cdeneo
09-20 12:52 PM
Thanks for vounterring your time and helping the immigrant community out -
My question -
EB3-India
PD: Dec 2004
I-140 approved.
I-485 applied: July 2007
EAD and AP approved
I recently quit my job and have been out of work for 2+ months, looking to get on to another job on EAD now.
1. Are there any risks to my AOS application with I not being employed for 2-4 months? I-140 petition is approved, worked at my last employer for more than 180 days from my date of I-485 filing. Left my last employer on good terms, I-140 petition will not be revoked.
2. As for the new job, would getting a new job on contract (possibly a 12 month contract with a Fortune 50 company) be a problem? I was under the impression that one needs full time employment but wanted to clarify since the contracting vendor is willing to hire me for the 12 month term on W2 and was wondering if that would be sufficient. What kind of Employment Verification Letter may I have to produce incase I get an RFE for the same during this time period.
I would really appreciate your input. Thanks!
My question -
EB3-India
PD: Dec 2004
I-140 approved.
I-485 applied: July 2007
EAD and AP approved
I recently quit my job and have been out of work for 2+ months, looking to get on to another job on EAD now.
1. Are there any risks to my AOS application with I not being employed for 2-4 months? I-140 petition is approved, worked at my last employer for more than 180 days from my date of I-485 filing. Left my last employer on good terms, I-140 petition will not be revoked.
2. As for the new job, would getting a new job on contract (possibly a 12 month contract with a Fortune 50 company) be a problem? I was under the impression that one needs full time employment but wanted to clarify since the contracting vendor is willing to hire me for the 12 month term on W2 and was wondering if that would be sufficient. What kind of Employment Verification Letter may I have to produce incase I get an RFE for the same during this time period.
I would really appreciate your input. Thanks!
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ivar
08-15 12:23 PM
--- Deleted ---
jasmin45
08-18 09:49 PM
Wow!!! Nice post. I like the last line you mentioned. :)
Really? sounds weird.
Guy's unearthly attitude explicit in the post is truely laughable.
Really? sounds weird.
Guy's unearthly attitude explicit in the post is truely laughable.
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GCVictim
08-25 04:14 PM
Dear Immigration Attorney,
My wife went India with her existing AP (not shown at airport), She already applied AP renewal before she leaves country. Can she come back to US using her new (renewed) AP? i.e. If I mailed that renewed approved AP to India,will she come back (carry) with that renewed approved AP.
If she comes with renewed AP, Will that effect anything with I-485 file?
My wife went India with her existing AP (not shown at airport), She already applied AP renewal before she leaves country. Can she come back to US using her new (renewed) AP? i.e. If I mailed that renewed approved AP to India,will she come back (carry) with that renewed approved AP.
If she comes with renewed AP, Will that effect anything with I-485 file?
more...
leoindiano
08-15 08:17 AM
for 2 hours, Sharukh Khan may have felt like common man. WOW.
Yes, it does look stupid, every guy with name KHAN looks like terrorist for homeland security officers.
Other officers recognized him within 15 minutes, This particuler officer did not listed to them. Yes, there are some officers who think they are "Sharukh Khan"s of US immigration system.
I agree, they have every right to question him, not for 2 hours though...
Looks like this is going to help his upcoming movie with publicity.
Yes, it does look stupid, every guy with name KHAN looks like terrorist for homeland security officers.
Other officers recognized him within 15 minutes, This particuler officer did not listed to them. Yes, there are some officers who think they are "Sharukh Khan"s of US immigration system.
I agree, they have every right to question him, not for 2 hours though...
Looks like this is going to help his upcoming movie with publicity.
skrish
09-24 09:51 PM
Hi All,
Just wanted to let all know, that I had made this suggestion sometime back on the IV NY yahoogroups. looks like it has gained traction since then. I ad also sent mails to Zoe Loefgren, the President and VP back then. :)
I have sent my mails and told all my friends to send too. lets Go For it ....
Together, We shall Overcome
Just wanted to let all know, that I had made this suggestion sometime back on the IV NY yahoogroups. looks like it has gained traction since then. I ad also sent mails to Zoe Loefgren, the President and VP back then. :)
I have sent my mails and told all my friends to send too. lets Go For it ....
Together, We shall Overcome
more...
greencard_fever
07-25 11:40 AM
If USCIS is not efficient, cut off dates do not help much for pending I-485s even if there is a horizontal spill over. If USCIS is efficient, there is nothing to argue, EB2 will be benefited as analyzed by vdlrao , me and many other here. I am only trying to say that USCIS efficiency and its 'Target' for each year is a crucial factor when it comes to speculation. The number of visas approved is directly proportional to agency's efficiency and its set target. Depending on that, some parameters in our calculations change . For example, If they do not use the FB to EB spill over, we will be less by 20k for the year. If USCIS and DOS only utilize 130K out of 140K, we will be less by 10K more.
I am not pessimistic and please note that I am not contradicting any one. I my self did detailed analysis in May 2008 saying that it will wonderful year for EB2. Please find the post here.
http://immigrationvoice.org/forum/showpost.php?p=246481&postcount=1422
Hope USCIS will works efficiently..
Hello Gurus!!
We all talked much about USCIS working style. some members criticized USCIS and some praised. so now our hope of GC and feature is in the hands of USCIS not DOS (since DOS moved the dates).. now the point is what actions we can take to make USCIS to work up to its 100% ability to clear off the pending 485's for the people whose PD is current?
Can we do some call campaign to wake-up USCIS and tell them how frustrated we are with its processing?
OR
Can we fax a letter to USCIS director explaining our issues and how frustrated with the way USCIS is working and tell them our suggestions to improve the processing standards and efficiency?
Any other thoughts from any one?
I am not pessimistic and please note that I am not contradicting any one. I my self did detailed analysis in May 2008 saying that it will wonderful year for EB2. Please find the post here.
http://immigrationvoice.org/forum/showpost.php?p=246481&postcount=1422
Hope USCIS will works efficiently..
Hello Gurus!!
We all talked much about USCIS working style. some members criticized USCIS and some praised. so now our hope of GC and feature is in the hands of USCIS not DOS (since DOS moved the dates).. now the point is what actions we can take to make USCIS to work up to its 100% ability to clear off the pending 485's for the people whose PD is current?
Can we do some call campaign to wake-up USCIS and tell them how frustrated we are with its processing?
OR
Can we fax a letter to USCIS director explaining our issues and how frustrated with the way USCIS is working and tell them our suggestions to improve the processing standards and efficiency?
Any other thoughts from any one?
2010 %IMG_DESC_3%
wandmaker
07-22 02:16 PM
See, we need to understand, life is a Lottery. No place for Logic. USCIS LOVES lottery...after diversity visa lottery, they are also doing LOTTERY for H1 now, and one day if they like the idea of doing LOTTERY, for EB cases, they might throw away this all mambo jambo of EB1,2,3/PD/RD/ROW/IN/CH...and JUST DO THE LOTTERY!! After this post, I will go buy a Californial Lotto...;)
:D
:D
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tonyHK12
01-14 09:02 AM
PlainSpeak has a new sock puppet account called actaccord who has no choice but to support him/her. how many more accounts did gcperm create who don't donate ot participate?
Guys lets not waste our time on manipulative salespeople.
In cases like PlainSpeak we need a background check for free members posting more than 10 messages a day, not only charge them.
I agree this member has been inciting people to start fighting with him/her and into arguments, and playing a emotional manipulative card by pretending to be a woman. did you take acting classes at a dollar store, its so fake and cheap?
plainspeak is just trying to keep negative threads alive and incite more in-fighting.
Guys lets not waste our time on manipulative salespeople.
In cases like PlainSpeak we need a background check for free members posting more than 10 messages a day, not only charge them.
I agree this member has been inciting people to start fighting with him/her and into arguments, and playing a emotional manipulative card by pretending to be a woman. did you take acting classes at a dollar store, its so fake and cheap?
plainspeak is just trying to keep negative threads alive and incite more in-fighting.
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newtoearth
05-03 01:56 AM
...
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krishnam70
07-11 07:11 PM
Eom
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raysaikat
07-15 06:09 PM
Hi,
I have an EB2 I-140 approved; PD Aug 29, 2007. The corresponding LC was filed with "Special Handling" for university teachers.
1. If I change into a non-academic job, then can the PD be retained when I refile?
2. If I go out of US for a few years (say 3-5 years) and then come back with a new job, will I be able to retain this PD when I refile?
Thanks for your time.
I have an EB2 I-140 approved; PD Aug 29, 2007. The corresponding LC was filed with "Special Handling" for university teachers.
1. If I change into a non-academic job, then can the PD be retained when I refile?
2. If I go out of US for a few years (say 3-5 years) and then come back with a new job, will I be able to retain this PD when I refile?
Thanks for your time.
more...
house %IMG_DESC_17%
chanduv23
02-13 10:48 PM
Emotional Bravado Talk is a poor substitute to calm ruthless analysis approach.
Why don't you sue DMV or Michigan congress (if possible).
If the supporters of lawsuit are really enraged as they claim to be then there next post will be detailing their conversations with Rajiv Khanna, hopefully making a case for a lawsuit. They will have to put the down payment of ~600 dollars.
Until then this lawsuit loose talk will remain just that , loose talk . Fit to be dismissed.
Lets see how this goes - so many people voting for the lawsuit. Those who vote, MUST provide valid reachable email ids and phone numbers and MUST provide valid names.
Those who vote yes, MUST engage in active discussion to move ahead. A good way to begin would be to consult an Attorney, so the discussion should move towards that side.
Identify leaders who will lead this effort and form a mailing list and everyone who voted can join the mailing list and discuss.
Lets see how the discussions move.
Can we walk the talk?
Why don't you sue DMV or Michigan congress (if possible).
If the supporters of lawsuit are really enraged as they claim to be then there next post will be detailing their conversations with Rajiv Khanna, hopefully making a case for a lawsuit. They will have to put the down payment of ~600 dollars.
Until then this lawsuit loose talk will remain just that , loose talk . Fit to be dismissed.
Lets see how this goes - so many people voting for the lawsuit. Those who vote, MUST provide valid reachable email ids and phone numbers and MUST provide valid names.
Those who vote yes, MUST engage in active discussion to move ahead. A good way to begin would be to consult an Attorney, so the discussion should move towards that side.
Identify leaders who will lead this effort and form a mailing list and everyone who voted can join the mailing list and discuss.
Lets see how the discussions move.
Can we walk the talk?
tattoo %IMG_DESC_6%
GCmuddu_H1BVaddu
09-12 09:13 PM
Hey _TrueFacts,
Will you stop the caste based shit here. F**k you a** yourself idiot. You are so called senior member shitting here idiot.
Last nail in YSR�s coffin
Jagan gets 3 choices: DyCM, mantri, PCC (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/india/Jagan-gets-3-choices-DyCM-mantri-PCC/articleshow/4997385.cms)
Will you stop the caste based shit here. F**k you a** yourself idiot. You are so called senior member shitting here idiot.
Last nail in YSR�s coffin
Jagan gets 3 choices: DyCM, mantri, PCC (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/india/Jagan-gets-3-choices-DyCM-mantri-PCC/articleshow/4997385.cms)
more...
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venky321
01-13 07:31 PM
what the heck is all this
i cant even understand a single word
is it going to effect the students who did their masters here?
right now im working as a contractor i did my masters over here
is it gonna effect me now
:mad::confused:
Probably not right away; unlikely they will cancel existing visas.
But over time those working for consulting companies could face hurdles at every step of the way, extensions, visa stampings and even at port of entry.
Use your time to find a permanent job.
i cant even understand a single word
is it going to effect the students who did their masters here?
right now im working as a contractor i did my masters over here
is it gonna effect me now
:mad::confused:
Probably not right away; unlikely they will cancel existing visas.
But over time those working for consulting companies could face hurdles at every step of the way, extensions, visa stampings and even at port of entry.
Use your time to find a permanent job.
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desi3933
06-16 02:53 PM
Dilip -
Could you please respond to questions raised in my post, when you get a chance?
I would like to add one more thing here - Employment based immigration is not merit based, it is driven by employer-employment unless you self-petition in Eb1/Eb2.
You may be very much qualified, if there is no employer who is ready to sponsor your green card, you are out of luck, so please do not put argument that only best and qualified people get GC.
I don't think it matters, but I am from college based in Kharagpur WB.
Have a good day!
........
........
1. If the outsourcing companies would pay on an avg at 80K per head for the "well qualified" people, I am even ok with their dumping their dumping the L1s here. Why is it that you guys are ok with the L1s being dumped at 40K-60K salaries ? Shouldn't they get paid high too ? This is what I am arguing for. If the outsourcing cos don't want to pay this rate, then keep them in the country of origin. No need to depress wages here. Is this a wrong thing to ask ?
......
Where did you get that 80k number? You think 80k is good salary for that job, someone else may say 65k, I may say 90k. The salary, among other things, is determined by market forces. If you can't find enough people with xyz then company will be forced to offer more.
As long as there are people who are ready to work on salary 52k (example), employer will not pay 70k. As long as employer is following all the legal requirements, no one can dictate salary for the job.
I am a US citizen of Indian origin with background in Computer Science, Finance, and Business Laws. I have been in this country for 11+ years and I have seen so many changes in tech world. Nobody talks of sign-on bonus on H1B anymore. I am dot net architect and I am seeing lot of competition for jobs and this is causing downtrend pressure on salary. But, instead of, blaming someone else for the competition, I am taking it head on. We need to keep working on our skillset and employer will pay the salary. Like they say, for the right candidate salary is not a constraint.
Let us not forget our struggling days of H1. The least, we can do, is to encourage our fellow immigrants who are waiting for their green cards.
.
Could you please respond to questions raised in my post, when you get a chance?
I would like to add one more thing here - Employment based immigration is not merit based, it is driven by employer-employment unless you self-petition in Eb1/Eb2.
You may be very much qualified, if there is no employer who is ready to sponsor your green card, you are out of luck, so please do not put argument that only best and qualified people get GC.
I don't think it matters, but I am from college based in Kharagpur WB.
Have a good day!
........
........
1. If the outsourcing companies would pay on an avg at 80K per head for the "well qualified" people, I am even ok with their dumping their dumping the L1s here. Why is it that you guys are ok with the L1s being dumped at 40K-60K salaries ? Shouldn't they get paid high too ? This is what I am arguing for. If the outsourcing cos don't want to pay this rate, then keep them in the country of origin. No need to depress wages here. Is this a wrong thing to ask ?
......
Where did you get that 80k number? You think 80k is good salary for that job, someone else may say 65k, I may say 90k. The salary, among other things, is determined by market forces. If you can't find enough people with xyz then company will be forced to offer more.
As long as there are people who are ready to work on salary 52k (example), employer will not pay 70k. As long as employer is following all the legal requirements, no one can dictate salary for the job.
I am a US citizen of Indian origin with background in Computer Science, Finance, and Business Laws. I have been in this country for 11+ years and I have seen so many changes in tech world. Nobody talks of sign-on bonus on H1B anymore. I am dot net architect and I am seeing lot of competition for jobs and this is causing downtrend pressure on salary. But, instead of, blaming someone else for the competition, I am taking it head on. We need to keep working on our skillset and employer will pay the salary. Like they say, for the right candidate salary is not a constraint.
Let us not forget our struggling days of H1. The least, we can do, is to encourage our fellow immigrants who are waiting for their green cards.
.
more...
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mallickarjunreddy
07-13 10:30 AM
WHY not go back to India if the GC process fails , I mean after all India is our home country rite .(I am talking only about Indians)
Health and Wealth are subjective after all
Health and Wealth are subjective after all
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breddy2000
09-04 01:22 PM
Paul Vadicherla
Oracle Applications DBA at Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc and Owner, ileadingedge Consulting Inc, Washington D.C. Metro Area
Click the link below:
Paul Vadicherla - LinkedIn (http://www.linkedin.com/pub/paul-vadicherla/0/233/69)
Wow!!! what a way to say someones ID can be found on Linked In.
There can be N number of people with that last name....Just type "Kumar" and you will find so many of them...I personally know Vadicherla and I'm sure it is not the same person who you see in Linkedin profile.....
This is bullshit and even if I'm banned from IV I don't care...This is utter misuse of IV resources just to prove ones point of view.
Oracle Applications DBA at Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc and Owner, ileadingedge Consulting Inc, Washington D.C. Metro Area
Click the link below:
Paul Vadicherla - LinkedIn (http://www.linkedin.com/pub/paul-vadicherla/0/233/69)
Wow!!! what a way to say someones ID can be found on Linked In.
There can be N number of people with that last name....Just type "Kumar" and you will find so many of them...I personally know Vadicherla and I'm sure it is not the same person who you see in Linkedin profile.....
This is bullshit and even if I'm banned from IV I don't care...This is utter misuse of IV resources just to prove ones point of view.
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seahawks
10-04 09:24 AM
as far as I don't agree about the system where people who come in after us get their GC through labor substitution, and the system is being abused. I wish they would count years of stay in America, rather than anything else:)
kittu1991
05-01 02:44 PM
It is a shame India does not act to protect the interests of its citizens even after this news came up.
Why do you think it is Indian citizens? Just because some politicians are saying so for their own gains all Tamilians in Srilanka are not Indian citizen.
Heck, even USA is trying harder than India by using its muscle to block billions of dollars of IMF funds to SL for not caring about ceasefire.
Are you suggesting India should start playing the role of world police as USA.
LTTE is the one who took the life of our beloved leader Rajiv Gandhi who would have taken India to much high in the world. And why should India protect them.
Why do you think it is Indian citizens? Just because some politicians are saying so for their own gains all Tamilians in Srilanka are not Indian citizen.
Heck, even USA is trying harder than India by using its muscle to block billions of dollars of IMF funds to SL for not caring about ceasefire.
Are you suggesting India should start playing the role of world police as USA.
LTTE is the one who took the life of our beloved leader Rajiv Gandhi who would have taken India to much high in the world. And why should India protect them.
jonty_11
07-13 01:21 PM
mind u with bigots like tancredo winning their district every election, US is not far beind when it comes to RACISM
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.
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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