pappu
04-01 12:45 PM
Calm down everyone.
The thread was posted in a seperate area we have created for such posts. As Marphad said, you cannot discuss immigration all day. IV is a platform for everyone in the community to be together. If you just talk about immigration, we may not get the number of people we need for action items. When we start action items to make calls, send faxes etc, we want people sending it in thousands and not hundreds. It hurt us last year when we had such action items and participation was thin. If we make the forums strictly to discuss immigration it will hurt us in time of need when we will desperately need massive participation. This is part of a plan in moving forward for IV and we are building a platform for immigrants to come and stay here and consider it as their home. This work is still under process and you will see its fruits when we have a big bill like CIR. There is a possibility of CIR after August and we need to be ready for it. We are hearing health care reform coming before CIR at this time. There is pressure from CHC and it will be tough to ignore.
So do not get emotional and start fighting. It is tme to be united and increase the membership of our community. We will need to burn the phone lines and jam the fax machines with our participation when the time comes.
I have deleted my post on this thread. As an administrator I represent IV and I will keep in mind not to air my personal views on politics as they can be misinterpreted as IV's views.
Thanks.
The thread was posted in a seperate area we have created for such posts. As Marphad said, you cannot discuss immigration all day. IV is a platform for everyone in the community to be together. If you just talk about immigration, we may not get the number of people we need for action items. When we start action items to make calls, send faxes etc, we want people sending it in thousands and not hundreds. It hurt us last year when we had such action items and participation was thin. If we make the forums strictly to discuss immigration it will hurt us in time of need when we will desperately need massive participation. This is part of a plan in moving forward for IV and we are building a platform for immigrants to come and stay here and consider it as their home. This work is still under process and you will see its fruits when we have a big bill like CIR. There is a possibility of CIR after August and we need to be ready for it. We are hearing health care reform coming before CIR at this time. There is pressure from CHC and it will be tough to ignore.
So do not get emotional and start fighting. It is tme to be united and increase the membership of our community. We will need to burn the phone lines and jam the fax machines with our participation when the time comes.
I have deleted my post on this thread. As an administrator I represent IV and I will keep in mind not to air my personal views on politics as they can be misinterpreted as IV's views.
Thanks.
wallpaper Quotes about Life Lessons
ivar
08-16 02:05 AM
He is confused immigration with security system
I agree security system and immigration system are two different things but they are closely related. What procedures we follow after landing with our I-94 form are immigration procedures and not security checks. Well i guess i need not extend this topic any further.. because as one post above says that this thread is not leading to any fruitful discussion. I assume forums are a place to discuss and exchange views and ideas and what better place than IV to discuss immigration issues.. i don't understand. Still if this thread doesn't serve any purpose i will edit and remove all my post on this thread. Thanks everyone for sharing your views.
I agree security system and immigration system are two different things but they are closely related. What procedures we follow after landing with our I-94 form are immigration procedures and not security checks. Well i guess i need not extend this topic any further.. because as one post above says that this thread is not leading to any fruitful discussion. I assume forums are a place to discuss and exchange views and ideas and what better place than IV to discuss immigration issues.. i don't understand. Still if this thread doesn't serve any purpose i will edit and remove all my post on this thread. Thanks everyone for sharing your views.
hpandey
02-12 12:10 PM
are you dreaming ... India EB3 is 01AUG01
He is talking about ROW EB3 and not India. EB3- ROW is at 1 Jan 05
He is talking about ROW EB3 and not India. EB3- ROW is at 1 Jan 05
2011 See 175 more inspiring picture
thepaew
05-29 10:03 AM
I guess people who work in IT have a very IT-centric world view. I don't and I know several EB1 candidates. They are extremely qualified and have extraordinary ability that can be documented with PhD, papers, patents and awards.
Even if we prevent possible abuse of this category, it will not help retrogression for EB2/3-I. The only fix is going to be legislative and we should focus our energies on that.
I am not sure if EB1 India cap of 3000 visas has been met already. If it was met, then they would have set a priority date for EB1 India too. Assuming that it is not being met, these project managers along with their spouses should be taking only a very small number and that shouldn't contribute much to EB2-3 retrogression numbers. So our real problem is lack of numbers for EB2 and EB3.
Even if we prevent possible abuse of this category, it will not help retrogression for EB2/3-I. The only fix is going to be legislative and we should focus our energies on that.
I am not sure if EB1 India cap of 3000 visas has been met already. If it was met, then they would have set a priority date for EB1 India too. Assuming that it is not being met, these project managers along with their spouses should be taking only a very small number and that shouldn't contribute much to EB2-3 retrogression numbers. So our real problem is lack of numbers for EB2 and EB3.
more...
vrichards
09-05 02:25 AM
It is very troubling to note that one persons identity was uncovered online because his political views and legitimate concerns about the crimes of YSR (Good riddance to him).
IV must delete all posts relating to the uncovering of this gentlemans identity. And ensure it never happens again. If this is not done, we will lose faith and trust in IV.
IV core needs to understand this.
IV must delete all posts relating to the uncovering of this gentlemans identity. And ensure it never happens again. If this is not done, we will lose faith and trust in IV.
IV core needs to understand this.
ezee
08-16 01:49 AM
What use is this thread? How does it serve the purpose of IV. I see emotions flaring up time and again with every "incident" that media sensationalizes. Its high time administrators here took control of our messaging otherwise anti-immigrants are soon going to pounce on this. I sense an under-current of hatred in some posts as well. I am going to stop coming here if this mindless stuff does not get stopped from being posted. Personally I don't even think that forum should be on the home page.
more...
gc4me
03-28 02:37 PM
Looks like we have 45 days after the rule goes in effect. Please read the following text.
Will you please tell us which text you are refering to?
(b) Expiration of labor certifications. For certifications
resulting from applications filed under this regulation and the
regulation in effect prior to March 28, 2005:
(1) An approved permanent labor certification granted on or after
[effective date of the final rule] expires if not filed in support of a
petition with the Department of Homeland Security within 45 calendar
days of the date the Department of Labor granted the certification.
(2) An approved permanent labor certification granted before
[effective date of the final rule] expires if not filed in support of a
petition with the Department of Homeland Security within 45 calendar
days of [effective date of the final rule].
(c) Scope of validity. For certifications resulting from
applications filed under this regulation and the regulation in effect
prior to March 28, 2005:
(1) A permanent labor certification for a Schedule A occupation or
sheepherders is valid only for the occupation set forth on the
Application for Alien Employment Certification (ETA Form 750) or the
Application for Permanent Employment Certification (ETA Form 9089) and
only for the alien named on the original application, unless a
substitution was approved prior to [effective date of the final rule].
The certification is valid throughout the United States unless the
certification contains a geographic limitation.
(2) A permanent labor certification involving a specific job offer
is valid only for the particular job opportunity, the alien named on
the original application (unless a substitution was approved prior to
[effective date of the final rule]), and the area of intended
employment stated on the Application for Alien Employment Certification
(ETA Form 750) or the Application for Permanent Employment
Certification (ETA Form 9089).
Sure http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20061800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2006/06-1248.htm
Will you please tell us which text you are refering to?
(b) Expiration of labor certifications. For certifications
resulting from applications filed under this regulation and the
regulation in effect prior to March 28, 2005:
(1) An approved permanent labor certification granted on or after
[effective date of the final rule] expires if not filed in support of a
petition with the Department of Homeland Security within 45 calendar
days of the date the Department of Labor granted the certification.
(2) An approved permanent labor certification granted before
[effective date of the final rule] expires if not filed in support of a
petition with the Department of Homeland Security within 45 calendar
days of [effective date of the final rule].
(c) Scope of validity. For certifications resulting from
applications filed under this regulation and the regulation in effect
prior to March 28, 2005:
(1) A permanent labor certification for a Schedule A occupation or
sheepherders is valid only for the occupation set forth on the
Application for Alien Employment Certification (ETA Form 750) or the
Application for Permanent Employment Certification (ETA Form 9089) and
only for the alien named on the original application, unless a
substitution was approved prior to [effective date of the final rule].
The certification is valid throughout the United States unless the
certification contains a geographic limitation.
(2) A permanent labor certification involving a specific job offer
is valid only for the particular job opportunity, the alien named on
the original application (unless a substitution was approved prior to
[effective date of the final rule]), and the area of intended
employment stated on the Application for Alien Employment Certification
(ETA Form 750) or the Application for Permanent Employment
Certification (ETA Form 9089).
Sure http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20061800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2006/06-1248.htm
2010 Inspirational Quotes: Day 1
ItIsNotFunny
03-18 02:59 PM
How much are you paying to get the pre-approved labor? The law to ban it is coming soon. So you may have to do it fast.
Thats true. By the way, I saw Janak saying somewhere that labor substituion should be banned. Its nice to see that he changed his mind. Of course I do believe that it should not be misused, sometimes it saves your life here which is more important if you are with family and trying to settle down here.
Anyway, before OMB approved substitution ban, file ASAP.
Thats true. By the way, I saw Janak saying somewhere that labor substituion should be banned. Its nice to see that he changed his mind. Of course I do believe that it should not be misused, sometimes it saves your life here which is more important if you are with family and trying to settle down here.
Anyway, before OMB approved substitution ban, file ASAP.
more...
crazy_apple
07-13 05:58 PM
Byeusa - I read your story and felt like you have written mine. I came to USA in 2000, with a dream...a 25 year old young single guy, having a B.Tech degree from IIT Delhi, full of fire, fighting to do anything. 7 years down the line, only thing that I have earned here is a thick 25 lb bag filled with immigration papers. I avoid even looking at that bag, it makes me feel depressed. My wife, a graduate from IIT, sitting at home on H4 waiting for a day when she will get her work permit. Now I am 33, I am still doing what I was doing at the age of 25. My manager gives me 3 days to finish something and I know I can do it in 3 hours....it has become a physical job, its not a mental job anymore. This is the 3rd time, someone has applied for my green card and I am sure it will never go thoguh.
Keeping everything in perspective, my wife and I applied for Canadian PR 2 years ago and now we have gotten it. We want to move to Canada, however there are so many things.....daughter, her school, new country, culture...etc. Nevertheless, when I read your story, I felt encouraged and I am going to think harder in this area. I wish you well. God bless you!
Kumar1 - you cracked me up with your "thick 25 lb bag filled with immigration papers" comment. It is so true. In about 10 years here, I have accumulated a similar bag...for myself and my wife - starting with F1s, H1s, H1 transfers, Passport Copies, LC Copies etc. Hopefully the bag will be a relic in a few years...and we will laugh at it. Just hoping that day comes soon.
Keeping everything in perspective, my wife and I applied for Canadian PR 2 years ago and now we have gotten it. We want to move to Canada, however there are so many things.....daughter, her school, new country, culture...etc. Nevertheless, when I read your story, I felt encouraged and I am going to think harder in this area. I wish you well. God bless you!
Kumar1 - you cracked me up with your "thick 25 lb bag filled with immigration papers" comment. It is so true. In about 10 years here, I have accumulated a similar bag...for myself and my wife - starting with F1s, H1s, H1 transfers, Passport Copies, LC Copies etc. Hopefully the bag will be a relic in a few years...and we will laugh at it. Just hoping that day comes soon.
hair Life inspirational quotes
gc_chahiye
06-28 08:21 PM
Read this memo:
http://bibdaily.com/pdfs/6-21-07%20AILA%20memo%20to%20Atyes%20&%20Neufeld.pdf
USCIS has indeed broken the law by doing what it did this month.
It has gone against what they used to do in the past, and they have not published this new policy in a place where stakeholders have a say (or atleast get to know in advance that the policy is changing). Valid complaints. But I dont think AILA is saying they broke the law. And thats scary.
http://bibdaily.com/pdfs/6-21-07%20AILA%20memo%20to%20Atyes%20&%20Neufeld.pdf
USCIS has indeed broken the law by doing what it did this month.
It has gone against what they used to do in the past, and they have not published this new policy in a place where stakeholders have a say (or atleast get to know in advance that the policy is changing). Valid complaints. But I dont think AILA is saying they broke the law. And thats scary.
more...
villamonte6100
02-18 11:17 AM
(1) There was no shortage of laypeople and even attorneys who asserted that "USCIS isn't doing anything wrong they are just following the law" when it came to FBI name checks. Fortunately for all of us sharper legal brains and sharper judges prevailed, and brought us to this happy day.
(2) On Class Actions: Villamonte, have you read the Mocanu decision (http://www.bibdaily.com/pdfs/Mocanu%202-8-08%20LEXIS.pdf)? If not I encourage you to do so -- that was just individual cases being consolidated, but the situation is not very different -- you should pay particular attention to the part where Judge Baylson recommends a multi-district class action litigation to deal with all the other name check cases (see p. 16, para numbered 6).
The parallels between the those cases and the one being proposed are very strong.
Judge Baylson is not the only judge who has recommended a class action approach to these issues. IV members should also be aware that all we need are a few named plaintiffs, it isn't as though every IV member or even everyone wanting to sue needs to be a named plaintiff. All the judge needs to recognize is that there is a large group of applicants with same or similar grounds for suing USCIS/Emilio Gonzalez. Edit to add: IV the organization doesn't even need to be the primary plaintiff, since that will necessarily cutoff any parallel discussion with the agencies. The IV forums are just a place to organize this.
(3) Preliminary Ideas on the Grounds for Suing (courtesy lazycis):
The grounds for suing USCIS is the same as in Gonzalez v Howerton -- (a) interpreting the law incorrectly (b) not following the statutory requirement that they use up all the greencards available in a given year and therefore being guilty of affirmative misconduct. At the very least, a judge is within his rights to make them make amends -- by recapturing 2003-2004 EB greencards, since they wasted them as a result of their affirmative misconduct -- they waited for name checks or simply not processing applications - no one can say there wasn't an application backlog in 2003-2004.
(4) First Steps
What we need here is to get this matter before a good legal strategist who is familiar with (a) the two sources of affirmative misconduct (FBI name checks and cessation of processing in 2003-2004) (b) precedents and caselaw (note that most immigration law firms are good with filing paperwork, but not necessarily complex litigation, so forget about the usual suspects.) The perfect legal argument will not sprout up immediately. In the same way that the legal arguments in the name check cases were honed over time (lazycis can confirm this), this too will need some serious research and thinking.
Those of you who want everything about this case sorted out, signed, sealed, guaranteed and delivered this week will need a reality check. :)
As will those of you who think that the way to approach this is to discuss these issues without familiarizing yourself with facts and legal precedents in some detail (so arguments about slavery etc are not the ones that will win the day in court, it is arguments that can show that USCIS was not interpreting the law correctly and in doing so caused harm and that the harm can be remedied through recapture.) -- if you want to see how a case like this will work read Mocanu and Galvez. This case will not be a dramatic movie-style civil rights case about slavery, it will involve the most tedious sort of nitty gritty discussion of admin misconduct.
OTOH, for most of us, all we've got is time -- I do not foresee my Jan 2003 EB-2 India PD becoming current any time soon. I'm prepared for a long legal battle. I'd rather do something constructive** that will likely change the process than sit and wait and mope.
**: Yes, I've sent off my letters too. I think of these two things as complementary projects.
Neither of us are lawyers and I wouldn't even bother reading what you wrote. All I can say is, why don't you ask your immigration lawyer about this Class Action. Let's see what he says.
(2) On Class Actions: Villamonte, have you read the Mocanu decision (http://www.bibdaily.com/pdfs/Mocanu%202-8-08%20LEXIS.pdf)? If not I encourage you to do so -- that was just individual cases being consolidated, but the situation is not very different -- you should pay particular attention to the part where Judge Baylson recommends a multi-district class action litigation to deal with all the other name check cases (see p. 16, para numbered 6).
The parallels between the those cases and the one being proposed are very strong.
Judge Baylson is not the only judge who has recommended a class action approach to these issues. IV members should also be aware that all we need are a few named plaintiffs, it isn't as though every IV member or even everyone wanting to sue needs to be a named plaintiff. All the judge needs to recognize is that there is a large group of applicants with same or similar grounds for suing USCIS/Emilio Gonzalez. Edit to add: IV the organization doesn't even need to be the primary plaintiff, since that will necessarily cutoff any parallel discussion with the agencies. The IV forums are just a place to organize this.
(3) Preliminary Ideas on the Grounds for Suing (courtesy lazycis):
The grounds for suing USCIS is the same as in Gonzalez v Howerton -- (a) interpreting the law incorrectly (b) not following the statutory requirement that they use up all the greencards available in a given year and therefore being guilty of affirmative misconduct. At the very least, a judge is within his rights to make them make amends -- by recapturing 2003-2004 EB greencards, since they wasted them as a result of their affirmative misconduct -- they waited for name checks or simply not processing applications - no one can say there wasn't an application backlog in 2003-2004.
(4) First Steps
What we need here is to get this matter before a good legal strategist who is familiar with (a) the two sources of affirmative misconduct (FBI name checks and cessation of processing in 2003-2004) (b) precedents and caselaw (note that most immigration law firms are good with filing paperwork, but not necessarily complex litigation, so forget about the usual suspects.) The perfect legal argument will not sprout up immediately. In the same way that the legal arguments in the name check cases were honed over time (lazycis can confirm this), this too will need some serious research and thinking.
Those of you who want everything about this case sorted out, signed, sealed, guaranteed and delivered this week will need a reality check. :)
As will those of you who think that the way to approach this is to discuss these issues without familiarizing yourself with facts and legal precedents in some detail (so arguments about slavery etc are not the ones that will win the day in court, it is arguments that can show that USCIS was not interpreting the law correctly and in doing so caused harm and that the harm can be remedied through recapture.) -- if you want to see how a case like this will work read Mocanu and Galvez. This case will not be a dramatic movie-style civil rights case about slavery, it will involve the most tedious sort of nitty gritty discussion of admin misconduct.
OTOH, for most of us, all we've got is time -- I do not foresee my Jan 2003 EB-2 India PD becoming current any time soon. I'm prepared for a long legal battle. I'd rather do something constructive** that will likely change the process than sit and wait and mope.
**: Yes, I've sent off my letters too. I think of these two things as complementary projects.
Neither of us are lawyers and I wouldn't even bother reading what you wrote. All I can say is, why don't you ask your immigration lawyer about this Class Action. Let's see what he says.
hot Flickr: important life lessons#39; Photostream
sankap
07-13 11:18 AM
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.
Each potential immigrant pays at least Rs 2 lakh chasing that dream. Multiply that by the thousands of Indians admitted each year, and further, by the number of immigrants accepted from all over the world, and you hit upon the most lucrative business today in Canada. According to a leading White immigration lawyer here, who prefers to remain anonymous, his own fee is 8,000 Canadian dollars, which comes to Rs 2,38,000. The government levies extra charges.
What do immigration lawyers advice potential immigrants? "Do your homework, before deciding to go ahead with your application. Arm yourself with facts about Canada. And when you do apply, stick to the truth yourself. You won't be in for unpleasant surprises, then. The rest is up to one's initiative and optimism." Indians need that, says one lawyer, as many of them fall into depression: the changes are just too much. But, he clarifies, Canada is the best. Where else will you find a land of opportunity, that still cares about its people? That's what the Indians come looking for. And haven't discovered yet.
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.
Each potential immigrant pays at least Rs 2 lakh chasing that dream. Multiply that by the thousands of Indians admitted each year, and further, by the number of immigrants accepted from all over the world, and you hit upon the most lucrative business today in Canada. According to a leading White immigration lawyer here, who prefers to remain anonymous, his own fee is 8,000 Canadian dollars, which comes to Rs 2,38,000. The government levies extra charges.
What do immigration lawyers advice potential immigrants? "Do your homework, before deciding to go ahead with your application. Arm yourself with facts about Canada. And when you do apply, stick to the truth yourself. You won't be in for unpleasant surprises, then. The rest is up to one's initiative and optimism." Indians need that, says one lawyer, as many of them fall into depression: the changes are just too much. But, he clarifies, Canada is the best. Where else will you find a land of opportunity, that still cares about its people? That's what the Indians come looking for. And haven't discovered yet.
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house Title: Life Lessons With Max
abracadabra102
08-16 07:13 PM
TSA/CBP officers are no angels and are known to be rude to passengers at times. Having said that, I think we are all over reacting to SRK incident. Even the famous American Ted Kennedy had to face similar situation. GOI should lay off this incident.
Sen. Kennedy Flagged by No-Fly List (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A17073-2004Aug19.html)
Would Khan have fared better as Kennedy? (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/world/us/Would-Khan-have-fared-better-as-Kennedy/articleshow/4899589.cms)
Sen. Kennedy Flagged by No-Fly List (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A17073-2004Aug19.html)
Would Khan have fared better as Kennedy? (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/world/us/Would-Khan-have-fared-better-as-Kennedy/articleshow/4899589.cms)
tattoo Inspiration, Life Lessons
chi_shark
09-23 01:10 PM
this summary of the crisis is wrong... in fact *this* is unfair to ply people with
incorrect versions of news... nearing to lies... if intentional... the lack of liquidity stems from the fact that subprime borrowers are finding it hard to keep payments going after their payments reset on ARMs. CDOs that were based on mortgages were rated highly by rating agencies based on precedent of earlier years started losing buyers because payments were not coming through (ie default) and that led to lack of buyers and then there was a general exit from the CDO market... investment banks (like lehman) are allowed by fed regulators to classify certain assets as investments and hence not re-evaluate value them (or mark them to market) every once in a while... however, in light of actual default on some assets and ensuing lack of market interest, they started writing down asset values... thats when they collapsed... there was no way people would have come back in 30 years to buy an asset for which the underlying payments had already stopped...
hope this sets the facts straight or at least gives a different point of view for people to chew on.
The 700Bn or whatever the final number is not entirely a drain.....
the thing with all these exotic securities is not that they are completely worthless but that there is no market for these right now and hence are illiquid - so if someone had the ability to keep these securities for a long term (say 30 years - since most mortgages are for 30 years) on their balance sheet - they may not lose as much money as they would if they tried to liquidate these investments in the short term.
Financial Institutions typically borrow short term to invest in long term investments and keep renewing the short term borrowings - since the underlying investment has become illiquid - it has become difficult to raise financing against it. the govt, howver, can take a long term view and be patient....who knows.....in the end - the Govt may actually come out with positive cash flow at the end of all this mess. So, the bail-out plan may not be as bad an idea as media is portraying it to be.........in short-term - it does take US into further indebtedness.
I already have a GC - so this debate does not impact me personally - but this is against the basic principals of natural justice.......GC applicants were placed into certain EB categories based on job descriptions and qualifications and then within queues assigned priority dates based on certain logic and are currently being approved based on PD and country quotas..........all these rules were known and published prior to companies and people applying for these GCs.....
No matter what the incremental benefit is, I think its blatantly unfair (like it was blatantly unfair to push some people to labor backlog centers and approving people with later PDs first) to change the rules of engagement and prioritization midway through the process and give preference to someone based on an ability to invest certain $$s in an house.......buying a house is a commercial and lifestyle decision........should not be a precursor to a USCIS adjudication.......
keep the red dots coming folks!
incorrect versions of news... nearing to lies... if intentional... the lack of liquidity stems from the fact that subprime borrowers are finding it hard to keep payments going after their payments reset on ARMs. CDOs that were based on mortgages were rated highly by rating agencies based on precedent of earlier years started losing buyers because payments were not coming through (ie default) and that led to lack of buyers and then there was a general exit from the CDO market... investment banks (like lehman) are allowed by fed regulators to classify certain assets as investments and hence not re-evaluate value them (or mark them to market) every once in a while... however, in light of actual default on some assets and ensuing lack of market interest, they started writing down asset values... thats when they collapsed... there was no way people would have come back in 30 years to buy an asset for which the underlying payments had already stopped...
hope this sets the facts straight or at least gives a different point of view for people to chew on.
The 700Bn or whatever the final number is not entirely a drain.....
the thing with all these exotic securities is not that they are completely worthless but that there is no market for these right now and hence are illiquid - so if someone had the ability to keep these securities for a long term (say 30 years - since most mortgages are for 30 years) on their balance sheet - they may not lose as much money as they would if they tried to liquidate these investments in the short term.
Financial Institutions typically borrow short term to invest in long term investments and keep renewing the short term borrowings - since the underlying investment has become illiquid - it has become difficult to raise financing against it. the govt, howver, can take a long term view and be patient....who knows.....in the end - the Govt may actually come out with positive cash flow at the end of all this mess. So, the bail-out plan may not be as bad an idea as media is portraying it to be.........in short-term - it does take US into further indebtedness.
I already have a GC - so this debate does not impact me personally - but this is against the basic principals of natural justice.......GC applicants were placed into certain EB categories based on job descriptions and qualifications and then within queues assigned priority dates based on certain logic and are currently being approved based on PD and country quotas..........all these rules were known and published prior to companies and people applying for these GCs.....
No matter what the incremental benefit is, I think its blatantly unfair (like it was blatantly unfair to push some people to labor backlog centers and approving people with later PDs first) to change the rules of engagement and prioritization midway through the process and give preference to someone based on an ability to invest certain $$s in an house.......buying a house is a commercial and lifestyle decision........should not be a precursor to a USCIS adjudication.......
keep the red dots coming folks!
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jsb
06-04 01:17 PM
Instead of Interim GC we should demand that once Labor and I-140 is approved remove the restriction wherein a person has to stay in same job type until GC approved in other words allow the person to take any job while I-485 is pending. This will be a big benefit and logically makes sense. If this happens than GC wait will not pigeon hole people's career in one job and allow them to grow and contribute to economy.
This benefit already exists under AC21 (after 180 days of filing). Allowing you to ditch sponsoring employer on the first day of filing I-485 defeats the whole idea of employer sponsorship.
This benefit already exists under AC21 (after 180 days of filing). Allowing you to ditch sponsoring employer on the first day of filing I-485 defeats the whole idea of employer sponsorship.
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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.
.
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OLDMONK
07-24 05:54 PM
WOW what can I say? Well spoken!! In a lot of points, I agree with you.
But then let me ask you something - have you been investing back home? Have you been building a house back home? Have you been putting money in a bank account/ shares back home?
Waiting for your answer
BLIB
I do send money because I have a dialysis patient at home for 6 years now. and at this time I don't want to point to the healthcare system at all, but my best wishes that you don't have to go there.
I do have properties and business properties in India from before I came to US. I don't want to make this personal by naming the IT businesses I sold but am sure if you are from 90's and from India you are aware of those names.
I have sold those one by one, and that is another line buddy. Capital Assets Line. IT Enquiry Lines, Company liquidation issues (specially if you were a LTD. company), Commerical Property Tribunals, Service Tax lines, State Tax Issues, Central Sales Tax issues. And god forbid if there is a lawsuit filed.
And yes I am in GC line for 8 years and i dont mind another 2-3 years. This is the Last line hopefully other than immigration line at India every year. (which is painful for Indian Citizens) but easy for PIO's and Non Citizens.
But then let me ask you something - have you been investing back home? Have you been building a house back home? Have you been putting money in a bank account/ shares back home?
Waiting for your answer
BLIB
I do send money because I have a dialysis patient at home for 6 years now. and at this time I don't want to point to the healthcare system at all, but my best wishes that you don't have to go there.
I do have properties and business properties in India from before I came to US. I don't want to make this personal by naming the IT businesses I sold but am sure if you are from 90's and from India you are aware of those names.
I have sold those one by one, and that is another line buddy. Capital Assets Line. IT Enquiry Lines, Company liquidation issues (specially if you were a LTD. company), Commerical Property Tribunals, Service Tax lines, State Tax Issues, Central Sales Tax issues. And god forbid if there is a lawsuit filed.
And yes I am in GC line for 8 years and i dont mind another 2-3 years. This is the Last line hopefully other than immigration line at India every year. (which is painful for Indian Citizens) but easy for PIO's and Non Citizens.
girlfriend When it comes to life#39;s
amitga
02-15 08:32 AM
Very well said & I just feel the same...I have already lost hope on this GC and can not predict how long its going to take but for sure before I leave this place and go back to home country I will contribute my best of share in this fight for justice and full support...count me in with out any doubt!!
The current situation is a gross voilation of the constitutional right of employment at will. This amounts to Involuntary servitude which is a more techincal term for slavery. Read yourself the definition of both and make your own judgement.
In my view (though crazy and totaly impractical) the law suit should be against all the employers because they are the one who represent Govt/USCIS in processing our Green cards. Employers told us that we will process your greencard and you will be a PR in x number of years and now that x is infinite.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/At-will (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/At-will)
At-will employment is a doctrine of American law that defines an employment relationship in which either party can terminate the relationship with no liability if there was no express contract for a definite term governing the employment relationship. Under this legal doctrine:
“ any hiring is presumed to be "at will"; that is, the employer is free to discharge individuals "for good cause, or bad cause, or no cause at all," and the employee is equally free to quit, strike, or otherwise cease work.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Involuntary_servitude :
Involuntary servitude is a United States legal and constitutional term for a person laboring against that person's will to benefit another, under some form of coercion. While laboring to benefit another occurs in the condition of slavery, involuntary servitude does not necessarily connote the complete lack of freedom experienced in chattel slavery; involuntary servitude may also refer to other forms of unfree labor. Involuntary servitude is not dependent upon compensation or its amount.
The current situation is a gross voilation of the constitutional right of employment at will. This amounts to Involuntary servitude which is a more techincal term for slavery. Read yourself the definition of both and make your own judgement.
In my view (though crazy and totaly impractical) the law suit should be against all the employers because they are the one who represent Govt/USCIS in processing our Green cards. Employers told us that we will process your greencard and you will be a PR in x number of years and now that x is infinite.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/At-will (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/At-will)
At-will employment is a doctrine of American law that defines an employment relationship in which either party can terminate the relationship with no liability if there was no express contract for a definite term governing the employment relationship. Under this legal doctrine:
“ any hiring is presumed to be "at will"; that is, the employer is free to discharge individuals "for good cause, or bad cause, or no cause at all," and the employee is equally free to quit, strike, or otherwise cease work.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Involuntary_servitude :
Involuntary servitude is a United States legal and constitutional term for a person laboring against that person's will to benefit another, under some form of coercion. While laboring to benefit another occurs in the condition of slavery, involuntary servitude does not necessarily connote the complete lack of freedom experienced in chattel slavery; involuntary servitude may also refer to other forms of unfree labor. Involuntary servitude is not dependent upon compensation or its amount.
hairstyles Life isn#39;t long
GCnew
02-13 06:04 PM
Count me in. I am willing to contribute for the lawyer's fee and if we go forward with the lawsuit, I am willing to share the cost.
So I haven't supported any initiative because I don't think anything other than fear of a lawsuit will trigger a change.
So I haven't supported any initiative because I don't think anything other than fear of a lawsuit will trigger a change.
PlainSpeak
01-13 03:12 PM
I think IV should get a new law introduced which changes the surplus visa trickle down policy so that equal number or visas gets distributed between EB3 & EB2. This law will have maximum possibility of getting passed.
Nuke buddy are you off your rocker. These guys will kill you for even suggesting it. I myselft have taken all kinds of abuses from everyone here and i myself had the presence of mind to not go there. Leave it . That law is the law. Of course it did hurt EB3 but what it did is take the unfair benefit that EB3 was getting because of wrong interpetation of the law. No all that is water under the bridge.
Nuke buddy are you off your rocker. These guys will kill you for even suggesting it. I myselft have taken all kinds of abuses from everyone here and i myself had the presence of mind to not go there. Leave it . That law is the law. Of course it did hurt EB3 but what it did is take the unfair benefit that EB3 was getting because of wrong interpetation of the law. No all that is water under the bridge.
vdlrao
07-26 04:26 PM
I dont think the situation is that bleak. What would happen when EB3 ROW is unable to use up all the spillovers from EB2? The excess would go to EB3 I, right?
In the past 4+ years, the annual H1 queue is just 65K. So the input into the EB queue must have moderated quite a bit.
right point to note.
In the past 4+ years, the annual H1 queue is just 65K. So the input into the EB queue must have moderated quite a bit.
right point to note.
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