dish
10-15 07:28 PM
Do you really need a Green Card, Permanently reside in United States and eventually become a U.S Citizen ?
Or
If the H1B Visa allows you to work here for 20 years, if spouse can work on H4 visa, you can get in-state tuition for studying, and you can claim the money you contributed to Social Security anytime you decide to leave this Country --- WILL You be in the LINE for Green Card ?
We all came here looking for greener pastures. But How many of you think this Country and this Culture is great ? Now think about the Economic Growth - The US is still the most competitive but they are not the Number One anymore.
In my case I am in the GC Queue, for spouse work permit and better job prospects...get promoted, can change employer etc. And Ofcourse make money...But eventually, say 10 or 15 years here then I want to move back to my home land. So I had to apply for GC so that I can stay for few more years here.
But on the darker Side I am tied to my employer, cannot change jobs, and no promotions literally Zero growth on career.
Most H1B holders get very good offers when they move back to their home countris after say 10 years. But the H4 spouse who spent al these years rotting in the USA again have to continue rotting....Their prospects are dim. So I want to get my GC. Let my spouse work here for couple of years and move back to my Own country.
If the H1B visa was not as restrictive I would not have applied for a Green Card. I would have never been tied to a specific Employer. I would have gotten Promotions. I would have had better career satisfaction and more savings If my spouse too were working.....
So why not H1b made more HUMANE ?;) ;) ;)
Or
If the H1B Visa allows you to work here for 20 years, if spouse can work on H4 visa, you can get in-state tuition for studying, and you can claim the money you contributed to Social Security anytime you decide to leave this Country --- WILL You be in the LINE for Green Card ?
We all came here looking for greener pastures. But How many of you think this Country and this Culture is great ? Now think about the Economic Growth - The US is still the most competitive but they are not the Number One anymore.
In my case I am in the GC Queue, for spouse work permit and better job prospects...get promoted, can change employer etc. And Ofcourse make money...But eventually, say 10 or 15 years here then I want to move back to my home land. So I had to apply for GC so that I can stay for few more years here.
But on the darker Side I am tied to my employer, cannot change jobs, and no promotions literally Zero growth on career.
Most H1B holders get very good offers when they move back to their home countris after say 10 years. But the H4 spouse who spent al these years rotting in the USA again have to continue rotting....Their prospects are dim. So I want to get my GC. Let my spouse work here for couple of years and move back to my Own country.
If the H1B visa was not as restrictive I would not have applied for a Green Card. I would have never been tied to a specific Employer. I would have gotten Promotions. I would have had better career satisfaction and more savings If my spouse too were working.....
So why not H1b made more HUMANE ?;) ;) ;)
wallpaper the situation, jersey shore,
GCAmigo
02-07 09:19 AM
is it something new?
gk_2000
04-20 07:09 PM
Politicians are very well aware of our issues; they just don't want to provide a solution because of the hispanic caucus.
But, more seriously thinking, isn't Mexico also one of the backlogged EB countries? I doubt they will mind having a provision for us while they do their campaign. Perhaps we really ought to join hands with them so our objects can get more widespread support .. just an idea
But, more seriously thinking, isn't Mexico also one of the backlogged EB countries? I doubt they will mind having a provision for us while they do their campaign. Perhaps we really ought to join hands with them so our objects can get more widespread support .. just an idea
2011 Jersey Shore - Top 10 Quotes
SGP
12-30 09:22 PM
I always loved this board for what it does - especially the Gurus who always spend their precious time giving input to member's queries. Well... this is not query. I just want to vent my frustration, helplessness to fellow friends in this board. In spite of graduating from a reputed univ with a Masters and very good GPA and also having 7 years of professional experience, I am bound to be a slave to my current Employer without any promotions, career growth or anything remote to that for next (God knows how many Decades) several years. ppl who are junior to me in every aspect are growing left and right and are also getting brighter opportunities. I dont care if you guys think I am jealous of them.... But does God really exist ? sorry for wasting your time with this depressing note. I guess there is a limit to how unlucky I can be !! call me a cry baby but I am one real unlucky individual !
There is always a silver lining in the black clouds. Do not despair. Believe in GOD AND YOURSELF. Rest all will fall in place. Can you explain what's going on?
If you will be benefited by “I-485 filing without current priority Date”, please vote YES on the Poll.
Then please send an email to ivcoordinator@gmail.com with subject - "I485 filing without current PD - Impacted Member". Include your 1) IV username 2) Email address 3) Ph#, 4) State of Residence so that grassroot efforts can be coordinated. Please refer to the first post on the thread and use the flier,talk to your friends/colleagues to spread the message.We need all members to get involved.
There is always a silver lining in the black clouds. Do not despair. Believe in GOD AND YOURSELF. Rest all will fall in place. Can you explain what's going on?
If you will be benefited by “I-485 filing without current priority Date”, please vote YES on the Poll.
Then please send an email to ivcoordinator@gmail.com with subject - "I485 filing without current PD - Impacted Member". Include your 1) IV username 2) Email address 3) Ph#, 4) State of Residence so that grassroot efforts can be coordinated. Please refer to the first post on the thread and use the flier,talk to your friends/colleagues to spread the message.We need all members to get involved.
more...
Macaca
10-05 02:22 PM
Post your comments at this WSJ article related blog (http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2007/10/05/republican-candidates-rev-up-for-economic-debate/)
saimrathi
07-10 09:09 AM
SHould have sent in Munnabhai DVDs with the flowers with subtitles..
I seriously hope that the Director of the USCIS understands our "Gandhigiiri".
We dont want the Americans thinking, "hey lets keep screwing these immigrants and getting stuff like free flowers and free blood from them"
I seriously hope that the Director of the USCIS understands our "Gandhigiiri".
We dont want the Americans thinking, "hey lets keep screwing these immigrants and getting stuff like free flowers and free blood from them"
more...
coolrajm
11-06 03:18 PM
My friend sent me through wire transfer. I think bank was HDFC.
He had't get RBI clearance or anything and he sent under maintenance category or something like not sure.
It was done in 2005 not sure rules are changed lately.
Hope this helps
He had't get RBI clearance or anything and he sent under maintenance category or something like not sure.
It was done in 2005 not sure rules are changed lately.
Hope this helps
2010 i love jersey shore
Cheran
02-23 04:45 PM
my dear.. pretentious pseudo middle class desi...
i know ppl like you...
you wear an armani to office but still carrying curd rice and pickel for lunch...
you rejoice the success of slumDOG..with your liberal friends...with a martini glass filled with water..in hand..because ur amma told u not to drink alcohaal..;)
according to u ...we are losers because we dont like being called a DOG in 21st century...
if you want to wag ur skinny brown ass ..eveytime SlumDOG is uttered..thats ur problem..
Can't you write a simple sentence without offending others? Furthermore nothing makes sense in your post. What's wrong with eating curd rice and pickle? If I eat beef with my Armani suit then you will think off me differently? At least that guy makes a stand and not drink, I wonder what you do? You hit the pub with your parents? Moron.
Only in a Desi website you will find million different ways to butcher someone.
.
i know ppl like you...
you wear an armani to office but still carrying curd rice and pickel for lunch...
you rejoice the success of slumDOG..with your liberal friends...with a martini glass filled with water..in hand..because ur amma told u not to drink alcohaal..;)
according to u ...we are losers because we dont like being called a DOG in 21st century...
if you want to wag ur skinny brown ass ..eveytime SlumDOG is uttered..thats ur problem..
Can't you write a simple sentence without offending others? Furthermore nothing makes sense in your post. What's wrong with eating curd rice and pickle? If I eat beef with my Armani suit then you will think off me differently? At least that guy makes a stand and not drink, I wonder what you do? You hit the pub with your parents? Moron.
Only in a Desi website you will find million different ways to butcher someone.
.
more...
McLuvin
04-07 05:26 PM
Yeah.. thats good...
Just another proof.... we guys never give up... :D
It does not matter if its 2moro or the day after or next week...
Kuch milega kya??
BR
Just another proof.... we guys never give up... :D
It does not matter if its 2moro or the day after or next week...
Kuch milega kya??
BR
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sirinme
07-17 10:48 PM
I mailed letters to the following today.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein
Sen. Barbara Boxer
Rep. Zoe Lofgren
Sen. Dianne Feinstein
Sen. Barbara Boxer
Rep. Zoe Lofgren
more...
Jaime
09-27 04:57 PM
I guess using our degrees to pass on a message is a fool-proof idea. That can immediately catch on with media like flowers did. If not stoppers, we can write our message in bold colors on the degrees.
Indeed thoughtful. I'm all in for it.
Great idea!
Indeed thoughtful. I'm all in for it.
Great idea!
hot Jersey Shore Season 2 Episode
WithoutGCAmigo
06-18 12:48 PM
Any reference for what you wrote.
THis thread is confusing a lot of people. My understanding in once 1485 is pending , one can to county office get EAD card after a month. Gurus please input your comments
THis thread is confusing a lot of people. My understanding in once 1485 is pending , one can to county office get EAD card after a month. Gurus please input your comments
more...
house Quotes from #39;Jersey Shore#39;
gc_waiter56
07-06 12:24 PM
Nobody can provide any timeline and also nobody can say for sure that an affirmative action will happen.
tattoo Season 2 of Jersey Shore,
Macaca
08-13 07:59 PM
� It is estimated that approximately 500K+ (yes 500K) I-485 applications under skilled worker category were filed between July 2nd and August 17th 2007. Most of these applications were from people of India and China.
The date is June 1st. Also, there were 1M+ applications before June 1st,
� Employment Based Immigration reforms do not find enough support on the senate floors (Failure of SKIL, STEM etc Bills). As a matter of fact, it does not even get enough support to make it debatable, let alone final voting on the bills.
IV grassroot effort (flower campaign and SJ rally) were a very important reason for retraction of July Visa Bulletin.
The date is June 1st. Also, there were 1M+ applications before June 1st,
� Employment Based Immigration reforms do not find enough support on the senate floors (Failure of SKIL, STEM etc Bills). As a matter of fact, it does not even get enough support to make it debatable, let alone final voting on the bills.
IV grassroot effort (flower campaign and SJ rally) were a very important reason for retraction of July Visa Bulletin.
more...
pictures Best Quotes from #39;Jersey
brb2
06-20 10:27 AM
Those of you who are now thinking that being able to file 485 will give you freedom - just read through the list to see how many 485 filers (mainly Indians and Chinese) are stuck in the name check russian roullette.
http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?nc082505
This is one of the biggest bottleneck to 485 and naturalization processing. Most would think it would catch moslems - in reality it catches anyone in "hi-tech" and more often than not Indians, Chinese and Russians. And ofcourse Koreans too. One of the person's stuck in name check commented on the above link - if the FBI knew that a fifth of the nation shares the last name Kim! I guess the same would go for Wu, Yu, Zhou, Singh, Kumar etc.
http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?nc082505
This is one of the biggest bottleneck to 485 and naturalization processing. Most would think it would catch moslems - in reality it catches anyone in "hi-tech" and more often than not Indians, Chinese and Russians. And ofcourse Koreans too. One of the person's stuck in name check commented on the above link - if the FBI knew that a fifth of the nation shares the last name Kim! I guess the same would go for Wu, Yu, Zhou, Singh, Kumar etc.
dresses the situation jersey shore quotes. The Situation Jersey Shore
gc101
07-18 09:39 AM
Hi,
Here is my situation. I can apply for I-485 since my labor(PD - Mar 05) has cleared and I-140 has been filed.
But, I have a fiancee and we are getting married in September 2007. She is on H1-B but currently traveling in India.
We cannot get married before September 2007, so, as far as I understand, I cannot add her into my AOS filing right now. And, as far as I understand they are gonna retrogress the dates to oblivion after August 17, 2007.
1. So, my question is, would she have to wait until my priority date become current again before she can add herself into my AOS application?
2. Let's say the answer for question 1 is YES. What happens if due to whatever reason, my I-140 gets approved BEFORE my priority date becomes current, so, in that scenario I wouldn't have been able to apply for her AOS anyway? Then, what are our options?
3. Let's say the answer for question 1 is NO. Then, is there a special processing I need to do to add her since my priority dates will not be current anytime soon because of the retrogression?
Please remember, she DOES carry H1-B on her own.
Thank you,
gc101.
Here is my situation. I can apply for I-485 since my labor(PD - Mar 05) has cleared and I-140 has been filed.
But, I have a fiancee and we are getting married in September 2007. She is on H1-B but currently traveling in India.
We cannot get married before September 2007, so, as far as I understand, I cannot add her into my AOS filing right now. And, as far as I understand they are gonna retrogress the dates to oblivion after August 17, 2007.
1. So, my question is, would she have to wait until my priority date become current again before she can add herself into my AOS application?
2. Let's say the answer for question 1 is YES. What happens if due to whatever reason, my I-140 gets approved BEFORE my priority date becomes current, so, in that scenario I wouldn't have been able to apply for her AOS anyway? Then, what are our options?
3. Let's say the answer for question 1 is NO. Then, is there a special processing I need to do to add her since my priority dates will not be current anytime soon because of the retrogression?
Please remember, she DOES carry H1-B on her own.
Thank you,
gc101.
more...
makeup I love Jersey Shore.
tejonidhi
01-04 01:44 PM
Hello Everybody,
I know many of us are frustrated because of EAD delay. I am one of them and today I called up USCIS.
Here is the sequence.
1) 1 800 375 5283
2) 1,2,2,6,1 receipt notice# 1,3,4
3) you will have to wait for 10 to 15 minutes and one of the officer will come online for you.
4) at least they will give you information about your case ( mine is sent to some storage and they had to issue an expedite request to get it processed again. I am july 2 filer with notice dat of sept 8,2007 3 infopass apointments, 1 SR). the officer has access to look at the file and can give you appropriate information( they are not like regular service agents who will read what you see on USCIS.gov).
5) as of now they told me that I will information from USCIS in 2 weeks.
All the best
I know many of us are frustrated because of EAD delay. I am one of them and today I called up USCIS.
Here is the sequence.
1) 1 800 375 5283
2) 1,2,2,6,1 receipt notice# 1,3,4
3) you will have to wait for 10 to 15 minutes and one of the officer will come online for you.
4) at least they will give you information about your case ( mine is sent to some storage and they had to issue an expedite request to get it processed again. I am july 2 filer with notice dat of sept 8,2007 3 infopass apointments, 1 SR). the officer has access to look at the file and can give you appropriate information( they are not like regular service agents who will read what you see on USCIS.gov).
5) as of now they told me that I will information from USCIS in 2 weeks.
All the best
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smmakani
04-25 09:11 PM
Even if this system comes into existence, it should not be affecting us because we are already certified as eligible based on labor certification.
hairstyles Jersey Shore Quotes.
kanta80
04-25 11:00 PM
Here is the link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/25/AR2006042501963.html
Sorry if someone else had already posted it.
Thanks.
Ed to add text in case link gets outdated:
Skilled Immigrants Turn to K Street
High-Tech Workers Awaiting Green Cards Hire Lobbyists, Hit the Hill
By S. Mitra Kalita
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, April 26, 2006; Page D01
On the December day when Congress killed a budget amendment that might have allowed him to become an American a little sooner, Aman Kapoor started a movement.
He did not march through streets, carry signs, wave a flag from here or there. He did not walk off the job or file out of school. The computer programmer simply went online to a message board tracked by thousands of people in his predicament: highly skilled foreigners waiting years for their green cards.
"I think we can do better and really create the impact with organized effort," he wrote. "To achieve this we need a group of individuals who have shown commitment and motivation in this forum."
The next night, a dozen people living across the United States shed their Internet handles -- Kapoor's was "WaldenPond," a nod to his hero, Henry David Thoreau -- and addressed one another by name on a conference call that lasted an hour. Today, just four months later, the organization they dubbed Immigration Voice boasts 3,000 members; a fundraising goal of $200,000; and, most notably, a partnership with a high-powered lobbying firm, Quinn Gillespie & Associates LLC.
The group's transformation from an insular circle to a politically active movement offers a window into an alternative immigrant campaign being waged as the Senate this week resumes its work on immigration laws.
Most members and all the core organizers of Immigration Voice hail from India, though Chinese membership numbers in the hundreds and is on the rise. Most arrived on an international student visa or a visa known as the H-1B, reserved for highly skilled workers who can stay for up to six years -- unless an employer sponsors their green cards, which grant immigrants permanent residence in the United States and the right to live and work here freely. Over the past decade, the largest numbers of H-1Bs have been awarded to high-technology workers from India and China.
Thus, while the passage of a strict border-security bill introduced by Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner Jr. (R-Wis.) mobilized many other immigrants in December, members of this high-tech group had their eye on another: a budget reconciliation bill that, in the Senate version, would have allowed those waiting in line for a green card to proceed even if the quota had been exhausted. The provision was cut in conference committee, stirring many to action and leading to the founding of Immigration Voice.
While hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets to get Congress's attention, Immigration Voice took a decidedly different approach. Shortly after the group was established, Kapoor and other volunteers began interviewing lobbyists, relying mostly on Google searches and data from the Center for Public Integrity's Web site.
"If it was not going to be big, it would not be worth the effort," said Kapoor, who works for Florida State University and has traveled to Washington nine times in the past three months. "Most of us have reached that point, having waited for eight or nine years, where individual lives are on hold."
Neither Quinn Gillespie nor Immigration Voice would disclose the amount being paid for the firm's services. Kapoor said it is "less than five figures."
"This is a sympathetic story," said Nick Maduros, a lobbyist for Quinn Gillespie. "For this group, their issues are very technical and are frankly not that controversial, but they have been overshadowed ."
Immigration Voices also enlisted the help of Rick Swartz, who has his own firm and has long been a leading lobbyist for immigration groups. Swartz gathered members of the group at his home one January weekend for a crash course in American politics, teaching them to position themselves as the "new Cubans for the Republicans."
Although their numbers are far smaller -- fewer than 2 million Indians live in the United States, according to the 2000 Census -- the group is among the more affluent immigrant communities. And because their numbers are smaller than those of Hispanics, they are trying to focus on other ways they can exert power -- through their wealth, their positions of influence in the high-tech and business communities, and their alliances with more established advocacy groups such as one for Indian physicians and an Indian political action committee.
While the immigrant marchers' demands have covered a range of issues, including allowing immigrants to gain legal status and eventually citizenship, the members of this association are more narrowly focused: They want Congress to pass measures that would end the years-long wait for a green card. In fact, they warn that efforts to enable millions of illegal immigrants to remain here permanently would result in the same bureaucratic nightmare legal immigrants are now facing.
"If you're going to reform, reform across the board," said Bharati Mandapati, who oversees content for the group, which means she has learned how to word and pitch legislative amendments.
The group has refrained from taking a stand on the fate of the undocumented workers, though it monitors chatter on its Web site to ensure that frustrated high-tech workers don't disparage lower-skilled laborers such as landscapers and restaurant workers. It also has stayed mum on raising the cap on H-1Bs, the visas that made most of their passages possible.
Under a proposal introduced by Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), the number of employment-based green cards being issued would increase from 140,000 to 290,000. Currently, no one country is supposed to take up more than 7 percent of the allotment, though unused green cards can be redistributed to countries that have already met their quota. That has made possible migrations in excess of 7 percent from nations such as India, China, Mexico and the Philippines. Under the proposal, the per-country cap would be increased to a hard and fast 10 percent. Proponents say this would prevent one country from dominating the category and would retain jobs for native-born Americans.
But Mandapati, a California-based economist, argues that the restriction would hurt the United States because the demand for skills changes. "It just so happens that computer technology and certain technical skills are in great demand here and all over the world. It just so happens that there are two countries that have invested a lot of resources in educating people in these fields . . . India and China."
About a half-million immigrants are caught in the green-card backlog, some as they wait for Labor Department approval or because quotas have been exceeded. In that time, they cannot be promoted or given substantial pay increases because that would mean a change in job description and salary. They turn to Web sites to compare their wait times with others, and their Internet handles, such as "stucklabor" and "waiting_labor," exude their frustration.
During meetings on Capitol Hill, Maduros and at least one Immigration Voice representative lay out the group's platform, weaving in the personal stories of members. Shilpa Ghodgaonkar, a Germantown housewife, has become a staple anecdote -- and a frequent visitor on the Hill.
For four years, she and her husband have been waiting for their green cards. Ghodgaonkar's husband arrived on an H-1B visa, and she followed as his dependent, unauthorized to work here. To pass the time, she learned to cook. Then she volunteered as a career counselor in Montgomery County. Last year, she earned her MBA from George Washington University. In December, around the time Kapoor sent out his e-mail plea for mass mobilization, Ghodgaonkar had run out of options.
"I just couldn't keep quiet anymore," Ghodgaonkar said. "I cannot be depressed anymore."
She keeps a spreadsheet that lays out appointment times and the senators' offices she has visited or still plans to: Specter, Frist, Schumer, Brownback, Bingaman, Feinstein, Feingold. Wednesdays bring a weekly call with Quinn Gillespie. And every few nights, there are conference calls among Immigration Voice's core team.
Now the group plans to closely watch the debate resuming in the Senate Judiciary Committee. Earlier this month, Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) proposed amendments with all of the group's provisions. Other lawmakers confirm that they are still meeting with the group to hear their concerns.
Immigration Voice leaders say the past few months have focused and politicized Indian immigrants in a way that was not apparent in the past. "There is a very 'Mr. Smith Goes to Washington' quality" about the current effort, Mandapati said. "It's been a journey, a loss of naivete and getting to know about American politics."
Sorry if someone else had already posted it.
Thanks.
Ed to add text in case link gets outdated:
Skilled Immigrants Turn to K Street
High-Tech Workers Awaiting Green Cards Hire Lobbyists, Hit the Hill
By S. Mitra Kalita
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, April 26, 2006; Page D01
On the December day when Congress killed a budget amendment that might have allowed him to become an American a little sooner, Aman Kapoor started a movement.
He did not march through streets, carry signs, wave a flag from here or there. He did not walk off the job or file out of school. The computer programmer simply went online to a message board tracked by thousands of people in his predicament: highly skilled foreigners waiting years for their green cards.
"I think we can do better and really create the impact with organized effort," he wrote. "To achieve this we need a group of individuals who have shown commitment and motivation in this forum."
The next night, a dozen people living across the United States shed their Internet handles -- Kapoor's was "WaldenPond," a nod to his hero, Henry David Thoreau -- and addressed one another by name on a conference call that lasted an hour. Today, just four months later, the organization they dubbed Immigration Voice boasts 3,000 members; a fundraising goal of $200,000; and, most notably, a partnership with a high-powered lobbying firm, Quinn Gillespie & Associates LLC.
The group's transformation from an insular circle to a politically active movement offers a window into an alternative immigrant campaign being waged as the Senate this week resumes its work on immigration laws.
Most members and all the core organizers of Immigration Voice hail from India, though Chinese membership numbers in the hundreds and is on the rise. Most arrived on an international student visa or a visa known as the H-1B, reserved for highly skilled workers who can stay for up to six years -- unless an employer sponsors their green cards, which grant immigrants permanent residence in the United States and the right to live and work here freely. Over the past decade, the largest numbers of H-1Bs have been awarded to high-technology workers from India and China.
Thus, while the passage of a strict border-security bill introduced by Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner Jr. (R-Wis.) mobilized many other immigrants in December, members of this high-tech group had their eye on another: a budget reconciliation bill that, in the Senate version, would have allowed those waiting in line for a green card to proceed even if the quota had been exhausted. The provision was cut in conference committee, stirring many to action and leading to the founding of Immigration Voice.
While hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets to get Congress's attention, Immigration Voice took a decidedly different approach. Shortly after the group was established, Kapoor and other volunteers began interviewing lobbyists, relying mostly on Google searches and data from the Center for Public Integrity's Web site.
"If it was not going to be big, it would not be worth the effort," said Kapoor, who works for Florida State University and has traveled to Washington nine times in the past three months. "Most of us have reached that point, having waited for eight or nine years, where individual lives are on hold."
Neither Quinn Gillespie nor Immigration Voice would disclose the amount being paid for the firm's services. Kapoor said it is "less than five figures."
"This is a sympathetic story," said Nick Maduros, a lobbyist for Quinn Gillespie. "For this group, their issues are very technical and are frankly not that controversial, but they have been overshadowed ."
Immigration Voices also enlisted the help of Rick Swartz, who has his own firm and has long been a leading lobbyist for immigration groups. Swartz gathered members of the group at his home one January weekend for a crash course in American politics, teaching them to position themselves as the "new Cubans for the Republicans."
Although their numbers are far smaller -- fewer than 2 million Indians live in the United States, according to the 2000 Census -- the group is among the more affluent immigrant communities. And because their numbers are smaller than those of Hispanics, they are trying to focus on other ways they can exert power -- through their wealth, their positions of influence in the high-tech and business communities, and their alliances with more established advocacy groups such as one for Indian physicians and an Indian political action committee.
While the immigrant marchers' demands have covered a range of issues, including allowing immigrants to gain legal status and eventually citizenship, the members of this association are more narrowly focused: They want Congress to pass measures that would end the years-long wait for a green card. In fact, they warn that efforts to enable millions of illegal immigrants to remain here permanently would result in the same bureaucratic nightmare legal immigrants are now facing.
"If you're going to reform, reform across the board," said Bharati Mandapati, who oversees content for the group, which means she has learned how to word and pitch legislative amendments.
The group has refrained from taking a stand on the fate of the undocumented workers, though it monitors chatter on its Web site to ensure that frustrated high-tech workers don't disparage lower-skilled laborers such as landscapers and restaurant workers. It also has stayed mum on raising the cap on H-1Bs, the visas that made most of their passages possible.
Under a proposal introduced by Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), the number of employment-based green cards being issued would increase from 140,000 to 290,000. Currently, no one country is supposed to take up more than 7 percent of the allotment, though unused green cards can be redistributed to countries that have already met their quota. That has made possible migrations in excess of 7 percent from nations such as India, China, Mexico and the Philippines. Under the proposal, the per-country cap would be increased to a hard and fast 10 percent. Proponents say this would prevent one country from dominating the category and would retain jobs for native-born Americans.
But Mandapati, a California-based economist, argues that the restriction would hurt the United States because the demand for skills changes. "It just so happens that computer technology and certain technical skills are in great demand here and all over the world. It just so happens that there are two countries that have invested a lot of resources in educating people in these fields . . . India and China."
About a half-million immigrants are caught in the green-card backlog, some as they wait for Labor Department approval or because quotas have been exceeded. In that time, they cannot be promoted or given substantial pay increases because that would mean a change in job description and salary. They turn to Web sites to compare their wait times with others, and their Internet handles, such as "stucklabor" and "waiting_labor," exude their frustration.
During meetings on Capitol Hill, Maduros and at least one Immigration Voice representative lay out the group's platform, weaving in the personal stories of members. Shilpa Ghodgaonkar, a Germantown housewife, has become a staple anecdote -- and a frequent visitor on the Hill.
For four years, she and her husband have been waiting for their green cards. Ghodgaonkar's husband arrived on an H-1B visa, and she followed as his dependent, unauthorized to work here. To pass the time, she learned to cook. Then she volunteered as a career counselor in Montgomery County. Last year, she earned her MBA from George Washington University. In December, around the time Kapoor sent out his e-mail plea for mass mobilization, Ghodgaonkar had run out of options.
"I just couldn't keep quiet anymore," Ghodgaonkar said. "I cannot be depressed anymore."
She keeps a spreadsheet that lays out appointment times and the senators' offices she has visited or still plans to: Specter, Frist, Schumer, Brownback, Bingaman, Feinstein, Feingold. Wednesdays bring a weekly call with Quinn Gillespie. And every few nights, there are conference calls among Immigration Voice's core team.
Now the group plans to closely watch the debate resuming in the Senate Judiciary Committee. Earlier this month, Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) proposed amendments with all of the group's provisions. Other lawmakers confirm that they are still meeting with the group to hear their concerns.
Immigration Voice leaders say the past few months have focused and politicized Indian immigrants in a way that was not apparent in the past. "There is a very 'Mr. Smith Goes to Washington' quality" about the current effort, Mandapati said. "It's been a journey, a loss of naivete and getting to know about American politics."
mhtanim
10-24 03:10 PM
Wow! Congrats!
You got approved even when your PD is not current. You really are lucky. I guess you are the first person that I have noticed getting EB3 approval as July filer. Good luck!
You got approved even when your PD is not current. You really are lucky. I guess you are the first person that I have noticed getting EB3 approval as July filer. Good luck!
bitzbytz
06-25 12:14 AM
My wife does not ahve paystubs from Oct 06 to Dec 06 and no W2 for year 2006. SO I would need a absence letter. Any for mat of letter would be appreciated.
We have paystubs from jan 07 to Jun 07 and plan to leave in July after filing 485 and plan to re enter in August using unexpired H4 visa.
I know of someone who used unexpired H4 visa inspite of being on H1 before leaving US
Any issues with above scenario?
We have paystubs from jan 07 to Jun 07 and plan to leave in July after filing 485 and plan to re enter in August using unexpired H4 visa.
I know of someone who used unexpired H4 visa inspite of being on H1 before leaving US
Any issues with above scenario?
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