stemcell
01-14 09:24 AM
Plainspeak.
You have the right to an opinion, after all this is a free country. You have expressed it and some people may not like it. Just care less for them.
But most importantly you need to understand that IV has the immigrant community best interests in mind. After all these are regular folks just like you and me who are doing this voluntarily....and we are reaping the benefits of it.
But again you may have a different idea or opinion which is always welcome for debate. For example i do not support piecemeal legislation(DREAM act) but after hearing IV point of view thats the best shot we have right now. So it made sense to me.
Long story short....IV has our best interests in mind.
You have the right to an opinion, after all this is a free country. You have expressed it and some people may not like it. Just care less for them.
But most importantly you need to understand that IV has the immigrant community best interests in mind. After all these are regular folks just like you and me who are doing this voluntarily....and we are reaping the benefits of it.
But again you may have a different idea or opinion which is always welcome for debate. For example i do not support piecemeal legislation(DREAM act) but after hearing IV point of view thats the best shot we have right now. So it made sense to me.
Long story short....IV has our best interests in mind.
wallpaper Transformers 2: Revenge Of The
cloud 9
06-12 06:12 PM
dilip
With the level/kind of arguments that you are putting in your posts, I don't think you will be able to complete your MBA or will not survive working as a MBA. So, my suggestion is: save that 100,000 that you are planing to burn doing MBA. Use it for some other purpose.
You are not able to compete with the unskilled people even though you have more than 10 years experience, how you are going to compete with MBA's that graduate from top schools from USA and India with your phony accent. Dont waste your 100,000, use it for your child's education or maybe donate part of it to IV and someone from IV might help you in getting a JOB.
With the level/kind of arguments that you are putting in your posts, I don't think you will be able to complete your MBA or will not survive working as a MBA. So, my suggestion is: save that 100,000 that you are planing to burn doing MBA. Use it for some other purpose.
You are not able to compete with the unskilled people even though you have more than 10 years experience, how you are going to compete with MBA's that graduate from top schools from USA and India with your phony accent. Dont waste your 100,000, use it for your child's education or maybe donate part of it to IV and someone from IV might help you in getting a JOB.
neelu
03-27 03:33 PM
My vote is for Dr. Jaya Prakash Narayan. He has done good things as a doctor and then as a collector in AP.
Of course he stands no chance, but I think he started a movement (grassroots) - hopefully it is the beginning of some positive change.
Check out his speech at a Mumbai university.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4xFCdOYTv4 - Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Q6s1R9iBjw - Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6ZHak1lEr8 - Part 3
Cheers.
Of course he stands no chance, but I think he started a movement (grassroots) - hopefully it is the beginning of some positive change.
Check out his speech at a Mumbai university.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4xFCdOYTv4 - Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Q6s1R9iBjw - Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6ZHak1lEr8 - Part 3
Cheers.
2011 Transformers 2: Revenge of the
Lasantha
12-14 05:16 PM
Thanks bud. Yeah, I seem to have a "Ceiling" fetish. :D
Anyways I only did a quick scan of your rather utopian scenario. But wouldn't the following help the that situation?
1) Flow of un-used visas from ROW to OS countries
2) Increase the TOTAL EB quota
3) Exclude dependents
4) Re-capture ( If any. But I doubt there will be anything left to recapture because in your Shangri-La USCIS would have been efficient enough to use up all the visas in the previos fiscal years).
(I do detect some bitterness in your tone. I am only here to offer my view so please don't take it personally)
Lasantha,
You are fond of "Ceiling", Good. Provide me a solution with a goal not to hurt progress march of US economy in following imaginary Scenario:
Assumption 1:Whole EB Bus starts with year 2009 - no backlog for ANY
COUNRTY - USCIS does not have any kind of administrative
mess - Situation in USCIS is such that moment it find work, it
will send flower to you for keeping them busy. - US industry
exactly need 140000 skilled and highly skilled people from outside
world as within US they have shortage of exctly that number.
and it can not afford a single person less than that to keep
economy at balanced level.
Assumption 2: India can provide 35000, China can provide 50000, Britain can
provide 4000, Sweden can provide 2000, Saudi Arabia can
provide 1000, Sri Lanka can provide 4000, Thailand can provide
500, Pakistan can provide 5000, South africa can provide 5000
,Bangladesh can provide 1500 and rest 32000 from Europe
(other than Britain) and each of above country cannot provide
more labor that what is mentioned here. And other unlisted countries
do not have any skilled persons to provide (This is assumption.. DO not go after me...:))
So whole world together is ready to provide 140000 labor to US. With current laws tell me what will happen to US economy? Will US Industry be able to get all 140000?
Will you still be trumpeting "Ceiling" drum?
Anyways I only did a quick scan of your rather utopian scenario. But wouldn't the following help the that situation?
1) Flow of un-used visas from ROW to OS countries
2) Increase the TOTAL EB quota
3) Exclude dependents
4) Re-capture ( If any. But I doubt there will be anything left to recapture because in your Shangri-La USCIS would have been efficient enough to use up all the visas in the previos fiscal years).
(I do detect some bitterness in your tone. I am only here to offer my view so please don't take it personally)
Lasantha,
You are fond of "Ceiling", Good. Provide me a solution with a goal not to hurt progress march of US economy in following imaginary Scenario:
Assumption 1:Whole EB Bus starts with year 2009 - no backlog for ANY
COUNRTY - USCIS does not have any kind of administrative
mess - Situation in USCIS is such that moment it find work, it
will send flower to you for keeping them busy. - US industry
exactly need 140000 skilled and highly skilled people from outside
world as within US they have shortage of exctly that number.
and it can not afford a single person less than that to keep
economy at balanced level.
Assumption 2: India can provide 35000, China can provide 50000, Britain can
provide 4000, Sweden can provide 2000, Saudi Arabia can
provide 1000, Sri Lanka can provide 4000, Thailand can provide
500, Pakistan can provide 5000, South africa can provide 5000
,Bangladesh can provide 1500 and rest 32000 from Europe
(other than Britain) and each of above country cannot provide
more labor that what is mentioned here. And other unlisted countries
do not have any skilled persons to provide (This is assumption.. DO not go after me...:))
So whole world together is ready to provide 140000 labor to US. With current laws tell me what will happen to US economy? Will US Industry be able to get all 140000?
Will you still be trumpeting "Ceiling" drum?
more...
Macaca
01-16 10:53 AM
Wonder what is being achieved from these "lively" debates other than feeding the other side with enough ammo to decimate all of us.
The funny part is 80-90% is complete garbage.
As one example, my physician aunt while moonlighting (contracting) met another moonlighter (through staffing company) who was paid 100/hour less then her and put in a cheaper hotel/room. And this is 25 years back when there were very few Indians, forget Indian staffing companies.
Will the memo stop company from keeping unknown %? Will the memo stop layers of companies sucking an employee contract?
One truth: Indian employers mistreat their employees. But this is well documented (http://immigrationvoice.org/forum/forum89-news-articles-and-reports/776770-the-yanks-are-coming-5.html#post1141683) and across the board.
I have no problem with any individual but I hate my ex employer and their class (in no uncertain terms).
I was earning for them, but he and his wife used to behave like big boss to me.Why I shed no tears for them.
You have a choice: Don't join them. It doesn't require a USCIS memo.
USCIS and scumbags (Hira, Matloff, ...) have absolutely no interest in the welfare of these affected H-1Bs. Their motivation is 100% sadistic.
The funny part is 80-90% is complete garbage.
As one example, my physician aunt while moonlighting (contracting) met another moonlighter (through staffing company) who was paid 100/hour less then her and put in a cheaper hotel/room. And this is 25 years back when there were very few Indians, forget Indian staffing companies.
Will the memo stop company from keeping unknown %? Will the memo stop layers of companies sucking an employee contract?
One truth: Indian employers mistreat their employees. But this is well documented (http://immigrationvoice.org/forum/forum89-news-articles-and-reports/776770-the-yanks-are-coming-5.html#post1141683) and across the board.
I have no problem with any individual but I hate my ex employer and their class (in no uncertain terms).
I was earning for them, but he and his wife used to behave like big boss to me.Why I shed no tears for them.
You have a choice: Don't join them. It doesn't require a USCIS memo.
USCIS and scumbags (Hira, Matloff, ...) have absolutely no interest in the welfare of these affected H-1Bs. Their motivation is 100% sadistic.
Dionysios
10-12 02:11 PM
My uncle was a green card holder for approx. 40 years when he lived and worked in the US. During this time, he became eligible for medicare and medicaid. A few years ago he decided to return to his original home country. As he did not and does not have any plans to return to the US to live, he surrendered his green card at the US consulate. However, when he recently applied for a non-immigrant visa to visit the US to use the services covered by medicare, he was denied a visa. It seems quite unfair that he worked in the US, paid all the necessary taxes and withholdings and is now prevented in using the medicare services. Is there anything he can do?
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lazycis
02-14 05:17 PM
Another prove of government misconduct is violation of regulations
In addition to the aspirational 180-day deadline in 8 U.S.C. � 1571(b), the 8 C.F.R. � 103.2(b)(18) sets forth a detailed timetable for “withholding adjudication of a visa petition or other application if . . . an investigation has been undertaken involving a matter relating to eligibility or the exercise of discretion . . . .”
I doubt these regulations were followed in thousands of delayed I-485s.
http://immigrationvoice.org/forum/showpost.php?p=223449&postcount=3
We have also over a hundred WOM rulings were court acknowledged that the USCIS "unreasonably delayed" adjudication of applications. Moreover, the USCIS intentionally pushed people to go to court
http://bibdaily.com/pdfs/Mocanu%201-14-08.pdf
"For reasons stated at the hearing and in this Memorandum, I have reached a tentative conclusion that Defendant USCIS, overwhelmed by these applications, has adopted a strategy of favoring delay by litigation, instead of developing an orderly and transparent administrative resolution. Although this strategy is often evident in private party damages litigation, it is improper in these cases."
In addition to the aspirational 180-day deadline in 8 U.S.C. � 1571(b), the 8 C.F.R. � 103.2(b)(18) sets forth a detailed timetable for “withholding adjudication of a visa petition or other application if . . . an investigation has been undertaken involving a matter relating to eligibility or the exercise of discretion . . . .”
I doubt these regulations were followed in thousands of delayed I-485s.
http://immigrationvoice.org/forum/showpost.php?p=223449&postcount=3
We have also over a hundred WOM rulings were court acknowledged that the USCIS "unreasonably delayed" adjudication of applications. Moreover, the USCIS intentionally pushed people to go to court
http://bibdaily.com/pdfs/Mocanu%201-14-08.pdf
"For reasons stated at the hearing and in this Memorandum, I have reached a tentative conclusion that Defendant USCIS, overwhelmed by these applications, has adopted a strategy of favoring delay by litigation, instead of developing an orderly and transparent administrative resolution. Although this strategy is often evident in private party damages litigation, it is improper in these cases."
2010 Transformers 2, Megan Fox
vivid_bharti
09-03 02:34 PM
I don't know him as a human being but I know him as the ruler of AP, and I can tell you one thing. There have not been and probably there will not be a politician more corrupt than YSR in the history of India. He was milking the state treasuries as if it was his family property.
more...
ganguteli
06-02 04:05 PM
It very well depends on the lawyer .
If he could prove country quota as unconstitutional, which i feel it is.
But yes IV should talk to a good constitutional lawyer(not immigration), and find the odds,
And as you said, even if we do not win , we would for sure get some media coverage.
Why can't you find and talk to a good lawyer and spend your own money on consultation. We will know you are serious about it.
If he could prove country quota as unconstitutional, which i feel it is.
But yes IV should talk to a good constitutional lawyer(not immigration), and find the odds,
And as you said, even if we do not win , we would for sure get some media coverage.
Why can't you find and talk to a good lawyer and spend your own money on consultation. We will know you are serious about it.
hair shia labeouf transformers 2
superdude
07-13 01:14 AM
very inappropriate for this site..we are fighting not giving up
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americandesi
08-15 01:50 PM
I am surprised that this is even a headline news in TOI. SRK detained at US airport for 2 hours. So what? Big deal. TSA didn't ask him to sing or dance, but just questioned him on the purpose of his visit, which is part of their job.
US has got every right to protect her homeland and no one has got any right to question their procedures when it comes to national security. Because of such stronger measures there hasn't been a single terrorist incident in US since 09/11. The least we could do is to learn from them and implement such stronger measures in India, which by the way has become a playground for terrorists and anti social elements.
US has got every right to protect her homeland and no one has got any right to question their procedures when it comes to national security. Because of such stronger measures there hasn't been a single terrorist incident in US since 09/11. The least we could do is to learn from them and implement such stronger measures in India, which by the way has become a playground for terrorists and anti social elements.
hot 2 | Megan Fox shia labeouf
acecupid
07-17 12:03 PM
Is it accurate to say that new way of allocating spill over visas effectively acheive same effect as eliminiating country limits?
I suppose the new way of allocation has similar effect to eliminating country limits within a category i.e. EB1 or EB2 or EB3 but not across the board
I suppose the new way of allocation has similar effect to eliminating country limits within a category i.e. EB1 or EB2 or EB3 but not across the board
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house Watch quot;Shia LaBeouf and Megan
Kodi
05-02 01:21 PM
What ethnic cleansing you're talking about? All tamils are not LTTE but all LTTE members are tamils. So you're saying the gov destroying LTTE is wrong because they're tamils and the gov should not try to liberate the country, they should give LTTE what they're asking for and leave it at that. And what's the guarantee that they're going to end it at that.
If there's ethnic cleansing or genocide happening in sri lanka how come tamils lead prosperous lives in other parts of the country?
If there's ethnic cleansing or genocide happening in sri lanka how come tamils lead prosperous lives in other parts of the country?
tattoo Agentmegan fox shia labeouf
eb3_nepa
06-28 09:17 AM
http://www.shusterman.com/pdf/aila-cis-vb.pdf
Karthik
Excellent link. Good research by Macaca and logiclife.
A couple more things guys:
1) Matthew Oh has been known in the past to be a BIT of a sensationalist. Remember this past weekend and his scare regarding the yanking away of AC-21 provisions for I-485 filers? So lets take whatever he says with a PINCH OF SALT! ;)
2) Let us please stop these messages about how Jesus and the saints would get their GCs processed. It may very well be offensive to some of the Christian members and to some Americans reading the forums.
Karthik
Excellent link. Good research by Macaca and logiclife.
A couple more things guys:
1) Matthew Oh has been known in the past to be a BIT of a sensationalist. Remember this past weekend and his scare regarding the yanking away of AC-21 provisions for I-485 filers? So lets take whatever he says with a PINCH OF SALT! ;)
2) Let us please stop these messages about how Jesus and the saints would get their GCs processed. It may very well be offensive to some of the Christian members and to some Americans reading the forums.
more...
pictures -megan-fox-transformers-
sodh
01-28 07:28 PM
Thanks for the clarification msyedy, and your valuable time.
dresses hair Shia LaBeouf and Megan
Googler
02-13 01:01 PM
The problem here not every country gets equal or equitable piece of pie. The probelm is Part of the pie gets thrown out and not given to people in the line because too many of them happen to be from one country.
How about facts? In 2006, Philippines received 23,733 EB visas, India - 17,169. No other country received more. China received 9,484.
http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/statistics/yearbook/2006/table10d.xls
One thing to note in this dicussion is that this reallocation to oversubscribed countries is far from seamless. If cutoff dates for oversubscribed countries are not moved up in the 3rd quarter (as opposed to the fourth quarter of the fiscal year), part of the pie DOES get thrown out, as it has in recent years 2003 (88.4K), 2004 (47,3K), 2006 (10.2k) [see 2007 Ombudsmans Report, p. 34 which gives the data for these years and going back to 1992]. This is absolutely infuriating since 2003-2004 these were also the years that largely created the present backlog of applicants with early PDs. How on earth can you justify throwing out 10.2K greencards in 2006 (FY 2007) EVEN AFTER the June 2007 greencard free for all??
How about facts? In 2006, Philippines received 23,733 EB visas, India - 17,169. No other country received more. China received 9,484.
http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/statistics/yearbook/2006/table10d.xls
One thing to note in this dicussion is that this reallocation to oversubscribed countries is far from seamless. If cutoff dates for oversubscribed countries are not moved up in the 3rd quarter (as opposed to the fourth quarter of the fiscal year), part of the pie DOES get thrown out, as it has in recent years 2003 (88.4K), 2004 (47,3K), 2006 (10.2k) [see 2007 Ombudsmans Report, p. 34 which gives the data for these years and going back to 1992]. This is absolutely infuriating since 2003-2004 these were also the years that largely created the present backlog of applicants with early PDs. How on earth can you justify throwing out 10.2K greencards in 2006 (FY 2007) EVEN AFTER the June 2007 greencard free for all??
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makeup Megan Fox amp; Brian Austin Green
patfanboston
05-12 01:22 PM
Can I ask a question - tangential, maybe, but not by much. Why do Tamils have such a problem assimilating? Why don't they learn the local language and respect the local culture when they immigrate? Their motto seems to be "In Rome, be a Raman".
And the opposite is true when people speaking other languages settle in Tamil majority areas - they are, dare I say, forced to integrate, because that is the only way one can manage to live on a day-to-day basis. Would Tamils ever allow a non-Tamil minority to gain even a tiny foothold in their areas where the Tamil writ would not run? I doubt it.
Note that I am a firm believer of learning and respecting the local culture and integration. One does have a 'right' to propagate one's own language and culture, but they lose that right substantially when they emigrate to an alien land - whether it is within the same country or not.
To extend the logic, when we (mostly people of Indian origin in this group, I would assume) immigrate to the US, while we may try to conserve our heritage in private, we cannot impose it on the locals. That is when you end up creating ill-will against immigrants among the native population. America has been a great melting-pot, and has had great success assimilating great waves of immigrants from various countries including Italy, Ireland, Scandinavia, Germany etc, and the reason it succeeded was that in a couple of generations, there was total integration into the American culture. We owe it to our adopted country to do the same.
And the opposite is true when people speaking other languages settle in Tamil majority areas - they are, dare I say, forced to integrate, because that is the only way one can manage to live on a day-to-day basis. Would Tamils ever allow a non-Tamil minority to gain even a tiny foothold in their areas where the Tamil writ would not run? I doubt it.
Note that I am a firm believer of learning and respecting the local culture and integration. One does have a 'right' to propagate one's own language and culture, but they lose that right substantially when they emigrate to an alien land - whether it is within the same country or not.
To extend the logic, when we (mostly people of Indian origin in this group, I would assume) immigrate to the US, while we may try to conserve our heritage in private, we cannot impose it on the locals. That is when you end up creating ill-will against immigrants among the native population. America has been a great melting-pot, and has had great success assimilating great waves of immigrants from various countries including Italy, Ireland, Scandinavia, Germany etc, and the reason it succeeded was that in a couple of generations, there was total integration into the American culture. We owe it to our adopted country to do the same.
girlfriend Shia LaBeouf (L-R) Actress
MahaBharatGC
07-11 01:35 PM
Dear Friends, I had it... I am moving to Canada in the next 2 months to work for guess who? Microsoft. Came to USA in 1997 for my masters, worked at Legato, Documentum and Opentext. Had to restart my GC twrice, once as the company laid me off and next for career progression. GC is still years years away. Interviewed with MSFT last month and got an offer to work in their Enterprise Collaboration team. MSFT looked at the visa mess I was in and offered me to work in Vancouver. I get my Canadian GC in 6 months and my wife can work from day one. I am abandoning my US dream for good;guess I would be satisfied with touching my 4 year old son's American passport.
I worked for a canadian company in US and now would be working for a US company in Canada. This is globalization. True Globalization. Any for those whiners belonging to IEEE and its propoganda machine, I would like to mention that I drew salries which were above way above the norm. I am sure I would be drawing more than 2 of his programmers combined. Ron- ask your folks to learn to compete and update their skills. They probably studied studied 'history of mathematics' as a math subject in high school instead of calculus. They were happy that they had the coolest Nintendo games while many like me were burning the midnight old figuring out data structures at Berkeley.
I hope Berney Sanders and his club of the CIR days are hearing the developments. Berney, fix the broken education system for job protection rather than building fences to prevent legal workers to come to this gifted country. More companies will leave for nearshore if the mess continues. Fix the system by closing the H1B loopholes that a small percentage of companies are exploiting. Don't bad mouth the H1B system which has given you so much talent that you could have never groomed, the talented individuals who have contributed to the society, social security system and what not. Patch the holes in the fence, do not erect a higher fence for which people need to pay $ 5000 to cross. And by the way if you have the inclination and the time- fix the broken LEGAL High Skilled immigration system.
Well done! I have been waiting and waiting to decide to move....This is motivating for me as I have been waiting that something might happen here.....;)
I worked for a canadian company in US and now would be working for a US company in Canada. This is globalization. True Globalization. Any for those whiners belonging to IEEE and its propoganda machine, I would like to mention that I drew salries which were above way above the norm. I am sure I would be drawing more than 2 of his programmers combined. Ron- ask your folks to learn to compete and update their skills. They probably studied studied 'history of mathematics' as a math subject in high school instead of calculus. They were happy that they had the coolest Nintendo games while many like me were burning the midnight old figuring out data structures at Berkeley.
I hope Berney Sanders and his club of the CIR days are hearing the developments. Berney, fix the broken education system for job protection rather than building fences to prevent legal workers to come to this gifted country. More companies will leave for nearshore if the mess continues. Fix the system by closing the H1B loopholes that a small percentage of companies are exploiting. Don't bad mouth the H1B system which has given you so much talent that you could have never groomed, the talented individuals who have contributed to the society, social security system and what not. Patch the holes in the fence, do not erect a higher fence for which people need to pay $ 5000 to cross. And by the way if you have the inclination and the time- fix the broken LEGAL High Skilled immigration system.
Well done! I have been waiting and waiting to decide to move....This is motivating for me as I have been waiting that something might happen here.....;)
hairstyles Ramon Rodriguez, Megan Fox,
olivetheoil
02-13 10:13 PM
Count me in!
pointlesswait
09-23 09:50 AM
this is totally lame idea!
immigration policy is a social and an economic issue..not just economics..
They dont want too many ppl from one country ..that is the reason for 7% quota...why cant you digest that fact...
we can fight injustice if we feel we are being treated in an unfair manner..
but this carrot-and stick approach will back fire...
i know many who have bought homes even when they were on H1...
you must be really creative to link EB GC and purchasing a house!
As completely unrelated these two issues are (from a law maker's perspective) on a normal day, these are possibly those times when each of these issues can help the other.
IV has been discussing about the possibility of one for two solution (partial). The idea is to request congress to exempt EB applicants & their dependents from numerical limits of the Immigrant visas, if they buy a home. It is my belief that market sentiment is the most important thing in any financial market(s) and the housing prospects look pretty bleak. There are lot of members in the EB community that have NOT bought their own home, even though they could afford one because of the uncertainty with EB GC. IV's idea is to bridge the financial committees and judiciary committees in the House/Senate and see if corresponding Chairman/Ranking members are willing to listen. Things are moving so fast with the 700bn USD bail out plan and we will NOT have time to do things the normal way, through our counsel. We have to present this idea to the corresponding staff members of key members of congress (see list below) and see if this gets traction now or going forward.
Please do not bring EB-5 discussion/comparison here. The proposed partial solution is different from EB-5 in that EB-5 investors invest money and we are investing in our future with a genuine intention of making USA our permanent home.
If you already have a home, thats fine. Any such legislation will reduce the wait times in EB categories and we need housing markets to rebound for a safer economy before the ripple effects are felt every where.
Who to write to
Staff members(Chief of Staff, Legislative LA, Financial LA, Legislative Director) of Chairman/Ranking members of House/Senate Judiciary committee & Finance/Banking committee, Staff members of your representative and your senators. Please find staff members of the committees in the spreadsheet (http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pptN-jEpAiyd3snslhPjBfw).
You can find your representative & senator staff members on this website (http://www.outsourcecongress.org/outsource/congress/schstaffers.html).
Please use valid email addresses and NOT fictitious/junk mail. It undermines the whole purpose and our emails will be flagged by mail scanners / spam checkers as some thing similar to famous Nigeria bank account scams.
Email Subject: Proposal to alleviate current US Housing/economic crisis
Content/Message
SUMMARY
This proposal alleviates the current US economic crisis, by motivating the US high skilled, legal immigrant workers to purchase homes. The size of this immigrant population is approximately 800,000 individuals. This effort if successful would inject up to US$ 20Billion approximately into the economy (approximately US$ 100 Billion in houses sold across the country) , while at the same time directing this money into the root cause of the economic crisis � the illiquidity of the national housing market. The above calculation is done
assuming a median US home price of $212,400 and buyers making a down-payment of 20% of the cost of the home. Roughly estimating 400,000 buyers.
BACKGROUND
Undoubtedly, we are all devastated by the shake up on Wall Street in the past 15 days. Experts agree that the underpinning problem is the housing crisis caused by sub-prime mortgage loans. Many of us, who cannot afford our monthly mortgage payments are losing homes and putting them up for sale and foreclosure, which further adds to the crisis. At the same time, most of the Employment-based (EB) immigrant community would like to purchase homes and make the United States a permanent home for their families. These EB immigrants however, are living in a state of limbo, mostly in rental apartments because of the delays and uncertainties involved with the EB immigration procedure. The wait times in EB categories are exacerbated by the delays in processing by USCIS, even though eligible applicants have filed for Permanent Residency also known as Adjustment of Status. Such processing delays have resulted in the wastage of 218,000 immigrant visa numbers (Page 52 of USCIS Ombudsman Annual report 2007). The current Department of State visa bulletin shows 7+ years of wait times in certain categories. We strongly believe that legislation can be worked out in such a way that the housing markets all over the country can move towards recovery, while at the same time motivating the Green Card applicants to catalyze this recovery.
It should be noted that this proposal by no means brings more immigrant workers into the US. The workers in the EB, skilled category are already present in the US, doing skilled jobs that no US worker is available to do. They are part of the long queue of backlogged cases that USICIS will eventually process; however, this wait can take years and in that case could not be used as a tool to minimize the course of the current economic crisis.
SOLUTION
Congress can pass legislation that exempts EB green card applicants and their dependents from the numerical limits of visa numbers, provided applicant(s) have bought a home making 20% down payment on the sale price of the home, for a time period deemed necessary by the congress.
How can Employment based Immigrants help alleviate the housing problem?
(1) Employment based immigrants are highly skilled and are employed in occupations such as Software, IT, Health care, Energy, Finance, Education and Research & Development across the United States.
(2) Average income of these individuals/households is around 65,000/130,000 USD.
(3) All these Employment based immigrants have gone through Department of Labor�s recruiting process, which certifies that there is no willing, able and qualified US Citizen to do the job.
(4) Most of the Employment based immigrants have excellent credit history and good source of income to make the payments needed for their home mortgage.
(5) By requiring a 20% down payment from this group of buyers, Congress can directly channel this money to where it is need most � at the banks.
(6) Employment based green card applicants have been living in the United States for 6-8 years. Many of them have US graduate degrees in their fields of expertise. These applicants are well versed with the American culture and will not change the cultural landscape.
(7) Financial burden on US government and treasury will be reduced drastically if the glut of houses in the market decreases.
As a member of the community that wants to make the US its permanent home, I want to contribute to a solution that helps USA and US during these tough times. I sincerely believe that the 30 year commitment on mortgages by Employment based immigrants in the housing market, backed by solid, risk free mortgages can turn the down ward spiral in the housing market into a upward spiral.
END OF CONTENT
immigration policy is a social and an economic issue..not just economics..
They dont want too many ppl from one country ..that is the reason for 7% quota...why cant you digest that fact...
we can fight injustice if we feel we are being treated in an unfair manner..
but this carrot-and stick approach will back fire...
i know many who have bought homes even when they were on H1...
you must be really creative to link EB GC and purchasing a house!
As completely unrelated these two issues are (from a law maker's perspective) on a normal day, these are possibly those times when each of these issues can help the other.
IV has been discussing about the possibility of one for two solution (partial). The idea is to request congress to exempt EB applicants & their dependents from numerical limits of the Immigrant visas, if they buy a home. It is my belief that market sentiment is the most important thing in any financial market(s) and the housing prospects look pretty bleak. There are lot of members in the EB community that have NOT bought their own home, even though they could afford one because of the uncertainty with EB GC. IV's idea is to bridge the financial committees and judiciary committees in the House/Senate and see if corresponding Chairman/Ranking members are willing to listen. Things are moving so fast with the 700bn USD bail out plan and we will NOT have time to do things the normal way, through our counsel. We have to present this idea to the corresponding staff members of key members of congress (see list below) and see if this gets traction now or going forward.
Please do not bring EB-5 discussion/comparison here. The proposed partial solution is different from EB-5 in that EB-5 investors invest money and we are investing in our future with a genuine intention of making USA our permanent home.
If you already have a home, thats fine. Any such legislation will reduce the wait times in EB categories and we need housing markets to rebound for a safer economy before the ripple effects are felt every where.
Who to write to
Staff members(Chief of Staff, Legislative LA, Financial LA, Legislative Director) of Chairman/Ranking members of House/Senate Judiciary committee & Finance/Banking committee, Staff members of your representative and your senators. Please find staff members of the committees in the spreadsheet (http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pptN-jEpAiyd3snslhPjBfw).
You can find your representative & senator staff members on this website (http://www.outsourcecongress.org/outsource/congress/schstaffers.html).
Please use valid email addresses and NOT fictitious/junk mail. It undermines the whole purpose and our emails will be flagged by mail scanners / spam checkers as some thing similar to famous Nigeria bank account scams.
Email Subject: Proposal to alleviate current US Housing/economic crisis
Content/Message
SUMMARY
This proposal alleviates the current US economic crisis, by motivating the US high skilled, legal immigrant workers to purchase homes. The size of this immigrant population is approximately 800,000 individuals. This effort if successful would inject up to US$ 20Billion approximately into the economy (approximately US$ 100 Billion in houses sold across the country) , while at the same time directing this money into the root cause of the economic crisis � the illiquidity of the national housing market. The above calculation is done
assuming a median US home price of $212,400 and buyers making a down-payment of 20% of the cost of the home. Roughly estimating 400,000 buyers.
BACKGROUND
Undoubtedly, we are all devastated by the shake up on Wall Street in the past 15 days. Experts agree that the underpinning problem is the housing crisis caused by sub-prime mortgage loans. Many of us, who cannot afford our monthly mortgage payments are losing homes and putting them up for sale and foreclosure, which further adds to the crisis. At the same time, most of the Employment-based (EB) immigrant community would like to purchase homes and make the United States a permanent home for their families. These EB immigrants however, are living in a state of limbo, mostly in rental apartments because of the delays and uncertainties involved with the EB immigration procedure. The wait times in EB categories are exacerbated by the delays in processing by USCIS, even though eligible applicants have filed for Permanent Residency also known as Adjustment of Status. Such processing delays have resulted in the wastage of 218,000 immigrant visa numbers (Page 52 of USCIS Ombudsman Annual report 2007). The current Department of State visa bulletin shows 7+ years of wait times in certain categories. We strongly believe that legislation can be worked out in such a way that the housing markets all over the country can move towards recovery, while at the same time motivating the Green Card applicants to catalyze this recovery.
It should be noted that this proposal by no means brings more immigrant workers into the US. The workers in the EB, skilled category are already present in the US, doing skilled jobs that no US worker is available to do. They are part of the long queue of backlogged cases that USICIS will eventually process; however, this wait can take years and in that case could not be used as a tool to minimize the course of the current economic crisis.
SOLUTION
Congress can pass legislation that exempts EB green card applicants and their dependents from the numerical limits of visa numbers, provided applicant(s) have bought a home making 20% down payment on the sale price of the home, for a time period deemed necessary by the congress.
How can Employment based Immigrants help alleviate the housing problem?
(1) Employment based immigrants are highly skilled and are employed in occupations such as Software, IT, Health care, Energy, Finance, Education and Research & Development across the United States.
(2) Average income of these individuals/households is around 65,000/130,000 USD.
(3) All these Employment based immigrants have gone through Department of Labor�s recruiting process, which certifies that there is no willing, able and qualified US Citizen to do the job.
(4) Most of the Employment based immigrants have excellent credit history and good source of income to make the payments needed for their home mortgage.
(5) By requiring a 20% down payment from this group of buyers, Congress can directly channel this money to where it is need most � at the banks.
(6) Employment based green card applicants have been living in the United States for 6-8 years. Many of them have US graduate degrees in their fields of expertise. These applicants are well versed with the American culture and will not change the cultural landscape.
(7) Financial burden on US government and treasury will be reduced drastically if the glut of houses in the market decreases.
As a member of the community that wants to make the US its permanent home, I want to contribute to a solution that helps USA and US during these tough times. I sincerely believe that the 30 year commitment on mortgages by Employment based immigrants in the housing market, backed by solid, risk free mortgages can turn the down ward spiral in the housing market into a upward spiral.
END OF CONTENT
mallu
02-16 02:57 PM
My friend, in 2003-2004 alone there were 136K EB greencards wasted. When recaptured, in the past they have been given to oversubscribed countries. That is almost an entire years supply of EB greencards.
I didn't know they give significant percentage of the recaptured numbers to retrogressed countries. That is cool.
As far as your last question goes: I'm amazed, given your interest in this subject, that you have not read the 2005-2006-2007 Ombudsmans reports which discusses in some detail how USCIS claims that it cannot provide data on pending applications by EB preference, country of chargeability, and PD. Do take some time to familiarize yourself with these reports (and read the damn footnotes.)
I think i read only last year's report , that too the section concerning FBI namecheck, because at that time my PD was current most of time and i was stuck in name check. Now time to read rest of the stuff in Ombud's rpt.
I didn't know they give significant percentage of the recaptured numbers to retrogressed countries. That is cool.
As far as your last question goes: I'm amazed, given your interest in this subject, that you have not read the 2005-2006-2007 Ombudsmans reports which discusses in some detail how USCIS claims that it cannot provide data on pending applications by EB preference, country of chargeability, and PD. Do take some time to familiarize yourself with these reports (and read the damn footnotes.)
I think i read only last year's report , that too the section concerning FBI namecheck, because at that time my PD was current most of time and i was stuck in name check. Now time to read rest of the stuff in Ombud's rpt.
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