Amma
05-12 01:01 AM
Friends,
The ongoing war between Srilanka and LTTE has grand Indian design and help to Srilanka.
To defeat the so called terrorist organisation LTTE, the whole world is helping Srilanka.
Sonia Gandhi want to avenge the death of her husband.She won't mind killing of thousands of innocent civilians to satisfy her loss in her family. The able primeminister Manmohan singh also became and acting like dumb puppet in this issue.The so called world tamil leader Karunanidhi also joining with Sonia and ditching srilankan tamils.
Two sikhs killed our primeminister Indira. Did we start killing sikhs enmass like the slaughtering of innocent civilians in Srilanka ?.Instead we made Manmohansingh as our primeminister and we are proud of him. That is the real Indian spirit.
LTTE is the creation due to discrimination of Srilankan's Singala only policy.Srilankan tamils fight for their just right in non-violent way initially.When that non-violence activities were crushed by Srilankan government , the disillusioned tamil youths took arms.
Though LTTE did many atrocities, the Srilankan government is not Buddha. They killed many, raped many and encroached the traditional tamil lands.
Even if the present war won by Srilanka government, that country is not going to have peace. Even if Prabakaran and LTTE perished in this war , there will be more Prabakarans will emerge. The seeds are being sown by srilankan government atrocities.
Nelson Mandela was once declared as terrorist by US government.Bagatsingh declared as terrorist by the British.
Time only will tell who is a terrorist and who is a freedom fighter.
Proud to be an Indian but ashamed by senseless acts of Sonia and company.
The ongoing war between Srilanka and LTTE has grand Indian design and help to Srilanka.
To defeat the so called terrorist organisation LTTE, the whole world is helping Srilanka.
Sonia Gandhi want to avenge the death of her husband.She won't mind killing of thousands of innocent civilians to satisfy her loss in her family. The able primeminister Manmohan singh also became and acting like dumb puppet in this issue.The so called world tamil leader Karunanidhi also joining with Sonia and ditching srilankan tamils.
Two sikhs killed our primeminister Indira. Did we start killing sikhs enmass like the slaughtering of innocent civilians in Srilanka ?.Instead we made Manmohansingh as our primeminister and we are proud of him. That is the real Indian spirit.
LTTE is the creation due to discrimination of Srilankan's Singala only policy.Srilankan tamils fight for their just right in non-violent way initially.When that non-violence activities were crushed by Srilankan government , the disillusioned tamil youths took arms.
Though LTTE did many atrocities, the Srilankan government is not Buddha. They killed many, raped many and encroached the traditional tamil lands.
Even if the present war won by Srilanka government, that country is not going to have peace. Even if Prabakaran and LTTE perished in this war , there will be more Prabakarans will emerge. The seeds are being sown by srilankan government atrocities.
Nelson Mandela was once declared as terrorist by US government.Bagatsingh declared as terrorist by the British.
Time only will tell who is a terrorist and who is a freedom fighter.
Proud to be an Indian but ashamed by senseless acts of Sonia and company.
wallpaper Mark Dayton by Cursedthing
pravarupa
07-14 09:33 AM
My Priority date is Jan 2006, EB2-India category having approved I-140. My husband is in EB3-India having pd Jan'2004, already applied I-485 (140 is approved) and got his EAD and AP. He is already using his EAD. I am a dependent in his I-485 but did not use my EAD and still continuing on H1-B.
Since my case is EB2-India which is going to be current in August'2008. Am I eligible to apply for I-485 me being the primary and my husband being my dependent? If so would there be any problem when USCIS adjudicates my case?
Will there be any movement for EB3-India in the coming year?
Your valuable response is highly appreciated.
Since my case is EB2-India which is going to be current in August'2008. Am I eligible to apply for I-485 me being the primary and my husband being my dependent? If so would there be any problem when USCIS adjudicates my case?
Will there be any movement for EB3-India in the coming year?
Your valuable response is highly appreciated.
eyeswe
09-15 01:31 PM
It seems most analysts here think that by Q4 2010 the approval of 485 could theorotically reach mid 2006 with a liberal allocation of spill-overs and a conservative estimate of abandonment etc.
My question is in order for CIS to have sufficient 485 cases to review .. will they not need to advance dates still further so they can start reviewing the apps and in 2-4 years time give those folks the GC.. I am specifically talking about all those who missed the July 2007 bus and whose priority date is after july 30, 07.... any hope for poor souls like us to at least file for EAD in 2010?Or is this wishful thinking?
My question is in order for CIS to have sufficient 485 cases to review .. will they not need to advance dates still further so they can start reviewing the apps and in 2-4 years time give those folks the GC.. I am specifically talking about all those who missed the July 2007 bus and whose priority date is after july 30, 07.... any hope for poor souls like us to at least file for EAD in 2010?Or is this wishful thinking?
2011 hot hair Mark Dayton,
user1205
02-15 04:46 PM
For the most part I think you're right. When I did my master's we were less than 10 white people in 200 in that major. Most of the indian people in there (about half of the 190) were H4s studying while the spouse came on H1 directly from India. And while I had to pay international tuition they got the in state resident tuition.
When I finished my degree might I add in the top 5 of those 200 I had a hard time finding a job while my colleagues each knew someone who helped them land a job a lot easier. I did ok for myself in the end and I have many Indian friends so don't take this as an anti-indian post. But there are definitely advantages to be part of a big group that is concentrated in an industry.
That being said, I don't think that we would be having this discussion in a normal world in which the GC numbers are enough. So stop the bickering and work towards increasing those numbers. That will make life easier for everybody.
The reason we have greater supply of workforce in IT from one specific country is not because of skills or talents. Almost every IT workers from ROW and China came to the US as a foreign student after TOEFL, GMAT, GRE, internship and only then landed a job in IT. Whereas the preponderence of IT workers from India came here through L1/B1/H1 sponsorship through bodyshops. Attending school, preparing for generalized tests requires time, money and patience. This is one big factor why the supply curve is skewed.
When I finished my degree might I add in the top 5 of those 200 I had a hard time finding a job while my colleagues each knew someone who helped them land a job a lot easier. I did ok for myself in the end and I have many Indian friends so don't take this as an anti-indian post. But there are definitely advantages to be part of a big group that is concentrated in an industry.
That being said, I don't think that we would be having this discussion in a normal world in which the GC numbers are enough. So stop the bickering and work towards increasing those numbers. That will make life easier for everybody.
The reason we have greater supply of workforce in IT from one specific country is not because of skills or talents. Almost every IT workers from ROW and China came to the US as a foreign student after TOEFL, GMAT, GRE, internship and only then landed a job in IT. Whereas the preponderence of IT workers from India came here through L1/B1/H1 sponsorship through bodyshops. Attending school, preparing for generalized tests requires time, money and patience. This is one big factor why the supply curve is skewed.
more...
another one
12-13 02:00 PM
Since SC has already decided on the matter, does this rest this discussion?
Here is what the Supreme Court said:
http://supreme.justia.com/us/426/67/case.html
"The fact that all persons, aliens and citizens alike, are protected by the Due Process Clause does not lead to the further conclusion that all aliens are entitled to enjoy all the advantages of citizenship or, indeed, to the conclusion that all aliens must be placed in a single homogeneous legal classification. For a host of constitutional and statutory provisions rest on the premise that a legitimate distinction between citizens and aliens may justify attributes and benefits for one class not accorded to the other; and the class of aliens is itself a heterogeneous multitude of persons with a wide-ranging variety of ties to this country.
In the exercise of its broad power over naturalization and immigration, Congress regularly makes rules that would be unacceptable if applied to citizens. The exclusion of aliens and the reservation of the power to deport have no permissible counterpart in the Federal Government's power to regulate the conduct of its own citizenry. The fact that an Act of Congress treats aliens differently from citizens does not in itself imply that such disparate treatment is "invidious."
...
The real question presented by this case is not whether discrimination between citizens and aliens is permissible; rather, it is whether the statutory discrimination within the class of aliens - allowing benefits to some aliens but not to others - is permissible."
The SC concluded that the statutory discrimination within the class of aliens is permissible.
Here is what the Supreme Court said:
http://supreme.justia.com/us/426/67/case.html
"The fact that all persons, aliens and citizens alike, are protected by the Due Process Clause does not lead to the further conclusion that all aliens are entitled to enjoy all the advantages of citizenship or, indeed, to the conclusion that all aliens must be placed in a single homogeneous legal classification. For a host of constitutional and statutory provisions rest on the premise that a legitimate distinction between citizens and aliens may justify attributes and benefits for one class not accorded to the other; and the class of aliens is itself a heterogeneous multitude of persons with a wide-ranging variety of ties to this country.
In the exercise of its broad power over naturalization and immigration, Congress regularly makes rules that would be unacceptable if applied to citizens. The exclusion of aliens and the reservation of the power to deport have no permissible counterpart in the Federal Government's power to regulate the conduct of its own citizenry. The fact that an Act of Congress treats aliens differently from citizens does not in itself imply that such disparate treatment is "invidious."
...
The real question presented by this case is not whether discrimination between citizens and aliens is permissible; rather, it is whether the statutory discrimination within the class of aliens - allowing benefits to some aliens but not to others - is permissible."
The SC concluded that the statutory discrimination within the class of aliens is permissible.
nixstor
09-03 08:15 PM
You need DOB certificate at I 485. I am not sure whether Police Certificate is needed at 485 stage or not. What I am curious is will the USCIS accept DOB certificate from the Indian Embassy or would require it back from the applicants place of birth. A person whom I know has recently requested for DOB certificate and it took almost 45 days in his native place in India.
more...
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.
2010 DFL Governor Mark Dayton#39;s
sainwa
08-17 01:32 PM
has any one thought why did this happened at the same time when he is making a movie about a "Khan in US"?
See the things behind. he made fool of every body , CNN, media, US Immigration, you and me and got a publicity which he could have not gotten by spending millions of dollars in marketing the films.
and guess what? this was for free and he is in headlines in national news paper.
I think he wanted this to happen to get publicity for this upcoming film, now see after this incedent you, me and all of us know about this forthcoming film and will be eager to watch it.
See the things behind. he made fool of every body , CNN, media, US Immigration, you and me and got a publicity which he could have not gotten by spending millions of dollars in marketing the films.
and guess what? this was for free and he is in headlines in national news paper.
I think he wanted this to happen to get publicity for this upcoming film, now see after this incedent you, me and all of us know about this forthcoming film and will be eager to watch it.
more...
smuggymba
01-15 03:59 PM
I'm not sure why ppl gave me red for posting a business practice of desi dallas.
Can you please tell me if what I posted is wrong or you just don't want to accept the facts?
I trust the talent of desi dallas, they will come up with a way to circumvent this
Their other talent includes asking some part of money from the employee from their salary every month so that they can give them money when they are on bench. They are genius. They come up with some serious fun stuff
Can you please tell me if what I posted is wrong or you just don't want to accept the facts?
I trust the talent of desi dallas, they will come up with a way to circumvent this
Their other talent includes asking some part of money from the employee from their salary every month so that they can give them money when they are on bench. They are genius. They come up with some serious fun stuff
hair Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton
TeddyKoochu
09-15 04:13 PM
with everyone worried abt the economy and health reforms.. Immigration reforms are toast this year.
While we must pursue the overall reforms,
i suggest that we also seek temporary relief seeking lifting of the ban on filing for 485 for the next 2-3 months... this will help most EB3 and EB2 (I/C/) who missed the 2007 window.
What are the chances of such a relief being provided?
Will a mail campaign work?..plz raise your hand if you are interested..;)
Yes this is much needed temporary relief, Iam for it if it comes by. I raise my hand!
While we must pursue the overall reforms,
i suggest that we also seek temporary relief seeking lifting of the ban on filing for 485 for the next 2-3 months... this will help most EB3 and EB2 (I/C/) who missed the 2007 window.
What are the chances of such a relief being provided?
Will a mail campaign work?..plz raise your hand if you are interested..;)
Yes this is much needed temporary relief, Iam for it if it comes by. I raise my hand!
more...
engineer
09-24 01:17 PM
great idea, totally support it. I already sent message and asking all my contacts to do so asap.
For all nay-sayers, chronic pessimist, I am ROW and I know Removal of Country Quota may hurt me but does not matter.
This is the only forum which can help Immigrants so I believe in it's leadership and I know they will continue to tackle issues faced by all of us.
regards,
For all nay-sayers, chronic pessimist, I am ROW and I know Removal of Country Quota may hurt me but does not matter.
This is the only forum which can help Immigrants so I believe in it's leadership and I know they will continue to tackle issues faced by all of us.
regards,
hot Photo: #Gov. Mark Dayton signs
samay
07-14 06:13 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.
more...
house Mark Dayton speaks during a
_TrueFacts
09-04 07:54 PM
Admins - can some one please close this thread. This is thread is neither about immigration nor will anything good come out of this.
yetanotherguyinline,
You may not care, but many members do care about what's happening in India.
yetanotherguyinline,
You may not care, but many members do care about what's happening in India.
tattoo Governor Mark Dayton and
jamesbond007
03-27 12:40 PM
I wish India allows absentee ballot.
The way things are right now, as NRIs, we can't even register ourselves in the electoral rolls even if we want to plan a trip to India to conincide with election time.
The way things are right now, as NRIs, we can't even register ourselves in the electoral rolls even if we want to plan a trip to India to conincide with election time.
more...
pictures Mark Dayton
Kodi
05-02 03:07 PM
War is in the northern and eastern provinces. Sinhala and Muslims were driven out of this area by the LTTE. Tamils live all over the country. Tamils lead regular life in other areas of the country that's not succumbed to the war, this includes the capital, colombo. They conduct business, attend universities/schools, they lead a regular life just like any other sinhala or muslims. Tamils lead prosperous lives in other parts than the north and east. The reason they can't live in the north or east is due to their own LTTE, the group that was supposed to liberate tamils.
If there's ethnic cleansing or genocide against tamils, Sinhala and muslim people should be killing tamils all over the country. This is not case in Sri Lanka. I have tamil friends and classmates, we went to school together. How come there are tamil ministers in the parliament. Parliment members Lakshman Kadirgamar and Jeyaraj Fernandopulle both tamils and were killed by the LTTE not the gov. How can this be ethnic cleansing?
If there's ethnic cleansing or genocide against tamils, Sinhala and muslim people should be killing tamils all over the country. This is not case in Sri Lanka. I have tamil friends and classmates, we went to school together. How come there are tamil ministers in the parliament. Parliment members Lakshman Kadirgamar and Jeyaraj Fernandopulle both tamils and were killed by the LTTE not the gov. How can this be ethnic cleansing?
dresses Mark Dayton for Governor
ramus
07-03 04:23 PM
Thanks...
Hi all,
Regarding the recent goofup by USCIS, please rate this story
http://digg.com/politics/No_July_4th_Celebrations_for_Highly_Skilled_Future _Americans/who
if this receives more than 100 users rating for the story in next 5-10 hours - it would be displayed on the first page. Digg.com is read by hundreds of thousands of web users and there is high chance of getting picked by main stream media.
Note that you ll have to signup as digg.com member to rate it - it ll just take 30 secs of your time.
Sorry I wasn't able to submit the official IV prlog.com url since it is not accepted by Digg.
thanks.
Hi all,
Regarding the recent goofup by USCIS, please rate this story
http://digg.com/politics/No_July_4th_Celebrations_for_Highly_Skilled_Future _Americans/who
if this receives more than 100 users rating for the story in next 5-10 hours - it would be displayed on the first page. Digg.com is read by hundreds of thousands of web users and there is high chance of getting picked by main stream media.
Note that you ll have to signup as digg.com member to rate it - it ll just take 30 secs of your time.
Sorry I wasn't able to submit the official IV prlog.com url since it is not accepted by Digg.
thanks.
more...
makeup of Governor Mark Dayton
engineer
07-04 09:40 AM
I have sent letter to Congressman Sensenberner (WI) about this issue.
girlfriend minnesota governor mark dayton
rajuram
02-14 11:51 PM
How would letting "people" know that there is a problem help? The only people that matter are politicians.
I tried to determine, on a separate thread, the wait times for EB-2 India, EB-3 ROW, and EB-3 India.
ANd I failed miserably. My models didn't make much sense. So I quit trying to come up with a reasonable, mathematical, estimate on the wait times.
The reason I was trying to determine wait times, was so that I could then convince people to join and contribute for IV. Basically, a media campaign, geared towards our base.
Anyway, the point of this post is this. I don't need reasonable, mathematical estimates. Maybe, all I need is a quote. A quote from someone knowledgeable, like Aman. Or some lawyers association. Some chimpanzee from USCIS. I don't know. Just something that says 'It will take 10-15 years for EB-3 India to get their greencards.' Or something like that for EB-3 ROW/EB-2 India.
That could be used to let people know that there IS a problem. Trust me. A huge majority doesn't even know that there is a problem.
I tried to determine, on a separate thread, the wait times for EB-2 India, EB-3 ROW, and EB-3 India.
ANd I failed miserably. My models didn't make much sense. So I quit trying to come up with a reasonable, mathematical, estimate on the wait times.
The reason I was trying to determine wait times, was so that I could then convince people to join and contribute for IV. Basically, a media campaign, geared towards our base.
Anyway, the point of this post is this. I don't need reasonable, mathematical estimates. Maybe, all I need is a quote. A quote from someone knowledgeable, like Aman. Or some lawyers association. Some chimpanzee from USCIS. I don't know. Just something that says 'It will take 10-15 years for EB-3 India to get their greencards.' Or something like that for EB-3 ROW/EB-2 India.
That could be used to let people know that there IS a problem. Trust me. A huge majority doesn't even know that there is a problem.
hairstyles Office of Governor Mark Dayton
sriramkalyan
01-13 07:55 PM
My take is BODY SHOPPING is killed.
H1Bs can work at direct employer or as an employee of direct vendor at off site.
No more small consulting firms sending resumes to direct vendors. May be in long term its good for H1Bs.
Mostly Desi consulting firms will get hit. Outsourcing companies like TCS,Infosys are direct vendors to big clients. They will OK ..
H1Bs can work at direct employer or as an employee of direct vendor at off site.
No more small consulting firms sending resumes to direct vendors. May be in long term its good for H1Bs.
Mostly Desi consulting firms will get hit. Outsourcing companies like TCS,Infosys are direct vendors to big clients. They will OK ..
lazycis
02-14 12:23 PM
Watch and see how fast the Michigan government will start issuing DL to H1B holders and to those who has pending I-485.
http://www.aclumich.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=567
https://www.aclumich.org/pdf/licensecomplaint.pdf
http://www.aclumich.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=567
https://www.aclumich.org/pdf/licensecomplaint.pdf
syzygy
09-23 01:41 AM
This is great idea!
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).
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
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).
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.
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