sanjay02
11-21 12:55 PM
I saw the following status on I-131
Application Type: I131, APPLICATION FOR USCIS TRAVEL DOCUMENT
Current Status: Document mailed to applicant.
On November 21, 2007 we mailed the document to the address we have on file. You should receive the new document within 30 days. If you do not, or if you move before you get it, call customer service.
Does it mean that I-131 is approved?
Application Type: I131, APPLICATION FOR USCIS TRAVEL DOCUMENT
Current Status: Document mailed to applicant.
On November 21, 2007 we mailed the document to the address we have on file. You should receive the new document within 30 days. If you do not, or if you move before you get it, call customer service.
Does it mean that I-131 is approved?
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suryamanikanth
04-17 02:23 PM
OP already mentioned the change was expected in the NOC list [On-Demand occupation list of Alberta]. Nobody told it would be closed after April 15. Did you see all the postings here before blaming others?
hey dude there's nothing in the url u posted once go to the website and click the the pressure list url.that is the actual Noc codes that are active.Today morning when i spoke to the immigraton officer in alberta he was the one who told me ok.
hey dude there's nothing in the url u posted once go to the website and click the the pressure list url.that is the actual Noc codes that are active.Today morning when i spoke to the immigraton officer in alberta he was the one who told me ok.
bsbawa10
08-21 10:23 AM
You must ask the badge number and note down the time of each call. Then file a complaint if you are not satisfied with the customer service experience.
Once we have a proof of hundreds of such written complaints, IV can also follow up. We need people to file 'written' complaints in order to help improve the service.
I do not have any ID (She spoke that too quickly) but I know the time (8 am cst) and I am prepared to give the written complaint.
Once we have a proof of hundreds of such written complaints, IV can also follow up. We need people to file 'written' complaints in order to help improve the service.
I do not have any ID (She spoke that too quickly) but I know the time (8 am cst) and I am prepared to give the written complaint.
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sbabunle
08-23 06:24 PM
I think in 2000 some of the unused visa's are recaptured and allocated.
That would be the reason the numbers are not looking exact in each year
That would be the reason the numbers are not looking exact in each year
more...
redgreen
10-08 06:26 PM
Since H4 is a derivative visa depending upon an H1, as long as the H1 is valid you can be in that status also whether you use EAD or not. However you can not be in H1 and using EAD. You have to get a new H1 to be again in H1 after using EAD. Anyway how does it matter whether it is valid or not? It becomes a problem even for H1 visa holders, only when I-485 is rejected.
glus
01-02 12:39 PM
Appreciate the responses...my concern was whether a potential H1B denial would cause problems at port of entry when using Advance Parole...
Normally not, unless the IO marks the passport as "inadmissible" for any reason.
Normally not, unless the IO marks the passport as "inadmissible" for any reason.
more...
raamskl
07-20 09:57 PM
I sent in form G-325 for both me and my wife along with my I-485 instead of the G-325A as required on I-485 instructions by oversight. What do you guys recommend I do? Should I send in a new application or just send in the G-325A form with a letter stating the issue? Please help.
browsing through this link
http://www.ilw.com/seminars/august2002_citation2b.pdf
it seems they do use all the 4 pages of G325A (Check out section 3). But page 10 also mentions that if only one copy G28 is present, then the manual instructs the contractor to make a copy. Well, they might be able to make copies, but that is just a guess. And if you skim through this pdf it talks about various mistakes that the applicants might make and on how the contractor (guy handling the application) should work around it. So they seem pretty forgiving.
My advice is to call USCIS and inquire about it, sometimes they are very helpful.
Cheers.
browsing through this link
http://www.ilw.com/seminars/august2002_citation2b.pdf
it seems they do use all the 4 pages of G325A (Check out section 3). But page 10 also mentions that if only one copy G28 is present, then the manual instructs the contractor to make a copy. Well, they might be able to make copies, but that is just a guess. And if you skim through this pdf it talks about various mistakes that the applicants might make and on how the contractor (guy handling the application) should work around it. So they seem pretty forgiving.
My advice is to call USCIS and inquire about it, sometimes they are very helpful.
Cheers.
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eb3_nepa
05-12 03:58 PM
Yeah but then that is a nice free luch for those who do not contribute. The motto will become, just sit back and relax and let the other fools do the hard work and spend their hard earned money.
more...
sparky_jones
10-05 10:49 AM
Never knew that spouse had to be included in the I-140 stage... Is this a new rule?
No, this is basically the left arm of the government not knowing how the right arm does its business.
No, this is basically the left arm of the government not knowing how the right arm does its business.
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msp1976
02-15 11:33 AM
How about requesting a $1donation when a non-contributing member ask a question, or $5 dollars for ten posts.It is not much but will definitely bring some revenue.
We can have a forum like member only access...where the question can only be posted by payed members or by people who pay a small donation? The idea is that the amount requested is not much ,which anyone can afford, but the number of questions people ask on our forum will definitely generate some revenue.
We can start a volunteer thread as a pilot program to see what kind of response we get...what do Core and rest of the member think of it?
Some of us have a fair study of the immigration laws....Our knowledge is anecdotal.....but still we are not lawyers and we donot want to get into a situation in which we get sued for providing potentially incorrect info....No one wants to mislead anyone but accepting money for service makes us step into an unknown territory....
We want to educate members as much as possible but this is not core business...
All advice we provide is with a caveat that users should check with their lawyesr for feasibility....
We can have a forum like member only access...where the question can only be posted by payed members or by people who pay a small donation? The idea is that the amount requested is not much ,which anyone can afford, but the number of questions people ask on our forum will definitely generate some revenue.
We can start a volunteer thread as a pilot program to see what kind of response we get...what do Core and rest of the member think of it?
Some of us have a fair study of the immigration laws....Our knowledge is anecdotal.....but still we are not lawyers and we donot want to get into a situation in which we get sued for providing potentially incorrect info....No one wants to mislead anyone but accepting money for service makes us step into an unknown territory....
We want to educate members as much as possible but this is not core business...
All advice we provide is with a caveat that users should check with their lawyesr for feasibility....
more...
franklin
06-21 12:27 AM
I think if PD remains current and continues to be current after october, then the I-485s are processed and approved as per the receipt date(RD). So your RD matters if everything continues to be current. If they retrogress, then I-485s are still processed as per I-485 RD, regardless of PD, but if the that PD is not current, then it it will be "placed in suspense" until such PD will become current.
I'm assuming that will happen. PDs will be retrogressed back sometime in sep/oct. And they will process all the current flood of applications. Not sure when they will get to June and beyond RDs(as per processing times they r still processing late 2006 RDs now). And after few months(say 6 months) they will move forward the PDs few months at a time.
The above is just my theory. I could be totally off, so don't come to any conclusions.
This is my understanding too
I'm assuming that will happen. PDs will be retrogressed back sometime in sep/oct. And they will process all the current flood of applications. Not sure when they will get to June and beyond RDs(as per processing times they r still processing late 2006 RDs now). And after few months(say 6 months) they will move forward the PDs few months at a time.
The above is just my theory. I could be totally off, so don't come to any conclusions.
This is my understanding too
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gsc999
06-26 12:41 PM
Lou Doubs live on CSPAN Live from National Press Club in Washington D.C. :rolleyes:
This surely is a desperate measure on Lou's part.
Lou, as expected, bashing the passage of cloture. Says amendments haven't been distributed among the Senators. Says, strong possibility of passage in the Senate. Doubs uses his regular tool of fear, says common Americans should be concerned by this.
This surely is a desperate measure on Lou's part.
Lou, as expected, bashing the passage of cloture. Says amendments haven't been distributed among the Senators. Says, strong possibility of passage in the Senate. Doubs uses his regular tool of fear, says common Americans should be concerned by this.
more...
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gc_kaavaali
12-10 02:53 PM
Please consider contributing IV...IV need your help to resolve our immigration problems.
http://immigrationvoice.org/forum/showthread.php?t=15905
http://immigrationvoice.org/forum/showthread.php?t=15905
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black_logs
04-12 04:09 PM
Labor substitution is bad for those who can't find one and good for those who found one. I didn't find one so it's bad for me. But 1 thing the DOL came up with the substitution rule is that 45 days labor expiry rule. Just can't believe the administration can harrass people to that level. When labor substitution is in place what's the point of this 45 days rule ???
more...
pictures +neopolis+mall+in+ludhiana
gc_wannabe
06-17 03:30 AM
that dates being current is not an indication of you getting your GC. The dates have to be current for a long time for you to see the approval.
It is very unfortunate that your lives can be tied to this dates circus. :(
Well, I understand that. But, when the stars line up finally, I don't want to see my application having problems because I used a pre-approved labor.
it would be encouraging to hear from folks who got their GC and used pre-approved labor. Years and years of wait should yield something, and just not plain disappointment.
It is very unfortunate that your lives can be tied to this dates circus. :(
Well, I understand that. But, when the stars line up finally, I don't want to see my application having problems because I used a pre-approved labor.
it would be encouraging to hear from folks who got their GC and used pre-approved labor. Years and years of wait should yield something, and just not plain disappointment.
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sparky_jones
12-10 01:28 PM
I recall receiving only 2 copies of AP from TSC. Is that normal?
more...
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gc_on_demand
11-20 12:39 PM
Hmmmm - laws are generally framed with generic thumb rules. They cannot be addressed to specific stuff. Visass and restrictions are based on needs and demands and not moods and whims. If USA needs software engineers, then they frame laws to get software engineers - they do not target consulting companies - remember it is we who have issues with consulting companies and it is upto those having issues to deal with them
But if they want CIR then we cannot be on anti immigant side. If we sit on anti side we loose what ever we will get in CIR. We can educate lawmakers to add more stuff for us in CIR. I dont think we can be priority when this CIR things will start.. we had only chance for last year that we lost. ( HR 5882 ). As CIR storm begins in next year it will be in our favor to go with it.. ( I dont tihnk so we even have choice ). we are in such minority against illegal people that hardly they will notice us but becasue of business ( Corporate ) only they will add some stuff for us. I heard recently on NPR ( and on CNN ) china is back on sending student again. US unis giving more visas to raise money from fees so NAFSA will also try to add some for US educated.
But if they want CIR then we cannot be on anti immigant side. If we sit on anti side we loose what ever we will get in CIR. We can educate lawmakers to add more stuff for us in CIR. I dont think we can be priority when this CIR things will start.. we had only chance for last year that we lost. ( HR 5882 ). As CIR storm begins in next year it will be in our favor to go with it.. ( I dont tihnk so we even have choice ). we are in such minority against illegal people that hardly they will notice us but becasue of business ( Corporate ) only they will add some stuff for us. I heard recently on NPR ( and on CNN ) china is back on sending student again. US unis giving more visas to raise money from fees so NAFSA will also try to add some for US educated.
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wandmaker
08-11 06:45 PM
For example, for my I-140 under EB2-NIW, NSC processing date shows February 27, 2007; and I filed in April 2007. But, I got approved. (no complaints). Technically, they shouldn't have picked up mine.
You are lucky to have your 140 approved :) There are many people that I know, whos files are still waiting to be dusted.
See, quasi-citizens i.e., people applying for Naturalization have better luck because their local congressman will be making calls and putting fire under USCIS ass because these are potential voters in November. So, they have some leverage. But people who are waiting for green card are no good now... wait for 5 years after you get it, you may have luck in getting their attention.
Focus your energy on IV activites (state chapter, campaign and etc), spend time with the family, and live your day to day life. We will get there soon enough with everyones' support ($$$$)
You are lucky to have your 140 approved :) There are many people that I know, whos files are still waiting to be dusted.
See, quasi-citizens i.e., people applying for Naturalization have better luck because their local congressman will be making calls and putting fire under USCIS ass because these are potential voters in November. So, they have some leverage. But people who are waiting for green card are no good now... wait for 5 years after you get it, you may have luck in getting their attention.
Focus your energy on IV activites (state chapter, campaign and etc), spend time with the family, and live your day to day life. We will get there soon enough with everyones' support ($$$$)
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kirupa
11-26 03:52 AM
You'll be surprised at all the things that I pretend to know.
guesswho
06-11 03:09 PM
Sunny1000,
Please be careful before replying. If you do not know, don't answer.
I have seen numerous posts that say, you can get a 3 yrs H-1 based on your previous company's I-140. (of course, it should not have been revoked). This is based on peoples experience. So don't confuse other people if you are not sure.
You cannot port your I-140 to the new company. So, your H1B will also get affected as it extn is based on the underlying I-140. The only way you can accomplish moving to company B is by filing for I-485 while still at Company A (if your dates are current), wait for 6 months and then, use the AC21 provision.
This is just my view. There might be better ways but, that is the only one I can think right now.
Please be careful before replying. If you do not know, don't answer.
I have seen numerous posts that say, you can get a 3 yrs H-1 based on your previous company's I-140. (of course, it should not have been revoked). This is based on peoples experience. So don't confuse other people if you are not sure.
You cannot port your I-140 to the new company. So, your H1B will also get affected as it extn is based on the underlying I-140. The only way you can accomplish moving to company B is by filing for I-485 while still at Company A (if your dates are current), wait for 6 months and then, use the AC21 provision.
This is just my view. There might be better ways but, that is the only one I can think right now.
jasonalbany
07-04 12:28 PM
Access to Job Market in U.S. a Matter of Degrees
Foreign workers with high-tech skills are in demand, but visa quotas snarl the hiring process.
By Anna Gorman, Times Staff Writer
July 3, 2006
This spring, a U.S. high-tech company recruited British citizen Gareth Lloyd for a possible engineering job.
But before the Irvine office made its hiring decision, the number of available visas for skilled workers ran out, in a record time of less than two months.
Lloyd, who has degrees in applied physics and electrical and electronics engineering, found another job in Germany.
"I was a little bit incredulous," Lloyd, 34, said in a phone interview. "It seems arbitrary to put some kind of quota on this."
Much of the national debate on immigration has centered on undocumented workers who fill agriculture, construction and service jobs. But highly skilled foreign scientists, engineers and computer programmers recruited by U.S. companies to work here legally also have a lot at stake in the outcome. "The major focus for all the laws and all the bills has mainly been for illegal immigrants," said Swati Srivastava, an Indian software engineer who lives in Playa del Rey and is waiting for her green card. "We kind of get pushed to the sidelines."
The Senate's sweeping immigration bill that passed in May calls for increasing the number of H-1B visas, which are available for professional foreign workers, from 65,000 to 115,000 annually. Foreigners with certain advanced degrees would be exempt from the cap.
Despite President Bush's urging to increase such quotas, however, the House bill that passed late last year does not include any provisions for skilled-worker visas. And a conference committee, which would negotiate a compromise, has yet to be selected. U.S. companies complain that they are losing prospective employees to other countries because of a shortage of highly skilled and educated foreign workers. As a result, companies are either outsourcing science and engineering jobs or making do with fewer employees.
"There aren't enough U.S. citizens pursuing those types of degrees," said Jennifer Greeson, spokeswoman for Intel Corp. in Santa Clara, Calif., where about 5% of the company's U.S.-based employees are on H-1B visas. "U.S. companies being able to have access to talent, no matter where it originates, is key to our continued competitiveness."
But critics of the H-1B program argue that there are enough Americans qualified for the jobs. Companies just prefer to hire younger, less expensive workers from other countries, such as India and China, instead of more experienced American workers at higher salaries.
"The bottom line is cheap labor," said UC Davis computer-science professor Norman Matloff, who has studied the H-1B program.
The six-year visas are available to foreigners with at least a bachelor's degree. Firms must pay foreign workers the prevailing wage.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services agency begins accepting H-1B visa applications on April 1 each year. The agency received enough visas to hit the congressionally mandated cap of 65,000 at the end of May this year, compared with August in 2005 and October in 2004. Those who receive the visas can begin work Oct. 1, the start of the fiscal year.
There are also 20,000 additional visas available for foreign workers who earned a master's or higher-level degree in the U.S. The Citizenship and Immigration Services is still accepting applications for those visas.
Because the H-1B cap is reached more quickly each year, many companies prepare their paperwork ahead of time so they can be at the front of the line. But they say it's often difficult to make hiring decisions six months before the start date.
Orange County immigration attorney Mitchell Wexler has a courier ready on the first day to take his clients' completed applications to Citizenship and Immigration Services.
"The whole white-collar business community is kind of crossing our fingers" that the number of visas is raised, Wexler said. Highly skilled foreign workers, he said, are "the best and brightest" and should be invited into the economy.
"If we can't get them," Wexler added, "they will go to a country that will accept them, and they will get jobs in Canada, Australia and England and will compete against us."
One of Wexler's clients, Massachusetts-based Skyworks Solutions, develops and manufactures integrated circuits for cellphones. Connie Williams, senior human resources specialist at the company's Irvine office, said her firm was effectively cut off from a foreign labor pool that included Lloyd of Britain when the government stopped accepting H-1B applications.
Williams said she worries that if Congress fails to pass reform legislation, the door will slam shut even earlier next year. The company has just over 2,000 U.S.-based employees, roughly 100 of whom have H-1B visas.
"We need these highly skilled, highly educated, highly qualified engineers," said Williams. "These people are a needle in a haystack."
Once foreigners have H-1B visas, they face another hurdle � becoming permanent legal residents. Applicants are often forced to wait years because there are only 140,000 employment-based green cards available annually. A backlog at Citizenship and Immigration Services adds to the delays.
Swati and Aradhana Srivastava, 34, both Indian software engineers working in the U.S. on H-1B visas, began the green card process with their employer in November 2001. Since then, the sisters said they have not been able to change jobs, positions or salaries.
They have taken film classes and are eager to pursue second careers in filmmaking but cannot do so until after they get their green cards. They also are reluctant to buy property or start a business. If they don't get their green cards by the time they finish film school, the sisters may return home.
"It's like living in a holding pattern continuously," said Swati Srivastava, 28, a member of Immigration Voice, a new grass-roots organization of skilled foreign workers pushing for immigration reform. The Internet-based group formed late last year and has about 5,000 members scattered around the country.
"We work in [the] U.S. legally in high-skilled jobs, but we still get penalized for playing by the rules," Immigration Voice co-founder Aman Kapoor said in an e-mail. "Since no one was working on our issues, we decided to organize."
Sandy Boyd, vice president of the National Assn. of Manufacturers, said there is an urgency to fixing the problems facing highly skilled foreign workers, whether they're seeking temporary or permanent legal status. The Senate's proposed immigration bill would increase the number of available employment-based green cards.
If compromise legislation cannot be reached on the broader issues, Boyd said, Congress should pass a separate, more narrow reform bill.
"This is not an issue that can be put off until comprehensive immigration reform is passed," Boyd said, "because once we lose these jobs, it's very difficult for them to come back."
But industry lobbyists arguing against increases in H-1B visas say the program hurts U.S. citizens by lowering wages and increasing job competition. They cite a recent report by the Government Accountability Office that says the program lacks sufficient oversight from the Department of Labor.
"We feel for the most part there are not shortages of U.S. engineers and computer scientists that have the skills these companies are looking for," said Chris McManes, spokesman for the U.S. sector of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. "If the cap is increased, that will further hamper the ability of a U.S. engineer to find a job."
David Huber, a network engineer in Chicago and U.S. citizen by birth, said he twice lost out on jobs to foreign workers. He was passed over for one job and replaced at another, he said. Huber, who testified before the House in March, said he could not find work for nearly three years, despite his education and experience. "Too many of us cannot find jobs because companies are turning to H-1B workers as a first choice," Huber said in written testimony to the House.
Swadha Sharma, who lives in Arcadia, said she is not trying to replace U.S. workers. Sharma earned an electronics engineering degree in India but has long dreamed of becoming a math teacher. So while her husband worked here on an H-1B visa, she earned her teaching credential at Cal Poly Pomona.
Sharma, 30, started applying for teaching jobs early this year, but she said only one of three interested districts was willing to sponsor her for an H-1B visa. And that offer, from a Los Angeles charter school, came after the visa cap had been reached. Sharma now plans to pursue a master's degree but said the U.S. is "missing out on a catch."
"I am really qualified," she said. "Hopefully, I will be able to teach soon."
As for Lloyd, his plans to come to the United States are now on indefinite hold. He started his job in Germany but still laments the U.S. immigration system for limiting workers like himself from coming here.
"The H-1B scheme seems a little bit ridiculous," he said. "I would certainly be an asset to the American economy."
Foreign workers with high-tech skills are in demand, but visa quotas snarl the hiring process.
By Anna Gorman, Times Staff Writer
July 3, 2006
This spring, a U.S. high-tech company recruited British citizen Gareth Lloyd for a possible engineering job.
But before the Irvine office made its hiring decision, the number of available visas for skilled workers ran out, in a record time of less than two months.
Lloyd, who has degrees in applied physics and electrical and electronics engineering, found another job in Germany.
"I was a little bit incredulous," Lloyd, 34, said in a phone interview. "It seems arbitrary to put some kind of quota on this."
Much of the national debate on immigration has centered on undocumented workers who fill agriculture, construction and service jobs. But highly skilled foreign scientists, engineers and computer programmers recruited by U.S. companies to work here legally also have a lot at stake in the outcome. "The major focus for all the laws and all the bills has mainly been for illegal immigrants," said Swati Srivastava, an Indian software engineer who lives in Playa del Rey and is waiting for her green card. "We kind of get pushed to the sidelines."
The Senate's sweeping immigration bill that passed in May calls for increasing the number of H-1B visas, which are available for professional foreign workers, from 65,000 to 115,000 annually. Foreigners with certain advanced degrees would be exempt from the cap.
Despite President Bush's urging to increase such quotas, however, the House bill that passed late last year does not include any provisions for skilled-worker visas. And a conference committee, which would negotiate a compromise, has yet to be selected. U.S. companies complain that they are losing prospective employees to other countries because of a shortage of highly skilled and educated foreign workers. As a result, companies are either outsourcing science and engineering jobs or making do with fewer employees.
"There aren't enough U.S. citizens pursuing those types of degrees," said Jennifer Greeson, spokeswoman for Intel Corp. in Santa Clara, Calif., where about 5% of the company's U.S.-based employees are on H-1B visas. "U.S. companies being able to have access to talent, no matter where it originates, is key to our continued competitiveness."
But critics of the H-1B program argue that there are enough Americans qualified for the jobs. Companies just prefer to hire younger, less expensive workers from other countries, such as India and China, instead of more experienced American workers at higher salaries.
"The bottom line is cheap labor," said UC Davis computer-science professor Norman Matloff, who has studied the H-1B program.
The six-year visas are available to foreigners with at least a bachelor's degree. Firms must pay foreign workers the prevailing wage.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services agency begins accepting H-1B visa applications on April 1 each year. The agency received enough visas to hit the congressionally mandated cap of 65,000 at the end of May this year, compared with August in 2005 and October in 2004. Those who receive the visas can begin work Oct. 1, the start of the fiscal year.
There are also 20,000 additional visas available for foreign workers who earned a master's or higher-level degree in the U.S. The Citizenship and Immigration Services is still accepting applications for those visas.
Because the H-1B cap is reached more quickly each year, many companies prepare their paperwork ahead of time so they can be at the front of the line. But they say it's often difficult to make hiring decisions six months before the start date.
Orange County immigration attorney Mitchell Wexler has a courier ready on the first day to take his clients' completed applications to Citizenship and Immigration Services.
"The whole white-collar business community is kind of crossing our fingers" that the number of visas is raised, Wexler said. Highly skilled foreign workers, he said, are "the best and brightest" and should be invited into the economy.
"If we can't get them," Wexler added, "they will go to a country that will accept them, and they will get jobs in Canada, Australia and England and will compete against us."
One of Wexler's clients, Massachusetts-based Skyworks Solutions, develops and manufactures integrated circuits for cellphones. Connie Williams, senior human resources specialist at the company's Irvine office, said her firm was effectively cut off from a foreign labor pool that included Lloyd of Britain when the government stopped accepting H-1B applications.
Williams said she worries that if Congress fails to pass reform legislation, the door will slam shut even earlier next year. The company has just over 2,000 U.S.-based employees, roughly 100 of whom have H-1B visas.
"We need these highly skilled, highly educated, highly qualified engineers," said Williams. "These people are a needle in a haystack."
Once foreigners have H-1B visas, they face another hurdle � becoming permanent legal residents. Applicants are often forced to wait years because there are only 140,000 employment-based green cards available annually. A backlog at Citizenship and Immigration Services adds to the delays.
Swati and Aradhana Srivastava, 34, both Indian software engineers working in the U.S. on H-1B visas, began the green card process with their employer in November 2001. Since then, the sisters said they have not been able to change jobs, positions or salaries.
They have taken film classes and are eager to pursue second careers in filmmaking but cannot do so until after they get their green cards. They also are reluctant to buy property or start a business. If they don't get their green cards by the time they finish film school, the sisters may return home.
"It's like living in a holding pattern continuously," said Swati Srivastava, 28, a member of Immigration Voice, a new grass-roots organization of skilled foreign workers pushing for immigration reform. The Internet-based group formed late last year and has about 5,000 members scattered around the country.
"We work in [the] U.S. legally in high-skilled jobs, but we still get penalized for playing by the rules," Immigration Voice co-founder Aman Kapoor said in an e-mail. "Since no one was working on our issues, we decided to organize."
Sandy Boyd, vice president of the National Assn. of Manufacturers, said there is an urgency to fixing the problems facing highly skilled foreign workers, whether they're seeking temporary or permanent legal status. The Senate's proposed immigration bill would increase the number of available employment-based green cards.
If compromise legislation cannot be reached on the broader issues, Boyd said, Congress should pass a separate, more narrow reform bill.
"This is not an issue that can be put off until comprehensive immigration reform is passed," Boyd said, "because once we lose these jobs, it's very difficult for them to come back."
But industry lobbyists arguing against increases in H-1B visas say the program hurts U.S. citizens by lowering wages and increasing job competition. They cite a recent report by the Government Accountability Office that says the program lacks sufficient oversight from the Department of Labor.
"We feel for the most part there are not shortages of U.S. engineers and computer scientists that have the skills these companies are looking for," said Chris McManes, spokesman for the U.S. sector of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. "If the cap is increased, that will further hamper the ability of a U.S. engineer to find a job."
David Huber, a network engineer in Chicago and U.S. citizen by birth, said he twice lost out on jobs to foreign workers. He was passed over for one job and replaced at another, he said. Huber, who testified before the House in March, said he could not find work for nearly three years, despite his education and experience. "Too many of us cannot find jobs because companies are turning to H-1B workers as a first choice," Huber said in written testimony to the House.
Swadha Sharma, who lives in Arcadia, said she is not trying to replace U.S. workers. Sharma earned an electronics engineering degree in India but has long dreamed of becoming a math teacher. So while her husband worked here on an H-1B visa, she earned her teaching credential at Cal Poly Pomona.
Sharma, 30, started applying for teaching jobs early this year, but she said only one of three interested districts was willing to sponsor her for an H-1B visa. And that offer, from a Los Angeles charter school, came after the visa cap had been reached. Sharma now plans to pursue a master's degree but said the U.S. is "missing out on a catch."
"I am really qualified," she said. "Hopefully, I will be able to teach soon."
As for Lloyd, his plans to come to the United States are now on indefinite hold. He started his job in Germany but still laments the U.S. immigration system for limiting workers like himself from coming here.
"The H-1B scheme seems a little bit ridiculous," he said. "I would certainly be an asset to the American economy."
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