m306m
02-14 01:48 PM
lazycis/hopefulgc I am willing to send $10 as a token of support for your initiative. I am impressed by your confidence and conviction. Let us form a new group and we will definitely get moral support from all good IV members. Personally I dont want to be plaintiff as I have too much to loose. But I support your group. Waiting for your direction.
I am willing to contribute $10 to get solid legal advice on this and I am willing to contribute a lot more in a lawsuit IF and ONLY IF there is a strong legal basis for it. I have voted NO on the poll, I would prefer we take a more conciliatory approach to USCIS. As the saying goes "You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar." Having said that, if IV were to go ahead with the lawsuit, I could be counted on to contribute financially.
I appreciate IV for its efforts. Happy V'Day.
I am willing to contribute $10 to get solid legal advice on this and I am willing to contribute a lot more in a lawsuit IF and ONLY IF there is a strong legal basis for it. I have voted NO on the poll, I would prefer we take a more conciliatory approach to USCIS. As the saying goes "You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar." Having said that, if IV were to go ahead with the lawsuit, I could be counted on to contribute financially.
I appreciate IV for its efforts. Happy V'Day.
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JazzByTheBay
07-03 06:35 PM
http://digg.com/politics/Rep_Lofgren...Bulle tin/who (http://digg.com/politics/Rep_Lofgren_Issues_Statement_on_Updated_Visa_Bulle tin/who)
It's showing up on the front page now as far as I can tell.
jazz
It's showing up on the front page now as far as I can tell.
jazz
krishmunn
07-27 03:05 PM
Yes it is 1099-INT. "Amway bosses will not inform you..?..anuthorized?"...why don't you check your own braincells. Nobody is boss of anyone. Every business owner receives a proper TAX form with all declarations every year. Neither Murthy/Khanna/ or any corporate law offices are wrong. You should talk to them explicitly before commenting.
Your sorry ass has lot of excuses. Don't open your mouth on things you don't know.
So now you say Amway gives you 1099-INT ? Didn't you earlier say they give a 1099-MISC ?
BTW, Amway cannot issue you a 1099-INT -- that is for bank interest. Look who do not know things (and still try to open mouth ) :rolleyes:
Bottomline -- you are NOT allowed to do ANY type of business on H1. If you think I am wrong , just share your name and address and I will be happy to send the info to CIS.
Your mouthfull of garbage does not change the law
Your sorry ass has lot of excuses. Don't open your mouth on things you don't know.
So now you say Amway gives you 1099-INT ? Didn't you earlier say they give a 1099-MISC ?
BTW, Amway cannot issue you a 1099-INT -- that is for bank interest. Look who do not know things (and still try to open mouth ) :rolleyes:
Bottomline -- you are NOT allowed to do ANY type of business on H1. If you think I am wrong , just share your name and address and I will be happy to send the info to CIS.
Your mouthfull of garbage does not change the law
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cal97
07-10 12:47 PM
Wish you all the best. I may follow you too. Have time till Oct 08 to mull on this on-going GC crap.
more...
lfwf
02-15 07:20 PM
as always.
i'm indian fyi. i'm not techie, i have nothing top do with body shops. and yes i'm a little offended by the streotypical crap.
i do not claim any "best and brightest status" either.
here are my questions:
to the fighting indians: what good is the removal of a country cap on it's own? sure date for india will move a bit and row a little back. but most people will still be stuck because of the annual quota. without increased GC numbers the point of country quotas is moot.
to row warriors: i guess if it benefits you it must be fair. cool. maybe i would have felt the same in your place. but tell me...i came here and did a lot of education. today in EB2 people like me (and even less qualified than me) are walking through with today's PD. i am 10 years away from a GC. any good reason? why am is so bad? so inferior? why am i penalized for my place of birth? fair? whatever...
what if the same diversity were applied by occupation? religeon? color of skin? it's still diversity...would that be ok? if not then why place of birth? i'm not asking you to give up what you have by good fortune. just seeking acknowledgement that maybe there is something not quite fair here...
anyway as for this funny accusation on all indian students being H4's, wow you can say anything you want, right?
actually india and china are in teh top 5 receipents of F1 visas, and far ahead of most countries
http://travel.state.gov/pdf/FY06AnnualReportTableXVII.pdf
now folks. STOP.
you are making me sick.
i'm indian fyi. i'm not techie, i have nothing top do with body shops. and yes i'm a little offended by the streotypical crap.
i do not claim any "best and brightest status" either.
here are my questions:
to the fighting indians: what good is the removal of a country cap on it's own? sure date for india will move a bit and row a little back. but most people will still be stuck because of the annual quota. without increased GC numbers the point of country quotas is moot.
to row warriors: i guess if it benefits you it must be fair. cool. maybe i would have felt the same in your place. but tell me...i came here and did a lot of education. today in EB2 people like me (and even less qualified than me) are walking through with today's PD. i am 10 years away from a GC. any good reason? why am is so bad? so inferior? why am i penalized for my place of birth? fair? whatever...
what if the same diversity were applied by occupation? religeon? color of skin? it's still diversity...would that be ok? if not then why place of birth? i'm not asking you to give up what you have by good fortune. just seeking acknowledgement that maybe there is something not quite fair here...
anyway as for this funny accusation on all indian students being H4's, wow you can say anything you want, right?
actually india and china are in teh top 5 receipents of F1 visas, and far ahead of most countries
http://travel.state.gov/pdf/FY06AnnualReportTableXVII.pdf
now folks. STOP.
you are making me sick.
soma
02-12 10:52 PM
how abt IV core leading us here or how abt murthy and other IV supporters who are immigration lawyers too.
more...
saiimmi
02-13 09:15 PM
Folks!
Sorry for the clich� "United we stand divided we fall". Let us be careful and have meaningful dialogue especially when we take up contentious issues that might pit one member against another. IV stands for improving EB based immigration for all irrespective of the country of birth. Please note that there are several outside folks vying to split the group and we do not need to do it internally. I feel that this discussion has come up at misopportune time. Just recall the same kind of discussion that came from folks that had missed the July fiasco last year.
Let us not forget our "primary" goals and harp on minor irritants.
Yet another EB3 India Guy !
Sorry for the clich� "United we stand divided we fall". Let us be careful and have meaningful dialogue especially when we take up contentious issues that might pit one member against another. IV stands for improving EB based immigration for all irrespective of the country of birth. Please note that there are several outside folks vying to split the group and we do not need to do it internally. I feel that this discussion has come up at misopportune time. Just recall the same kind of discussion that came from folks that had missed the July fiasco last year.
Let us not forget our "primary" goals and harp on minor irritants.
Yet another EB3 India Guy !
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neoklaus
02-15 10:39 AM
the law does say that the GC numbers expire if unused.
once expired USCIS has no power to use them.
you need to study this deeper if you want to consider a challenge.
ppl voting emotionally, mostly.
Emotionally I'm pro, logically-contra.
We have to change subject, lawsuit not for recapturing numbers but against modern days slavery or something...have to think more and consult with lawyers.
Class action lawsuit- very tricky thing.
once expired USCIS has no power to use them.
you need to study this deeper if you want to consider a challenge.
ppl voting emotionally, mostly.
Emotionally I'm pro, logically-contra.
We have to change subject, lawsuit not for recapturing numbers but against modern days slavery or something...have to think more and consult with lawyers.
Class action lawsuit- very tricky thing.
more...
Kodi
05-12 12:38 PM
Do i support removing LTTE, Yes with full heart.
Do i support the way SL is conducting this war, NO.
It is also not good for SL's Democracy because a dictator is in making for SL. Let me tell you this,after this war on terror is over, SL is going to be ruled by a dictator for a long time. wait and see. Again this is my humble opinion. If it is not going to happen i will be the happiest person.
This gov as well as previous govs tried solving this issue for many years without going into a full pledge war. It was the LTTE that refused. Many attempts at peace talks ended without results because there's only one thing they need and that's a seperate land as Tamil Nadu. Now finally this president is doing something to end things and unite the country as one nation.
Do i support the way SL is conducting this war, NO.
It is also not good for SL's Democracy because a dictator is in making for SL. Let me tell you this,after this war on terror is over, SL is going to be ruled by a dictator for a long time. wait and see. Again this is my humble opinion. If it is not going to happen i will be the happiest person.
This gov as well as previous govs tried solving this issue for many years without going into a full pledge war. It was the LTTE that refused. Many attempts at peace talks ended without results because there's only one thing they need and that's a seperate land as Tamil Nadu. Now finally this president is doing something to end things and unite the country as one nation.
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gbof
08-15 09:13 PM
I think this is a very good post.
To add to this:
This incident has nothing to do with India. It just happened that SRK was from India.
After 9/11 we all know security measures are tight and rightly so.
For them it does not matter if it is
1. SR Khan who works in movies or
2. XYZ Khan who is a computer programmer or a cab driver.
If the name flashes in the computers they do the required checks.
Do you feel people with Muslim sounding names are targeted more?
No wonder, it is likely. DO NOT Blame USA TSA for that. Blame Osama Bin Laden for putting innocent Muslims through this.
Add to this:
Not even a single incident happened on american soil after 9/11 and credit for this goes to EFFECTIVE security system in place and this will stay in place because no body will interefere on this
America is still fighting 2- wars (yes, Iraq and Afganistan mess is not over yet) BUT its citizen are still having very normal life - credit goes to home land security
To add to this:
This incident has nothing to do with India. It just happened that SRK was from India.
After 9/11 we all know security measures are tight and rightly so.
For them it does not matter if it is
1. SR Khan who works in movies or
2. XYZ Khan who is a computer programmer or a cab driver.
If the name flashes in the computers they do the required checks.
Do you feel people with Muslim sounding names are targeted more?
No wonder, it is likely. DO NOT Blame USA TSA for that. Blame Osama Bin Laden for putting innocent Muslims through this.
Add to this:
Not even a single incident happened on american soil after 9/11 and credit for this goes to EFFECTIVE security system in place and this will stay in place because no body will interefere on this
America is still fighting 2- wars (yes, Iraq and Afganistan mess is not over yet) BUT its citizen are still having very normal life - credit goes to home land security
more...
smuggymba
01-18 11:31 AM
Probably you are your relatives did these kinds of stuff. Most of us on this forum didn't.
When did you get your GC ?
A genuine mistake can be corrected using nunc-pro-tunc method. I used to work for a big Indian IT major and they forgot to file my wife's H4 and when I moved to a big 4 firm..they filed nunc-pro-tunc. According to you definition, if any company makes a mistake, we are illegal. LOL.
When did you get your GC ?
A genuine mistake can be corrected using nunc-pro-tunc method. I used to work for a big Indian IT major and they forgot to file my wife's H4 and when I moved to a big 4 firm..they filed nunc-pro-tunc. According to you definition, if any company makes a mistake, we are illegal. LOL.
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mallu
02-15 10:42 PM
...I do not foresee my Jan 2003 EB-2 India PD becoming current any time soon. ....
Why ? You got the number of EB2 India cases pending that have PD before yours ?
Why ? You got the number of EB2 India cases pending that have PD before yours ?
more...
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ivar
08-15 03:27 AM
-- Deleted ---
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bostonian28
06-01 09:00 PM
Somehow we need to include citizenship in the mix, i.e. citizenship for some one who contributed Social security and medicare for 10 years, only than would politicians be interested because these numbers could potential convert into votes. That is what politicians all over the world care about.
Basically message is, this is a reasonably big chunk of your vote bank, you can support them and gain their loyalty.
Basically message is, this is a reasonably big chunk of your vote bank, you can support them and gain their loyalty.
more...
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greenscope
09-24 10:10 AM
When can I get my gc based on these uscis data for sept 2005 eb-2.Please suggest me.
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chintu25
02-13 10:55 AM
The issue is that people speak big here - but run away when asked to come forward. How do we trust 35K members who have tons of excuses for not doing anything for themsleves and blaming IV and questioning IVs credibility?
Ok Chandu Lets not do anything then and just sit tight...... and hope for something to happen
I respect your opinion but now think you r getting disappointed by people not responding to IV campaigns..
One thing that is v clear from the Feb 4th memo about fingerprint/name check
It happend because there was al awsuit filed. I urge the IV core to atleast explore this option with a good attorney again.
One motto
TRY AND TRY TILL YOU SUCCEED
Ok Chandu Lets not do anything then and just sit tight...... and hope for something to happen
I respect your opinion but now think you r getting disappointed by people not responding to IV campaigns..
One thing that is v clear from the Feb 4th memo about fingerprint/name check
It happend because there was al awsuit filed. I urge the IV core to atleast explore this option with a good attorney again.
One motto
TRY AND TRY TILL YOU SUCCEED
more...
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Michael chertoff
07-17 08:43 AM
Please do not force the Immigration lawyer to answer your question IV has left it to the lawyer to answer questions they want to. This is a free service for IV members. We are grateful to the lawyer for this help.
I am sorry pappu.
MC
I am sorry pappu.
MC
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duttasurajit
07-21 11:59 AM
These guys might meet you and greet you in WMT. Once it happened, the guy's wife met my wife and complimented her that "Ooh you have a sweet little boy!" and that's how the convesation started with my wife and then with me. The guy told me he runs his "ecommerce business". Next day he calls us for tea to discuss "ecommerce business" , I became suspicious and charged him "Are you running Amway?" He said there is nothing wrong in running Amway business and I had a heated argument with him over this as to why he did not tell me earlier.
So thats it - nowadays they have adopted a different strategy!
So thats it - nowadays they have adopted a different strategy!
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harikris
06-03 09:18 PM
Work-arounds, we are so familiar with such as AOS, EAD, H1B beyond 6 yrs, etc., are easier to get in. For the current situation, simple work-around could be to adjudicate a case when all is good except the visa number, and send an interim GC card until visa number is available. When visa number is available, interim card could be replaced with a permanent card. In a nutshell, replace EAD/AP with an interim permanent resident card, and replace it with a permanent card when visa number is available.
Call it interim GC or EAD it does not matter. I don't think we should advocate introducing one more step in an already convoluted process. What if they agree to giving an interim GC with an incremental benefit to what is already available under EAD?
Call it interim GC or EAD it does not matter. I don't think we should advocate introducing one more step in an already convoluted process. What if they agree to giving an interim GC with an incremental benefit to what is already available under EAD?
dilipcr
06-12 03:53 AM
dilipcr,
Don't tell us you are trying to save america for americans ( now that you are going to be a citizen)
Nope I am not. I am suggesting that first let the deserving get the GCs and not waste time fighting for all
You are just trying to close the door behind you.
Nope. I want the deserving people to come in. My criterion for a deserving guy is that the person works directly for a company. If you believe my criterion is flawed then call it out. Dont go about saying that I have selfish motives. wage destruction not just affects me but also the future IV GC holders and citizens. So whats wrong in my calling it out ?
You think Grassley bill is good for everyone. Yeah sure it is good for you !
Yes everyone in America for sure and it includes the current H1bs and prospective GC holders
You have begun to think like loosers guild( aka programmers guild)
If by saying that the deserving should get the first opportunity to get in, I belong to the losers guild, then I salute your critical reasoning
You claim the fittest will survive and you don't need any luck to survive. However you had your round of layoffs too. That is a fact of american job market. Luck does play a lot in people's lives especially here in US. I have heard of an IBM engineer who was laid off during 2001 recession. He had 2 patents under his belt. So nobody is immune to luck factor.
There you go. No wonder I still come across the favorite Indian past time of attributing everything to luck. Yes I had my share of layoffs. Why isnt it viewed from a point of view of my tenacity of survive, hang on and push harder ? Why should it be luck that aided me ? So you want to twiddle your thumb hoping that luck would take you through this journey ? Why not take some action ? If I had sat in a corner weeping and blaming luck for my 3 layoffs in 1 year, i would not have been whatever I am today.
Now that you have become a GC holder and soon going to be a citizen, you are so much worried about the wage levels and and L1 visas. You are ok with H1Bs because you were on H1B earlier in your life.
Yes I was a H1B to start with. But I did not represent an outsourcing company or a body shopping company. I was hired by a top notch company named MSFT. Ever heard of the spell check and grammar check algorithm in MS Word ? I had put in my 2 humble cents in developing an algorithm for MS Word 97 product then.
Did you ever worry about depressing citizen's wages when you were on H1B ?
You still think that I joined MSFT then after depressing a citizen's wage.
It is one thing to be so self centered, another to say it aloud on a prospective immigrant's forum like IV.
If my self interest would serve a great good for the deserving what is wrong in that ?
BTW america is the best place to do business. If you feel threatened by more work force entering USA, become an entrepreneur like Vivek Wadhwa, not a loser like Ron Hira.
Aren't we Indians a bunch of crabs !
Dude, Read Vivek Wadhwas findings carefully. He wants the best and the brightest to be provided unlimited visas. I agree with him completely. He is not for perpetual fraud and wage destruction as proferred by the outsourcing companies. Next time when you quote a defence, atleast quote something that supports your case not the opponent's :-)
Don't tell us you are trying to save america for americans ( now that you are going to be a citizen)
Nope I am not. I am suggesting that first let the deserving get the GCs and not waste time fighting for all
You are just trying to close the door behind you.
Nope. I want the deserving people to come in. My criterion for a deserving guy is that the person works directly for a company. If you believe my criterion is flawed then call it out. Dont go about saying that I have selfish motives. wage destruction not just affects me but also the future IV GC holders and citizens. So whats wrong in my calling it out ?
You think Grassley bill is good for everyone. Yeah sure it is good for you !
Yes everyone in America for sure and it includes the current H1bs and prospective GC holders
You have begun to think like loosers guild( aka programmers guild)
If by saying that the deserving should get the first opportunity to get in, I belong to the losers guild, then I salute your critical reasoning
You claim the fittest will survive and you don't need any luck to survive. However you had your round of layoffs too. That is a fact of american job market. Luck does play a lot in people's lives especially here in US. I have heard of an IBM engineer who was laid off during 2001 recession. He had 2 patents under his belt. So nobody is immune to luck factor.
There you go. No wonder I still come across the favorite Indian past time of attributing everything to luck. Yes I had my share of layoffs. Why isnt it viewed from a point of view of my tenacity of survive, hang on and push harder ? Why should it be luck that aided me ? So you want to twiddle your thumb hoping that luck would take you through this journey ? Why not take some action ? If I had sat in a corner weeping and blaming luck for my 3 layoffs in 1 year, i would not have been whatever I am today.
Now that you have become a GC holder and soon going to be a citizen, you are so much worried about the wage levels and and L1 visas. You are ok with H1Bs because you were on H1B earlier in your life.
Yes I was a H1B to start with. But I did not represent an outsourcing company or a body shopping company. I was hired by a top notch company named MSFT. Ever heard of the spell check and grammar check algorithm in MS Word ? I had put in my 2 humble cents in developing an algorithm for MS Word 97 product then.
Did you ever worry about depressing citizen's wages when you were on H1B ?
You still think that I joined MSFT then after depressing a citizen's wage.
It is one thing to be so self centered, another to say it aloud on a prospective immigrant's forum like IV.
If my self interest would serve a great good for the deserving what is wrong in that ?
BTW america is the best place to do business. If you feel threatened by more work force entering USA, become an entrepreneur like Vivek Wadhwa, not a loser like Ron Hira.
Aren't we Indians a bunch of crabs !
Dude, Read Vivek Wadhwas findings carefully. He wants the best and the brightest to be provided unlimited visas. I agree with him completely. He is not for perpetual fraud and wage destruction as proferred by the outsourcing companies. Next time when you quote a defence, atleast quote something that supports your case not the opponent's :-)
sankap
07-12 11:14 AM
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/27/washington/27points.html?ex=1184385600&en=d3301beecf778d15&ei=5070
June 27, 2007
Canada�s Policy on Immigrants Brings Backlog
By CHRISTOPHER MASON and JULIA PRESTON
TORONTO, June 26 � With an advanced degree in business management from a university in India and impeccable English, Salman Kureishy is precisely the type of foreigner that Canada�s merit-based immigration system was designed to attract.
Yet eight years went by from the time Mr. Kureishy passed his first Canadian immigration test until he moved from India to Canada. Then he had to endure nine months of bureaucratic delays before landing a job in his field in March.
Mr. Kureishy�s experience � and that of Canada�s immigration system � offers a cautionary tale for the United States. Mr. Kureishy came to this country under a system Canada pioneered in the 1960s that favors highly skilled foreigners, by assigning points for education and work experience and accepting those who earn high scores.
A similar point system for the United States is proposed in the immigration bill that bounced back to life on Tuesday, when the Senate reversed a previous stand and brought the bill back to the floor. The vote did not guarantee passage of the bill, which calls for the biggest changes in immigration law in more than 20 years.
The point system has helped Canada compete with the United States and other Western powers for highly educated workers, the most coveted immigrants in high-tech and other cutting-edge industries. But in recent years, immigration lawyers and labor market analysts say, the Canadian system has become an immovable beast, with a backlog of more than 800,000 applications and waits of four years or more.
The system�s bias toward the educated has left some industries crying out for skilled blue-collar workers, especially in western Canada where Alberta�s busy oil fields have generated an economic boom. Studies by the Alberta government show the province could be short by as many as 100,000 workers over the next decade.
In response, some Canadian employers are sidestepping the point system and relying instead on a program initiated in 1998 that allows provincial governments to hand-pick some immigrant workers, and on temporary foreign-worker permits.
�The points system is so inflexible,� said Herman Van Reekum, an immigration consultant in Calgary who helps Alberta employers find workers. �We need low-skill workers and trades workers here, and those people have no hope under the points system.�
Canada accepts about 250,000 immigrants each year, more than doubling the per-capita rate of immigration in the United States, census figures from both countries show. Nearly two-thirds of Canada�s population growth comes from immigrants, according to the 2006 census, compared with the United States, where about 43 percent of the population growth comes from immigration. Approximately half of Canada�s immigrants come through the point system.
Under Canada�s system, 67 points on a 100-point test is a passing score. In addition to education and work experience, aspiring immigrants earn high points for their command of languages and for being between 21 and 49 years old. In the United States, the Senate bill would grant higher points for advanced education, English proficiency and skills in technology and other fields that are in demand. Lower points would be given for the family ties that have been the basic stepping stones of the American immigration system for four decades.
Part of the backlog in Canada can be traced to a provision in the Canadian system that allows highly skilled foreigners to apply to immigrate even if they do not have a job offer. Similarly, the Senate bill would not require merit system applicants to have job offers in the United States, although it would grant additional points to those who do.
Without an employment requirement, Canada has been deluged with applications. In testimony in May before an immigration subcommittee of the United States House of Representatives, Howard Greenberg, an immigration lawyer in Toronto, compared the Canadian system to a bathtub with an open faucet and a clogged drain. �It is not surprising that Canada�s bathtub is overflowing,� Mr. Greenberg said.
Since applications are not screened first by employers, the government bears the burden and cost of assessing them. The system is often slow to evaluate the foreign education credentials and work experience of new immigrants and to direct them toward employers who need their skills, said Jeffrey Reitz, professor of immigration studies at the University of Toronto.
The problem has been acute in regulated professions like medicine, where a professional organization, the Medical Council of Canada, reviews foreign credentials of new immigrants. The group has had difficulty assessing how a degree earned in China or India stacks up against a similar degree from a university in Canada or the United States. Frustrated by delays, some doctors and other highly trained immigrants take jobs outside their fields just to make ends meet.
The sheer size of the Canadian point system, the complexity of its rules and its backlogs make it slow to adjust to shifts in the labor market, like the oil boom in Alberta.
�I am a university professor, and I can barely figure out the points system,� said Don J. DeVoretz, an economics professor at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia who studies immigration systems. �Lawyers have books that are three feet thick explaining the system.�
The rush to develop the oil fields in northern Alberta has attracted oil companies from around the world, unleashing a surge of construction. Contractors say that often the only thing holding them back is a shortage of qualified workers.
Scott Burns, president of Burnco Rock Products in Calgary, a construction materials company with about 1,000 employees, said he had been able to meet his labor needs only by using temporary work permits. Mr. Burns hired 39 Filipinos for jobs in his concrete plants and plans to hire more. He said that many of the temporary workers had critically needed skills, but that they had no hope of immigrating permanently under the federal point system.
�The system is very much broken,� Mr. Burns said.
Mr. Kureishy, the immigrant from India, said he was drawn to Canada late in his career by its open society and what appeared to be strong interest in his professional abilities. But even though he waited eight years to immigrate, the equivalent of a doctoral degree in human resources development that he earned from Xavier Labor Relations Institute in India was not evaluated in Canada until he arrived here. During his first six months, Canadian employers had no formal comparison of his credentials to guide them.
Eventually, Mr. Kureishy, 55, found full-time work in his field, as a program manager assisting foreign professionals at Ryerson University in Toronto. �It was a long process, but I look at myself as fairly resilient,� Mr. Kureishy said.
He criticized Canada as providing little support to immigrants after they arrived.
�If you advertised for professors and one comes over and is driving a taxi,� he said, �that�s a problem.�
Christopher Mason reported from Toronto, and Julia Preston from New York.
June 27, 2007
Canada�s Policy on Immigrants Brings Backlog
By CHRISTOPHER MASON and JULIA PRESTON
TORONTO, June 26 � With an advanced degree in business management from a university in India and impeccable English, Salman Kureishy is precisely the type of foreigner that Canada�s merit-based immigration system was designed to attract.
Yet eight years went by from the time Mr. Kureishy passed his first Canadian immigration test until he moved from India to Canada. Then he had to endure nine months of bureaucratic delays before landing a job in his field in March.
Mr. Kureishy�s experience � and that of Canada�s immigration system � offers a cautionary tale for the United States. Mr. Kureishy came to this country under a system Canada pioneered in the 1960s that favors highly skilled foreigners, by assigning points for education and work experience and accepting those who earn high scores.
A similar point system for the United States is proposed in the immigration bill that bounced back to life on Tuesday, when the Senate reversed a previous stand and brought the bill back to the floor. The vote did not guarantee passage of the bill, which calls for the biggest changes in immigration law in more than 20 years.
The point system has helped Canada compete with the United States and other Western powers for highly educated workers, the most coveted immigrants in high-tech and other cutting-edge industries. But in recent years, immigration lawyers and labor market analysts say, the Canadian system has become an immovable beast, with a backlog of more than 800,000 applications and waits of four years or more.
The system�s bias toward the educated has left some industries crying out for skilled blue-collar workers, especially in western Canada where Alberta�s busy oil fields have generated an economic boom. Studies by the Alberta government show the province could be short by as many as 100,000 workers over the next decade.
In response, some Canadian employers are sidestepping the point system and relying instead on a program initiated in 1998 that allows provincial governments to hand-pick some immigrant workers, and on temporary foreign-worker permits.
�The points system is so inflexible,� said Herman Van Reekum, an immigration consultant in Calgary who helps Alberta employers find workers. �We need low-skill workers and trades workers here, and those people have no hope under the points system.�
Canada accepts about 250,000 immigrants each year, more than doubling the per-capita rate of immigration in the United States, census figures from both countries show. Nearly two-thirds of Canada�s population growth comes from immigrants, according to the 2006 census, compared with the United States, where about 43 percent of the population growth comes from immigration. Approximately half of Canada�s immigrants come through the point system.
Under Canada�s system, 67 points on a 100-point test is a passing score. In addition to education and work experience, aspiring immigrants earn high points for their command of languages and for being between 21 and 49 years old. In the United States, the Senate bill would grant higher points for advanced education, English proficiency and skills in technology and other fields that are in demand. Lower points would be given for the family ties that have been the basic stepping stones of the American immigration system for four decades.
Part of the backlog in Canada can be traced to a provision in the Canadian system that allows highly skilled foreigners to apply to immigrate even if they do not have a job offer. Similarly, the Senate bill would not require merit system applicants to have job offers in the United States, although it would grant additional points to those who do.
Without an employment requirement, Canada has been deluged with applications. In testimony in May before an immigration subcommittee of the United States House of Representatives, Howard Greenberg, an immigration lawyer in Toronto, compared the Canadian system to a bathtub with an open faucet and a clogged drain. �It is not surprising that Canada�s bathtub is overflowing,� Mr. Greenberg said.
Since applications are not screened first by employers, the government bears the burden and cost of assessing them. The system is often slow to evaluate the foreign education credentials and work experience of new immigrants and to direct them toward employers who need their skills, said Jeffrey Reitz, professor of immigration studies at the University of Toronto.
The problem has been acute in regulated professions like medicine, where a professional organization, the Medical Council of Canada, reviews foreign credentials of new immigrants. The group has had difficulty assessing how a degree earned in China or India stacks up against a similar degree from a university in Canada or the United States. Frustrated by delays, some doctors and other highly trained immigrants take jobs outside their fields just to make ends meet.
The sheer size of the Canadian point system, the complexity of its rules and its backlogs make it slow to adjust to shifts in the labor market, like the oil boom in Alberta.
�I am a university professor, and I can barely figure out the points system,� said Don J. DeVoretz, an economics professor at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia who studies immigration systems. �Lawyers have books that are three feet thick explaining the system.�
The rush to develop the oil fields in northern Alberta has attracted oil companies from around the world, unleashing a surge of construction. Contractors say that often the only thing holding them back is a shortage of qualified workers.
Scott Burns, president of Burnco Rock Products in Calgary, a construction materials company with about 1,000 employees, said he had been able to meet his labor needs only by using temporary work permits. Mr. Burns hired 39 Filipinos for jobs in his concrete plants and plans to hire more. He said that many of the temporary workers had critically needed skills, but that they had no hope of immigrating permanently under the federal point system.
�The system is very much broken,� Mr. Burns said.
Mr. Kureishy, the immigrant from India, said he was drawn to Canada late in his career by its open society and what appeared to be strong interest in his professional abilities. But even though he waited eight years to immigrate, the equivalent of a doctoral degree in human resources development that he earned from Xavier Labor Relations Institute in India was not evaluated in Canada until he arrived here. During his first six months, Canadian employers had no formal comparison of his credentials to guide them.
Eventually, Mr. Kureishy, 55, found full-time work in his field, as a program manager assisting foreign professionals at Ryerson University in Toronto. �It was a long process, but I look at myself as fairly resilient,� Mr. Kureishy said.
He criticized Canada as providing little support to immigrants after they arrived.
�If you advertised for professors and one comes over and is driving a taxi,� he said, �that�s a problem.�
Christopher Mason reported from Toronto, and Julia Preston from New York.
