harivenkat
05-06 08:54 PM
Tech firms play quiet role in immigration-overhaul push - Politics AP - MiamiHerald.com (http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/05/06/1617199_p2/tech-firms-play-quiet-role-in.html)
WASHINGTON � The technology sector, a little-publicized but key player in the coalition that's pushing for an overhaul of immigration laws, has given mixed reviews to the proposal that Senate Democrats unveiled last week.
Public dialogue on immigration has focused largely on a path to legalization for the estimated 11 million to 12 million illegal immigrants living in the United States, but technology companies have lobbied for years to streamline and ease the process of hiring skilled legal immigrant workers. They hope to capitalize on the momentum that surrounds immigration.
Peter Muller is the director of government relations for Intel, one of the largest sponsors of H-1B temporary visas for skilled workers. The company was approved for 723 new H-1B visas in 2009. Muller said Intel had been hindered in hiring and keeping the most qualified people by the annual caps on H-1B visas and the sometimes decade-long delay in processing green card applications.
"To not be able to hire the people who really drive innovation in our company is a frustration," he said.
The number of H-1B visas issued each year is capped at 65,000, with another 20,000 reserved for foreign-born students who graduate from U.S. schools with advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering and math, programs from which companies such as Intel recruit many of their workers. In past years, the allotment often was gone within days after the application period opened in April. Last year, it took until December to hit the cap.
Even with a slower economy reducing demand for workers, however, tech companies say they want the system overhauled.
"Companies are still hiring, so fixing the problems and fixing the system is important," said Jessica Herrera-Flanigan, the co-executive director of Compete America, a coalition of companies that are lobbying for more high-skilled immigration. "It's an issue today for some companies, and it's going to continue to be an issue that needs to be addressed."
For H-1B workers who want to stay in the country permanently, the wait for a green card can take years. Ashish Sharma, an Indian citizen who's working for a technology company in California, has waited for a green card for seven years. At one point, Sharma said, he considered leaving the United States because of the uncertainty of his status.
"The long wait does bother people," he said. "I did look at what Canada was offering, where they give you a green card within three months."
Sharma ultimately decided to stay for the sake of his two children, who were raised in the U.S., but some employers as well as workers have chosen to go abroad. Microsoft, a top sponsor of H-1B visas with 1,318 petitions approved in 2009, opened a development center in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 2007, in part to take advantage of Canada's more lenient immigration laws.
Compete America praised some aspects of the Democratic immigration framework that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and Sens. Charles Schumer of New York and Robert Menendez of New Jersey put forward last week.
The coalition favors a provision that would offer green cards to foreign students who graduate from U.S. universities with advanced degrees in specialized fields, but it's pushing back against provisions that would limit the hiring of H-1B workers and increase government scrutiny of companies that sponsor the temporary visas.
The language in the Democrats' framework that deals with temporary visas came largely from a bill intended to curb abuses in the H-1B system that Sens. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., and Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, introduced last year.
Durbin said in an e-mailed statement that the H-1B program was too easily abused by employers who used it to, in effect, outsource jobs that American workers could fill.
"Congress created the H-1B visa program so an employer could hire a foreign guest worker when a qualified American worker could not be found," he said. "However, the H-1B visa program is plagued with fraud and abuse and is now a vehicle for outsourcing that deprives qualified American workers of their jobs."
Tech industry representatives disagreed.
"We are all for strong enforcement," Herrera-Flanigan said. "But the way the provisions are written, it's much more far-reaching than that, and it could have an adverse effect on companies that are not bad actors."
The H-1B provisions came in for criticism from people who represent immigrant workers as well as from employers. Aman Kapoor, the president of Immigration Voice, a network of skilled immigrant workers, called the proposal draconian and said the restrictions could render the H-1B process essentially useless.
Schumer's office didn't respond to requests for comment.
Advocates in the broader immigration-overhaul coalition said support from the technology industry would be key to winning the wide political backing that was necessary to give a comprehensive bill a shot at passing.
"I think it is important, and in part that is because tech is one of the key business sectors that will be necessary to bring the Republican votes we will need, in the Senate, especially," said Jeanne Butterfield, a senior adviser for the National Immigration Forum, a group that advocates policies that are more welcoming toward immigrants.
Technology companies make up a substantial portion of the voices that are lobbying for federal immigration revisions. Of the 288 federal lobbyist filings that had reported lobbying on immigration issues in the first quarter of the year as of Monday, an analysis shows that about 17 percent came from companies and organizations that represent the technology and engineering sectors. Others represented fields such as medicine and education, which also are interested in skilled immigrants.
The people who are lobbying on behalf of the tech sector said that although their issues with the immigration system were specific, they had no plans to peel off from the broader overhaul coalition to pursue a more tailored bill.
Muller said the word from Capitol Hill had been that immigration was too contentious an issue to tackle piecemeal.
PROVISIONS THAT WOULD AFFECT TECH SECTOR:
Green cards (legal permanent resident visas):
* Foreign students who graduate from U.S. schools with advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering or mathematics automatically would be eligible for green cards if U.S. employers offer them jobs.
* The caps that limit the numbers of immigrants who can come from specific countries would be eliminated.
H-1B visas (temporary work visas for foreign workers in specialized jobs):
* Would forbid employers from giving priority to H-1B applicants and would limit the number of H-1B employees that large employers may hire.
* Would authorize the Department of Labor to investigate applications for possible fraud and would require the department to audit companies that have large numbers of H-1B employees.
WASHINGTON � The technology sector, a little-publicized but key player in the coalition that's pushing for an overhaul of immigration laws, has given mixed reviews to the proposal that Senate Democrats unveiled last week.
Public dialogue on immigration has focused largely on a path to legalization for the estimated 11 million to 12 million illegal immigrants living in the United States, but technology companies have lobbied for years to streamline and ease the process of hiring skilled legal immigrant workers. They hope to capitalize on the momentum that surrounds immigration.
Peter Muller is the director of government relations for Intel, one of the largest sponsors of H-1B temporary visas for skilled workers. The company was approved for 723 new H-1B visas in 2009. Muller said Intel had been hindered in hiring and keeping the most qualified people by the annual caps on H-1B visas and the sometimes decade-long delay in processing green card applications.
"To not be able to hire the people who really drive innovation in our company is a frustration," he said.
The number of H-1B visas issued each year is capped at 65,000, with another 20,000 reserved for foreign-born students who graduate from U.S. schools with advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering and math, programs from which companies such as Intel recruit many of their workers. In past years, the allotment often was gone within days after the application period opened in April. Last year, it took until December to hit the cap.
Even with a slower economy reducing demand for workers, however, tech companies say they want the system overhauled.
"Companies are still hiring, so fixing the problems and fixing the system is important," said Jessica Herrera-Flanigan, the co-executive director of Compete America, a coalition of companies that are lobbying for more high-skilled immigration. "It's an issue today for some companies, and it's going to continue to be an issue that needs to be addressed."
For H-1B workers who want to stay in the country permanently, the wait for a green card can take years. Ashish Sharma, an Indian citizen who's working for a technology company in California, has waited for a green card for seven years. At one point, Sharma said, he considered leaving the United States because of the uncertainty of his status.
"The long wait does bother people," he said. "I did look at what Canada was offering, where they give you a green card within three months."
Sharma ultimately decided to stay for the sake of his two children, who were raised in the U.S., but some employers as well as workers have chosen to go abroad. Microsoft, a top sponsor of H-1B visas with 1,318 petitions approved in 2009, opened a development center in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 2007, in part to take advantage of Canada's more lenient immigration laws.
Compete America praised some aspects of the Democratic immigration framework that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and Sens. Charles Schumer of New York and Robert Menendez of New Jersey put forward last week.
The coalition favors a provision that would offer green cards to foreign students who graduate from U.S. universities with advanced degrees in specialized fields, but it's pushing back against provisions that would limit the hiring of H-1B workers and increase government scrutiny of companies that sponsor the temporary visas.
The language in the Democrats' framework that deals with temporary visas came largely from a bill intended to curb abuses in the H-1B system that Sens. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., and Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, introduced last year.
Durbin said in an e-mailed statement that the H-1B program was too easily abused by employers who used it to, in effect, outsource jobs that American workers could fill.
"Congress created the H-1B visa program so an employer could hire a foreign guest worker when a qualified American worker could not be found," he said. "However, the H-1B visa program is plagued with fraud and abuse and is now a vehicle for outsourcing that deprives qualified American workers of their jobs."
Tech industry representatives disagreed.
"We are all for strong enforcement," Herrera-Flanigan said. "But the way the provisions are written, it's much more far-reaching than that, and it could have an adverse effect on companies that are not bad actors."
The H-1B provisions came in for criticism from people who represent immigrant workers as well as from employers. Aman Kapoor, the president of Immigration Voice, a network of skilled immigrant workers, called the proposal draconian and said the restrictions could render the H-1B process essentially useless.
Schumer's office didn't respond to requests for comment.
Advocates in the broader immigration-overhaul coalition said support from the technology industry would be key to winning the wide political backing that was necessary to give a comprehensive bill a shot at passing.
"I think it is important, and in part that is because tech is one of the key business sectors that will be necessary to bring the Republican votes we will need, in the Senate, especially," said Jeanne Butterfield, a senior adviser for the National Immigration Forum, a group that advocates policies that are more welcoming toward immigrants.
Technology companies make up a substantial portion of the voices that are lobbying for federal immigration revisions. Of the 288 federal lobbyist filings that had reported lobbying on immigration issues in the first quarter of the year as of Monday, an analysis shows that about 17 percent came from companies and organizations that represent the technology and engineering sectors. Others represented fields such as medicine and education, which also are interested in skilled immigrants.
The people who are lobbying on behalf of the tech sector said that although their issues with the immigration system were specific, they had no plans to peel off from the broader overhaul coalition to pursue a more tailored bill.
Muller said the word from Capitol Hill had been that immigration was too contentious an issue to tackle piecemeal.
PROVISIONS THAT WOULD AFFECT TECH SECTOR:
Green cards (legal permanent resident visas):
* Foreign students who graduate from U.S. schools with advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering or mathematics automatically would be eligible for green cards if U.S. employers offer them jobs.
* The caps that limit the numbers of immigrants who can come from specific countries would be eliminated.
H-1B visas (temporary work visas for foreign workers in specialized jobs):
* Would forbid employers from giving priority to H-1B applicants and would limit the number of H-1B employees that large employers may hire.
* Would authorize the Department of Labor to investigate applications for possible fraud and would require the department to audit companies that have large numbers of H-1B employees.
wallpaper Only two days ago, Rihanna
![rihanna and nicki minaj living together. Nicki Minaj) [Full Song]](http://hiphopisdream.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/rihanna-loud-cover.jpg "Nicki Minaj) [Full Song]")
a_yaja
08-07 09:30 AM
I was curious to know if LC/140/485 will be processed simultaneously or if they will be processed one after the other. If latter, what might be the approx time taken in NSC for LC and 140. I understand that it's difficult to predict the time for 485.
Your LC will not be processed. It has already been processed and approved. Only your I-140 will be processed and if approvable, then it will be approved. Depending on your priority date, your I-140 and I-485 may be processed at the same time and approved at the same time.
This is how I understand Substitute Labor will be processed for I-140. I may be wrong.
Your LC will not be processed. It has already been processed and approved. Only your I-140 will be processed and if approvable, then it will be approved. Depending on your priority date, your I-140 and I-485 may be processed at the same time and approved at the same time.
This is how I understand Substitute Labor will be processed for I-140. I may be wrong.
voldemar
06-27 11:53 AM
EAD is not required for invoking AC-21. If your lawyer says so, then go for second opinion.
His lawyer was right. If he has H1 he can do H1 transfer to another employer and invoke AC21 to continue AOS.
His lawyer was right. If he has H1 he can do H1 transfer to another employer and invoke AC21 to continue AOS.
2011 Nicki Minaj) [Full Song]
anilsal
11-06 11:14 AM
There is an issue. You have to make a trip to the local police station every six months to register your child. If you're lucky, the officials will be polite and helpful and do this without fuss. But knowing India very well, they're more likely to create a fuss till you've bribed them. Also, now they know where your child lives and the fact that he/she is a US citizen. Who knows, what kind of people they will pass on this information to...
Conspiracy theories aside, the whole procedure reeks of the way sex offenders have to register with the police in the US - I just don't like it.
So this Police station registration is if the child starts to live in India or when the child visits India? Where is this rule documented?
If such rules exist, then there should be a formal complaint with the nearest Consulate General. They are reasonable people.
Conspiracy theories aside, the whole procedure reeks of the way sex offenders have to register with the police in the US - I just don't like it.
So this Police station registration is if the child starts to live in India or when the child visits India? Where is this rule documented?
If such rules exist, then there should be a formal complaint with the nearest Consulate General. They are reasonable people.
more...
meridiani.planum
07-18 11:41 PM
Hi Folks
My EB2 will be current next month per VB. I just moved to a new place and did an online address change. I changed my address in Master DB as well as pending petitions.My questions in regard to this are :
<> I created an online USCIS ID and noticed there was a soft-update on my petition - meaning the update date itself changed but the status of petition is the same. "Under review". Just wanted to confirm if my address change online , caused the soft-update or USCIS opened my application ?
<> Last time , I changed my address online it immediately give me EMail alerts as well as a plain auto generated hard copy letter in zerox, from them informing me of the same. This time there are no alerts , nothing. How do I know what address USCIS have on file for me.
My online profile won't show current address - just an application online to change the same.
Any insights will help
Ram
call up the 1-800 number and ask the service center to update your record once more, that should be good enough. Tell the customer rep that you did not get a confirmation of the address change, so are concerned. If that does not work you can always take an INFOPASS appointment and there they'll ensure that your records are correct.
My EB2 will be current next month per VB. I just moved to a new place and did an online address change. I changed my address in Master DB as well as pending petitions.My questions in regard to this are :
<> I created an online USCIS ID and noticed there was a soft-update on my petition - meaning the update date itself changed but the status of petition is the same. "Under review". Just wanted to confirm if my address change online , caused the soft-update or USCIS opened my application ?
<> Last time , I changed my address online it immediately give me EMail alerts as well as a plain auto generated hard copy letter in zerox, from them informing me of the same. This time there are no alerts , nothing. How do I know what address USCIS have on file for me.
My online profile won't show current address - just an application online to change the same.
Any insights will help
Ram
call up the 1-800 number and ask the service center to update your record once more, that should be good enough. Tell the customer rep that you did not get a confirmation of the address change, so are concerned. If that does not work you can always take an INFOPASS appointment and there they'll ensure that your records are correct.
vicks_don
12-14 02:21 PM
Where can we find information for e filing EAD/AP Renewals ?
more...
chanduv23
06-12 04:34 PM
Time to step up the pressure ?
2010 Rihanna posted this photo on
InTheMoment
05-17 06:17 PM
Actually FP has nothing to do whatsoever with Name Check or when it is initiated. Name Check is a separate process that usually starts within a couple of weeks after you Notice Date. You can check when it is initiated with an Infopass or by talking to a service center IIO on the phone.
more...
Desi4GC
08-07 08:47 PM
Hello members,
I had a non-traffic citation few years ago, which got dismissed and expunged. I do not have any documents relating to that incidence. I don't even recall the charges. I did background check with Sheriff's office which showed no records.
How should I present this on form I-485 (question about citation/arrest)?
I had a non-traffic citation few years ago, which got dismissed and expunged. I do not have any documents relating to that incidence. I don't even recall the charges. I did background check with Sheriff's office which showed no records.
How should I present this on form I-485 (question about citation/arrest)?
hair Meanwhile, Nicki Minaj has
acecupid
06-18 10:02 PM
Lol.. thats funny!:D
more...
ajm
06-24 07:06 PM
485 fess from Jul 30th will be 1010USD. This also has EAD & AP fees built into it and you can keep on renewing EAD & AP with out paying fees every year unil you get your GC.
The first-time EAD/AP will definitely be free. But I could not find any explicit language indicating that renewals will be free. Here is the relevant section from the federal register notice:
Form I-485. For filing an application for permanent resident status
or creation of a record of lawful permanent residence--$930 for an
applicant fourteen years of age or older; $600 for an applicant under
the age of fourteen years when submitted concurrently for adjudication
with the Form I-485 of a parent and the applicant is seeking to adjust
status as a derivative of the parent, based on a relationship to the
same individual who provides the basis for the parent's adjustment of
status, or under the same legal authority as the parent; no fee for an
applicant filing as a refugee under section 209(a) of the Act; provided
that no additional fee will be charged for a request for travel
document (advance parole) or employment authorization filed by an
applicant who has paid the Form I-485 application fee, regardless of
whether the Form I-131 or Form I-765 is required to be filed by such
applicant to receive these benefits.
At best, this is ambiguous as to whether a fee will be required on renewals.
The first-time EAD/AP will definitely be free. But I could not find any explicit language indicating that renewals will be free. Here is the relevant section from the federal register notice:
Form I-485. For filing an application for permanent resident status
or creation of a record of lawful permanent residence--$930 for an
applicant fourteen years of age or older; $600 for an applicant under
the age of fourteen years when submitted concurrently for adjudication
with the Form I-485 of a parent and the applicant is seeking to adjust
status as a derivative of the parent, based on a relationship to the
same individual who provides the basis for the parent's adjustment of
status, or under the same legal authority as the parent; no fee for an
applicant filing as a refugee under section 209(a) of the Act; provided
that no additional fee will be charged for a request for travel
document (advance parole) or employment authorization filed by an
applicant who has paid the Form I-485 application fee, regardless of
whether the Form I-131 or Form I-765 is required to be filed by such
applicant to receive these benefits.
At best, this is ambiguous as to whether a fee will be required on renewals.
hot nominees Drake and Rihanna
sameer2730
02-03 08:54 AM
Should it be the date you last received a valid I-94 at the POE or the date you entered from canada or mexico using AR?
more...
house i love rihannai have her
lecter
August 2nd, 2005, 11:43 PM
Mats is on the money for sure. A 350D or a D70s (or D50) with a kit lens will make your millenia.
I bought a 20D as a backup, knock about camera for Africa. It's a good wee beast. But not in your budget range. But it's the obvious next step.
We can hardly wait for the ** which is ##MP and ##fps.
hehe
Rob
I bought a 20D as a backup, knock about camera for Africa. It's a good wee beast. But not in your budget range. But it's the obvious next step.
We can hardly wait for the ** which is ##MP and ##fps.
hehe
Rob
tattoo people rihanna ugly face.
p.jpg "Nicki Minaj")
mbartosik
08-03 03:55 PM
see \/\/\/
more...
pictures nicki minaj girlfriend lyrics.
waiting_4_gc
07-26 10:27 AM
Hello Guys,
My attorney send I485,AP, EAD application to USCIS with my present passport. This passport expires on August 08, 2007. Will there be any problems for this? Please let me know. Thanks......
Apply for new passport ASAP.
My attorney send I485,AP, EAD application to USCIS with my present passport. This passport expires on August 08, 2007. Will there be any problems for this? Please let me know. Thanks......
Apply for new passport ASAP.
dresses cOM chris brown and rihanna are they together or not becuase in interviews
aka
05-17 07:09 PM
Guys, I received THE magic email also this week. Card Production ordered on May 14th. HUGE Relief!!!
I just wanted to pass on a few tips. These steps may or not have expedited my processing but the timing sure was suspiciously fortuitous:
a) On May 7th, since the NSC I-485 processing date was more than 30 days past my RD, my lawyer sent an official email to NSC asking them for an update on my application. According to my lawyer, CIS is obligated to reply within 45 days and in most cases instead of them saying that this specific application falls outside their processing dates, they just approve the application. Of course, your case has to be approvable (PD has to be current etc)
b) On May 9th, I set up an Infopass appointment where the IO told me that my case was in transit from a different service center back to NSC! She also told me both our NCs were complete.
c) My lawyer was also getting ready to file another round of EAD/AP applications which, according to her, draws CIS's attention to the fact that this application is ready for processing and falling outside the average time range.
Maybe the combination of inquiry email and Infopass helped moved the case or maybe it did not. Probably does not hurt to try at least once and, of course, you don't want to overdo it and burden the system.
Just my $0.02. Hope it helps. Best of luck with your applications. I learned a ton from these forums and (if nothing else) out of sheer habit, will be coming back all the time. Will try my best to help out IV where I can. Cheers!
I just wanted to pass on a few tips. These steps may or not have expedited my processing but the timing sure was suspiciously fortuitous:
a) On May 7th, since the NSC I-485 processing date was more than 30 days past my RD, my lawyer sent an official email to NSC asking them for an update on my application. According to my lawyer, CIS is obligated to reply within 45 days and in most cases instead of them saying that this specific application falls outside their processing dates, they just approve the application. Of course, your case has to be approvable (PD has to be current etc)
b) On May 9th, I set up an Infopass appointment where the IO told me that my case was in transit from a different service center back to NSC! She also told me both our NCs were complete.
c) My lawyer was also getting ready to file another round of EAD/AP applications which, according to her, draws CIS's attention to the fact that this application is ready for processing and falling outside the average time range.
Maybe the combination of inquiry email and Infopass helped moved the case or maybe it did not. Probably does not hurt to try at least once and, of course, you don't want to overdo it and burden the system.
Just my $0.02. Hope it helps. Best of luck with your applications. I learned a ton from these forums and (if nothing else) out of sheer habit, will be coming back all the time. Will try my best to help out IV where I can. Cheers!
more...
makeup But little Nicki shot those
GCaspirations
09-22 10:03 AM
Looks like our cases are stuck somewhere because of these transfers and donot know how long will it take to come in the streamline.
girlfriend Nicki Minaj
mvinayam
08-06 12:45 PM
Hi,
Any clues or guess when I-140 premium processing will be back. Need it asap inorder to file H1 extension :( .
Thanks
MV
Any clues or guess when I-140 premium processing will be back. Need it asap inorder to file H1 extension :( .
Thanks
MV
hairstyles nicki minaj fat booty pics.
gemini23
08-02 11:28 AM
if you dont have experience letters from past employers, you can attached notarized affidavits from your past colleagues. that affidavit need not be on a letter head, as it is from an individual (as opposed to a company).
Make sure it has details on begin date, end date of your jobs and designations along with job description(should be same as in LC). Also provide the phone number, address, designation of the person who is giving your the affidavit , in the affidavit letter.
This info is from my lawyer.
Hope this helps.
Make sure it has details on begin date, end date of your jobs and designations along with job description(should be same as in LC). Also provide the phone number, address, designation of the person who is giving your the affidavit , in the affidavit letter.
This info is from my lawyer.
Hope this helps.
manderson
11-07 04:12 PM
Can anyone else have opinion on this?
regards,
Mittal Kapdi
u don't need to go for "visa stamping" to maintain status (know that status and visa are different)
notify the school of your change of status like the other guy/gal said. that's all you will need to do keep staying in the US legally.
....But if you want to travel while on H1, then yes: you need to go for "visa stamping".
regards,
Mittal Kapdi
u don't need to go for "visa stamping" to maintain status (know that status and visa are different)
notify the school of your change of status like the other guy/gal said. that's all you will need to do keep staying in the US legally.
....But if you want to travel while on H1, then yes: you need to go for "visa stamping".
xgoogle
07-20 11:27 AM
We applied for her AP renewal on July 1st 2009 and on the status page, it says approval notice sent on July 16th. At the same time I also see a soft LUD on her I-485. The new date is 07/15/2009 but no status update. Are these two events connected or is someone actually looking at her I-485? Note, she is not current per priority date, however Texas processing times have been updated recently.
Any comments?
Any comments?
0 comments:
Post a Comment