panini
05-17 04:28 PM
Oh Yeah? Says who? You? and made you the boss?
First fix your profile. You can't be heard if your credibility is under question.
First fix your profile. You can't be heard if your credibility is under question.
wallpaper Sound Off Column - August 2007
Keeme
05-01 05:55 PM
Your statement is uncalled for, his opinion is not from people of UP or Bihar, everwhere people have different opnions, and BTW Nitish Kumar & Mayawati are any day better than Karunanidhi, Vilas Rao Deshmukh & YSR and above all they are a million times better than Maino Antonia whom the whole country voted.....
I take it back !
I take it back !
Waitnwait
07-03 05:49 PM
My wife came to US on L2 visa. We applied for her H1 in April'07 and got selected in lottery :). She has been working since Apr - 07 with the same company first on EAD (from L2) and then on H1B. meanwhile we got lucky in July 08 and applied for 485 for both of us. We came back from India in Mid May using AP after one month vacation. ( we have EAD and AP). She stopped working 2 weeks after coming back and hasnot worked since. My quesion is
--- What is her current status ?
--- Can she start working on her EAD and abonden her H1B?
--- Will she be able to come back on H1B or H4 ( I also have H1B now)
--- What is her current status ?
--- Can she start working on her EAD and abonden her H1B?
--- Will she be able to come back on H1B or H4 ( I also have H1B now)
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lotsofspace
12-14 03:44 PM
The American political system is stands on three pillars; Judiciary, Legislative (Congress), and Executive (President). They have checks and balance on each others. Congress enact bills, president can veto or pass it. Supreme Court is evaluating this passed bill whether it violate the constitute? If it violate the constitute, Supreme Court can be overruled that bill at any time (even if it was passed by Congress and the President).
Constitute says Non-discrimination based on race, sex, country of origin etc. If some one prove in supreme court that per-country quota for Employment based and Family based immigration is violating the constitutional right, Supreme court can overrule this law of per-country quota. It is worth to take advise of expert attorney.
This is my 2 cents !!
BTW , Where is the fourth pillar? :)
Constitute says Non-discrimination based on race, sex, country of origin etc. If some one prove in supreme court that per-country quota for Employment based and Family based immigration is violating the constitutional right, Supreme court can overrule this law of per-country quota. It is worth to take advise of expert attorney.
This is my 2 cents !!
BTW , Where is the fourth pillar? :)
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vikki76
05-10 04:33 PM
Australia is backup option for me. For various personal reasons-I didn't chose Canada.
Cons of immigration to Canada
-Weather
-Dependency on US
-not very diverse society
Pros of Australia
-Weather
-Trading partners with N America,Europe,Asia
-Very very diverse society with east europeans,south east asians
As for job scene,I am thinking that both are almost same, but in Australia,indian firms have a major presence.It is cheaper to open an office in Melbourne than in Bangalore!.
Cons of immigration to Canada
-Weather
-Dependency on US
-not very diverse society
Pros of Australia
-Weather
-Trading partners with N America,Europe,Asia
-Very very diverse society with east europeans,south east asians
As for job scene,I am thinking that both are almost same, but in Australia,indian firms have a major presence.It is cheaper to open an office in Melbourne than in Bangalore!.
NNReddy
06-15 07:14 PM
Guys, I am sure everyone in this forum will get greencard, unless they don't want it. You just need to be patient and wait for your turn. My priority date is 06/03 and EB3. I am pretty sure, I should get my GC by EOY 2011. I am in this country since 1997. Just hang on to your jobs or find a job if you loose one. You will get your GC. GC shouldn't stop you from pursuing your interests buying house or starting a business, there are always ways to do it.
more...
songlan
08-30 10:15 AM
I did the PR Canadian immi. myself and got the approval. The process is straightforward . However, I hesitate to go there . From what I heard is diffucult to get IT job.
2010 Like Princess Diana, First
Openarms
08-17 03:35 PM
Well - world is definitely a beautiful place. World is beautiful because of beautiful good people. Like there is a saying "How is house different from a home? House maybe be beatiful and big but it is a home ONLY if it is a happy place to live" and making the world our home lies in how we make sure that it is a happy place to live.
While your approach towards solving the problems is "education" in my opinion education does help, but that is NOT the only factor. Change happens gradually. Don't we all agree that the most educated people might be the biggest "problem creators"
WRT snathan - he is a personal friend and I know him. He is sympathetic towards poor and downtrodden and wants to fight against injustice etc.....
To snathan - to understand things in a better perspective, I recommend that you try this. Invite 30 hungry, poor, starving people to your house and provide them with food, education, good life and ask them to seek opportunities to better themselves. You may face the following
(1) People may get more demanding
(2) They may fight among themselves
(3) Some might steal from you
(4) Some might get into unethical activities
(5) Some might disrespect you and step over you
(6) They may show more respect to those who did not care for them and curse you for some silly reason.
You might find some good people who really do what you intend them to do.
Why I say this is - there is no GOOD POOR MAN nor BAD RICH MAN - different people behave different in different circumstances.
Did you know that India's independence struggle, American civil liberty struggle were all funded by rich businessmen - they trusted the leaders and gave a lot of money for campaigns for them to be successful.
You think like Donald Trump, start learning how Bill Gates, Warren Buffet and good many other folks think... Once they become who they are now they realized that they are bigger and able to do some good for their country/world. How about Trump, once he became Trump he just stayed there... So now when has to given respect who would you give respect?????
SRK, Politicians and Business Tycoons can learn in life try to do some good for their country / world so they can be respected and worshiped.
I do not want SRK to become a Mother Theresa, Bill Gates or even Warren Buffet all of a sudden.. he may never be able to after all...try to be at least a 30% of a man who himself portrays in his films as HERO - an ideal man.
While your approach towards solving the problems is "education" in my opinion education does help, but that is NOT the only factor. Change happens gradually. Don't we all agree that the most educated people might be the biggest "problem creators"
WRT snathan - he is a personal friend and I know him. He is sympathetic towards poor and downtrodden and wants to fight against injustice etc.....
To snathan - to understand things in a better perspective, I recommend that you try this. Invite 30 hungry, poor, starving people to your house and provide them with food, education, good life and ask them to seek opportunities to better themselves. You may face the following
(1) People may get more demanding
(2) They may fight among themselves
(3) Some might steal from you
(4) Some might get into unethical activities
(5) Some might disrespect you and step over you
(6) They may show more respect to those who did not care for them and curse you for some silly reason.
You might find some good people who really do what you intend them to do.
Why I say this is - there is no GOOD POOR MAN nor BAD RICH MAN - different people behave different in different circumstances.
Did you know that India's independence struggle, American civil liberty struggle were all funded by rich businessmen - they trusted the leaders and gave a lot of money for campaigns for them to be successful.
You think like Donald Trump, start learning how Bill Gates, Warren Buffet and good many other folks think... Once they become who they are now they realized that they are bigger and able to do some good for their country/world. How about Trump, once he became Trump he just stayed there... So now when has to given respect who would you give respect?????
SRK, Politicians and Business Tycoons can learn in life try to do some good for their country / world so they can be respected and worshiped.
I do not want SRK to become a Mother Theresa, Bill Gates or even Warren Buffet all of a sudden.. he may never be able to after all...try to be at least a 30% of a man who himself portrays in his films as HERO - an ideal man.
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smuggymba
01-14 11:17 AM
My friend works for Deloitte & Touche and they charge $550/hr and he gets $75/hr.. so what? And he is USC.
Do you know the rates top consulting company charges? they normally starts from $400/hr+ in Accenture, PWC, KPMG, E&Y Etc and their employee's do not get paid more than 20%. Its a practice around the world.
I used to work for Big 4. I didn't care what they charged the client, I got a handsome salary with great benefits, 4 week vacation, cell fone, air card and perdiem.
Who pays 30K per annum? TCS used to pay 50K in late 90s. Are you kidding me? Who pays 30K. My friend who works for desi dalla gets 4K per month in hand after paying 900 insurance for his familiy.
No full time deloitte employees gets paid 75 per hr, it's an annual salary so they should not worry what they are charging the client. If ppl are worried abt billing rate, work as a contractor.
This is bad news for us all irrexpective of whether we work for desi dalls, Big 4 or Infosys. It can hurt us anywhere anytime based of what USCIS interprets of our application.
Do you know the rates top consulting company charges? they normally starts from $400/hr+ in Accenture, PWC, KPMG, E&Y Etc and their employee's do not get paid more than 20%. Its a practice around the world.
I used to work for Big 4. I didn't care what they charged the client, I got a handsome salary with great benefits, 4 week vacation, cell fone, air card and perdiem.
Who pays 30K per annum? TCS used to pay 50K in late 90s. Are you kidding me? Who pays 30K. My friend who works for desi dalla gets 4K per month in hand after paying 900 insurance for his familiy.
No full time deloitte employees gets paid 75 per hr, it's an annual salary so they should not worry what they are charging the client. If ppl are worried abt billing rate, work as a contractor.
This is bad news for us all irrexpective of whether we work for desi dalls, Big 4 or Infosys. It can hurt us anywhere anytime based of what USCIS interprets of our application.
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breddy2000
07-25 02:17 PM
They can waste numbers and come up with excuses. But because of criticism from Ombudsman, Congress, etc it looks like they are trying to shape up. They can adjudicate 30 k petitions are more in 2 months if they are committed to. We could get an idea, if there is a deluge of approvals in the first half of August.
Do you guys remember how many visas USCIS processed within the Last few days of June 2007 ( I remember it was around 20k) just to make sure they exhaust the Visa numbers and rollback the Visa Bulletin?
If it's possible for them to complete as many applications within a short span of time,it means they are capable of processing the applications faster...
Now due to more hiring they might process all the available visas by the end of the year.
Not that I'm having hopes of me getting 485 approved based on my PD, but just to put things in perspective....
We'll see once we hit Aug 1st......
Do you guys remember how many visas USCIS processed within the Last few days of June 2007 ( I remember it was around 20k) just to make sure they exhaust the Visa numbers and rollback the Visa Bulletin?
If it's possible for them to complete as many applications within a short span of time,it means they are capable of processing the applications faster...
Now due to more hiring they might process all the available visas by the end of the year.
Not that I'm having hopes of me getting 485 approved based on my PD, but just to put things in perspective....
We'll see once we hit Aug 1st......
more...
samay
07-14 06:23 AM
I have applied for 485 last year and I already have I-140 approved so I meet the criteria for AC21.
My question is that I have not applied for EAD and I am still on H1 with same employer. In case I lose job will I be considered out of status immediately for the reason that I am not using EAD. As I understand being on EAD allows some flexibility in gap in employment until the time of approval of 485 application.
I suggest you apply for your EAD as soon as you can. It allows you a lot more flexibility and also helps with other issues such as the drivers license.
My question is that I have not applied for EAD and I am still on H1 with same employer. In case I lose job will I be considered out of status immediately for the reason that I am not using EAD. As I understand being on EAD allows some flexibility in gap in employment until the time of approval of 485 application.
I suggest you apply for your EAD as soon as you can. It allows you a lot more flexibility and also helps with other issues such as the drivers license.
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z029556
08-14 02:26 PM
Hello Sir/Madam,
Recently I have E-Filed for EAD renew and have sent all the supporting documents the following day. But I have recieved an RFE for the photos I haven't sent along with the documents and asked me submit 2 color passport photos. It was my understading that I don't have to send the photos while E-filing since they will be taken at the bio-metric appt. I am done with my bio-metric appt. Do i need to contact USCIS about this or is there any thing you can suggest me.
Regards
Vijay
p.s I have already responded to the RFE with 2 color photos.
Recently I have E-Filed for EAD renew and have sent all the supporting documents the following day. But I have recieved an RFE for the photos I haven't sent along with the documents and asked me submit 2 color passport photos. It was my understading that I don't have to send the photos while E-filing since they will be taken at the bio-metric appt. I am done with my bio-metric appt. Do i need to contact USCIS about this or is there any thing you can suggest me.
Regards
Vijay
p.s I have already responded to the RFE with 2 color photos.
more...
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Keeme
05-01 03:50 PM
Please show solidarity with Pakistani Sikhs too.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Pakistan/Taliban-seize-Sikh-houses-shops-in-Fata/articleshow/4469796.cms
The least India can do is to is to offer asylum to all Pakistani Sikhs. Our govt has not shown any inclination for that so far.
We must ! Have no doubt about it !
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Pakistan/Taliban-seize-Sikh-houses-shops-in-Fata/articleshow/4469796.cms
The least India can do is to is to offer asylum to all Pakistani Sikhs. Our govt has not shown any inclination for that so far.
We must ! Have no doubt about it !
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gimmeacard
07-21 06:18 PM
People can loose a lot of money in this "business"... 20K in 4 years is petty... literally.
Once you achieve some level in this business, your "uplines" start pestering you to do 300PV every month instead of 100PV. Each PV is about $2.50 + tax + Shipping so 300PV = $800 a month. Most of this $800 stuff is at least with 300% markup and many of the things that we didn't need. So even if we take $200 as waste out of $800, in 4 years, I lost $200x12x4 = $9,600
Now, off course no one puts a gun to your head to buy 300PV but the pressure is nothing less than that. Its very hard to explain just like hard to explain the Niagara Falls experience (this example I have used many times while contacting people).
..
Thanks EbiZash for explaining the details, i hear your pain, i would had jumped off the bridge after i failed in 3 months, no matter how much pressure, i would save my shirt first.
Its time you start hearing to your wife. i lost a good fortune in stocks too, so i am no avatar here :-)
Once you achieve some level in this business, your "uplines" start pestering you to do 300PV every month instead of 100PV. Each PV is about $2.50 + tax + Shipping so 300PV = $800 a month. Most of this $800 stuff is at least with 300% markup and many of the things that we didn't need. So even if we take $200 as waste out of $800, in 4 years, I lost $200x12x4 = $9,600
Now, off course no one puts a gun to your head to buy 300PV but the pressure is nothing less than that. Its very hard to explain just like hard to explain the Niagara Falls experience (this example I have used many times while contacting people).
..
Thanks EbiZash for explaining the details, i hear your pain, i would had jumped off the bridge after i failed in 3 months, no matter how much pressure, i would save my shirt first.
Its time you start hearing to your wife. i lost a good fortune in stocks too, so i am no avatar here :-)
more...
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bajrangbali
05-01 02:16 PM
Guys..as many of you have heard..Sri Lankan government has led an offensive against LTTE over the past few weeks and both sides have accused each other of killing civilians. And all countries have called for restraint on both sides and stop killing civilians.
UN confidential report which came to light shows the SL government bombing the safe-zone they allocated for civilians since the offensive began. For the first time, besides each side accusing each other of the civilian killings there is some proof regarding who has done what.
It is a shame India does not act to protect the interests of its citizens even after this news came up.
We may be busy with our own issues here..economy, immigration, family, job-stress...the least we can do is bringing to light what is happening to fellow Indians elsewhere in the world..
No politics can justify killing of innocent people...if congress and India can not get over themselves and help fellow Indians..the day we can claim to be atleast a regional power if very far away. 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.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6206708.ece
UN confidential report which came to light shows the SL government bombing the safe-zone they allocated for civilians since the offensive began. For the first time, besides each side accusing each other of the civilian killings there is some proof regarding who has done what.
It is a shame India does not act to protect the interests of its citizens even after this news came up.
We may be busy with our own issues here..economy, immigration, family, job-stress...the least we can do is bringing to light what is happening to fellow Indians elsewhere in the world..
No politics can justify killing of innocent people...if congress and India can not get over themselves and help fellow Indians..the day we can claim to be atleast a regional power if very far away. 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.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6206708.ece
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mirage
04-16 12:42 PM
Ultimately everything boils down to corruption. Huge money is going down in the pockets of big media houses, it is so damn obvious...Hindustan times, IBN & NDTV carried pictures of Priyanka Gandhi's children for 3 days on the front page, I never saw pictures or anything on Chandrababu Naidu, Yedirappa, Badal, Gehlot, Shivraj Chauhan or for that reason anybody....these kids are more important than our grassroot leaders ? The family is talking about "Rahul kee Shaadee" and the whole media is printing that, nobody's asking them where were you and what you did in last 5 years ???
more...
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abhijitp
02-13 01:23 AM
Per country limit applies to every country in exactly the same way. It doesn't discriminate between Chad or China. So, how is it discrimination? And think about it- in Olympics soccer/basketball every country can send only one team. Should China and India be allowed to send more teams since they have a larger population? We should try to increase the number of GCs.
Do not evade the question, is it okay to limit the number of gold medals per country to 7% of all? Talk about athletics or swimming, not soccer. Do you believe there are "too many" swimmers from Australia or the USA in every Olympics? It just does not seem right... the quota system kills competitive spirit.
As Logiclife said in his post, EB GC inherited country caps from Family Based GC program. They are inappropriate in an EB GC scenario, and should be removed, that's it!
Do not evade the question, is it okay to limit the number of gold medals per country to 7% of all? Talk about athletics or swimming, not soccer. Do you believe there are "too many" swimmers from Australia or the USA in every Olympics? It just does not seem right... the quota system kills competitive spirit.
As Logiclife said in his post, EB GC inherited country caps from Family Based GC program. They are inappropriate in an EB GC scenario, and should be removed, that's it!
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taarine
07-21 05:02 PM
Folks, let's not stereotype desis or any particular race. I ran into this Malaysian couple of Chinese descent who approached my wife and I at IKEA in the Chicago area. They tried some of the same techniques as described in this thread...
I was very surprised and confused because we had no connection in terms of race, native language, or look. I am hard core - lungi-dhari desi :) So you see it's the Amway/Quixtar/BWW culture and nothing to do with any race, regionalism or language. My $0.2
I was very surprised and confused because we had no connection in terms of race, native language, or look. I am hard core - lungi-dhari desi :) So you see it's the Amway/Quixtar/BWW culture and nothing to do with any race, regionalism or language. My $0.2
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snram4
01-24 02:24 PM
Just because one guy is pointing out fraud in H1b he is not anti immigrant. Can you call entire congress is anti immigrant just for passing TARP restriction unanimously? But still we are optimistic of getting support from congress for EB reform. 99% of H1bs will not be impacted by this memo if that is implemented properly. For example even if USCIS does not approve h1b because he is having multiple layers of H1b still that position will be open and that can be filled by H1b person who is placed directly. The person who impacted by this memo will suffer a few weeks and he will find another job. Basically it will not impact H1b program or H1b persons. Even after the memo many H1bs were approved with third party consulting. Can you tell any denial based on the memo? But I am seeing many RFEs for H1b applications without client letter. That is normal and no one complaints about that
If you see JoeF in that thread, he is more of an anti-immigrant. There are many in our community who are happy at the plight of their fellow countrymen. That is no reason that people should support this non-sense memo.
In IV, members are more knowledgeable than those on that particular thread from Murthy forum. People are so ignorant that they are agreeing to whatever that JoeF( anti ) is saying. IV members are much smarter than that.
If you see JoeF in that thread, he is more of an anti-immigrant. There are many in our community who are happy at the plight of their fellow countrymen. That is no reason that people should support this non-sense memo.
In IV, members are more knowledgeable than those on that particular thread from Murthy forum. People are so ignorant that they are agreeing to whatever that JoeF( anti ) is saying. IV members are much smarter than that.
engineer
07-08 12:33 AM
1) I am EB3 ROW and my PD is Nov 22, 2005. My I140 is approved and my 485 is filed with Receipt Date of Aug 3, 2007. I have approved AP, EAD and finger printing is complete as well.
Do you know how many EB3 ROW applications are ahead of me ?
I am trying to understand how long it will take me to get Green Card ?
2) What is the process to ask for information related to my case using Freedom of Information Act ?
Thanks,
Do you know how many EB3 ROW applications are ahead of me ?
I am trying to understand how long it will take me to get Green Card ?
2) What is the process to ask for information related to my case using Freedom of Information Act ?
Thanks,
hopefulgc
09-23 11:43 AM
And so it begins... a guy puts on the table a good idea.. and then everyone start listing what is wrong with it or how it does not fit in their small self-centered universe.
Let the censure begin!
As completely unrelated these two issues are (from a law maker's perspective) on a normal day, these are possibly those times when each of these issues can help the other.
IV has been discussing about the possibility of one for two solution (partial). The idea is to request congress to exempt EB applicants & their dependents from numerical limits of the Immigrant visas, if they buy a home. It is my belief that market sentiment is the most important thing in any financial market(s) and the housing prospects look pretty bleak. There are lot of members in the EB community that have NOT bought their own home, even though they could afford one because of the uncertainty with EB GC. IV's idea is to bridge the financial committees and judiciary committees in the House/Senate and see if corresponding Chairman/Ranking members are willing to listen. Things are moving so fast with the 700bn USD bail out plan and we will NOT have time to do things the normal way, through our counsel. We have to present this idea to the corresponding staff members of key members of congress (see list below) and see if this gets traction now or going forward.
Please do not bring EB-5 discussion/comparison here. The proposed partial solution is different from EB-5 in that EB-5 investors invest money and we are investing in our future with a genuine intention of making USA our permanent home.
If you already have a home, thats fine. Any such legislation will reduce the wait times in EB categories and we need housing markets to rebound for a safer economy before the ripple effects are felt every where.
Who to write to
Staff members(Chief of Staff, Legislative LA, Financial LA, Legislative Director) of Chairman/Ranking members of House/Senate Judiciary committee & Finance/Banking committee, Staff members of your representative and your senators. Please find staff members of the committees in the spreadsheet (http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pptN-jEpAiyd3snslhPjBfw).
You can find your representative & senator staff members on this website (http://www.outsourcecongress.org/outsource/congress/schstaffers.html).
Please use valid email addresses and NOT fictitious/junk mail. It undermines the whole purpose and our emails will be flagged by mail scanners / spam checkers as some thing similar to famous Nigeria bank account scams.
Email Subject: Proposal to alleviate current US Housing/economic crisis
Content/Message
SUMMARY
This proposal alleviates the current US economic crisis, by motivating the US high skilled, legal immigrant workers to purchase homes. The size of this immigrant population is approximately 800,000 individuals. This effort if successful would inject up to US$ 20Billion approximately into the economy (approximately US$ 100 Billion in houses sold across the country) , while at the same time directing this money into the root cause of the economic crisis � the illiquidity of the national housing market. The above calculation is done
assuming a median US home price of $212,400 and buyers making a down-payment of 20% of the cost of the home. Roughly estimating 400,000 buyers.
BACKGROUND
Undoubtedly, we are all devastated by the shake up on Wall Street in the past 15 days. Experts agree that the underpinning problem is the housing crisis caused by sub-prime mortgage loans. Many of us, who cannot afford our monthly mortgage payments are losing homes and putting them up for sale and foreclosure, which further adds to the crisis. At the same time, most of the Employment-based (EB) immigrant community would like to purchase homes and make the United States a permanent home for their families. These EB immigrants however, are living in a state of limbo, mostly in rental apartments because of the delays and uncertainties involved with the EB immigration procedure. The wait times in EB categories are exacerbated by the delays in processing by USCIS, even though eligible applicants have filed for Permanent Residency also known as Adjustment of Status. Such processing delays have resulted in the wastage of 218,000 immigrant visa numbers (Page 52 of USCIS Ombudsman Annual report 2007). The current Department of State visa bulletin shows 7+ years of wait times in certain categories. We strongly believe that legislation can be worked out in such a way that the housing markets all over the country can move towards recovery, while at the same time motivating the Green Card applicants to catalyze this recovery.
It should be noted that this proposal by no means brings more immigrant workers into the US. The workers in the EB, skilled category are already present in the US, doing skilled jobs that no US worker is available to do. They are part of the long queue of backlogged cases that USICIS will eventually process; however, this wait can take years and in that case could not be used as a tool to minimize the course of the current economic crisis.
SOLUTION
Congress can pass legislation that exempts EB green card applicants and their dependents from the numerical limits of visa numbers, provided applicant(s) have bought a home making 20% down payment on the sale price of the home, for a time period deemed necessary by the congress.
How can Employment based Immigrants help alleviate the housing problem?
(1) Employment based immigrants are highly skilled and are employed in occupations such as Software, IT, Health care, Energy, Finance, Education and Research & Development across the United States.
(2) Average income of these individuals/households is around 65,000/130,000 USD.
(3) All these Employment based immigrants have gone through Department of Labor�s recruiting process, which certifies that there is no willing, able and qualified US Citizen to do the job.
(4) Most of the Employment based immigrants have excellent credit history and good source of income to make the payments needed for their home mortgage.
(5) By requiring a 20% down payment from this group of buyers, Congress can directly channel this money to where it is need most � at the banks.
(6) Employment based green card applicants have been living in the United States for 6-8 years. Many of them have US graduate degrees in their fields of expertise. These applicants are well versed with the American culture and will not change the cultural landscape.
(7) Financial burden on US government and treasury will be reduced drastically if the glut of houses in the market decreases.
As a member of the community that wants to make the US its permanent home, I want to contribute to a solution that helps USA and US during these tough times. I sincerely believe that the 30 year commitment on mortgages by Employment based immigrants in the housing market, backed by solid, risk free mortgages can turn the down ward spiral in the housing market into a upward spiral.
END OF CONTENT
Let the censure begin!
As completely unrelated these two issues are (from a law maker's perspective) on a normal day, these are possibly those times when each of these issues can help the other.
IV has been discussing about the possibility of one for two solution (partial). The idea is to request congress to exempt EB applicants & their dependents from numerical limits of the Immigrant visas, if they buy a home. It is my belief that market sentiment is the most important thing in any financial market(s) and the housing prospects look pretty bleak. There are lot of members in the EB community that have NOT bought their own home, even though they could afford one because of the uncertainty with EB GC. IV's idea is to bridge the financial committees and judiciary committees in the House/Senate and see if corresponding Chairman/Ranking members are willing to listen. Things are moving so fast with the 700bn USD bail out plan and we will NOT have time to do things the normal way, through our counsel. We have to present this idea to the corresponding staff members of key members of congress (see list below) and see if this gets traction now or going forward.
Please do not bring EB-5 discussion/comparison here. The proposed partial solution is different from EB-5 in that EB-5 investors invest money and we are investing in our future with a genuine intention of making USA our permanent home.
If you already have a home, thats fine. Any such legislation will reduce the wait times in EB categories and we need housing markets to rebound for a safer economy before the ripple effects are felt every where.
Who to write to
Staff members(Chief of Staff, Legislative LA, Financial LA, Legislative Director) of Chairman/Ranking members of House/Senate Judiciary committee & Finance/Banking committee, Staff members of your representative and your senators. Please find staff members of the committees in the spreadsheet (http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pptN-jEpAiyd3snslhPjBfw).
You can find your representative & senator staff members on this website (http://www.outsourcecongress.org/outsource/congress/schstaffers.html).
Please use valid email addresses and NOT fictitious/junk mail. It undermines the whole purpose and our emails will be flagged by mail scanners / spam checkers as some thing similar to famous Nigeria bank account scams.
Email Subject: Proposal to alleviate current US Housing/economic crisis
Content/Message
SUMMARY
This proposal alleviates the current US economic crisis, by motivating the US high skilled, legal immigrant workers to purchase homes. The size of this immigrant population is approximately 800,000 individuals. This effort if successful would inject up to US$ 20Billion approximately into the economy (approximately US$ 100 Billion in houses sold across the country) , while at the same time directing this money into the root cause of the economic crisis � the illiquidity of the national housing market. The above calculation is done
assuming a median US home price of $212,400 and buyers making a down-payment of 20% of the cost of the home. Roughly estimating 400,000 buyers.
BACKGROUND
Undoubtedly, we are all devastated by the shake up on Wall Street in the past 15 days. Experts agree that the underpinning problem is the housing crisis caused by sub-prime mortgage loans. Many of us, who cannot afford our monthly mortgage payments are losing homes and putting them up for sale and foreclosure, which further adds to the crisis. At the same time, most of the Employment-based (EB) immigrant community would like to purchase homes and make the United States a permanent home for their families. These EB immigrants however, are living in a state of limbo, mostly in rental apartments because of the delays and uncertainties involved with the EB immigration procedure. The wait times in EB categories are exacerbated by the delays in processing by USCIS, even though eligible applicants have filed for Permanent Residency also known as Adjustment of Status. Such processing delays have resulted in the wastage of 218,000 immigrant visa numbers (Page 52 of USCIS Ombudsman Annual report 2007). The current Department of State visa bulletin shows 7+ years of wait times in certain categories. We strongly believe that legislation can be worked out in such a way that the housing markets all over the country can move towards recovery, while at the same time motivating the Green Card applicants to catalyze this recovery.
It should be noted that this proposal by no means brings more immigrant workers into the US. The workers in the EB, skilled category are already present in the US, doing skilled jobs that no US worker is available to do. They are part of the long queue of backlogged cases that USICIS will eventually process; however, this wait can take years and in that case could not be used as a tool to minimize the course of the current economic crisis.
SOLUTION
Congress can pass legislation that exempts EB green card applicants and their dependents from the numerical limits of visa numbers, provided applicant(s) have bought a home making 20% down payment on the sale price of the home, for a time period deemed necessary by the congress.
How can Employment based Immigrants help alleviate the housing problem?
(1) Employment based immigrants are highly skilled and are employed in occupations such as Software, IT, Health care, Energy, Finance, Education and Research & Development across the United States.
(2) Average income of these individuals/households is around 65,000/130,000 USD.
(3) All these Employment based immigrants have gone through Department of Labor�s recruiting process, which certifies that there is no willing, able and qualified US Citizen to do the job.
(4) Most of the Employment based immigrants have excellent credit history and good source of income to make the payments needed for their home mortgage.
(5) By requiring a 20% down payment from this group of buyers, Congress can directly channel this money to where it is need most � at the banks.
(6) Employment based green card applicants have been living in the United States for 6-8 years. Many of them have US graduate degrees in their fields of expertise. These applicants are well versed with the American culture and will not change the cultural landscape.
(7) Financial burden on US government and treasury will be reduced drastically if the glut of houses in the market decreases.
As a member of the community that wants to make the US its permanent home, I want to contribute to a solution that helps USA and US during these tough times. I sincerely believe that the 30 year commitment on mortgages by Employment based immigrants in the housing market, backed by solid, risk free mortgages can turn the down ward spiral in the housing market into a upward spiral.
END OF CONTENT