Rosie Huntington-Whiteley

Innovative idea, cool. Sent mails to most people in the list. Just one bounced, others went fine.

June 28, 2007
USCIS: RUMORS OF EARLY VISA RETROGRESSION

Late Wednesday, rumors emerged that the USCIS may attempt to retrogress the July immigrant visa numbers early in July and reject I- 485 (adjustment of status) applications filed early in the month. USCIS has taken such action already with respect to the �other worker� visa category involving non-professional workers.

Visa availability is based on the U.S. Department of State Visa Bulletin, which is published monthly, not on a rolling basis. If USCIS cuts off visa numbers in mid-month, this would be a clear violation of Federal law and agency policy. If the USCIS were to take this arbitrary action, it would cause significant problems for applicants and employers alike.

If USCIS cuts off applications on a certain date in early July, this will most likely occur without advance warning. In that case, not all applications will be accepted for processing. Be aware that that USCIS will reject an application unless it contains certain minimum supporting documents. For I-485 applications, minimum documents include a completed medical examination and birth certificates (or secondary evidence of birth, which must meet specific USCIS requirements). Applications for dependent spouses must include a marriage certificate. We strongly recommend that I-485 applicants obtain these and other requested documents as soon as possible. Until further notice, please do not plan to travel internationally during the month of July.

We will work as hard and as diligently as possible to get I-485 applications filed quickly. This will require active cooperation by all applicants to obtain needed documents. Again, please understand that the proposed USCIS action is just rumor at this point, but if the USCIS takes such action, it will likely be without warning. Further, it is possible that there could be retroactive rejections of applications once filed. Unfortunately, this is all we know at this time. We do not know when and if any such actions will occur; we will also not know immediately which, if any, cases are rejected once they have been submitted.

The attorneys at XXXXX are shocked and disappointed that the government could take such ill-thought and arbitrary steps and we will work to fight any illegal action by the USCIS. We are continuing to monitor the USCIS� actions and will provide updates as they become available

clochhead@sfchronicle.com.

--No. I did not say that.

My son recently finished his high school and wanted to do Dental degree in India. My current situation is I have applied for adjustment of status in July 2007. Me and my family got the EAD and AP. My priority date is Eb3-November 2005. WIth this mess, I am not sure when I will get my green card.
My question is:
Can I send my son to India for his studies when the adjustment of status is pending. Will it be considered as abondaned if he is out of US when the adjustment of status is in progress?.
Is there any specific forms for this type of situation so that he can go for studies in India and continue the adjustment of status.

Hello,

If your son has a AP then he can go study in India so long as he comes back every year and renews his AP. If he continues to do this his status will not be considered abandoned.

I couldn't agree more with you. The limited number of GC is definitely a critical factor. But we have contributed to this mess ourselves. Look what happened with EB2 India. Did India started producing EB2 talents overnight? No; rather we started polishing our resumes with inflated years of experience and job description so that we can apply to EB2. The system is too liberal and based on trust. If employers start scrutinizing resumes and certificates a lot of applicants will simply drop off from the GC queue.

Before the Y2K problem, the most common route for Indians to migrate to the US (EB category) was this -->

TOEFL
GRE
Admission into US university (most likely for masters)
Scholarship or loan
MS/Phd in US
Internship using OPT
Job/ H1

Since this involved multiple non trivial steps; the barrier for entry was pretty high that prevented mass migration.

There were procedural delays (in some states with a lot of Indian population ( oh yeah; labor certs used to take 3-5 years esp in California, Texas & Northeast; but you could get labor cert faster in south dakota or such less densely populated places; but once you hit the 485 stage, you were certain of a GC within a few months )

And then along with Y2K came TCS, Wipro, Infosys, & infinite other bodyshops that suddenly changed the equation. No need for TOEFL, GRE. No need to fight for scholarship; no need for TA. no need for RA; no need for MS; in a lot of cases, no need for even UG degree in computers/engg. The requirements ranged from having all 10 fingers in place to knowing the right people in the bodyshop company to land an assignment in the US. Once placed at a client site, it was just a matter of finding the right opportunity to get the client to sponsor your H1. I am sure there were a lot other ways the H1 & L1 visas were abused.

So the situation changed from just procedural delays to procedural delays + extra influx of Indians due to H1/L1 visa misuse.

Ofcourse, we can only blame the inefficiencies of the USCIS/INS/DOL system & silently turn the other way when malpractices & visa abuse were rampant (I guess still is) in the IT bodyshop industry.

I am sure this rant will seem extremely prejudicial. But just for a slight moment; think about why all this happened.

I am planning to carry google maps print out next time I go there.

Visa wastage in the era of massive visa demand is our best argument and visa recapture is our most legitimate request(along with administrative fixes outlined previously). As a side point, most of AC21 recaptured visas went to oversubscribed countries until they ran out in 2005. They lasted almost 4 yrs. If we were to get a similar number, I suspect they may only last 2 yrs this time, but nevertheless, it will last until legislators have a chance to look at this thing again.
If we can achieve this, we will get most of what we need until this immigration debate rages again in 2009/2010.
Changing the entire system is frankly beyond the scope of our limited resources as well as takes this issue into an area of much hostility and feeds into the innate fears of Americans. I really can't see the sense in that.

I applied for EAD paying old fees in Jul 2007, and I renewed with new fees this year in Jun 2008, would like know if I need to pay renewal fees again when I renew my EAD in Jun 2009.

Have you folks seen the movie Magadheera, one of my friends showed it to me, awesome movie i must say :cool:

Hi Samay,

I would like to maintain my current H1b status (2nd three-year extension period; I have the approval notice but the visa is not stamped in my passport). I would like to travel to India and return using the Advance Parole document with just my H1b extension approval notice (only first H1b is stamped in the passport).

1. Can I do this?
2. Will this change my status from H1b to AOS? When I return from my visit to India, I would like to continue working on my H1b with my current employer. I have not applied for the EAD.

Please advise.

Thanks so much!

Why should we punish people who play by the rules? Charles Oppenheim, Guru of the Visa Office in the State Department, has confirmed what we warned employment-based (EB) immigrants about in our June 2009 newsletter. Not only are EB-3 numbers unavailable for the rest of the fiscal year and EB-2 numbers for persons born in China and India oversubscribed, but the situation is going to get worse, much worse. Mr. Oppenheim states that the EB-1, EB-4 and EB-5 categories are all experiencing greatly increased demand, so much so that the EB-4 category (religious workers and special immigrants) may retrogress this...


This is what I received from a immigration lawyer ......

LATEST GRIM VISA BULLETIN PROJECTIONS FOR EMPLOYMENT-BASED GREEN CARDS ILLUSTRATE NEED FOR COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM

There are few things that clearly demonstrate the overarching need for immigration reform than the most recent information provided by the U.S. Department of State's (DOS) Visa Bulletin. The Visa Bulletin provides information on the availability of immigrant visa numbers, which dictates when foreign nationals may apply for green cards under various preference categories. The July installment of the Visa Bulletin shows complete unavailability for the vast majority of employment-based cases. Moreover, DOS projections show that demand for higher-preference green card categories could reach record levels, which would lead to backlogs in these categories where green card numbers were traditionally available in the past.

The Visa Bulletin establishes "cut-off" dates based on the demand for green cards versus the amount actually available under immigration law to each specific employment-based (and family-based) category per country for each fiscal year. As it assesses green card demand in relation to availability, the DOS may move these cut-off dates forward or back, or not at all. When the DOS believes that all immigrant visa numbers in a particular category will be exhausted (or allocated) by the end of a particular fiscal year (i.e., September 30th), it will indicate an "unavailability" of numbers (marked as "U") in the Visa Bulletin. The law prevents any single country from overuse of immigrant visa numbers during a particular fiscal year. As a result, foreign nationals born in countries from which there is significant immigration to the U.S. will typically have a separate "cut-off" date (and longer waiting times for an available green card number) in the Visa Bulletin.

An individual's priority date or "place in line" for a visa number under the employment-based categories is the date on which his or her employer files a labor certification or immigrant visa petition with the government. Individuals assigned priority dates that are earlier than the relevant preference category cut-off date noted in the Visa Bulletin are eligible to move to the last step in the employment-based green card process - either processing of an adjustment of status application with United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), or processing of an immigrant visa at a U.S. consulate abroad. When the category is "unavailable," individuals cannot file for adjustment of status or receive an immigrant visa.

In the most recent Visa Bulletin, immigrant visa numbers continue to be unavailable for all third preference (EB-3) employment-based cases. Third preference cases comprise the majority of pending employment-based green card cases, as they include positions requiring at minimum either a bachelor's degree or two years of work experience.

The July Visa Bulletin indicates that the first, second and fourth and fifth preference employment categories remain current for July. However, since demand in the second. preference category for individuals from China and India exceeds the per-country limitations, these two countries have second-preference cut-off dates of January 2000.

Overall, the July Visa Bulletin continues a substantial decrease in green card availability over the government's 2009 fiscal year. Admittedly, the retrogression, or backward movement of the cut-off dates, has been more common for employment-based green card numbers in recent years. Yet the complete exhaustion of EB-3 numbers and the sharp decline in India and China's EB-2 numbers are staggering reversals given the slow yet steady improvement in these cut-off dates during the present fiscal year.

DOS has projected that, as a result of significant filings in the EB-4 and EB-5 categories, there will be fewer numbers to supplement the EB-1 and EB-2 categories. In previous years, thousands of unused EB-4 and EB-5 numbers "spilled over" into other preference categories. However, greater-than-anticipated EB-4 and EB-5 usage, as well as greater demand in the EB-1 category itself, will create an even greater dearth of available "spill over" immigrant visa numbers in the EB-2 category.

In addition, the DOS has indicated that the EB-1 category for individuals born in India or China may backlog or retrogress later this summer, and may do so again in the coming fiscal year. Predictably, prognostications for the EB-2 category for India and China are also quite grim - in the next month or two, the EB-2 category could become unavailable. In particular, USCIS has indicated that it has about 25,000 EB-2 India cases and "significant numbers" of cases for Chinese nationals that have been reviewed and are simply awaiting visa number availability. This category has a typical fiscal-year limit of 2,800, plus any remaining numbers from the EB-1, EB-4 and EB-5 categories.

With respect to the EB-3 category, the DOS has stated that the worldwide, China and Mexico quotas for the EB-3 category will become available again with the start of the new fiscal year in October 2009, with a projected cut-off date of March 1, 2003 for each. However, the EB-3 India quota may have a November 1, 2001 cut-off date.

The federal quotas limiting employment-based green card numbers have remained unchanged since 1990, nearly two decades ago. Since that time, the United States has undergone unprecedented expansion, technological development, and cultural diversification, in large part through immigration. During this progress, skilled immigrants have continued one of our country's oldest and proudest traditions - the search for better lives for their families, and the desire to contribute to and to participate in our free society. Still, these quotas remain stagnant, potentially stifling the future of our nation's ability in the 21st century to prosper as an economic competitor in our world, to build a broad-based infrastructure in our localities, and to live together as families in our homes.

A quarter-century prior to 1990, major revisions to the immigration quotas sparked a historic influx of individuals to our nation of immigrants. In 1965, this broad-based increase in immigration levels across all preference categories allowed some of the world's most talented individuals to come to our shores and share their knowledge as academics, increase our economic fortunes as innovators and entrepreneurs, build vibrant communities as leaders and organizers, and inspire with their tales of strife and triumph as refugees. For many ethnicities and nationalities, the "post-65" generation was the real beginning of their stories in America.

Faced with a major financial downturn and an increasingly competitive global economy, our country cannot choose the path of closed borders and restricted immigration. At this very moment, historically restrictive nations are expanding their immigration policies and attracting valuable immigrants otherwise bound for our shores.

Absent relief provided by potential legislation, there will be substantial backlogs for nationals of India and China in all categories for many years. Careful and strategic planning for employers and foreign nationals entering into or engaged in the immigrant visa process will be necessary while we continue to advocate zealously for reform to address these antiquated quotas.

These green card backlogs illustrate the need for comprehensive immigration reform. In particular, a long-overdue increase in employment-based green card availability would play a major role in making future generations of individuals feel welcome to come to our nation of immigrants and in spurring sorely needed innovation and prosperity.

There is difference... We didn't spend any money after June VB but everybody spent minimum $500 after July VB...

If they don't accept application then USCIS made govt = 500* 100,00= $ 5000000.

Its not about $500.
USCIS and the US government can ask for more money. And we will happily give it to them.

Its about the stability that filing for AOS offers.

But keep in mind, you weren't able to file for AOS in June.
So maybe, we won't be able to file for AOS in July either. But thats about it. Life will go on.


So it would be best for us to stop torturing our brains.

There is not much we can do about anything. USCIS can choose to reject ALL applications received in July. AILA will issue a freaking statement. We will shed a few tears and call USCIS names.

plainspeak,

i know a thing or two about this eb related immigration. i agree people should not suffer for years together to get a perm. res card, and that too, people who may have been in the line ahead of others.

however, i dont think it is just not being ahead that creates this spill over thing. unused visas first go to eb1, then to eb2 and then to eb3. i think, that is correct. now, my view about this categorization is that, eb1 -- outstanding people, eb2 -- better qualified, eb 3 -- skilled but not qualified in terms of degree or experience, whatever. (pls understand, i am not degrading eb3 people, i have loads of very close friends in eb3 who are extremely intelligent and i can tell you, can easily compete with the eb2 guz, as far as knowledge etc goes).

but, there is a reason for this division and just for that reason, visas have to go thru eb2 before eb 3. if that is not the case, they wont put people who go for NIW in eb2, it wud have been in eb 3 or a completely separate category.

u did mention to someone that u dont want to convert to eb2 or something in those lines, but i believe everyone should try to get to eb 2 (get masters, or after getting the experience), there is nothing wrong in doing so. (if u feel that i shud not be giving u advice, then just ignore the above few lines)

i believe some of things people pointed out like visa recapture, not counting the dependents etc are the kind of things where IV should focus energies. this is good for all immigrants

bottomline: i believe it is wrong to distribute remaining visa no.s to eb3 category before servicing eb 2, becoz i thought, the categories were specifically created to prioritize.

and please, bear in mind, i am not saying this coz i am eb2. i thought logically that was correct. and, i do easily qualify for eb 1 as well. just did not care abt a gc. i dont care abt it even now. my thinking: if it happens, good, if not, i dont care, i can always go back home-jai hind.
Mr Syendu after replying to all abusers my mind has pretty much been fogged up. Contrary to oipinion i am also working while blogging so there is the added pressure.

So now having read through your post (I appreciate no abuses) i get the jist of what you are saying so forgive me if i do not reply line by line so here is my answer

EB1/EB2/EB3 rule was never disputed by me. That is law and will never chaange. i dont like it but i will go with what is the law.

Yes i will NOT convert to EB2 because i have already spent time and energy for the first GC app. (In case any abuser is wondering the gc was paid by company so it is not the lack of funds or lack of companies willing to file for EB2 for me which is stopping me). Sure people are converting and all the best to them, but my point is what about people who cannot convert. Maybe someone has got 2 kids and single earner and he does not have the time or money to do a masters. Maybe some one is so tired working a job which is busting his or her ass off and has no energy to do that. If we think about it there are a whole lot of reasons why a person cannot do a masters. And to that complexities there are very few companies which are willing to sponser EB2 nowadays

So my plain speak is that just because every member in IV has a masters and is in EB2 or can do masters and convert from EB3 to EB2 does not mean that the majority of people out there can do the same so IV members giving advises like below ar enot only impracticle but also broder on hig handedness. Their contention is that we did it why can you not. If you cannot you must be a low skilled person who has scrapped through into the country and deserves to wait a long time for a visa.

Please remember that EB2 or EB3 is not a straighjacket and theri are people in both the groups who do not belong there and belong in the other group


Just for information i do have a masters

Visa recapture and not counting the dependents will help the immigration community only if it happens. I see nothing on the horizon which says that it will happen. As another iV member pointed out no immigration friendly bill has come for debate in the last 4 years and that is with a democratic majority which is immigration friendly as some IV members like to point out. So with such a situation piece meal efforts must be made but piece meal efforst should be directed to the heavily retorgressed community because teh big bills if and hwne they happen will fololow teh regular rule anyway

And finally i would like to say you have been most polite and respectfull and i am honoured to discuss thiongs with you

JAI HIND

Are you from India,,if yes, think again,,,the EB3 2003 PD may not buy u much,,u may be well know trying to go for perm and 140 with current EB2...eb3 for india is a black hole,,,i hope u know what a black hole is,,,its kinda dangerous!!

Yes, EB3 2003 is of no use except for h1b extensions, so consider taking the job only if you see something good other than a sub labor

http://digg.com/politics/Rep_Lofgren_Issues_Statement_on_Updated_Visa_Bulle tin

http://digg.com/politics/U_S_Withdraws_Offer_of_60_000_Job_Based_Visas_Ange ring_Immigration_Lawyer/who


IF WE GET 100 digs on the ny times it will stay on most popular for a while.
Also, you can DIGG the comments!!

Dillip good luck with your new challenge man. I understand you are currently in a difficult situation hope you will come out of it. Just one note though. Having graduated from a top school doesnt give anybody a right to top pay check and job security. I myself an IIT grad with a PhD from US- currently with Intel. I was expecting everybody to lap me up right out of undergrad. All I got was a chance. I learnt my ways- u have to demonstrate your skills today and dont expect a 10 year old paper diploma to make your living. Anyway I am also in a 485 EB2 Q. I am not fretting though- if it comes its a bonus for me, but doesnt change anything for me. I will still live in same home, get same pay, drive same car and get my patents published with same skills. :D

I have built a very simple EB2-I Visa predition model

Making following assumption

15000 new EB2 ROW I-485 applications
12000 new EB1 I-485 applications
EB4/EB5 use 70% of allocated visa (30% spillover)


EB2 Visa Bulletin prediction for FY 2010
Bulletin Quarterly-spillover Annual Spillover
Oct-09 22-Jan-2005 22-Jan-2005
Nov-09 22-Jan-2005 22-Jan-2005
Dec-09 31-Mar-2005 1-Feb-2005
Jan-10 31-Mar-2005 15-Feb-2005
Feb-10 31-Mar-2005 31-Mar-2005
Mar-10 31-Mar-2006 31-Mar-2005
Apr-10 31-Mar-2006 31-Mar-2005
May-10 31-Mar-2006 31-Mar-2005
Jun-10 15-Oct-2006 31-Mar-2005
Jul-10 15-Oct-2006 30-Sep-2005
Aug-10 15-Oct-2006 30-Apr-2007
Sep-10 31-Mar-2007 30-May-2007

I would be very happy if your predictions come true. But it appears you have not taken into consideration of the fact that thousands of EB3 might move over to Eb2.

There's two themes in this thread that are interesting.

1. A couple of members advanced the argument that retrogression is good since it weeds out the supposedly undeserving. Here's a startling quote:



2. The question of luck.

I would like to share our story, because it touches on both these themes: I have two US graduate degrees; so does my wife. We've paid over 100K in federal income taxes in each of the past several years and I'm now a partner at my firm; the idea that folks are stuck in retrogression because they are undereducated low-cost workers is not realistic. And there are many cases similar to ours (some of which I read about on IV). We are stuck in retrogression because we have no answer to the country-quota bottleneck.

So, sure, retreogression may provide perverse pleasure to a select few greencard holders, but the inconvenience that retrogression causes most of us does not serve a greater Darwinian good.

What of luck? While luck has put us in retrogression, it has favored us in many ways --- we have a great family, a lovely home, and a bunch of good friends. I am sure all of us have seen similar plus sides of luck. But luck is stubborn when it comes to the greencard: when the window opened up last year, many folks with PD 2006 were approved, while many like us with older PD were left waiting. Luck is a strange animal -- it lets you see the map of the world in your handheld, but won't let you travel freely because of retrogression.

There's this story about luck and how one can get around it in some cases. It is not very relevant here, but here's the story: A wise man came to a village and observed a family living in great poverty. All the family had was a cow and a sack of grain. They would work very hard, but their net worth never rose beyond the "cow + sack of grain" level. The wise man, being wise, figured out what's going on. He asked the family to give away the cow and have a party with whatever grain they had. The family initially thought this advice was daft, but eventually complied out of respect for the wise man. The night after they had squandered everything, Brahma could be seen quietly bringing the family another cow and a sack of grain. What the wise man had figured out was that this level of net worth was preordained for that family -- whether they work hard or party. Not a great story to tell your kids to teach them about hard work; but provides an alternate perspective when you're stuck in line.

To be honest, you are the kind of people, with the right attitude and qualifications, who deserve the GC and should not be subject to these mindless wait times. I am truly sorry for you. Hope the best for you

immigration-law.com

04/18/2007: Further Clarification on Pending I-140 Substitution Petitions and Proposed Substitution Elimination Rule

There are a couple of clarifications we want to make on our previous posting on this issue. The supplemental information part of a regulation is not binding, but when there is a room for interpretation on specific provisions of the rule itself, it gives a guidance to the interpretation. In this regards, for now, the correction to our previous interpretation should stand. Secondly, there is no information available about this issue in the final regulation which is expected to be released sooner or later. Whatever the final version will look, it may be prudent for the employers with the certified labor certification applications to file the substitution I-140 petitions as soon as possible before the final rule is released.
04/18/2007: Clarification and Correction of Scope of Validity of Substitution of Approved Labor Certifications Under the Proposed Substitution Elimination Rule

The final rule to eliminate the substitution is expected to be released in the near future. One question that raises the body heat has been the pending I-140 substitution petitions which have yet to be approved. Under the proposed regulation, there was a provision that the substitution approved at the time of enactment of the final rule will not be affected by the elimination rule. We previously interpreted the language "substitution approved" would include the approved I-140 substitution petitions and would not include the pending I-140 substitution petitions.
We want to correct such interpretation. The substitution approved under the proposed rule appears to mean the substitution approved by the DOL and not necessarily the I-140 substitution approval. Accordingly, if the I-140 has been filed and is pending at the time enactment of the final rule, such case should not be affected by the elimination rule and remain valid. This is made clear by the following supplemental information to the proposed regulaation:
Substitution of alien beneficiaries will be prohibited as of the effective date of a final rule resulting from this NPRM and that prohibition will apply to all pending permanent labor certification applications and to approved certifications not yet filed with DHS, whether the application was filed under the prior or current regulation. This regulatory change would not affect substitutions approved prior to the final rule's effective date.
We stand corrected on this change.