gc_wow
09-23 05:25 PM
I dont think there is a law which dictates spill over to happen in last quarter? Some USCIS crony has made that happen only in last quarter? Does any one know more about this?
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reddymjm
09-23 01:04 PM
Thanks for sending.
send me a PM with addresses that bounced. I will update the list.
I sent you a PM with the list of email ids.
send me a PM with addresses that bounced. I will update the list.
I sent you a PM with the list of email ids.
Subst_labor
03-17 11:09 PM
well if you feel offended, i am ready to offer my apologies. are you ready to take back your baseless accusations-that got me started up in the first place.
BTW, i dont even know what IV is??
BTW, i dont even know what IV is??
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amslonewolf
04-28 07:14 PM
http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/eoDetails?rrid=114132
It cannot get more official than this. Please note, that this still needs to be published in the federal register.
It cannot get more official than this. Please note, that this still needs to be published in the federal register.
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indio0617
06-28 07:31 PM
Like I said, after AILA's memo came out yesterday, all the lawyers who were saying "it wont happen" have suddenly flipped and now they are saying "Anything can happen".
Sometimes I wonder what are we paying them for if we have to send them URL from AILA about various memos and directives? Isnt it a part of job description to keep an eye out on what's going on at USCIS ? It is available on websites for the whole world to see after all. I wonder how efficient these lawyers were when Internet didnt exist and everything was thru phones and postal services.
And ever since the dates got current for the whole world in July, lawyers are snapping back when you email/call them as if its our fault that dates suddenly became current for the whole world ? If its too much burden, then maybe its time to look for some other profession. No one is putting a gun on your head saying : "Be an immigration lawyer".
It is all about job stability and ego. They can act ignorant and slow and trap their clients in this perpetual state of anxiety. That is what their strategy is all about.
If we (highly skilled and informed) suffer so much at their hands, imagine the plight of millions of undocumented immigrants who are at their mercy.
Sometimes I wonder what are we paying them for if we have to send them URL from AILA about various memos and directives? Isnt it a part of job description to keep an eye out on what's going on at USCIS ? It is available on websites for the whole world to see after all. I wonder how efficient these lawyers were when Internet didnt exist and everything was thru phones and postal services.
And ever since the dates got current for the whole world in July, lawyers are snapping back when you email/call them as if its our fault that dates suddenly became current for the whole world ? If its too much burden, then maybe its time to look for some other profession. No one is putting a gun on your head saying : "Be an immigration lawyer".
It is all about job stability and ego. They can act ignorant and slow and trap their clients in this perpetual state of anxiety. That is what their strategy is all about.
If we (highly skilled and informed) suffer so much at their hands, imagine the plight of millions of undocumented immigrants who are at their mercy.
at0474
12-13 11:35 AM
Discrimination in employment based on nationality is not allowed. However, can we extend the argument to the employment based immigration? We can always choose to take that promotion though we will lose our place in the queue.
Leaving the question of fairness aside, under the current legal framework my guess is we do not have a case.
--I think, per country quota system was framed with diversification as underlying principle, not discrimination.
Depending on which country you are from, it may seem like discrimination or fair system upholding diversity.
If you are from India, you would hate it. There are truckloads of programmers in that country. But if you are the only graduate with programming skills from a country like timbaktoo (?), you would love it. You also got a shot at american dream.
This EB quota system reminds me of Caste reservation system in India. To some that is fair, to others, it is unfair. Depends on which side of the fence you are.
Leaving the question of fairness aside, under the current legal framework my guess is we do not have a case.
--I think, per country quota system was framed with diversification as underlying principle, not discrimination.
Depending on which country you are from, it may seem like discrimination or fair system upholding diversity.
If you are from India, you would hate it. There are truckloads of programmers in that country. But if you are the only graduate with programming skills from a country like timbaktoo (?), you would love it. You also got a shot at american dream.
This EB quota system reminds me of Caste reservation system in India. To some that is fair, to others, it is unfair. Depends on which side of the fence you are.
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gonecrazyonh4
11-11 10:49 AM
One of my friends informed me about immigrationvoice.com few months back, I am EB3 with PD Jan 2003 and currently waiting to file I-485 for last one year. It is frustrating to hear how some of the companies are bypassing and jumping ahead on the line. I thought I get some opinion; I am curious why this isn't being bunged. Although using a pre-approved labor is a legal thing, how much of sagacity does it really have? Within my little 10-12 friend circle I have had atleast FOUR people who got their GC within 8 months through this same company - KFORCE, Rapidigm Inc., utilizing pre-approved labor. It seems this company lures people with a condition that they will process their GC within couple of months, isn't this using the legal system at their business advantage.
What can we do to stop this, it is frustrating to me as I am waiting for close to four years with my GC process and been in the US for 7 years. At the same time, I see people who have been in the US for 2 years has their GC. To me this legal system does not make any sense and is a clear proof of injustice. I am thinking of talking to a legal attorney to see if this makes a justifiable case and if possible file a lawsuit for scrutiny against this company or any company that uses this facility for their benefit. May be I am overreacting and this is the reason I am posting it here to get an opinion, what do you guys think ?
I completely agree that Substitute labor is being used is the wrong sense. My husband is now in his 7th year of H1B and I am still on H4.
At the same time our friend who came in 2005 to USA through an Indian company joined Rapidigm in 2005, received a 1999 priority date Labor and received his Green card (& for his wife too) in 8 months time.
This iextremely unfair means of acquiring GC and should be blocked legally.Meanwhile Rapidigm has been acquired by Fujitsu .
What can we do to stop this, it is frustrating to me as I am waiting for close to four years with my GC process and been in the US for 7 years. At the same time, I see people who have been in the US for 2 years has their GC. To me this legal system does not make any sense and is a clear proof of injustice. I am thinking of talking to a legal attorney to see if this makes a justifiable case and if possible file a lawsuit for scrutiny against this company or any company that uses this facility for their benefit. May be I am overreacting and this is the reason I am posting it here to get an opinion, what do you guys think ?
I completely agree that Substitute labor is being used is the wrong sense. My husband is now in his 7th year of H1B and I am still on H4.
At the same time our friend who came in 2005 to USA through an Indian company joined Rapidigm in 2005, received a 1999 priority date Labor and received his Green card (& for his wife too) in 8 months time.
This iextremely unfair means of acquiring GC and should be blocked legally.Meanwhile Rapidigm has been acquired by Fujitsu .
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unseenguy
06-12 10:06 PM
So you realized at the age of 35 that you needed MBA? Many smarter ones realized that at 25-30 age range. And they are the ones who will become future CEOs.
Another thing, I would question is your judgement to leave Microsoft. That was the best company in your days, although now its Google. I still think Microsoft is number 2 employer with the kind of benefits and stability they provide. Hello ...... they had first layoffs in 2009 and that too only 5000. My wife works there and I have told her to put in many years there even before she considers a change. Why did you leave them man? You asked for all your present day troubles due to this decision.
Now you are saying , L1s will dump low cost MBAs. Do you know the value of IIMA? First qualify for the college and get a admission and then say it is low cost education. You are not even trying for that college, coz you know you wont get in. Now you can get 1 yr PGPX MBA in IIM-A for 20 lakh Rs (USD 40K), but I bet the quality of graduates is better than your 100K MBA. Before dismissing them as low cost, do some introspection of talent.
My friend did MBA from IIM-B, he is a top performer, today he is a managing partner in Wipro consulting. No doubt he started like me at 60K salary in US, but look at his performance and rise. I respect him a lot. He doesnt have GC yet. I have tons of friends from Whartons, Kellogs, UChicago , IIM-A etc. The college I respect most is IIM-A.
So before dismissing them as low cost, first try to get in there, qualify, refuse admission and then dismiss them as low cost. You are paying 100K for MBA is because you did not qualify for low cost MBA.
Another thing, I would question is your judgement to leave Microsoft. That was the best company in your days, although now its Google. I still think Microsoft is number 2 employer with the kind of benefits and stability they provide. Hello ...... they had first layoffs in 2009 and that too only 5000. My wife works there and I have told her to put in many years there even before she considers a change. Why did you leave them man? You asked for all your present day troubles due to this decision.
Now you are saying , L1s will dump low cost MBAs. Do you know the value of IIMA? First qualify for the college and get a admission and then say it is low cost education. You are not even trying for that college, coz you know you wont get in. Now you can get 1 yr PGPX MBA in IIM-A for 20 lakh Rs (USD 40K), but I bet the quality of graduates is better than your 100K MBA. Before dismissing them as low cost, do some introspection of talent.
My friend did MBA from IIM-B, he is a top performer, today he is a managing partner in Wipro consulting. No doubt he started like me at 60K salary in US, but look at his performance and rise. I respect him a lot. He doesnt have GC yet. I have tons of friends from Whartons, Kellogs, UChicago , IIM-A etc. The college I respect most is IIM-A.
So before dismissing them as low cost, first try to get in there, qualify, refuse admission and then dismiss them as low cost. You are paying 100K for MBA is because you did not qualify for low cost MBA.
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gimme_GC2006
08-17 02:14 PM
I think this is blown out of proportion.
First thing what exactly "detention" means? Did they tie him up upside down for 2 hrs?
May be they took him to a room, where he waited along with the common man..in India politicians and filmli ones may get to jump the lines and get special treatment..so they never knew what it is like standing in the line.
SRK should use his common sense and keep quiet rather than making a fuss out of nothing..he is not APJ kalam to demand or deserve special treatment.
I remember last year, there was a news about SRK making noise in one of the European airports where he was not allowed to board the flight ahead of others and he argued with airlines staff that "I am SRK".
Note: I am not a fan of SRK..was never and will never be. I am Aamir Khan's fan :)
First thing what exactly "detention" means? Did they tie him up upside down for 2 hrs?
May be they took him to a room, where he waited along with the common man..in India politicians and filmli ones may get to jump the lines and get special treatment..so they never knew what it is like standing in the line.
SRK should use his common sense and keep quiet rather than making a fuss out of nothing..he is not APJ kalam to demand or deserve special treatment.
I remember last year, there was a news about SRK making noise in one of the European airports where he was not allowed to board the flight ahead of others and he argued with airlines staff that "I am SRK".
Note: I am not a fan of SRK..was never and will never be. I am Aamir Khan's fan :)
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ita
03-29 11:12 PM
So am I , I'm sure so are may others on this forum and in India.
Like I said earlier, in my previous post I just summarized the performance of the last govt.So I'm sure you and others agree Congress won't get us where we want to be.(They didn't in last 5 years and look at my previous post to know where they got us)
But looking at what is unfolding in India these days our simple and realistic ideas some how seem very far fetched .
what's going on with Varun Gandhi?Current political scenario in India is kind of reminding emergency times. NSA has been invoked on Varun Gandhi.
Those politicians are making fun of law.They are using NSA to finish political opponents.
NSA is meant for nation's enemies not for politician's enemies.
During emergency time a nation when asked to bend crawled.Hope nation stands up against the similar kind of abuse this time.
Looks like if we have power in India we can do anything we want. No wonder all the successful film stars are jumping into politics at least in Tollywood.
It happens only in India.
I am looking for a visionary who can bring Indians out of poverty, who can give good education, security, health care and good infrastructure. Who can save us from the unstable countries and aggressive China. I am not bothering whether Sankaracharya is in jail or not. How its going to affect a common man who is begging even for basic amenities.
Like I said earlier, in my previous post I just summarized the performance of the last govt.So I'm sure you and others agree Congress won't get us where we want to be.(They didn't in last 5 years and look at my previous post to know where they got us)
But looking at what is unfolding in India these days our simple and realistic ideas some how seem very far fetched .
what's going on with Varun Gandhi?Current political scenario in India is kind of reminding emergency times. NSA has been invoked on Varun Gandhi.
Those politicians are making fun of law.They are using NSA to finish political opponents.
NSA is meant for nation's enemies not for politician's enemies.
During emergency time a nation when asked to bend crawled.Hope nation stands up against the similar kind of abuse this time.
Looks like if we have power in India we can do anything we want. No wonder all the successful film stars are jumping into politics at least in Tollywood.
It happens only in India.
I am looking for a visionary who can bring Indians out of poverty, who can give good education, security, health care and good infrastructure. Who can save us from the unstable countries and aggressive China. I am not bothering whether Sankaracharya is in jail or not. How its going to affect a common man who is begging even for basic amenities.
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eager_immi
07-16 10:20 AM
When your emplyer waits to file your GC in the last day of your 5th year in the fear that you will leave them DOES THAT NOT PROVE TO YOU THAT THEY R DESPERATE. Which employer in the right sense would do that if they did not want you. Especially when you are making 150K per annum there must be a reason, and it cannot be the mere laywer fee of 5K. This has been done by fortune 500 company and I am not talking about indian consulting firm. So please stop advocating what u are preaching you may have a different story but not everything fits into it like a cookie cutter!!!
I know people who got their GC in 7 months from the date they filed PERM. and then there are many people getting GCs every month. There are both good stories and bad stories to tell about getting GC in US.
There were times when H1 quota never reached the limit during the whole fiscal year, now they get used in just 2 days. This mess in GC process is a result mainly due to our own actions (temporary workers and consulting companies hiring temporary workers). Do you think majority of us once we get GC, stay with the consulting company that filed for our GC? When a consulting company files for PERM, they already have a foreign national working under H-1B in that position. So where is the real intent to hire an American when some foreigner is already working at that position?
This employment based GC is a way for us foreigners to immigrate to US easily at one point. Now due to our extreme usage and abuse of this process, there are genuine people who are being sponsored to immigrate to US are also suffering. In a true employment GC scenario, the company should be desperate to keep you for a long time (more than 6 years after H-1B is maxed) for your valuable skills that they were unable to find in others. But in most GC cases, looks like we temporary workers are more desperate than our employers for the GC? aren't we? Do you see any companies sweating on how to retain you with them, because you H-1B is expiring and they have no way to keep you?
Do not put all the blame on US immigration system, the majority of the blame should fall on us and the companies who are helping us to get GCs when our cases are not based on genuine sponsors.
I know people who got their GC in 7 months from the date they filed PERM. and then there are many people getting GCs every month. There are both good stories and bad stories to tell about getting GC in US.
There were times when H1 quota never reached the limit during the whole fiscal year, now they get used in just 2 days. This mess in GC process is a result mainly due to our own actions (temporary workers and consulting companies hiring temporary workers). Do you think majority of us once we get GC, stay with the consulting company that filed for our GC? When a consulting company files for PERM, they already have a foreign national working under H-1B in that position. So where is the real intent to hire an American when some foreigner is already working at that position?
This employment based GC is a way for us foreigners to immigrate to US easily at one point. Now due to our extreme usage and abuse of this process, there are genuine people who are being sponsored to immigrate to US are also suffering. In a true employment GC scenario, the company should be desperate to keep you for a long time (more than 6 years after H-1B is maxed) for your valuable skills that they were unable to find in others. But in most GC cases, looks like we temporary workers are more desperate than our employers for the GC? aren't we? Do you see any companies sweating on how to retain you with them, because you H-1B is expiring and they have no way to keep you?
Do not put all the blame on US immigration system, the majority of the blame should fall on us and the companies who are helping us to get GCs when our cases are not based on genuine sponsors.
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Legal
07-26 10:31 AM
According to my analysis based on recipted/pending I-485 they processed some 80-90K (estimated range) EB I-485 applications which 57/65% of 140k by April 2008.
May month usage was very low, i feel June/July not to bump too much so another 20k cases. We should still have FB rollover from 07 (31K) + another 10k visa in the pool for Aug/Sept visa.
It appears FB spillover is factored into EB quota in Sep bulletin every year.
May month usage was very low, i feel June/July not to bump too much so another 20k cases. We should still have FB rollover from 07 (31K) + another 10k visa in the pool for Aug/Sept visa.
It appears FB spillover is factored into EB quota in Sep bulletin every year.
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STAmisha
10-04 04:55 PM
STAmisha,
Once u sent ur application, did nt u have to go for an interview and then a Physical. Also, I have heard that to get PR stamped onto ur passport, u actually need to physically enter Canada. Kindly confirm?
I did not have interview. I had my interview waived.
Once all the processing is complete, they will ask you send you the passports. They will give you PR visas which will be valid untill 1 year from your medicals. You have to land before the visa expiry dates.Once you land in Canada, they will take a Canadian address to send the PR card to you. You can give friends address in Canada.
Once u sent ur application, did nt u have to go for an interview and then a Physical. Also, I have heard that to get PR stamped onto ur passport, u actually need to physically enter Canada. Kindly confirm?
I did not have interview. I had my interview waived.
Once all the processing is complete, they will ask you send you the passports. They will give you PR visas which will be valid untill 1 year from your medicals. You have to land before the visa expiry dates.Once you land in Canada, they will take a Canadian address to send the PR card to you. You can give friends address in Canada.
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gdilla
07-13 12:41 PM
This is the most ridiculous article I've ever seen.
"I should have done my own homework before I applied" - no $hit. What makes you think going to med school in Indian means jack in Canada or the US. You have to get board certified. Duh. And I'm afraid cold calling doesn't work anywhere, including the US... does this work in India? Of course they're not going to listen to you. Jeez. People not doing their due diligence before THEY PACK UP AND MOVE HALF WAY ROUND the world... yeah, that proves to me you are smart enough to hire.
[QUOTE=sankap]Here's an article that appeared in Outlook (India) magazine 8 years ago. Apparently, the situation hasn't changed much since then:
http://outlookindia.com/full.asp?fname=international1&fodname=19990125&sid=1
Canada...The Grass Isn't Greener
Outlook: Jan 25, 1999
It's a dream gone sour. Thousands of Indian immigrants who land up in Canada are, more often than not, greeted with unemployment, racism, culture shocks...
SOHAILA CHARNALIA
"I didn't come here to be a chowkidar. I came here believing it to be a land of opportunity; a country that has never known the nepotism, the corruption, the shortages of India. I find I have only substituted one country for another... certainly not one set of values for another, as I hoped. " For Dr Gurdial Singh Dhillon, who was made to believe his qualifications would land him a good job fast, Canada was a real disappointment. When he did find work, it was that of a security guard. This, when the United Nations has declared Canada the best country to live in.
Some 200,000 people migrate to Canada every year, a majority from Asia. Hong Kong heads the list, followed by India, China, Taiwan and the Philippines. According to the Citizenship & Immigration Canada report, 21,249 Indians migrated to Canada in 1996 alone. (The high commission in Delhi, however, put the figure at 17,682). For many of them, especially those who are qualified professionals, dreams die fast. The life they face is never quite as rosy as made out by money-raking immigration lawyers.
Is the UN report the only reason for the increase in Indian applications for immigration? That, and the fact that it is easier to get entry into Canada than any other western country, says a Delhi-based immigration lawyer. Also, the fastest way of getting immigration to the US is through Canada.
Dhillon's disappointment is echoed by others. "I should have done my own homework before I applied", rues Aparna Shirodhkar, an architect from Mumbai, working as a saleswoman in a department store. "My husband is unemployed. I am the sole earner for a family of four. Sometimes I feel like running back". For Raheela Wasim, who's gone from being a schoolteacher in India to a telemarketer here, the experience was very discouraging, very disheartening. "I started losing confidence in myself. I felt I was not capable of the job market here".
Jobs are the sore point with Indian immigrants. The irony is, they are often more qualified than their Canadian peers, yet they end up with either no work, or with entry-level jobs that have no future. "I was not told that you require a Canadian degree to get a job here", says Paramjeet Parmar, a postgraduate in biochemistry from Bombay University. Parmar works as a telemarketer, which has turned her from an elite professional to an unskilled, daily wage labourer.
Ditto Opinder Khosla, a mechanical engineer from India, who has ended up as a salesman. "I found it difficult to even get an interview call", he says. The Canadian authorities are non-committal about the social and economic devaluation that the country imposes on immigrants.
"You can't come thinking you can just walk in and get a job in your profession", says Isabel Basset, minister of citizenship, culture and recreation, responsible for handling immigrants' woes in Canada's largest province, Ontario. But she admits that the licensing bodies regulating the professions need to be more accepting of people trained elsewhere.
That effort could only come from the government, argues Demetrius Oriopolis, co-author of Access, a government-commissioned report on assessing qualifications of newcomers, a 10-year-old report whose recommendations have still to be implemented. The report suggests certain rules of equivalence should be made binding on the regulatory bodies, which are exclusionist by nature.
But Basset won't even hear of making the regulatory bodies accountable: "We believe in private enterprise with a minimum of government checks. Besides, she argues, the exercise would cost millions of dollars".
Needless to say, the organisations are gleeful. Only professional bodies have the ability to determine what constitutes competence in a particular profession, was the cold response of the spokesperson for the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants, an institution that's responsible for the unemployment as well as under-employment of hundreds of qualified chartered accountants from India. They do not grant licences for professional practice, because Indian qualifications are not acceptable.
"What kind of society are we creating? Is it a new form of slavery?" asks an irate Bhausaheb Ubale, Canada's former human rights commissioner. Qualified immigrants work as drivers, guards. If this isn't job discrimination, what is? Dr Ubale lobbied intensely before Indians were accepted in the media. They now hold jobs as reporters and anchors, he says, but a lot more has to be done.
While skilled men may not be able to find jobs, their less qualified wives find it easier because they accept whatever comes their way. In several cases, the wives earn and support their husbands who are busy upgrading themselves, by studying for a Canadian degree. The working wife sometimes slogs away at three jobs. Sumitra starts at 7 am at her first job, teaching immigrants English; her second job as telemarketer starts at 4 pm. She gets back home around 8 pm, after which she begins selling cosmetics and household goods door to door. Till midnight. Sumitra supports three students, her husband and two school-going children.
The other problems Indians face here are the high taxes, high mortgage payments for new homes and the sort of hidebound laws that the benign anarchy back home hardly prepares them for. "You can't run a red light, you can't escape from a hit-and-run site even if you are just the witness, you can't smoke in public. Too many rules, so different from home", says Harminder Singh.
Two 'Indian' practices that do exist here, however, cause immigrants the maximum trouble. They are sifarish baazi (nepotism) and mufat ka kaam (free work). The Canadians, of course, have given them sophisticated terminologies, the former is referred to as 'networking' and the latter, 'volunteerism'. In a country where you are never encouraged to 'drop in' to meet someone, where the fax, the computer or the phone is used to complete most transactions, a job-seeking immigrant often has the phone put down on him. Polite but firm secretaries block access, unless the caller can drop a magic name that can help him gain entry. It takes at least a year for even the most enterprising immigrant to get to know somebody who can help him, before he can get a job at all.
'Networking' goes hand in hand with 'volunteerism'. Many immigrants put in a year of free service before they are given the job. Most writers and anchors of Asian origin are given only part-time jobs, paid by assignment and with no fringe benefits. The company insists on the word 'freelance' on their business cards, to make it clear they have not been hired by the company, and hence can't demand higher pay or any benefits. They can, and often are, fired at will.
Perhaps the greatest problem in Canada is the one that is least articulated--racism. According to a diversity report on Toronto (said to be the most ethnically diverse city in the world), the year 2000 will see its minority becoming its majority that is, 54 per cent of Toronto's population by the end of the millennium will be non-Whites. Keeping that in mind, it warned, if the discrimination against them in education, employment, income and housing, or incidents of hate are not addressed, it will lead to a growing sense of frustration.
"All our problems exist because of racism", sums up Anita Ferrao, who works in a firm. Anita has worked for them for three years and has got neither promotion nor raise. "As an Indian immigrant, you can never reach the top. They'll see to that. It's better to bring in some money here and start a business. It's the only way you'll do well here and be respected. "
But then if life is so tough here, why do people give up everything back home and come? The answer is the rosy picture of North America, inculcated right from childhood. Everything 'American' is considered superior. Better food, better homes, better life.
"I should have done my own homework before I applied" - no $hit. What makes you think going to med school in Indian means jack in Canada or the US. You have to get board certified. Duh. And I'm afraid cold calling doesn't work anywhere, including the US... does this work in India? Of course they're not going to listen to you. Jeez. People not doing their due diligence before THEY PACK UP AND MOVE HALF WAY ROUND the world... yeah, that proves to me you are smart enough to hire.
[QUOTE=sankap]Here's an article that appeared in Outlook (India) magazine 8 years ago. Apparently, the situation hasn't changed much since then:
http://outlookindia.com/full.asp?fname=international1&fodname=19990125&sid=1
Canada...The Grass Isn't Greener
Outlook: Jan 25, 1999
It's a dream gone sour. Thousands of Indian immigrants who land up in Canada are, more often than not, greeted with unemployment, racism, culture shocks...
SOHAILA CHARNALIA
"I didn't come here to be a chowkidar. I came here believing it to be a land of opportunity; a country that has never known the nepotism, the corruption, the shortages of India. I find I have only substituted one country for another... certainly not one set of values for another, as I hoped. " For Dr Gurdial Singh Dhillon, who was made to believe his qualifications would land him a good job fast, Canada was a real disappointment. When he did find work, it was that of a security guard. This, when the United Nations has declared Canada the best country to live in.
Some 200,000 people migrate to Canada every year, a majority from Asia. Hong Kong heads the list, followed by India, China, Taiwan and the Philippines. According to the Citizenship & Immigration Canada report, 21,249 Indians migrated to Canada in 1996 alone. (The high commission in Delhi, however, put the figure at 17,682). For many of them, especially those who are qualified professionals, dreams die fast. The life they face is never quite as rosy as made out by money-raking immigration lawyers.
Is the UN report the only reason for the increase in Indian applications for immigration? That, and the fact that it is easier to get entry into Canada than any other western country, says a Delhi-based immigration lawyer. Also, the fastest way of getting immigration to the US is through Canada.
Dhillon's disappointment is echoed by others. "I should have done my own homework before I applied", rues Aparna Shirodhkar, an architect from Mumbai, working as a saleswoman in a department store. "My husband is unemployed. I am the sole earner for a family of four. Sometimes I feel like running back". For Raheela Wasim, who's gone from being a schoolteacher in India to a telemarketer here, the experience was very discouraging, very disheartening. "I started losing confidence in myself. I felt I was not capable of the job market here".
Jobs are the sore point with Indian immigrants. The irony is, they are often more qualified than their Canadian peers, yet they end up with either no work, or with entry-level jobs that have no future. "I was not told that you require a Canadian degree to get a job here", says Paramjeet Parmar, a postgraduate in biochemistry from Bombay University. Parmar works as a telemarketer, which has turned her from an elite professional to an unskilled, daily wage labourer.
Ditto Opinder Khosla, a mechanical engineer from India, who has ended up as a salesman. "I found it difficult to even get an interview call", he says. The Canadian authorities are non-committal about the social and economic devaluation that the country imposes on immigrants.
"You can't come thinking you can just walk in and get a job in your profession", says Isabel Basset, minister of citizenship, culture and recreation, responsible for handling immigrants' woes in Canada's largest province, Ontario. But she admits that the licensing bodies regulating the professions need to be more accepting of people trained elsewhere.
That effort could only come from the government, argues Demetrius Oriopolis, co-author of Access, a government-commissioned report on assessing qualifications of newcomers, a 10-year-old report whose recommendations have still to be implemented. The report suggests certain rules of equivalence should be made binding on the regulatory bodies, which are exclusionist by nature.
But Basset won't even hear of making the regulatory bodies accountable: "We believe in private enterprise with a minimum of government checks. Besides, she argues, the exercise would cost millions of dollars".
Needless to say, the organisations are gleeful. Only professional bodies have the ability to determine what constitutes competence in a particular profession, was the cold response of the spokesperson for the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants, an institution that's responsible for the unemployment as well as under-employment of hundreds of qualified chartered accountants from India. They do not grant licences for professional practice, because Indian qualifications are not acceptable.
"What kind of society are we creating? Is it a new form of slavery?" asks an irate Bhausaheb Ubale, Canada's former human rights commissioner. Qualified immigrants work as drivers, guards. If this isn't job discrimination, what is? Dr Ubale lobbied intensely before Indians were accepted in the media. They now hold jobs as reporters and anchors, he says, but a lot more has to be done.
While skilled men may not be able to find jobs, their less qualified wives find it easier because they accept whatever comes their way. In several cases, the wives earn and support their husbands who are busy upgrading themselves, by studying for a Canadian degree. The working wife sometimes slogs away at three jobs. Sumitra starts at 7 am at her first job, teaching immigrants English; her second job as telemarketer starts at 4 pm. She gets back home around 8 pm, after which she begins selling cosmetics and household goods door to door. Till midnight. Sumitra supports three students, her husband and two school-going children.
The other problems Indians face here are the high taxes, high mortgage payments for new homes and the sort of hidebound laws that the benign anarchy back home hardly prepares them for. "You can't run a red light, you can't escape from a hit-and-run site even if you are just the witness, you can't smoke in public. Too many rules, so different from home", says Harminder Singh.
Two 'Indian' practices that do exist here, however, cause immigrants the maximum trouble. They are sifarish baazi (nepotism) and mufat ka kaam (free work). The Canadians, of course, have given them sophisticated terminologies, the former is referred to as 'networking' and the latter, 'volunteerism'. In a country where you are never encouraged to 'drop in' to meet someone, where the fax, the computer or the phone is used to complete most transactions, a job-seeking immigrant often has the phone put down on him. Polite but firm secretaries block access, unless the caller can drop a magic name that can help him gain entry. It takes at least a year for even the most enterprising immigrant to get to know somebody who can help him, before he can get a job at all.
'Networking' goes hand in hand with 'volunteerism'. Many immigrants put in a year of free service before they are given the job. Most writers and anchors of Asian origin are given only part-time jobs, paid by assignment and with no fringe benefits. The company insists on the word 'freelance' on their business cards, to make it clear they have not been hired by the company, and hence can't demand higher pay or any benefits. They can, and often are, fired at will.
Perhaps the greatest problem in Canada is the one that is least articulated--racism. According to a diversity report on Toronto (said to be the most ethnically diverse city in the world), the year 2000 will see its minority becoming its majority that is, 54 per cent of Toronto's population by the end of the millennium will be non-Whites. Keeping that in mind, it warned, if the discrimination against them in education, employment, income and housing, or incidents of hate are not addressed, it will lead to a growing sense of frustration.
"All our problems exist because of racism", sums up Anita Ferrao, who works in a firm. Anita has worked for them for three years and has got neither promotion nor raise. "As an Indian immigrant, you can never reach the top. They'll see to that. It's better to bring in some money here and start a business. It's the only way you'll do well here and be respected. "
But then if life is so tough here, why do people give up everything back home and come? The answer is the rosy picture of North America, inculcated right from childhood. Everything 'American' is considered superior. Better food, better homes, better life.
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jetguy777
07-22 11:23 AM
Theres no argument about EB2 retrogression. It will retrogress defenitely in the next few bulletins. But the retrogression would be mild one and that would be there only for a VERY SHORT SPAN of time. After that the cut off dates would run like to reach the CURRENT.
Vdlrao
Appreciate your thoughtful and encouraging posts. Continuing with Ron Gotcher's line of reasoning:
"It is worth mentioning that the CIS has never adjudicated more than 85,000 EB AOS cases in a single fiscal year - though this year it is possible they may process as many as 110,000 if they go all out. Keep this fact, together with the size of the backlog, in mind when trying to estimate how long it will take them to get to your case when your priority date becomes current."
How do you reconcile USCIS productivity with the number of visas that are available? In other words, although there may be sufficient numbers available to move the priority dates forward in the next fiscal year, USCIS can only adjudicate a limited number of cases per year.
Vdlrao
Appreciate your thoughtful and encouraging posts. Continuing with Ron Gotcher's line of reasoning:
"It is worth mentioning that the CIS has never adjudicated more than 85,000 EB AOS cases in a single fiscal year - though this year it is possible they may process as many as 110,000 if they go all out. Keep this fact, together with the size of the backlog, in mind when trying to estimate how long it will take them to get to your case when your priority date becomes current."
How do you reconcile USCIS productivity with the number of visas that are available? In other words, although there may be sufficient numbers available to move the priority dates forward in the next fiscal year, USCIS can only adjudicate a limited number of cases per year.
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lazycis
12-14 01:47 PM
OK, let's assume the SC invalidates country-based quotas. All EB-based immigration has to stop at that point until new law is written and passed. New law can remove EB immigration altogether or implement quotas in a different way. It's a dicey citation at best. On top of this, you do not realize how hard it is to win constitutional challenge. We are having difficult time convincing judges that the USCIS has a duty to process our applications. The government argues that it does not have to process them if it chooses so and a lot of judges support that position!!!
Rajiv Khanna made a great effort on behalf of all EB-based applicants but even he could not get class action certification for AOS delays.
If you are looking for an advice, write or e-mail to AILF or ACLU. No need to spend IV money on this. Do not get me wrong, I am always glad to support new ideas and to challenge government in court, but this one is just not going to fly. EEO is completely different area and there is no conflict between EEO and the INA whatsoever. It's nice to be able to see outside of the box, but from time to time it's good to use conventional wisdom as well.
Rajiv Khanna made a great effort on behalf of all EB-based applicants but even he could not get class action certification for AOS delays.
If you are looking for an advice, write or e-mail to AILF or ACLU. No need to spend IV money on this. Do not get me wrong, I am always glad to support new ideas and to challenge government in court, but this one is just not going to fly. EEO is completely different area and there is no conflict between EEO and the INA whatsoever. It's nice to be able to see outside of the box, but from time to time it's good to use conventional wisdom as well.
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RattuRani
06-03 09:39 PM
Giving an interim GC while visa number is unavailable will have the effect of bypassing the entire GC quota system. How do you want the interim card to be different from the final thing? No way that anyone in Congress will allow for their laws to be overridden through USCIS rulemaking.
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tammman
09-23 09:18 PM
I think its worth giving it a short, I support this.
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ivar
01-13 04:34 PM
Most important of all There are people (Legal) immigrants who have bought house recently and will have to sell adding more pain to the real estate market.
AILA should. I heard a lots of para legal staffs are already lost their jobs. Because there were less H1, and GC filings. Actually there is a huge economy based on immigration. If USCIS just changes the rules as they want that would affect lots of US citizens not just few immigrants.
Lets see which businesses/people are making money out of immigration related activities.
1) Attorney
2) Paralegal staff
3) Shipping guys (usps, fedex, etc)
4) Airlines (because immigrant workers has to visit their home country periodically)
5) Consulate
6) USCIS
7) Contractors in USCIS
8) Port of Entry/customs staffs
9) Notaries
10) Doctors/hospitals for getting medical clearance for 485, etc
11) Passport photo shops
12) Airport staffs
13) ....
AILA should. I heard a lots of para legal staffs are already lost their jobs. Because there were less H1, and GC filings. Actually there is a huge economy based on immigration. If USCIS just changes the rules as they want that would affect lots of US citizens not just few immigrants.
Lets see which businesses/people are making money out of immigration related activities.
1) Attorney
2) Paralegal staff
3) Shipping guys (usps, fedex, etc)
4) Airlines (because immigrant workers has to visit their home country periodically)
5) Consulate
6) USCIS
7) Contractors in USCIS
8) Port of Entry/customs staffs
9) Notaries
10) Doctors/hospitals for getting medical clearance for 485, etc
11) Passport photo shops
12) Airport staffs
13) ....
reddymjm
09-23 11:33 AM
Let's do it
I just emailed all of them with my name, address and phone number. Atleast 13 of them bounced. Can some one correct the email addresses in that sheet.
I just emailed all of them with my name, address and phone number. Atleast 13 of them bounced. Can some one correct the email addresses in that sheet.
nozerd
05-11 10:13 AM
Just an FYI , I recently read in an article that Australia is changing its rules to require 4 yrs residency instead of 2 for citizenship.
In Canada you apply after 3 yrs but it takes nearly a yr to get it so defacto its 4 yrs. There was a lot of controversy in both Australia and Canada recently because they had to evcate thousands of Australian/Canadians of Lebanese origion from Lebanon during the recent Hezbollah/Israel standoff there.They were questioning if it was worthwhile giving citizenship to ppl who would never work or pay taxes in Oz/Can.
The company I work for has an office in Sydney, Australia and recently opened one in Toronto but it is not fully operational. In such a case E3 might work better than Canada PR since it takes 3 years to get Canadian citizenship and 2 years to get Australian citizenship and one could potentially retain the US job if one manages to strike an arrangement with their employer. Also this option might work better for those whose home country is close to Australia (eg Indonesia, Singapore, New Zealand etc). Also note the benefit of the E-3 is that one's spouse can work without restrictions and it is indefinitely renewable while the TN's spouse is not allowed to work. They both have pros and cons. Geographically and culture wise (ie way of life) Canada makes for an easier transition back to the US. Personally I have applied for the Canadian PR for the reasons you cite.
In Canada you apply after 3 yrs but it takes nearly a yr to get it so defacto its 4 yrs. There was a lot of controversy in both Australia and Canada recently because they had to evcate thousands of Australian/Canadians of Lebanese origion from Lebanon during the recent Hezbollah/Israel standoff there.They were questioning if it was worthwhile giving citizenship to ppl who would never work or pay taxes in Oz/Can.
The company I work for has an office in Sydney, Australia and recently opened one in Toronto but it is not fully operational. In such a case E3 might work better than Canada PR since it takes 3 years to get Canadian citizenship and 2 years to get Australian citizenship and one could potentially retain the US job if one manages to strike an arrangement with their employer. Also this option might work better for those whose home country is close to Australia (eg Indonesia, Singapore, New Zealand etc). Also note the benefit of the E-3 is that one's spouse can work without restrictions and it is indefinitely renewable while the TN's spouse is not allowed to work. They both have pros and cons. Geographically and culture wise (ie way of life) Canada makes for an easier transition back to the US. Personally I have applied for the Canadian PR for the reasons you cite.
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