gchopes
11-05 07:37 PM
What happens if primary 485 gets approved and spouse 485 not filed due to PD not being current or the primary missed the short time given to file spouse 485?
donald trump cartoon. cartoon.trump.menace.jpg
anandrajesh
02-06 10:35 PM
How (when) do you decide that you will take EAD or stay on H1B? Can you change your mind or it is a one time decision?
Do you have to mantain status (pay checks) on EAD? I understand you need to mantain status on H1B?
Sorry I am a moron.
It is purely upto you to decide what do u want. If u r planning to stick with the same company that has your H1B, then no need to pursue EAD option. But if you are planning to get out of your current company and pursue different opportunity, then you can use ur EAD.
No matter what the status(H1B or EAD) you are in, you need to be employed in the same position or a similar position as in your Labor Certification. If your Labor Certification says you are a Programmer you cant be a Project Mgr in EAD. Till you get your GC, you are compulsorily married to your profession and title.
Do you have to mantain status (pay checks) on EAD? I understand you need to mantain status on H1B?
Sorry I am a moron.
It is purely upto you to decide what do u want. If u r planning to stick with the same company that has your H1B, then no need to pursue EAD option. But if you are planning to get out of your current company and pursue different opportunity, then you can use ur EAD.
No matter what the status(H1B or EAD) you are in, you need to be employed in the same position or a similar position as in your Labor Certification. If your Labor Certification says you are a Programmer you cant be a Project Mgr in EAD. Till you get your GC, you are compulsorily married to your profession and title.
donald trump cartoon. donald trump for president
NKR
08-14 04:46 PM
Please note that, this is no more the issue of not-paying me at all-- He cleverly cleared recently the amount which is stated on my LCA H1. What he is actually withholding, is the difference of this and the actual salary (percentage) that was agreed upon, at that time.
Then I am afraid you have no case. If the vendor has paid your employer and he is not paying you after you told them you are quitting then it is unethical, but legal, sometimes I wonder how do they even feed their family and clothe them with all this ill gotten money.
Then I am afraid you have no case. If the vendor has paid your employer and he is not paying you after you told them you are quitting then it is unethical, but legal, sometimes I wonder how do they even feed their family and clothe them with all this ill gotten money.
donald trump cartoon. Cher and Donald Trump.
Macaca
07-11 06:21 PM
Write an email with all rally details. Save this email in your Yahoo draft folder. Send the email to the person after you have talked to him/her. Now the person does not have to write rally details!
more...
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gcformeornot
01-04 12:38 PM
^^^^^^^^^
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dpsg
03-25 03:03 AM
eb3_nepa,
We should point the advantages of immigration of high-skilled professionals,
and build a parallel source of information with "real research"... Our site
should have even the reports which show immigration in negative light as
long as they are from reputable impartial organizations.
Again we can win good deal for us by not fighting idealoges as logiclife
pointed, But By putting forward a constructive ROI for immigration
without bias.
<< I used ROI term.. as It is most common, Although in most cases US do no investment on immigrant which becomes
productive as soon as he/she lands..>>
********
had called NumbersUSA once. They will take the Absolute worst case scenario and project it as an everyday happening. The guy had mentioned to me that EB3 ppl promote chain migration and some get upto 80 (Yes 80) family members here. I tried arguing that it is TOTALLY impossible to bring more than five (i mean common u, ur wife and 3 kids = 5). You cant get ur parents etc., until you are a Citizen, but he wud not listen.
These guys are out to prove that immigration is a bad thing, and they will do their damndest to prove that point. They will not skew the facts, but they will present it in such a way that it looks a LOT worse than it actually is.
We should point the advantages of immigration of high-skilled professionals,
and build a parallel source of information with "real research"... Our site
should have even the reports which show immigration in negative light as
long as they are from reputable impartial organizations.
Again we can win good deal for us by not fighting idealoges as logiclife
pointed, But By putting forward a constructive ROI for immigration
without bias.
<< I used ROI term.. as It is most common, Although in most cases US do no investment on immigrant which becomes
productive as soon as he/she lands..>>
********
had called NumbersUSA once. They will take the Absolute worst case scenario and project it as an everyday happening. The guy had mentioned to me that EB3 ppl promote chain migration and some get upto 80 (Yes 80) family members here. I tried arguing that it is TOTALLY impossible to bring more than five (i mean common u, ur wife and 3 kids = 5). You cant get ur parents etc., until you are a Citizen, but he wud not listen.
These guys are out to prove that immigration is a bad thing, and they will do their damndest to prove that point. They will not skew the facts, but they will present it in such a way that it looks a LOT worse than it actually is.
more...
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seaken75
10-31 09:07 PM
Hi all,
Need your help and experience in this!
I received an RFE for my EAD and AP a few days ago. This has to do with me not registering myself during the NSEERS Special Registration. They want to know why i did not register for the NSEERS.
I visited an attorney around March 2003 regarding the Special Registration and was adviced that I dont have to register because my last entry to the U.S. was in January 2003. That was when return for school after going back home for my Christmas holiday. I have been an F-1 student since September 1998.
Reading the NSEERS requirement (http://www.ice.gov/doclib/pi/specialregistration/Call_In_Group4.pdf), my interpretation is that i should be exempted since my last entry to the U.S. is AFTER September 30, 2002. Is my interpretation right or wrong?
Please advice.
Thanks!
Need your help and experience in this!
I received an RFE for my EAD and AP a few days ago. This has to do with me not registering myself during the NSEERS Special Registration. They want to know why i did not register for the NSEERS.
I visited an attorney around March 2003 regarding the Special Registration and was adviced that I dont have to register because my last entry to the U.S. was in January 2003. That was when return for school after going back home for my Christmas holiday. I have been an F-1 student since September 1998.
Reading the NSEERS requirement (http://www.ice.gov/doclib/pi/specialregistration/Call_In_Group4.pdf), my interpretation is that i should be exempted since my last entry to the U.S. is AFTER September 30, 2002. Is my interpretation right or wrong?
Please advice.
Thanks!
donald trump cartoon. donald trump for president
needGCcool
09-04 10:10 AM
Yup, you have to wait. Do not send them anything without getting the RFE? This is what I was advised by the doctor we visited to get all the medicals done.
I have a question for you guys. My wife was pregnant when she took her medicals. So skin test was not performed on her. Do i need to wait for the RFE or is it possible to update USCIS with another I-693 with the TB test?
I have a question for you guys. My wife was pregnant when she took her medicals. So skin test was not performed on her. Do i need to wait for the RFE or is it possible to update USCIS with another I-693 with the TB test?
more...
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StukAtBEC
02-16 10:19 PM
Folks,
I need to invoke AC21 at the earliest. I have applied my 485 and I-140 concurrently on Aug 17th. It has just been over 183 days. My 140 is still pending. Due to some reasons, I have to leave my current employer immodestly.
I know there has been lot of threads discussing about risks involved with using AC21 without approved 140. But I do not have an option at this point. My PD date is Nov-2004 and the way I-140 's are being processed, it is going take at least couple more months before I can expect my 140 approval.
I have the following questions:
1) I read in Aytes memo, that if it is over 180 days, they would check for evidence that the case is approval or would have been approval had it been adjudicated within 180 days. Now, if the USCIS sends an RFE for 140 after 180 days, would it still go to my old firm's attorney? If yes, then how would we handle this scenarrio...
I work for a Big 5 Consulting firm and ability to pay should not be an issue. As far as my education is concerned, I have Bachelors in Computer Science Engineering from India and a MS in the same field in US...My experience matches the labor cert. requirements. What are the chance that I might get an RFE? I filed my application at TSC
2) Also, if the 140 is approved, it would go to my old company's attorney..right? How would I get a copy of the same.
3) If I invoke AC21 using my EAD and in the worst case scenario, if my 140 and 485 is rejected, can I then transfer my H1B to an other company (I still have some years left) or will that be a problem because I was not on H-1b at that time?
Would it be treated as a new application where in I have to try to get into the quota or it would just be a normal H-1b transfer...
Also, I'm looking for a good attorney to help me invoke AC21...Please advise!
Gurus... please help me with your suggestions.
I need to invoke AC21 at the earliest. I have applied my 485 and I-140 concurrently on Aug 17th. It has just been over 183 days. My 140 is still pending. Due to some reasons, I have to leave my current employer immodestly.
I know there has been lot of threads discussing about risks involved with using AC21 without approved 140. But I do not have an option at this point. My PD date is Nov-2004 and the way I-140 's are being processed, it is going take at least couple more months before I can expect my 140 approval.
I have the following questions:
1) I read in Aytes memo, that if it is over 180 days, they would check for evidence that the case is approval or would have been approval had it been adjudicated within 180 days. Now, if the USCIS sends an RFE for 140 after 180 days, would it still go to my old firm's attorney? If yes, then how would we handle this scenarrio...
I work for a Big 5 Consulting firm and ability to pay should not be an issue. As far as my education is concerned, I have Bachelors in Computer Science Engineering from India and a MS in the same field in US...My experience matches the labor cert. requirements. What are the chance that I might get an RFE? I filed my application at TSC
2) Also, if the 140 is approved, it would go to my old company's attorney..right? How would I get a copy of the same.
3) If I invoke AC21 using my EAD and in the worst case scenario, if my 140 and 485 is rejected, can I then transfer my H1B to an other company (I still have some years left) or will that be a problem because I was not on H-1b at that time?
Would it be treated as a new application where in I have to try to get into the quota or it would just be a normal H-1b transfer...
Also, I'm looking for a good attorney to help me invoke AC21...Please advise!
Gurus... please help me with your suggestions.
donald trump cartoon. Donald Trump sings the same
WeShallOvercome
07-23 04:44 PM
well. won't you need the receipt when you travel..i thought one was required to carry the receipt when traveling internationally.
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)
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)
more...
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chanduv23
08-14 11:14 PM
The fact sheet is a must read for all IV members. Please use this fact sheet and then judge yourself - whether you want to talk about receipt notices or go to the rally.
Singhsa3 and Macaca took a lot of pains and created it with a lot of effort. Good work.
Please distribute the fact sheet as flyers and send the facts as emails, on blogs, various websites etc... and spread the message.
Let the community have a realistic view of the situation.
If you still do not consider doing the rally - the this is ehat will happen - IV will do it with whoever comes - the strength will be low, and opposition will ride over us easily as we are weak.
So - please read the above fact sheet - this fact sheet is your reciept notice, and start heading towards DC.
Singhsa3 and Macaca took a lot of pains and created it with a lot of effort. Good work.
Please distribute the fact sheet as flyers and send the facts as emails, on blogs, various websites etc... and spread the message.
Let the community have a realistic view of the situation.
If you still do not consider doing the rally - the this is ehat will happen - IV will do it with whoever comes - the strength will be low, and opposition will ride over us easily as we are weak.
So - please read the above fact sheet - this fact sheet is your reciept notice, and start heading towards DC.
donald trump cartoon. cartoon character
monkeyman
01-04 12:15 PM
Let me start off by saying this is simply not the right forum for such discussions. You are better off using monster.com or some other job related sights.
As far as changing the fields go, assuming you have the authorization to work - you can change. But QA jobs these days are hard to come by and mostly happens in different countries and most of the existing jobs have been bangalored. And an effective QA job requires some kind of experience in the software development or related field. A non effective QA job is simply testing and chances of you retaining the job for more than 2 years is very slim. The thinking behind that is a more person gets involved with testing, the more he/she understands the testing and less rigorous the testing becomes.
SAP courses are good once you understand the nuts and bolts. But its challenging and requires you to have lots of people skills and ability to convince people that their business must run per SAP and not viceversa. Hope that helps. Good luck.
As far as changing the fields go, assuming you have the authorization to work - you can change. But QA jobs these days are hard to come by and mostly happens in different countries and most of the existing jobs have been bangalored. And an effective QA job requires some kind of experience in the software development or related field. A non effective QA job is simply testing and chances of you retaining the job for more than 2 years is very slim. The thinking behind that is a more person gets involved with testing, the more he/she understands the testing and less rigorous the testing becomes.
SAP courses are good once you understand the nuts and bolts. But its challenging and requires you to have lots of people skills and ability to convince people that their business must run per SAP and not viceversa. Hope that helps. Good luck.
more...
donald trump cartoon. donald trump bald
RSRao
10-28 03:32 PM
This is regarding my husbands H1b extension. He has been working for a Indian consultancy since 3 years. Now he got a full time offer with a reputed consulting firm (contract to hire) and they are processing his extension and transfer. Its for a different end client but this company does implementation for the client. We received a first RFE a month back requesting for purchase order, manager letter, duties to be performed, organisational chart etc. The company answered with all the relevant documents. But we have received a second RFE now. Not sure what the RFE is for and we are anxiously waiting for it. Please let us know if any of you guys have faced similar situation, incured a second time RFE. how common is to get RFE for the second time.Also do premium petitions get RFE in a fax or email message or do we have to wait for arrival through mail. The attorney said wud take 2 weeks for it to arrive. His 194 has expired and we are really worried now. What are the other options, can we apply for extension through another company when this one is in process?. He already has started working for this company once the receipt number was sent out. Any inputs are highly appreciated. If you have had similar experiences please share.
donald trump cartoon. donald trump daughter with
pamposh
09-15 12:04 PM
I can see it. Refresh your browser
Thanks inskrish for the news.
Anyway, the Proc. dates are a heap of bull shit. The NSC Proc date for I-485 says July 08 2007. We all know the dates were 'U' and noone could have filed a I-485 between July 2 - July 17th (July 2 fiasco). So how can be the oldest application that the NSC is blocked on can be dated July 08 2007 !!!
Even if they came across ineligible applications like that, wouldn't they just outright reject them and quickly move on to some other application that they can process??? Why would they consider themselves blocked on such application(s) and issue the processing date to reflect such transient status ???
hahah, interesting, funny but logical... I guess they just did not think through all this and why would they :mad:
Thanks inskrish for the news.
Anyway, the Proc. dates are a heap of bull shit. The NSC Proc date for I-485 says July 08 2007. We all know the dates were 'U' and noone could have filed a I-485 between July 2 - July 17th (July 2 fiasco). So how can be the oldest application that the NSC is blocked on can be dated July 08 2007 !!!
Even if they came across ineligible applications like that, wouldn't they just outright reject them and quickly move on to some other application that they can process??? Why would they consider themselves blocked on such application(s) and issue the processing date to reflect such transient status ???
hahah, interesting, funny but logical... I guess they just did not think through all this and why would they :mad:
more...
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srkgollapudi
04-23 12:55 AM
Hello All,
My labor for the perm processing has been rejected (after 2 years) due to an incorrect field in the ETA form. This was lawyer's mistake and negligence in paying diligence in filling the form. Can I sue the lawyer? My options would be either to restart the processing or look for another law firm to file my application.
Please let me know if anyone has encountered the same problem? Can I file a legal case against the law firm?
Thank you
Ravi
My labor for the perm processing has been rejected (after 2 years) due to an incorrect field in the ETA form. This was lawyer's mistake and negligence in paying diligence in filling the form. Can I sue the lawyer? My options would be either to restart the processing or look for another law firm to file my application.
Please let me know if anyone has encountered the same problem? Can I file a legal case against the law firm?
Thank you
Ravi
donald trump cartoon. Citi Field, Donald Trump,
glus
12-16 09:09 AM
I have a big problem that I got approved on the H1 Recapture to get back into US on January 15, 09 though my attorney screwed up by putting someone else background into the Petition Letter submitted to USCIS with my application. The petition letter to USCIS is all wrong. It states the wrong education, work experience and job duty. They put somebody else background into mine. They put the correct sponsoring company on the first page of the letter though at the end of the second page they put the wrong sponsoring company. In this case, what should I do and what should I answer at the US Consular in Malaysia to get my H1 Visa? What should I do now? Please advise. Do I have to resubmit the application back to USCIS? Will I get rejected? Please help. Thank you very much.
I work in an immigration law office, so I know the general procedure.
Suggestion: First, inform your attorney of your intent to disclose this mistake with a state Bar and wait how he deals with it. Do not be afraid. This is due process and you have right to do it. Keep all mail receipts for records and copies of all and ANY correspondence with the attorney. Wait how he responds. Normally, your attorney should admit the mistake and straight things up with USCIS on himself.This is because an attorney can loose a license to practice in his state if he does not fix this after you file a complaint with state BAR. If you receive no feedback, you should inform a state BAR about this to protect your self. Then, go to a different attorney's office and try to work with a new attorney to straight things out. This is serious. Contact me via PM if you need more info. thanx.
Remember: USCIS keeps a copy of each thing you send. So, sooner or later this important mistake may surface and cause you trouble. That's why you need to fix this out.
I work in an immigration law office, so I know the general procedure.
Suggestion: First, inform your attorney of your intent to disclose this mistake with a state Bar and wait how he deals with it. Do not be afraid. This is due process and you have right to do it. Keep all mail receipts for records and copies of all and ANY correspondence with the attorney. Wait how he responds. Normally, your attorney should admit the mistake and straight things up with USCIS on himself.This is because an attorney can loose a license to practice in his state if he does not fix this after you file a complaint with state BAR. If you receive no feedback, you should inform a state BAR about this to protect your self. Then, go to a different attorney's office and try to work with a new attorney to straight things out. This is serious. Contact me via PM if you need more info. thanx.
Remember: USCIS keeps a copy of each thing you send. So, sooner or later this important mistake may surface and cause you trouble. That's why you need to fix this out.
more...
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WeShallOvercome
07-31 12:41 PM
I think at the present time this could be in doubt in all honesty since the USCIS have said there are no visa numbers available and are only accepting applications since they screwed up. So in essence there are no priority dates that are current. Your age is only set in 'stone' if your I485 is submitted when a visa number is available to you and that is not the case through August 17th.
Guess this rather strange outcome of the visa bulletin fiasco could raise any number of new scenarios.
You are right but the same condition exists for filing I-485.
If they allowed you to file I-485, that means they will consider everything else in the same spirit... I'm pretty sure those children will not age out!
Guess this rather strange outcome of the visa bulletin fiasco could raise any number of new scenarios.
You are right but the same condition exists for filing I-485.
If they allowed you to file I-485, that means they will consider everything else in the same spirit... I'm pretty sure those children will not age out!
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DSLStart
04-21 11:56 AM
Was you 485 filed initially at VSC and then transfered to TSC? If so you must have received the orignal transfer notice. That should suffice as orignal 485 receipt.
My wife had gone to DMV in fair oaks mall and they had asked her to produce the original I485 and unfortunately we don't carry it. Our license is going to expire next month.
Anybody know what we can do in this situation. Has anybody got a licence recently from VA state.
thanks
My wife had gone to DMV in fair oaks mall and they had asked her to produce the original I485 and unfortunately we don't carry it. Our license is going to expire next month.
Anybody know what we can do in this situation. Has anybody got a licence recently from VA state.
thanks
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immi_enthu
08-28 09:34 AM
They might return urs , simple.
what will happen in case of 140/485 concurrent filing ?
what will happen in case of 140/485 concurrent filing ?
smuggymba
09-14 02:12 PM
If you feel IV is our only hope/interpreter, then lets fuel it.
We all know IV needs funds to operate and to drive our concerns.
I propose $100K raffle every month, result will be announced on the VB day, if VB brings bad news atleast our raffle may get a good one! :D
each ticket may be sold for $10 ,
$10 x 20,000 tickets = 200k
100k for IV , 100k can be split to top 10 winners.
Please take your poll above.
Experts can add suggestions to help it construct.
There are less than 1000 replies in the I-485 voting thread and no money is required...how do you plan to sell 20K tickets to only a few "active" members?
We all know IV needs funds to operate and to drive our concerns.
I propose $100K raffle every month, result will be announced on the VB day, if VB brings bad news atleast our raffle may get a good one! :D
each ticket may be sold for $10 ,
$10 x 20,000 tickets = 200k
100k for IV , 100k can be split to top 10 winners.
Please take your poll above.
Experts can add suggestions to help it construct.
There are less than 1000 replies in the I-485 voting thread and no money is required...how do you plan to sell 20K tickets to only a few "active" members?
pellucid
04-05 03:31 PM
America embraces foreign-born ballplayers, but not engineers, much to the
dismay of big business, says Fortune's Marc Gunther.
By Marc Gunther, Fortune senior writer
NEW YORK (Fortune) -- Imagine if the baseball season had begun this week
without such foreign-born stars as Albert Pujols, David Ortiz, Justin
Morneau and the latest Japanese import, pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka and his
mysterious "gyroball."
It wouldn't be as much fun, would it? Fans want to see the most skilled
players compete - immigrants and Americans.
So why is it that people don't want skilled immigrants to compete for jobs
in the multibillion-dollar technology industry?
They view these immigrants as a threat. CNN anchor Lou Dobbs argues
permitting more educated, foreign-born engineers, scientists and teachers
into the country would force many qualified American workers out of the job
market.
That may be true in baseball, where the number of jobs on big league rosters
is fixed. That's not necessarily so in technology, where people with skills
and ambition help expand job opportunities. Immigrants helped start Sun
Microsystems, Intel (Charts), Yahoo! (Charts), eBay (Charts) and Google (
Charts). Would America be better off if they'd stayed home?
"This is not about filling jobs that would go to Americans," says Robert
Hoffman, an Oracle (Charts) vice president and co-chair of a business
coalition called Compete America, which favors allowing more skilled workers
into the United States. "This is important to create jobs. It's not a zero
sum game."
This week, as it happens, is not just opening week of the baseball season.
It's the week when employers rush to apply for the limited number of visas,
called H-1B visas, that became available on April 1 to allow them to
temporarily hire educated, foreign-born workers. This year, Congress has
allowed 65,000 of these H-1B visas, plus another 20,000 for foreign-born
students who earn advanced degrees from U.S. universities. After obtaining
guest-worker visas, employees can then seek green cards that allow them to
stay in the United States
FedEx and UPS did a brisk business last weekend because the visas are
awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. The first 65,000 are already
gone. The 20,000 earmarked for graduates of U.S. universities will be
distributed in a month or two, experts say.
This makes it very hard for companies to hire foreign-born graduates of the
U.S.'s top schools. More than half the graduate students in science and
engineering at U.S. universities were born overseas.
"It's sending a signal to the best international students that they may not
want to make their career in the United States," says Stuart Anderson,
executive director of the National Foundation for American Policy, a
research group. (Anderson, an immigration specialist, also wrote a study of
baseball and immigration that's available here as a PDF file.)
Expanding H1-B visas is a top priority for U.S. tech firms. Bill Gates,
Microsoft's (Charts) chairman, told Congress last month: "I cannot overstate
the importance of overhauling our high-skilled immigration system....
Unfortunately, our immigration policies are driving away the world's best
and brightest precisely when we need them most."
CNN's Lou Dobbs was unimpressed. "The Gates plan would force many qualified
American workers right out of the job market," he fretted on the air after
Gates testified. "There's something wrong when a man as smart as Bill Gates
advances an elitist agenda, without regard to the impact that he's having on
working men and women in this country."
It's not just Dobbs. Internet bulletin boards and blogs are filled with
complaints about foreign-born engineers. The U.S. branch of the Institute of
Electrical and Electronics Engineers, the leading society of engineers,
brought about 60 engineers to Washington last month to ask for reforms to
the H-1B program. IEEE-USA supports a bill proposed by Senators Dick Durbin,
an Illinois Democrat, and Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican, that is
designed to crack down on companies that use the guest worker program to
displace Americans from jobs.
As it happens, most of the largest users of the H1-B program are not
American companies but foreign firms that want to move jobs out of the
United States. Seven of the 10 firms that requested the most H1-B visas in
2006 were outsourcing firms based in India, which use the visas to train
workers in the United States before they are rotated home, according to Ron
Hira, an engineer who teaches public policy at the Rochester Institute of
Technology. Indian outsourcing firms Wipro and Infosys were the two top
requestors of H1-B visas.
In a paper for the Economic Policy Institute, Hira says that expanding H-1B
visas without improving controls will "lead to more offshore outsourcing of
jobs, displacement of American technology workers (and) decreased wages and
job opportunities" for Americans. He told me: "Bill Gates talks about how
you are shutting out $100,000-a-year software engineers. But if you look at
the median wage for new H1-B workers, it's closer to $50,000."
Asked about that, Jack Krumholtz, who runs Microsoft's Washington office,
said the average salary for Microsoft's H1-B workers is more than $109,000,
and that the company spends another $10,000 to $15,000 per worker applying
for the visas and helping workers apply for green cards. "We only hire
people who we want to have on our team for the long run," he said.
It seems clear that Microsoft - along with Oracle, Intel, Hewlett Packard
and other members of the Compete America coalition - do not use the guest
worker program to hire cheap labor. They just want to hire the best
engineers, many of whom are foreign born.
So what to do? Everyone seems to agree that the H1-B program needs fixing. (
Even Hira, the critic, says the United States should absorb more high-
skilled immigrants.) Whether Congress can fix it is questionable. The guest-
worker program is tied up in the debate over broader immigration reforms.
But guess what? Just last year, Congress passed the Compete Act of 2006,
which stands (sort of) for "Creating Opportunities for Minor League
Professions, Entertainers and Teams through Legal Entry." Yes, that law made
it easier for baseball teams to get visas for foreign-born minor league
players.
If the government can fix the problem for baseball, surely it can do so for
technology, too.
dismay of big business, says Fortune's Marc Gunther.
By Marc Gunther, Fortune senior writer
NEW YORK (Fortune) -- Imagine if the baseball season had begun this week
without such foreign-born stars as Albert Pujols, David Ortiz, Justin
Morneau and the latest Japanese import, pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka and his
mysterious "gyroball."
It wouldn't be as much fun, would it? Fans want to see the most skilled
players compete - immigrants and Americans.
So why is it that people don't want skilled immigrants to compete for jobs
in the multibillion-dollar technology industry?
They view these immigrants as a threat. CNN anchor Lou Dobbs argues
permitting more educated, foreign-born engineers, scientists and teachers
into the country would force many qualified American workers out of the job
market.
That may be true in baseball, where the number of jobs on big league rosters
is fixed. That's not necessarily so in technology, where people with skills
and ambition help expand job opportunities. Immigrants helped start Sun
Microsystems, Intel (Charts), Yahoo! (Charts), eBay (Charts) and Google (
Charts). Would America be better off if they'd stayed home?
"This is not about filling jobs that would go to Americans," says Robert
Hoffman, an Oracle (Charts) vice president and co-chair of a business
coalition called Compete America, which favors allowing more skilled workers
into the United States. "This is important to create jobs. It's not a zero
sum game."
This week, as it happens, is not just opening week of the baseball season.
It's the week when employers rush to apply for the limited number of visas,
called H-1B visas, that became available on April 1 to allow them to
temporarily hire educated, foreign-born workers. This year, Congress has
allowed 65,000 of these H-1B visas, plus another 20,000 for foreign-born
students who earn advanced degrees from U.S. universities. After obtaining
guest-worker visas, employees can then seek green cards that allow them to
stay in the United States
FedEx and UPS did a brisk business last weekend because the visas are
awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. The first 65,000 are already
gone. The 20,000 earmarked for graduates of U.S. universities will be
distributed in a month or two, experts say.
This makes it very hard for companies to hire foreign-born graduates of the
U.S.'s top schools. More than half the graduate students in science and
engineering at U.S. universities were born overseas.
"It's sending a signal to the best international students that they may not
want to make their career in the United States," says Stuart Anderson,
executive director of the National Foundation for American Policy, a
research group. (Anderson, an immigration specialist, also wrote a study of
baseball and immigration that's available here as a PDF file.)
Expanding H1-B visas is a top priority for U.S. tech firms. Bill Gates,
Microsoft's (Charts) chairman, told Congress last month: "I cannot overstate
the importance of overhauling our high-skilled immigration system....
Unfortunately, our immigration policies are driving away the world's best
and brightest precisely when we need them most."
CNN's Lou Dobbs was unimpressed. "The Gates plan would force many qualified
American workers right out of the job market," he fretted on the air after
Gates testified. "There's something wrong when a man as smart as Bill Gates
advances an elitist agenda, without regard to the impact that he's having on
working men and women in this country."
It's not just Dobbs. Internet bulletin boards and blogs are filled with
complaints about foreign-born engineers. The U.S. branch of the Institute of
Electrical and Electronics Engineers, the leading society of engineers,
brought about 60 engineers to Washington last month to ask for reforms to
the H-1B program. IEEE-USA supports a bill proposed by Senators Dick Durbin,
an Illinois Democrat, and Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican, that is
designed to crack down on companies that use the guest worker program to
displace Americans from jobs.
As it happens, most of the largest users of the H1-B program are not
American companies but foreign firms that want to move jobs out of the
United States. Seven of the 10 firms that requested the most H1-B visas in
2006 were outsourcing firms based in India, which use the visas to train
workers in the United States before they are rotated home, according to Ron
Hira, an engineer who teaches public policy at the Rochester Institute of
Technology. Indian outsourcing firms Wipro and Infosys were the two top
requestors of H1-B visas.
In a paper for the Economic Policy Institute, Hira says that expanding H-1B
visas without improving controls will "lead to more offshore outsourcing of
jobs, displacement of American technology workers (and) decreased wages and
job opportunities" for Americans. He told me: "Bill Gates talks about how
you are shutting out $100,000-a-year software engineers. But if you look at
the median wage for new H1-B workers, it's closer to $50,000."
Asked about that, Jack Krumholtz, who runs Microsoft's Washington office,
said the average salary for Microsoft's H1-B workers is more than $109,000,
and that the company spends another $10,000 to $15,000 per worker applying
for the visas and helping workers apply for green cards. "We only hire
people who we want to have on our team for the long run," he said.
It seems clear that Microsoft - along with Oracle, Intel, Hewlett Packard
and other members of the Compete America coalition - do not use the guest
worker program to hire cheap labor. They just want to hire the best
engineers, many of whom are foreign born.
So what to do? Everyone seems to agree that the H1-B program needs fixing. (
Even Hira, the critic, says the United States should absorb more high-
skilled immigrants.) Whether Congress can fix it is questionable. The guest-
worker program is tied up in the debate over broader immigration reforms.
But guess what? Just last year, Congress passed the Compete Act of 2006,
which stands (sort of) for "Creating Opportunities for Minor League
Professions, Entertainers and Teams through Legal Entry." Yes, that law made
it easier for baseball teams to get visas for foreign-born minor league
players.
If the government can fix the problem for baseball, surely it can do so for
technology, too.
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