list. And as far as "nothing is happening, let's get temporary relief and let's not fight for more numbers" idea is concerned, we are already doing that by trying to get 485 filing provision done in next few days as a temporary relief. Now tell me, how is that not tied to H4s. EVERY SINGLE ITEM on our goals benefits H4 spouses indirectly. Including the short term goals of IV.
dresses I haven#39;t got any tattoos and
vsrinir
09-17 01:42 PM
After this step "it has to go to Rules Committee and await determinations by the Rules Committee as to how much debate will be allowed and whether floor amendments will be allowed, and if so , how many.
Then both house and senate has to vote on this bill ( if Senate have already one similar to this)
If it passed in both congress then it will go for President signature I guess.
TIME IS TOOO SHORT ...I DONT KNOW HOW?
I PRAYING GOD ONLY
If today its approved in the house..we are done..it goes the Prez for signing and we all add another card to our wallets:o
Then both house and senate has to vote on this bill ( if Senate have already one similar to this)
If it passed in both congress then it will go for President signature I guess.
TIME IS TOOO SHORT ...I DONT KNOW HOW?
I PRAYING GOD ONLY
If today its approved in the house..we are done..it goes the Prez for signing and we all add another card to our wallets:o
more...
makeup Nesting Doll Tattoo Set Is
rheoretro
09-13 03:36 PM
Yes, I obviously cannot diasgree with that logic; it is all about votes. But, I looked at the articles: the one in WASH POST is about illegal immigration. Also, there is no article in NY TIMES. We need the big newspapers and PBS to discuss our issue repeatedly.
Also, all these articles should be on a sitcky thread for all to see.
Why don't you write and sumbit an op-ed piece to The NY Times? While I personally like watching Jim Lehrer's newshour on PBS, we shouldn't get obsessed with a particular program. We have been featured all over the mainstream media.
Here's the Washington Post Article that inspired me to join IV in April. I challenge you to write an article that will get us our next 6,000 members. And alll news articles about IV exist on a thread. Please look carefully before you trash our efforts. Thank you.
RR
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Skilled Immigrants Turn to K Street
High-Tech Workers Awaiting Green Cards Hire Lobbyists, Hit the Hill
By S. Mitra Kalita
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, April 26, 2006; D01
On the December day when Congress killed a budget amendment that might have allowed him to become an American a little sooner, Aman Kapoor started a movement.
He did not march through streets, carry signs, wave a flag from here or there. He did not walk off the job or file out of school. The computer programmer simply went online to a message board tracked by thousands of people in his predicament: highly skilled foreigners waiting years for their green cards.
"I think we can do better and really create the impact with organized effort," he wrote. "To achieve this we need a group of individuals who have shown commitment and motivation in this forum."
The next night, a dozen people living across the United States shed their Internet handles -- Kapoor's was "WaldenPond," a nod to his hero, Henry David Thoreau -- and addressed one another by name on a conference call that lasted an hour. Today, just four months later, the organization they dubbed Immigration Voice boasts 3,000 members; a fundraising goal of $200,000; and, most notably, a partnership with a high-powered lobbying firm, Quinn Gillespie & Associates LLC.
The group's transformation from an insular circle to a politically active movement offers a window into an alternative immigrant campaign being waged as the Senate this week resumes its work on immigration laws.
Most members and all the core organizers of Immigration Voice hail from India, though Chinese membership numbers in the hundreds and is on the rise. Most arrived on an international student visa or a visa known as the H-1B, reserved for highly skilled workers who can stay for up to six years -- unless an employer sponsors their green cards, which grant immigrants permanent residence in the United States and the right to live and work here freely. Over the past decade, the largest numbers of H-1Bs have been awarded to high-technology workers from India and China.
Thus, while the passage of a strict border-security bill introduced by Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner Jr. (R-Wis.) mobilized many other immigrants in December, members of this high-tech group had their eye on another: a budget reconciliation bill that, in the Senate version, would have allowed those waiting in line for a green card to proceed even if the quota had been exhausted. The provision was cut in conference committee, stirring many to action and leading to the founding of Immigration Voice.
While hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets to get Congress's attention, Immigration Voice took a decidedly different approach. Shortly after the group was established, Kapoor and other volunteers began interviewing lobbyists, relying mostly on Google searches and data from the Center for Public Integrity's Web site.
"If it was not going to be big, it would not be worth the effort," said Kapoor, who works for Florida State University and has traveled to Washington nine times in the past three months. "Most of us have reached that point, having waited for eight or nine years, where individual lives are on hold."
Neither Quinn Gillespie nor Immigration Voice would disclose the amount being paid for the firm's services. Kapoor said it is "less than five figures."
"This is a sympathetic story," said Nick Maduros, a lobbyist for Quinn Gillespie. "For this group, their issues are very technical and are frankly not that controversial, but they have been overshadowed ."
Immigration Voices also enlisted the help of Rick Swartz, who has his own firm and has long been a leading lobbyist for immigration groups. Swartz gathered members of the group at his home one January weekend for a crash course in American politics, teaching them to position themselves as the "new Cubans for the Republicans."
Although their numbers are far smaller -- fewer than 2 million Indians live in the United States, according to the 2000 Census -- the group is among the more affluent immigrant communities. And because their numbers are smaller than those of Hispanics, they are trying to focus on other ways they can exert power -- through their wealth, their positions of influence in the high-tech and business communities, and their alliances with more established advocacy groups such as one for Indian physicians and an Indian political action committee.
While the immigrant marchers' demands have covered a range of issues, including allowing immigrants to gain legal status and eventually citizenship, the members of this association are more narrowly focused: They want Congress to pass measures that would end the years-long wait for a green card. In fact, they warn that efforts to enable millions of illegal immigrants to remain here permanently would result in the same bureaucratic nightmare legal immigrants are now facing.
"If you're going to reform, reform across the board," said Bharati Mandapati, who oversees content for the group, which means she has learned how to word and pitch legislative amendments.
The group has refrained from taking a stand on the fate of the undocumented workers, though it monitors chatter on its Web site to ensure that frustrated high-tech workers don't disparage lower-skilled laborers such as landscapers and restaurant workers. It also has stayed mum on raising the cap on H-1Bs, the visas that made most of their passages possible.
Under a proposal introduced by Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), the number of employment-based green cards being issued would increase from 140,000 to 290,000. Currently, no one country is supposed to take up more than 7 percent of the allotment, though unused green cards can be redistributed to countries that have already met their quota. That has made possible migrations in excess of 7 percent from nations such as India, China, Mexico and the Philippines. Under the proposal, the per-country cap would be increased to a hard and fast 10 percent. Proponents say this would prevent one country from dominating the category and would retain jobs for native-born Americans.
But Mandapati, a California-based economist, argues that the restriction would hurt the United States because the demand for skills changes. "It just so happens that computer technology and certain technical skills are in great demand here and all over the world. It just so happens that there are two countries that have invested a lot of resources in educating people in these fields . . . India and China."
About a half-million immigrants are caught in the green-card backlog, some as they wait for Labor Department approval or because quotas have been exceeded. In that time, they cannot be promoted or given substantial pay increases because that would mean a change in job description and salary. They turn to Web sites to compare their wait times with others, and their Internet handles, such as "stucklabor" and "waiting_labor," exude their frustration.
During meetings on Capitol Hill, Maduros and at least one Immigration Voice representative lay out the group's platform, weaving in the personal stories of members. Shilpa Ghodgaonkar, a Germantown housewife, has become a staple anecdote -- and a frequent visitor on the Hill.
For four years, she and her husband have been waiting for their green cards. Ghodgaonkar's husband arrived on an H-1B visa, and she followed as his dependent, unauthorized to work here. To pass the time, she learned to cook. Then she volunteered as a career counselor in Montgomery County. Last year, she earned her MBA from George Washington University. In December, around the time Kapoor sent out his e-mail plea for mass mobilization, Ghodgaonkar had run out of options.
"I just couldn't keep quiet anymore," Ghodgaonkar said. "I cannot be depressed anymore."
She keeps a spreadsheet that lays out appointment times and the senators' offices she has visited or still plans to: Specter, Frist, Schumer, Brownback, Bingaman, Feinstein, Feingold. Wednesdays bring a weekly call with Quinn Gillespie. And every few nights, there are conference calls among Immigration Voice's core team.
Now the group plans to closely watch the debate resuming in the Senate Judiciary Committee. Earlier this month, Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) proposed amendments with all of the group's provisions. Other lawmakers confirm that they are still meeting with the group to hear their concerns.
Immigration Voice leaders say the past few months have focused and politicized Indian immigrants in a way that was not apparent in the past. "There is a very 'Mr. Smith Goes to Washington' quality" about the current effort, Mandapati said. "It's been a journey, a loss of naivet� and getting to know about American politics."
� 2006 The Washington Post Company
Also, all these articles should be on a sitcky thread for all to see.
Why don't you write and sumbit an op-ed piece to The NY Times? While I personally like watching Jim Lehrer's newshour on PBS, we shouldn't get obsessed with a particular program. We have been featured all over the mainstream media.
Here's the Washington Post Article that inspired me to join IV in April. I challenge you to write an article that will get us our next 6,000 members. And alll news articles about IV exist on a thread. Please look carefully before you trash our efforts. Thank you.
RR
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Skilled Immigrants Turn to K Street
High-Tech Workers Awaiting Green Cards Hire Lobbyists, Hit the Hill
By S. Mitra Kalita
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, April 26, 2006; D01
On the December day when Congress killed a budget amendment that might have allowed him to become an American a little sooner, Aman Kapoor started a movement.
He did not march through streets, carry signs, wave a flag from here or there. He did not walk off the job or file out of school. The computer programmer simply went online to a message board tracked by thousands of people in his predicament: highly skilled foreigners waiting years for their green cards.
"I think we can do better and really create the impact with organized effort," he wrote. "To achieve this we need a group of individuals who have shown commitment and motivation in this forum."
The next night, a dozen people living across the United States shed their Internet handles -- Kapoor's was "WaldenPond," a nod to his hero, Henry David Thoreau -- and addressed one another by name on a conference call that lasted an hour. Today, just four months later, the organization they dubbed Immigration Voice boasts 3,000 members; a fundraising goal of $200,000; and, most notably, a partnership with a high-powered lobbying firm, Quinn Gillespie & Associates LLC.
The group's transformation from an insular circle to a politically active movement offers a window into an alternative immigrant campaign being waged as the Senate this week resumes its work on immigration laws.
Most members and all the core organizers of Immigration Voice hail from India, though Chinese membership numbers in the hundreds and is on the rise. Most arrived on an international student visa or a visa known as the H-1B, reserved for highly skilled workers who can stay for up to six years -- unless an employer sponsors their green cards, which grant immigrants permanent residence in the United States and the right to live and work here freely. Over the past decade, the largest numbers of H-1Bs have been awarded to high-technology workers from India and China.
Thus, while the passage of a strict border-security bill introduced by Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner Jr. (R-Wis.) mobilized many other immigrants in December, members of this high-tech group had their eye on another: a budget reconciliation bill that, in the Senate version, would have allowed those waiting in line for a green card to proceed even if the quota had been exhausted. The provision was cut in conference committee, stirring many to action and leading to the founding of Immigration Voice.
While hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets to get Congress's attention, Immigration Voice took a decidedly different approach. Shortly after the group was established, Kapoor and other volunteers began interviewing lobbyists, relying mostly on Google searches and data from the Center for Public Integrity's Web site.
"If it was not going to be big, it would not be worth the effort," said Kapoor, who works for Florida State University and has traveled to Washington nine times in the past three months. "Most of us have reached that point, having waited for eight or nine years, where individual lives are on hold."
Neither Quinn Gillespie nor Immigration Voice would disclose the amount being paid for the firm's services. Kapoor said it is "less than five figures."
"This is a sympathetic story," said Nick Maduros, a lobbyist for Quinn Gillespie. "For this group, their issues are very technical and are frankly not that controversial, but they have been overshadowed ."
Immigration Voices also enlisted the help of Rick Swartz, who has his own firm and has long been a leading lobbyist for immigration groups. Swartz gathered members of the group at his home one January weekend for a crash course in American politics, teaching them to position themselves as the "new Cubans for the Republicans."
Although their numbers are far smaller -- fewer than 2 million Indians live in the United States, according to the 2000 Census -- the group is among the more affluent immigrant communities. And because their numbers are smaller than those of Hispanics, they are trying to focus on other ways they can exert power -- through their wealth, their positions of influence in the high-tech and business communities, and their alliances with more established advocacy groups such as one for Indian physicians and an Indian political action committee.
While the immigrant marchers' demands have covered a range of issues, including allowing immigrants to gain legal status and eventually citizenship, the members of this association are more narrowly focused: They want Congress to pass measures that would end the years-long wait for a green card. In fact, they warn that efforts to enable millions of illegal immigrants to remain here permanently would result in the same bureaucratic nightmare legal immigrants are now facing.
"If you're going to reform, reform across the board," said Bharati Mandapati, who oversees content for the group, which means she has learned how to word and pitch legislative amendments.
The group has refrained from taking a stand on the fate of the undocumented workers, though it monitors chatter on its Web site to ensure that frustrated high-tech workers don't disparage lower-skilled laborers such as landscapers and restaurant workers. It also has stayed mum on raising the cap on H-1Bs, the visas that made most of their passages possible.
Under a proposal introduced by Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), the number of employment-based green cards being issued would increase from 140,000 to 290,000. Currently, no one country is supposed to take up more than 7 percent of the allotment, though unused green cards can be redistributed to countries that have already met their quota. That has made possible migrations in excess of 7 percent from nations such as India, China, Mexico and the Philippines. Under the proposal, the per-country cap would be increased to a hard and fast 10 percent. Proponents say this would prevent one country from dominating the category and would retain jobs for native-born Americans.
But Mandapati, a California-based economist, argues that the restriction would hurt the United States because the demand for skills changes. "It just so happens that computer technology and certain technical skills are in great demand here and all over the world. It just so happens that there are two countries that have invested a lot of resources in educating people in these fields . . . India and China."
About a half-million immigrants are caught in the green-card backlog, some as they wait for Labor Department approval or because quotas have been exceeded. In that time, they cannot be promoted or given substantial pay increases because that would mean a change in job description and salary. They turn to Web sites to compare their wait times with others, and their Internet handles, such as "stucklabor" and "waiting_labor," exude their frustration.
During meetings on Capitol Hill, Maduros and at least one Immigration Voice representative lay out the group's platform, weaving in the personal stories of members. Shilpa Ghodgaonkar, a Germantown housewife, has become a staple anecdote -- and a frequent visitor on the Hill.
For four years, she and her husband have been waiting for their green cards. Ghodgaonkar's husband arrived on an H-1B visa, and she followed as his dependent, unauthorized to work here. To pass the time, she learned to cook. Then she volunteered as a career counselor in Montgomery County. Last year, she earned her MBA from George Washington University. In December, around the time Kapoor sent out his e-mail plea for mass mobilization, Ghodgaonkar had run out of options.
"I just couldn't keep quiet anymore," Ghodgaonkar said. "I cannot be depressed anymore."
She keeps a spreadsheet that lays out appointment times and the senators' offices she has visited or still plans to: Specter, Frist, Schumer, Brownback, Bingaman, Feinstein, Feingold. Wednesdays bring a weekly call with Quinn Gillespie. And every few nights, there are conference calls among Immigration Voice's core team.
Now the group plans to closely watch the debate resuming in the Senate Judiciary Committee. Earlier this month, Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) proposed amendments with all of the group's provisions. Other lawmakers confirm that they are still meeting with the group to hear their concerns.
Immigration Voice leaders say the past few months have focused and politicized Indian immigrants in a way that was not apparent in the past. "There is a very 'Mr. Smith Goes to Washington' quality" about the current effort, Mandapati said. "It's been a journey, a loss of naivet� and getting to know about American politics."
� 2006 The Washington Post Company
girlfriend Ever since my first tattoo, I always knew I would get a second one,
mrdelhiite
07-26 07:36 AM
my 2 cents!!
if you are single and apply for 485 and get a EAD can still being ur wife from India on H4 as long as u DO NOT use EAD and DO NOT get 485 approved.
EAD to me has major benefits for the spouse. I think everyone agrees that 485 retrogression gona happen ... so if that happens u cannot get a 485 approval or add ur wife till almost close to 485 approval .. as ur PD wont be current. In this period u will never be able to use EAD as ur dependent will go out of H4 status ...
Also it is never recommended to use EAD and maintain H1 status ... so to me if you are single and have no plans as of yet to get married u will not use the interim benefits and pay EAD fee every year.
u will be in the 485 queue and if anything changes about green card u are atleast far enough to not to start ur application from beginning... also if for some reason u decide to use ur EAD the way around is ur wife to get another Visa like F1 ....
hope this helps.
if you are single and apply for 485 and get a EAD can still being ur wife from India on H4 as long as u DO NOT use EAD and DO NOT get 485 approved.
EAD to me has major benefits for the spouse. I think everyone agrees that 485 retrogression gona happen ... so if that happens u cannot get a 485 approval or add ur wife till almost close to 485 approval .. as ur PD wont be current. In this period u will never be able to use EAD as ur dependent will go out of H4 status ...
Also it is never recommended to use EAD and maintain H1 status ... so to me if you are single and have no plans as of yet to get married u will not use the interim benefits and pay EAD fee every year.
u will be in the 485 queue and if anything changes about green card u are atleast far enough to not to start ur application from beginning... also if for some reason u decide to use ur EAD the way around is ur wife to get another Visa like F1 ....
hope this helps.
hairstyles complete with tattoo - as
smisachu
01-21 04:25 PM
smisachu,
You seemed to be a Pro with so much of information.
I know this is a pretty old thread, but interested to find out if you give some tips on starting this business on a H1B and how i can withdraw profits from that?
Any help is appreciated.
Thanks
What exactly do you mean when you say starting this business? Do you want to open a trading account on your own and trade? Join a day trading firm? Or open a Fund? Each one will have different implications on H1. You can open your own investment account with a brokerage firm and trade your own money, no problem with H1 what so ever.
If you join a day trading firm you will have to be on H1 with them. Very few ones do but I know of a couple who will do it. In fact a classmate of mine is working as a Trader/Analyst with a small trading firm in NYC. They have sponsored his H1.
Starting a fund, (if you can get the seed money :D), you open a LLC and sponsor yourself. You will be an employee of the company and draw a salary. You tell me what you have in mind and I will tell you what to do or what I did.
You seemed to be a Pro with so much of information.
I know this is a pretty old thread, but interested to find out if you give some tips on starting this business on a H1B and how i can withdraw profits from that?
Any help is appreciated.
Thanks
What exactly do you mean when you say starting this business? Do you want to open a trading account on your own and trade? Join a day trading firm? Or open a Fund? Each one will have different implications on H1. You can open your own investment account with a brokerage firm and trade your own money, no problem with H1 what so ever.
If you join a day trading firm you will have to be on H1 with them. Very few ones do but I know of a couple who will do it. In fact a classmate of mine is working as a Trader/Analyst with a small trading firm in NYC. They have sponsored his H1.
Starting a fund, (if you can get the seed money :D), you open a LLC and sponsor yourself. You will be an employee of the company and draw a salary. You tell me what you have in mind and I will tell you what to do or what I did.
unchew
06-11 11:07 PM
the centre of the wheel is a hole... you can skin that... you can't skin the donut thingy.
javadeveloper
11-25 12:04 AM
There are both advantages and disadvantages, but if you haven't consumed full 6 years of H1B, going on EAD has certain advantages.
Even my company recommends to use EAD to stop utilizing H1B time.As per http://immigration-information.com/forums/showpost.php?p=18946&postcount=28 it's definitely better to switch to EAD.I used 4.5 years of H1B and switched to EAD.
Even my company recommends to use EAD to stop utilizing H1B time.As per http://immigration-information.com/forums/showpost.php?p=18946&postcount=28 it's definitely better to switch to EAD.I used 4.5 years of H1B and switched to EAD.
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