msyedy
02-05 01:30 PM
Hi,
I am a doctor from India and came to US on B1/B2 visa. I have cleared my Step1 and step2 USMLE and preparing for CS Exam. I am looking for a observership or externship oppertunity.
I applied and called a lot of places but no luck because of my visa situation. Please let me know if anyone here knows of any hospitals offering observerships for IMGs.
Thanks
There is a hospital in Brooklyn New York where one of my friend was given H1-B and he is doing his residency from there. I will let you know.
I am a doctor from India and came to US on B1/B2 visa. I have cleared my Step1 and step2 USMLE and preparing for CS Exam. I am looking for a observership or externship oppertunity.
I applied and called a lot of places but no luck because of my visa situation. Please let me know if anyone here knows of any hospitals offering observerships for IMGs.
Thanks
There is a hospital in Brooklyn New York where one of my friend was given H1-B and he is doing his residency from there. I will let you know.
bsbawa10
01-24 05:03 AM
Suggestions.
1 Since the main reason behind the retrogression is the lack of Visa numbers I feel it would be a great idea to process the 485 applications , make a decision on the case and let the applicant know about the decision though the actual card can be mailed when the Visa Numbers become available . This would reduce the anxiety on behalf of the applicants and would also give USCIS ample time to process all the applications.
2. Yearly extension of EAD/AP is getting so expensive especially when one doesn't know how many years we have to keep doing the extensions.
It's a known fact that except for the July 07 bulletin EB3 India PD has hardly touched year 2002 since Dec 2004.
Some of the EB3 I folks with a 2005 PD, that I know have been issued one year extension on their EAD though they applied for the extensions in mid July(2008).
Example of EAD/AP anxiety:
AP document says that it should be used for emergency travel. This rule on AP
was formed at a time when 485 processing would take not more than 6 months.
In the present scenario with 485 processing taking years I think a person using EAD would end up using AP many times . Officers at the POE sometimes remind us the rule that AP should be used only in emergency and some of them give the person hard time if they believe the travel was not for emergency purpose.
I guess we are supposed to have a proof of emergency travel.
Though AC21 lets one change jobs 180 days after filing the 485 application with the I40 approved for more than 180 days when reentering the country some of the officer(s) sometimes ask the person if they are still with the same company that filed their GC.I don't know yet what they would do/say if one had changed their jobs because the people who were asked this question did not change their employer at that time. But the fact that they ask us this question makes us apprehensive about changing jobs.
With so many rules where most of them were formed long back it's making applicant's life increasingly tough as the applicants themselves don't want to do anything that would be construed/fall on the wrong side of the rules.We are forced to watch our steps multiple times even in the case of simple things like job changes,travelout of country etc.
When I repeatedly read about how USICS is inundated with 485 applications due to July 2007 bulletin I keep wondering why USCIS would want to increase it's work load every year with all these EAD/AP renewal applications.
Suggestion
Once upon a time when the 485 processing took like 6 months, EAD/AP had different meaning. In the present scenario when not many of us know how many more yeras it's going to be before (especially EB3 I folks) we get our GreenCard I would think it would be better to use the pending 485 application to change jobs and reenter the country.
This would save money/time for the applicant and lot of time for USICS.
Thank you.
Very nice suggestions. More participants needed please.
1 Since the main reason behind the retrogression is the lack of Visa numbers I feel it would be a great idea to process the 485 applications , make a decision on the case and let the applicant know about the decision though the actual card can be mailed when the Visa Numbers become available . This would reduce the anxiety on behalf of the applicants and would also give USCIS ample time to process all the applications.
2. Yearly extension of EAD/AP is getting so expensive especially when one doesn't know how many years we have to keep doing the extensions.
It's a known fact that except for the July 07 bulletin EB3 India PD has hardly touched year 2002 since Dec 2004.
Some of the EB3 I folks with a 2005 PD, that I know have been issued one year extension on their EAD though they applied for the extensions in mid July(2008).
Example of EAD/AP anxiety:
AP document says that it should be used for emergency travel. This rule on AP
was formed at a time when 485 processing would take not more than 6 months.
In the present scenario with 485 processing taking years I think a person using EAD would end up using AP many times . Officers at the POE sometimes remind us the rule that AP should be used only in emergency and some of them give the person hard time if they believe the travel was not for emergency purpose.
I guess we are supposed to have a proof of emergency travel.
Though AC21 lets one change jobs 180 days after filing the 485 application with the I40 approved for more than 180 days when reentering the country some of the officer(s) sometimes ask the person if they are still with the same company that filed their GC.I don't know yet what they would do/say if one had changed their jobs because the people who were asked this question did not change their employer at that time. But the fact that they ask us this question makes us apprehensive about changing jobs.
With so many rules where most of them were formed long back it's making applicant's life increasingly tough as the applicants themselves don't want to do anything that would be construed/fall on the wrong side of the rules.We are forced to watch our steps multiple times even in the case of simple things like job changes,travelout of country etc.
When I repeatedly read about how USICS is inundated with 485 applications due to July 2007 bulletin I keep wondering why USCIS would want to increase it's work load every year with all these EAD/AP renewal applications.
Suggestion
Once upon a time when the 485 processing took like 6 months, EAD/AP had different meaning. In the present scenario when not many of us know how many more yeras it's going to be before (especially EB3 I folks) we get our GreenCard I would think it would be better to use the pending 485 application to change jobs and reenter the country.
This would save money/time for the applicant and lot of time for USICS.
Thank you.
Very nice suggestions. More participants needed please.
iheartindia79
05-14 01:13 PM
Please! someone help!
immuser
11-01 06:16 PM
http://content.msn.co.in/News/International/InternationalHinT_011107_0847.htm
London: Employment prospects for Indians in Britain could well be hit by the recent revelation that 52 per cent of all new jobs created in the country over the past decade have gone to immigrants.
According to Britain’s National Statistics Office, 1.1 million of the 2.1 million new jobs that have arisen since 1997 have been bagged by people of non-British origin.
Another government study released a few days earlier had shown that migrant workers earned on an average �424 a week, while British workers got �395. Foreign born workers, at an estimated 1.5 million, comprised 12.5 per cent of Britain’s workforce, compared to 7.4 per cent a decade ago.
“Any move to control immigration will affect Indian professionals the most,” said Amit Kapadia, convenor of the Asian organisation Highly Skilled Migrant Professionals.
The findings have revived old fears of migrants leaving local workers jobless. They raised such a furore that Prime Minister Gordon Brown intervened on Wednesday declaring plans were being finalised to control the influx of foreign workers.
These included introducing a points-based system which would give priority to immigrants with skills needed in Britain, and if required, shut out the others.
“Over the next few months, we have decided on changes... so that people can be sure we are taking action that is necessary,” Brown said
London: Employment prospects for Indians in Britain could well be hit by the recent revelation that 52 per cent of all new jobs created in the country over the past decade have gone to immigrants.
According to Britain’s National Statistics Office, 1.1 million of the 2.1 million new jobs that have arisen since 1997 have been bagged by people of non-British origin.
Another government study released a few days earlier had shown that migrant workers earned on an average �424 a week, while British workers got �395. Foreign born workers, at an estimated 1.5 million, comprised 12.5 per cent of Britain’s workforce, compared to 7.4 per cent a decade ago.
“Any move to control immigration will affect Indian professionals the most,” said Amit Kapadia, convenor of the Asian organisation Highly Skilled Migrant Professionals.
The findings have revived old fears of migrants leaving local workers jobless. They raised such a furore that Prime Minister Gordon Brown intervened on Wednesday declaring plans were being finalised to control the influx of foreign workers.
These included introducing a points-based system which would give priority to immigrants with skills needed in Britain, and if required, shut out the others.
“Over the next few months, we have decided on changes... so that people can be sure we are taking action that is necessary,” Brown said
more...
sanju_dba
09-14 02:31 PM
I agree with you. On that thread people are complaining that they should not have to register to vote. How do you expect them to spend time taking out their credit card, entering the 16 digits using keyboard and hit the submit button really hard.
You are asking Desis to give $10. Forget it. They would spend $10 on Mango Lassi for themselves.
I bet that attitude changes when it comes to raffle !
besides, its 1:2000 chance ( want to make it 1:100 , its upto the model ) , i guess its far better than those lottery tickets sold.
You are asking Desis to give $10. Forget it. They would spend $10 on Mango Lassi for themselves.
I bet that attitude changes when it comes to raffle !
besides, its 1:2000 chance ( want to make it 1:100 , its upto the model ) , i guess its far better than those lottery tickets sold.
ssbaruah@yahoo.com
05-01 09:41 AM
Thanks once again for your reply.
I want to make myself a little clear. Actually, the company thru which I applied my H1B transfer, withdrew my case recently when some query came. I did apply for premium processing paying more. Now the situation is I am still hunting job but as you know it is hard to get one these days. Nothing has been finalised as yet and I am having paystub till Jan. 2009. The company for which I worked won't like to give any letter for unpaid leave. Your case do give me some hope, but I am worried :
- no new company would like to process my case owing to my 3-4 months back paystub . Is it going to happen like this ? I am here with my family, and in that case I am confused whether I should stick to this place or leave.
Thanks again for your time and advise.
I want to make myself a little clear. Actually, the company thru which I applied my H1B transfer, withdrew my case recently when some query came. I did apply for premium processing paying more. Now the situation is I am still hunting job but as you know it is hard to get one these days. Nothing has been finalised as yet and I am having paystub till Jan. 2009. The company for which I worked won't like to give any letter for unpaid leave. Your case do give me some hope, but I am worried :
- no new company would like to process my case owing to my 3-4 months back paystub . Is it going to happen like this ? I am here with my family, and in that case I am confused whether I should stick to this place or leave.
Thanks again for your time and advise.
more...
ysiad
08-10 11:31 PM
One option is to change the address at USCIS and also put a hold on your mail for 30 days (max allowed) at the Post Office. Picking up held mail should be easy since you are in same city.
Thanks for the idea, that would be helpful! For my question 1, beside the mailing delay, I am also concerned on the delay of USCIS processing of my I-485 case. I don't know their internal procedure. Should I be worried about this or no delay on the procedure?
Thanks.
Thanks for the idea, that would be helpful! For my question 1, beside the mailing delay, I am also concerned on the delay of USCIS processing of my I-485 case. I don't know their internal procedure. Should I be worried about this or no delay on the procedure?
Thanks.
hpandey
12-17 10:20 AM
What is NOID? If i don't respond do i have the time to respond. How much time do i have?
And what is RFE?
Thanks
NOID means Notice of Intent to Deny which is usually sent if they haven't heard from you regarding an earlier notice ( for e.g RFE which is request for evidence , or continuity of case from your employer etc )
RFE - Request for evidence is usually generated when USCIS needs something from you or your employer . They have to be responded between 30-45 days mostly .
Contact both your lawyer and USCIS to find out why your case was denied.
And what is RFE?
Thanks
NOID means Notice of Intent to Deny which is usually sent if they haven't heard from you regarding an earlier notice ( for e.g RFE which is request for evidence , or continuity of case from your employer etc )
RFE - Request for evidence is usually generated when USCIS needs something from you or your employer . They have to be responded between 30-45 days mostly .
Contact both your lawyer and USCIS to find out why your case was denied.
more...
pasupuleti
02-14 12:33 PM
That's great!!!
Who were "we?"
And is it possible to ask Honda's office to urge DOL to have some transparency about the process, so that people know what the heck is going on at the processing centers? Right now it's a total black box!
Thanks.
-L.
Who were "we?"
we are local representatives from immigration voice. We are doing meet the lawmakers drive in CA.
Yes, we will send a email to Mike Honda's office to stress on transparency about the blacklogs process in their letter to DOL.
Who were "we?"
And is it possible to ask Honda's office to urge DOL to have some transparency about the process, so that people know what the heck is going on at the processing centers? Right now it's a total black box!
Thanks.
-L.
Who were "we?"
we are local representatives from immigration voice. We are doing meet the lawmakers drive in CA.
Yes, we will send a email to Mike Honda's office to stress on transparency about the blacklogs process in their letter to DOL.
ItIsNotFunny
04-23 10:12 AM
Quick question - Our firm's attorney is being super-secretive in not letting me see the labor and/or the I-140 application. My wife is a dependent on the I-140 application. The I-140 is filed using premium processing.
Will I get a copy (courtesy) of either the receipt notice or the approval notice from USCIS directly?
If your 140 is filed under premium. Just relax and have fun with your family. You will get approved 140 at your home in a week. Good part of the story is, I-140, USCIS sends to your home not to lawyer. :)
Will I get a copy (courtesy) of either the receipt notice or the approval notice from USCIS directly?
If your 140 is filed under premium. Just relax and have fun with your family. You will get approved 140 at your home in a week. Good part of the story is, I-140, USCIS sends to your home not to lawyer. :)
more...
amitarora74
08-04 01:32 PM
I had absolutely no trouble. I have travelled to India and also to Canada(by Road) and used my AP both times while my wife had GC and my kid her US passport(all different status:-)), we all went to same officer and he never asked anything on why i had different status etc
waitin_toolong
04-13 01:30 PM
I have recently switched the job using AC21. I have to move my 401K from my old previous company but here is the issue: in my new company I will not be eligible for the 401 till I complete 6 months with the new company.
If thinking of moving it to IRA account, please let me know what is the procedure involved?
I will really appreciate if some can suggest me what are my other options.
Thanks,
When you open an account with Vanguard ( my favorite for IRA) they actually have guides etc to help you out, to really make things smooth do not make out checks in your name, open the IRA account and choose to roll over existing 401(k) ( it will guide you through a process) also you will receive some paperwork from current 401(k) managemnet about your options and paperwork.
In most companies even though you will become eligible for match only after a waiting period you can still roll-over and make contributions. Check if you are confusing the two aspects.
If thinking of moving it to IRA account, please let me know what is the procedure involved?
I will really appreciate if some can suggest me what are my other options.
Thanks,
When you open an account with Vanguard ( my favorite for IRA) they actually have guides etc to help you out, to really make things smooth do not make out checks in your name, open the IRA account and choose to roll over existing 401(k) ( it will guide you through a process) also you will receive some paperwork from current 401(k) managemnet about your options and paperwork.
In most companies even though you will become eligible for match only after a waiting period you can still roll-over and make contributions. Check if you are confusing the two aspects.
more...
unseenguy
06-09 12:48 PM
Depends. If you filed under new fees structure, why pay more and travel to Mumbai if you do not reside in Mumbai. Its a waste of time. On the other hand , if you filed under old fees structure, then H1 fees are much lesser than AP fees. So that would make sense?
Also how many times more are you going to go out of country on H1 again?
I am saying this from experience. My wife was not granted H1 in India recently. They are issuing high number of 221(g)s and she had to return on AP. So consider all this and apply. If you get 221(g) , ask for the passport to be returned without talkin too much (or mentioning AP). It could result into loss of money and frustration in India.
If you are in the same job and have paid for AP already, I dont know why you need H1, unless you dont want to renew AP/EAD.
Also how many times more are you going to go out of country on H1 again?
I am saying this from experience. My wife was not granted H1 in India recently. They are issuing high number of 221(g)s and she had to return on AP. So consider all this and apply. If you get 221(g) , ask for the passport to be returned without talkin too much (or mentioning AP). It could result into loss of money and frustration in India.
If you are in the same job and have paid for AP already, I dont know why you need H1, unless you dont want to renew AP/EAD.
WaldenPond
06-30 05:45 PM
Hello baleraosreedhar,
FOIA application takes not more than 10-15 days in few states. Anybody could easily get a copy of labor certification from the Department of Labor of the state in which it was filed. The process is generally very simple and is free. I would suggest most people should file for FOIA and get a complete copy of their labor certification documents even if it is approved. You never know when you may need it.
For I-140 also one could file FOIA. But it is best for you to file FOIA with USCIS through an attorney. You only need a copy of the approval notice of
I-140. If you know the tracking number, it would be very easy to file FOIA. But as I said, it would be best to ask an immigration attorney when filing FOIA application with USCIS. Or you may use the services of private company like www.foia.com to have a professional file and handle your application for pretty cheap (around $100).
There is no benefit of going into the argument with your employer about the right or ownership to Labor certification, I-140 or I-485 documents. If you have a copy of your ETA-750 (know the description in ETA-750 form) and copy of approval notice of I-140, you could easily change jobs after six months of filing I-485. And that seems to be the fear of your current employer.
If you may consider changing employer after filing 485, then no need to argue with the employer. It will just spoil the environment for the time you are there. Simply file FOIA and do what is best for you and your family.
Just my 2 cents. Hope this is useful.
WaldenPond
Hi Gurus,
I have a question regarding the Labour and I 140, I have joined company A with a promise of approved labour.
My company has filed for my I140 and it got approved.
I have asked for a copy of my Labour and I 140, the company representative says, these documents are Employer Centric, so they cannot give me those documents.
I am really shocked to hear this, As these documents are related to my GC, I thought they should be with me,or alteast a copy of it, but that i snto the case.
I would like to know if any of you guys had faced this problem, or is the reason given by the representative a genuine one.
Thanks
FOIA application takes not more than 10-15 days in few states. Anybody could easily get a copy of labor certification from the Department of Labor of the state in which it was filed. The process is generally very simple and is free. I would suggest most people should file for FOIA and get a complete copy of their labor certification documents even if it is approved. You never know when you may need it.
For I-140 also one could file FOIA. But it is best for you to file FOIA with USCIS through an attorney. You only need a copy of the approval notice of
I-140. If you know the tracking number, it would be very easy to file FOIA. But as I said, it would be best to ask an immigration attorney when filing FOIA application with USCIS. Or you may use the services of private company like www.foia.com to have a professional file and handle your application for pretty cheap (around $100).
There is no benefit of going into the argument with your employer about the right or ownership to Labor certification, I-140 or I-485 documents. If you have a copy of your ETA-750 (know the description in ETA-750 form) and copy of approval notice of I-140, you could easily change jobs after six months of filing I-485. And that seems to be the fear of your current employer.
If you may consider changing employer after filing 485, then no need to argue with the employer. It will just spoil the environment for the time you are there. Simply file FOIA and do what is best for you and your family.
Just my 2 cents. Hope this is useful.
WaldenPond
Hi Gurus,
I have a question regarding the Labour and I 140, I have joined company A with a promise of approved labour.
My company has filed for my I140 and it got approved.
I have asked for a copy of my Labour and I 140, the company representative says, these documents are Employer Centric, so they cannot give me those documents.
I am really shocked to hear this, As these documents are related to my GC, I thought they should be with me,or alteast a copy of it, but that i snto the case.
I would like to know if any of you guys had faced this problem, or is the reason given by the representative a genuine one.
Thanks
more...
virtual55
07-29 03:28 PM
In Texas Service Center, they are not processing I-140 cases filed in the month July end and August. They kept the side. God knows about their future. But they are processing 2008 April and may cases also.
Where is FIFO? They should follow FIFO. Lot of those cases were BEC labor applications. So BEC guys suffered 3 yrs in backlog ceter, no justice there. No justice in USCIS even, waiting more than 1 yr for I-140 processing.
It is not fair.
This is true, they are not processing I-140's filed during July 2007,Aug 2007,June 2007 time period. USCIS has become another backlog center and no FIFO. I hope IV leaders are bringing this issue in their meetings with USCIS.
Where is FIFO? They should follow FIFO. Lot of those cases were BEC labor applications. So BEC guys suffered 3 yrs in backlog ceter, no justice there. No justice in USCIS even, waiting more than 1 yr for I-140 processing.
It is not fair.
This is true, they are not processing I-140's filed during July 2007,Aug 2007,June 2007 time period. USCIS has become another backlog center and no FIFO. I hope IV leaders are bringing this issue in their meetings with USCIS.
GIDOC
07-18 01:47 AM
We should still encourage Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren to look into why this happened in the first place. This should not happen again.
more...
ameryki
08-28 10:28 PM
Dude, if your profile is genuine, that does indicate something - my PD is also Nov. 2005, EB3-I. Both of us got 1 year EAD instead of 2.......hmm.....my attorney called USCIS and according to the attorney they (USCIS rep) couldn't tell them the reason for 1 year EAD.......asked me to do infopass!
trust me the ead situation is not consistent across the board. it is totally up to the IO assigned to the filing. but if you think its promising I truly hope you are right. do keep us posted if you find out more.
trust me the ead situation is not consistent across the board. it is totally up to the IO assigned to the filing. but if you think its promising I truly hope you are right. do keep us posted if you find out more.
Winner
04-21 12:28 PM
If I485 is denied for wrong reason (due to USCIS error), I understand that the applicant and attorney can file a MTR, but during the time till the case is reopened again, is it legal for the employee to work on EAD?
My assumption here is once the denial notice is received, it may take few weeks/months to gather the necessary information, send it to USCIS and then the case gets reopened.
My assumption here is once the denial notice is received, it may take few weeks/months to gather the necessary information, send it to USCIS and then the case gets reopened.
regacct
11-23 01:27 PM
Why the Anti-immigrant Dog Did Not Bark in Illinois (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-creamer/why-the-anti-immigrant-do_b_787368.html)
In the Sherlock Holmes short story "Silver Blaze" the famous detective focuses his analytic prowess on the "curious incident" of the dog that did not bark in the nighttime.
In the recent mid-term elections there was a similar "curious incident" in Illinois that is important nationally. No major candidate in Illinois from either the Republican or Democratic Party demagogued the immigration issue. Neither the ultra-conservative Republican candidate for Governor, Bill Brady, nor the supposedly "moderate" candidate for Senate, Mark Kirk, ran ads, did mailers, or used talking points about the supposed scourge of illegal immigrants taking jobs or sponging up our tax money. Nor did any major candidate for Congress.
It is definitely true that a number of the Republican candidates that were elected to Congressional seats hold anti-immigrant positions. But they did not choose to use those positions as wedge issues in the recent election. Why not?
A possible explanation is that Republicans in Illinois are a kinder, more reasonable group than Republicans elsewhere. That, I'm afraid, does not pass the laugh test.
You could argue that it's because Illinois has a large immigrant population in general and a large Latino population in particular. But so do Colorado, Nevada, Arizona and California where Republican Party candidates tried to use "illegal immigration" and "amnesty" as wedge issues to galvanize their base.
It is true that Illinois has a more immigrant-friendly tradition than some of the states in the Southwest. Much of the Caucasian population in Illinois comes from recent immigrant stock themselves - from Ireland, Poland, Lithuania, Italy, Germany, Croatia and Serbia.
But there is also a more old-fashioned reason. Demagogues and bullies tend to prey upon those whom they consider too weak to strike back. It turned out that in Nevada, California, and Colorado they made the wrong call, since their demagoguery galvanized turnout among Latino voters that defeated right-wing candidates for the Senate.
In fact, the Latino vote saved the Senate for the Democrats.
But in Illinois the right didn't even try their demagogic tactics. That's largely because the immigrant communities in Illinois have worked hard over five election cycles to build a muscular political organizing vehicle that gets out the immigrant vote -- and can bite back fiercely at anti-immigrant demagogues.
In 2008, Jim Oberweis ran for Congress against Democrat Bill Foster on a heavily anti-immigrant platform and was flattened by the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. That experience sent a lesson through Illinois' right-wing political class. Nothing like watching one of their own get scalded to teach others not to touch the stove.
The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) no leads The New Americans' Democracy Project . This year, 13 electoral organizers worked for months in both the City of Chicago and the Suburbs. They targeted 133,128 infrequent immigrant voters for a multi-contact phone and door operation, and before the election was done the volunteers they recruited did a total of 549,000 live phone calls to their universe of Latino, Asian and Muslim voters.
This work has been growing in scale and bite since 2002 when it began with no funding and in only nine precincts. At this point the immigrant vote can no longer be ignored by either party. Here are several key lessons from the Illinois immigrant organizing experience:
1) Consistency Counts: ICIRR has had between 10 and 20 full-time immigrant election campaign organizers every election since 2004. They begin their work in July and work through November, building a "recent immigrant" field operation. In every single cycle they add new skills to their electoral organizing.
2) Numbers Count: The immigrant voter program has registered over 90,000 new immigrant voters. They door-knock between 35,000 and 60,000 doors every election cycle.
3) Diversity is Strength: The Democracy Project works with leaders and organizations in Latino community, but also the Asian, Arab, and Polish immigrant communities.
4) Mine the "Base" and work the "Swings": The electoral work is done in the immigrant "base" Chicago port of entry neighborhoods to generate numbers, but also in swing suburban political districts where multi-ethnic immigrant organizing multiplies the voting power of Latinos. The activation of new immigrant voters in suburban "swing" communities forces Republican attention to immigrant issues.
5) Reward Friends, Punish Enemies: ICIRR keeps track of who engages in immigrant bashing -- and stikes back. When Republican anti-immigrant candidate Jim Oberweis polarized voters against "illegal immigrants", ICIRR released to the media a film of undocumented immigrants cleaning his business while being paid only $3.23 an hour. When old-school Democratic Mayor of Waukegan, IL attacked "illegals" with local law enforcement of immigration laws, he went down to defeat in the next election because Latinos in Waukegan mobilized to support his opponent.
6) Naturalize, Naturalize, Naturalize: ICIRR has one of the most aggressive citizenship programs in the nation. All told, an additional 170,000 immigrants were naturalized in Illinois over the last five years. The coalition itself directly assisted over 48,000 of those legal immigrants to become citizens, and thus voters.
ICIRR is not a partisan organization. In fact, their most recent fundraiser was headlined by the popular former Republican Governor Jim Edgar. But because of the track record of Republicans across the country, its organizing definitely benefits Democrats. In fact, Democratic Governor Pat Quinn - who won by fewer than 20,000 votes -- would not likely have been re-elected had it not been for their work.
On the policy side, ICIRR works for immigrant-friendly policies, and by any definition they have succeeded in winning some of the most immigrant-friendly policies in the nation at the state level in Illinois.
The state of Illinois leans Blue, but it has wide swatches of Red. In the recent elections the Democrats barely lost the Senate race and took some terrible losses in the Congressional delegation. But in addition to electing a Democratic Governor, both the State House and Senate remained in Democratic hands. The immigrant vote was critical to these Democratic victories, but it is also a force that Republicans ignore or abuse at their peril. In this election, at least, Illinois Republicans generally had the good sense not to bait the immigrant community.
In the current environment of racialized fear and polarization against immigrants across the U.S., the hard work of immigrant advocates in Illinois provides two key lessons:
* Demagogues go after the weak, not the strong. You don't stop anti-immigrant demagoguery through accommodation, you stop it with strength.
* Nuts and Bolts Organizing works.
In the Sherlock Holmes short story "Silver Blaze" the famous detective focuses his analytic prowess on the "curious incident" of the dog that did not bark in the nighttime.
In the recent mid-term elections there was a similar "curious incident" in Illinois that is important nationally. No major candidate in Illinois from either the Republican or Democratic Party demagogued the immigration issue. Neither the ultra-conservative Republican candidate for Governor, Bill Brady, nor the supposedly "moderate" candidate for Senate, Mark Kirk, ran ads, did mailers, or used talking points about the supposed scourge of illegal immigrants taking jobs or sponging up our tax money. Nor did any major candidate for Congress.
It is definitely true that a number of the Republican candidates that were elected to Congressional seats hold anti-immigrant positions. But they did not choose to use those positions as wedge issues in the recent election. Why not?
A possible explanation is that Republicans in Illinois are a kinder, more reasonable group than Republicans elsewhere. That, I'm afraid, does not pass the laugh test.
You could argue that it's because Illinois has a large immigrant population in general and a large Latino population in particular. But so do Colorado, Nevada, Arizona and California where Republican Party candidates tried to use "illegal immigration" and "amnesty" as wedge issues to galvanize their base.
It is true that Illinois has a more immigrant-friendly tradition than some of the states in the Southwest. Much of the Caucasian population in Illinois comes from recent immigrant stock themselves - from Ireland, Poland, Lithuania, Italy, Germany, Croatia and Serbia.
But there is also a more old-fashioned reason. Demagogues and bullies tend to prey upon those whom they consider too weak to strike back. It turned out that in Nevada, California, and Colorado they made the wrong call, since their demagoguery galvanized turnout among Latino voters that defeated right-wing candidates for the Senate.
In fact, the Latino vote saved the Senate for the Democrats.
But in Illinois the right didn't even try their demagogic tactics. That's largely because the immigrant communities in Illinois have worked hard over five election cycles to build a muscular political organizing vehicle that gets out the immigrant vote -- and can bite back fiercely at anti-immigrant demagogues.
In 2008, Jim Oberweis ran for Congress against Democrat Bill Foster on a heavily anti-immigrant platform and was flattened by the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. That experience sent a lesson through Illinois' right-wing political class. Nothing like watching one of their own get scalded to teach others not to touch the stove.
The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) no leads The New Americans' Democracy Project . This year, 13 electoral organizers worked for months in both the City of Chicago and the Suburbs. They targeted 133,128 infrequent immigrant voters for a multi-contact phone and door operation, and before the election was done the volunteers they recruited did a total of 549,000 live phone calls to their universe of Latino, Asian and Muslim voters.
This work has been growing in scale and bite since 2002 when it began with no funding and in only nine precincts. At this point the immigrant vote can no longer be ignored by either party. Here are several key lessons from the Illinois immigrant organizing experience:
1) Consistency Counts: ICIRR has had between 10 and 20 full-time immigrant election campaign organizers every election since 2004. They begin their work in July and work through November, building a "recent immigrant" field operation. In every single cycle they add new skills to their electoral organizing.
2) Numbers Count: The immigrant voter program has registered over 90,000 new immigrant voters. They door-knock between 35,000 and 60,000 doors every election cycle.
3) Diversity is Strength: The Democracy Project works with leaders and organizations in Latino community, but also the Asian, Arab, and Polish immigrant communities.
4) Mine the "Base" and work the "Swings": The electoral work is done in the immigrant "base" Chicago port of entry neighborhoods to generate numbers, but also in swing suburban political districts where multi-ethnic immigrant organizing multiplies the voting power of Latinos. The activation of new immigrant voters in suburban "swing" communities forces Republican attention to immigrant issues.
5) Reward Friends, Punish Enemies: ICIRR keeps track of who engages in immigrant bashing -- and stikes back. When Republican anti-immigrant candidate Jim Oberweis polarized voters against "illegal immigrants", ICIRR released to the media a film of undocumented immigrants cleaning his business while being paid only $3.23 an hour. When old-school Democratic Mayor of Waukegan, IL attacked "illegals" with local law enforcement of immigration laws, he went down to defeat in the next election because Latinos in Waukegan mobilized to support his opponent.
6) Naturalize, Naturalize, Naturalize: ICIRR has one of the most aggressive citizenship programs in the nation. All told, an additional 170,000 immigrants were naturalized in Illinois over the last five years. The coalition itself directly assisted over 48,000 of those legal immigrants to become citizens, and thus voters.
ICIRR is not a partisan organization. In fact, their most recent fundraiser was headlined by the popular former Republican Governor Jim Edgar. But because of the track record of Republicans across the country, its organizing definitely benefits Democrats. In fact, Democratic Governor Pat Quinn - who won by fewer than 20,000 votes -- would not likely have been re-elected had it not been for their work.
On the policy side, ICIRR works for immigrant-friendly policies, and by any definition they have succeeded in winning some of the most immigrant-friendly policies in the nation at the state level in Illinois.
The state of Illinois leans Blue, but it has wide swatches of Red. In the recent elections the Democrats barely lost the Senate race and took some terrible losses in the Congressional delegation. But in addition to electing a Democratic Governor, both the State House and Senate remained in Democratic hands. The immigrant vote was critical to these Democratic victories, but it is also a force that Republicans ignore or abuse at their peril. In this election, at least, Illinois Republicans generally had the good sense not to bait the immigrant community.
In the current environment of racialized fear and polarization against immigrants across the U.S., the hard work of immigrant advocates in Illinois provides two key lessons:
* Demagogues go after the weak, not the strong. You don't stop anti-immigrant demagoguery through accommodation, you stop it with strength.
* Nuts and Bolts Organizing works.
intheyan
06-17 06:37 PM
After I-485 pending for more than 180 days and with approved I-140 I changed the job. But the job is exactly similar the pay is almost 35% greater than that is in Labour. Will that create problems? I have not send AC21 filled to USCIS since my lawyer and friends suggested it not maditory but we can argue on getting the RFE showing papers that the new job has same job duties.
Thanks for your replys in advance
Thanks for your replys in advance
pappu
07-30 11:38 AM
I do not doubt that these calls serve a purpose. What I am not very happy about is what transpires after the call. I look for some kind of gratification or closure after a certain issue has been raised. When we participate in such calls with Ombudsman, and even when individuals focus on their own issues, it would not be too difficult to identify some of the generic problems. From the calls this time and the past one, I would be surprised it they did not see customer service and processing times as major issues. Not to say these are high priority problems but that most likely would be the summary of two calls.
But, what happens after that? We do not see what procedures are in place/discussions to rectify these problems.
Thats where I think calls/meeting with USCIS local or DC body could help. Thanks for pointing out that such meetings are already in the works. I will defer my discussion to my local chapter. Thanks.
I agree.
Maybe this is something our community can ask Ombudsman's office so that after calls, we can know any follow up action and status on the 'issues' raised during the call.
But, what happens after that? We do not see what procedures are in place/discussions to rectify these problems.
Thats where I think calls/meeting with USCIS local or DC body could help. Thanks for pointing out that such meetings are already in the works. I will defer my discussion to my local chapter. Thanks.
I agree.
Maybe this is something our community can ask Ombudsman's office so that after calls, we can know any follow up action and status on the 'issues' raised during the call.
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