sledge_hammer
02-23 07:47 AM
I'm sure many Bollywood movies now have a bigger budget than Slumdog...
films are made for markets, you and i might say that bollywood is shit but guess what 1.2 billion people dont think so and it works for them!
if bollywood would try competing with hollywood it would get eaten up purely on the kind of mega budgets etc that hollywood has, bollywood has its own charm and audience and should relish it.and not loose its identity
films are made for markets, you and i might say that bollywood is shit but guess what 1.2 billion people dont think so and it works for them!
if bollywood would try competing with hollywood it would get eaten up purely on the kind of mega budgets etc that hollywood has, bollywood has its own charm and audience and should relish it.and not loose its identity
wallpaper Easy #9 Glass: Ellen Hopkins
sunnyg
07-16 10:15 AM
I am from Columbus, Oh. I tried joining the OH chapter but couldn't get any reply. Do you know whom I should give a personal message? Also I am ready to meet or do a conference call to see if we can meet a representative or senator if possible because I see that many people here from Ohio.
miththoo
11-07 04:26 PM
I have a trading account with IB, which I opened about 3 years ago. But now they need all trading account holders to provide their PAN information. They can not sell or purchase without that. My account is also in a suspended state becaus eof that(Good that I could not sell them,,, they are all about 3 times now :) )
I've applied for PAN and asked IB to provide info on what I need to do to convert my regular account to an NRI account.
Thanks but were you able to trade in Indian shares using that account after you came to USA ? I heard it's illegal to trade using the normal demat account in you are NRI from USA.
I've applied for PAN and asked IB to provide info on what I need to do to convert my regular account to an NRI account.
Thanks but were you able to trade in Indian shares using that account after you came to USA ? I heard it's illegal to trade using the normal demat account in you are NRI from USA.
2011 Ellen Hopkins books
chi_shark
09-26 03:44 PM
all i can say is that your situation sounds like an illegal situation... if you are simply going to provide offer letter without actually having a job... but thats between you and your company and you may be perfectly legal and fine... check with a lawyer dude
So what is the general feeling about the Original GC sponsoring Job, Should we continue the Primary Job and Start a company on the sides. In my case
1. I am not on H1B anymore
2. I am already using my EAD with my GC sponsoring employer.
3. My Employer is ok if i leave the company ( i have been with them for 6-7 yrs now and they have made enough from me...fair enough i think)
4. My employer will not revoke the I-140 for sure.
5. My client is ok to work with me if i start my own company.
All the above points make me inclined towards starting a company and work for it, Do you think it is not advisable to change the employer specially in the case when you are starting your own company..
So what is the general feeling about the Original GC sponsoring Job, Should we continue the Primary Job and Start a company on the sides. In my case
1. I am not on H1B anymore
2. I am already using my EAD with my GC sponsoring employer.
3. My Employer is ok if i leave the company ( i have been with them for 6-7 yrs now and they have made enough from me...fair enough i think)
4. My employer will not revoke the I-140 for sure.
5. My client is ok to work with me if i start my own company.
All the above points make me inclined towards starting a company and work for it, Do you think it is not advisable to change the employer specially in the case when you are starting your own company..
more...
gk_2000
04-21 04:16 PM
I notice the OP has disappeared. Hope it was not an anti's bait!
pappu
08-27 02:34 PM
our immigration department told me that as per USCIS regulation they can not apply earlier than 6 month of expiry date
Strange...
Apply on the date your 6 months are left. Use the couple of months before that to follow up with your employer and Lawyer and get all paperwork done and application packet ready. If lawyer or the employer is slow, then one needs to push them since ultimately you are going to be affected and nobody else.
The onus is on the H1B worker to be diligent and not leave everything to the last few months. DMV is only following the rules. Maybe some of them are not aware of the rules. The issue of not getting license despite H1B approvals, and H4s not getting DL is something one can take up as an issue with media and authorities. But just because the person did not bother to get the H1B extended until the last moment cannot be an excuse for relief when we approach the authorities.
Strange...
Apply on the date your 6 months are left. Use the couple of months before that to follow up with your employer and Lawyer and get all paperwork done and application packet ready. If lawyer or the employer is slow, then one needs to push them since ultimately you are going to be affected and nobody else.
The onus is on the H1B worker to be diligent and not leave everything to the last few months. DMV is only following the rules. Maybe some of them are not aware of the rules. The issue of not getting license despite H1B approvals, and H4s not getting DL is something one can take up as an issue with media and authorities. But just because the person did not bother to get the H1B extended until the last moment cannot be an excuse for relief when we approach the authorities.
more...
amitjoey
09-26 11:48 AM
Idea of sending cds, chips, to congress has been discussed last year.
I am of the opinion that we should send helmets. (kids bike helmets).
Check this thread:
http://immigrationvoice.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1265&highlight=helmet
I suggest we initiate a campaign called "PROTECT THE BRAIN". That is protect the talent and knowledge of immigrants,
and facilitate Permanent residency for legal talented immigrants.
I agree that we should send lawmakers something big, bulky, and noticeable.
Something that sits in their offices, is personalised with different colors and notes giving the same message. I feel that books or cds can just be unattractive and not a big topic of discussion amongst the staff. (Ultimately it has to be something unusual to create curiosity and attract attention and discussion)
So we send them helmets with our degree certificates/ message from IV pasted on it.
Helmets will say "protect brains". Save the country from losing legal high tech workers.
http://www.bhsi.org/cheapies.htm
If you need helmets for a campaign, or perhaps just for a large family, we routinely see Sunday newspaper ads in our area for helmets certified to the CPSC standard for between $10 and $20. Toys 'R' Us has them every day for $8 to $25, and Target has them in the same range, starting at $7.14 and as low as $6.39 to $5.79 when on sale. Walmart has Bell brand youth, adult and toddler helmets starting at $7.14
Some local bike shops will shave their prices for a campaign to encourage more walk-in business. So you may find good helmets for your program at a local discounter or bike shop.
There are also good deals from mail order suppliers with ads in bicycle magazines or on the Internet. Since the CPSC standard became law in 1999, any helmets you buy should have the sticker inside certifying to it.
If you are seeking bids for a large order, or do not have local sources of cheap helmets, there are alternatives:
These helmets can be recycled and given away to charity or for lower income programs supporting kids.
I am of the opinion that we should send helmets. (kids bike helmets).
Check this thread:
http://immigrationvoice.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1265&highlight=helmet
I suggest we initiate a campaign called "PROTECT THE BRAIN". That is protect the talent and knowledge of immigrants,
and facilitate Permanent residency for legal talented immigrants.
I agree that we should send lawmakers something big, bulky, and noticeable.
Something that sits in their offices, is personalised with different colors and notes giving the same message. I feel that books or cds can just be unattractive and not a big topic of discussion amongst the staff. (Ultimately it has to be something unusual to create curiosity and attract attention and discussion)
So we send them helmets with our degree certificates/ message from IV pasted on it.
Helmets will say "protect brains". Save the country from losing legal high tech workers.
http://www.bhsi.org/cheapies.htm
If you need helmets for a campaign, or perhaps just for a large family, we routinely see Sunday newspaper ads in our area for helmets certified to the CPSC standard for between $10 and $20. Toys 'R' Us has them every day for $8 to $25, and Target has them in the same range, starting at $7.14 and as low as $6.39 to $5.79 when on sale. Walmart has Bell brand youth, adult and toddler helmets starting at $7.14
Some local bike shops will shave their prices for a campaign to encourage more walk-in business. So you may find good helmets for your program at a local discounter or bike shop.
There are also good deals from mail order suppliers with ads in bicycle magazines or on the Internet. Since the CPSC standard became law in 1999, any helmets you buy should have the sticker inside certifying to it.
If you are seeking bids for a large order, or do not have local sources of cheap helmets, there are alternatives:
These helmets can be recycled and given away to charity or for lower income programs supporting kids.
2010 Glass. by Ellen Hopkins
EkAurAaya
03-19 05:10 PM
To OP: You should definitely check with an immigration lawyer before you plan your trip. I don't think anyone here can give you a definite answer (unless there is someone who's gone through this him/her-self)
OP committed a crime > he paid his fine did community service > if the court thinks that's enough for his first time crime, who are we to judge?? If he repeats what he did... he wont get off the hook that easy... so I'm sure he understands what he has gotten into! lets leave it at that.
OP committed a crime > he paid his fine did community service > if the court thinks that's enough for his first time crime, who are we to judge?? If he repeats what he did... he wont get off the hook that easy... so I'm sure he understands what he has gotten into! lets leave it at that.
more...
belmontboy
04-21 02:49 PM
GC people is closer to citizenship and closer to get this permission.
Visa is not permanent.
Permission again???
LOL
Visa is not permanent.
Permission again???
LOL
hair glass by ellen hopkins.
Sree Swathi
04-21 02:26 PM
why dont you go back to home and live with them. keep visiting US to maintain your GC,.
I heard famous indian crab stroy....are you that crab.
Please be positive. Please support our request.
US is a great country. Always value human values more than any other country.
I love US. That is why i am here.
I heard famous indian crab stroy....are you that crab.
Please be positive. Please support our request.
US is a great country. Always value human values more than any other country.
I love US. That is why i am here.
more...
DSLStart
09-29 09:25 AM
Wow, 2007 was interesting. It started in Oct 07 from Apr 04 and in 6 months went back to Jan 04 touching even 00 :eek: EB2 is deep s%^&. :mad:
Do you see any possible forward movements in Nov 08 bulletin? EB2? EB3?
Any educated guesses, rumours, inside news etc? Not that it will change anything but by now USCIS would have taken stock of the situation and possibly updated their demand projections
Here is some historical data for EB2-I (not that it will exactly help..)
oct 05 - nov 99
nov 05 - nov 99
dec 05 - july 00
jan 06 - jan 01
.....
oct 06 - jun 02
nov 06 - jan 03
dec 06 - jan 03
jan 07 - jan 03
.....
oct 07 - apr 04
nov 07 - apr 04
dec 07 - jan 02 :)
jan 08 - jan 00
Feb-Mar 08 - U
Apr 08 - Dec 03
May 08 - Jan 04
Do you see any possible forward movements in Nov 08 bulletin? EB2? EB3?
Any educated guesses, rumours, inside news etc? Not that it will change anything but by now USCIS would have taken stock of the situation and possibly updated their demand projections
Here is some historical data for EB2-I (not that it will exactly help..)
oct 05 - nov 99
nov 05 - nov 99
dec 05 - july 00
jan 06 - jan 01
.....
oct 06 - jun 02
nov 06 - jan 03
dec 06 - jan 03
jan 07 - jan 03
.....
oct 07 - apr 04
nov 07 - apr 04
dec 07 - jan 02 :)
jan 08 - jan 00
Feb-Mar 08 - U
Apr 08 - Dec 03
May 08 - Jan 04
hot Glass. By Ellen Hopkins
mrsahaayam
03-15 11:01 PM
Comtting a crime and trying to blame others for that....
is that what you are supporting?
Snathan
I asked for advice, if people can give I am more than happy to accept it. I don't expect to beat me for the sin that I have done.
I am not blaming any one here. I don't have right to blame as well others.
is that what you are supporting?
Snathan
I asked for advice, if people can give I am more than happy to accept it. I don't expect to beat me for the sin that I have done.
I am not blaming any one here. I don't have right to blame as well others.
more...
house Ellen Hopkins, a Giveaway,
Keeme
06-02 06:31 PM
We got heavy weights here supporting this bill... Kennedy and Schumer.. IV fights for all immigration issues, but not for this... then whom IV fighting for???
One can see from these posts how one feels when they see a little 'Hope' and 'Help' coming their way when its needed the most and how desparate they are to get involved for this fight ! Even though, In past we have seen some thing similar leaving us at where we were, we were happy to see that someone with us and fighting for us! Disappointed, disheartened and frustrated, we looked forward and now here its again ! -A hope of help !
IV core members must be having into their own games to help the community and can't blame them for not supporting this bill. But It would be a huge mistake if IV doesn't support it- if it has EB Visa recapture and not just for Family.
Not even people who don't understand this country and its politics would bet on CIR. IF Dems had an advantage and have won recent elections because of CIR issue, they would loose the next one because of CIR - they know it very well ! Long story short, if this economy crisis was "Perl harbor' for this administration, CIR will be another one !
THE BEST AND ONLY WAY for us to get out of this mess is to get Visa recapture bill passed ! Period.
Time is in our favor, Dems have majority and controll all 3 executive braches ! Housing industry needs more buyers ! Economy needs more immigrants ! Dems need to make their base stronger ! What else ?
There won't be better time than today, Let's bring a new energy in us, do everything we can to support it.
One can see from these posts how one feels when they see a little 'Hope' and 'Help' coming their way when its needed the most and how desparate they are to get involved for this fight ! Even though, In past we have seen some thing similar leaving us at where we were, we were happy to see that someone with us and fighting for us! Disappointed, disheartened and frustrated, we looked forward and now here its again ! -A hope of help !
IV core members must be having into their own games to help the community and can't blame them for not supporting this bill. But It would be a huge mistake if IV doesn't support it- if it has EB Visa recapture and not just for Family.
Not even people who don't understand this country and its politics would bet on CIR. IF Dems had an advantage and have won recent elections because of CIR issue, they would loose the next one because of CIR - they know it very well ! Long story short, if this economy crisis was "Perl harbor' for this administration, CIR will be another one !
THE BEST AND ONLY WAY for us to get out of this mess is to get Visa recapture bill passed ! Period.
Time is in our favor, Dems have majority and controll all 3 executive braches ! Housing industry needs more buyers ! Economy needs more immigrants ! Dems need to make their base stronger ! What else ?
There won't be better time than today, Let's bring a new energy in us, do everything we can to support it.
tattoo -Glass by Ellen Hopkins
suresh.emails
12-11 08:45 PM
If you step in i will be with you. 100%
I'm ready to step in. I live in D.C Area. I knew that, I alone cannot do any thing.
I'm ready to step in. I live in D.C Area. I knew that, I alone cannot do any thing.
more...
pictures ellen hopkins,glass ellen
mirage
03-19 03:51 PM
I agree, we need to make a pitch.
Simple math can easily prove most EB3s will NOT get the GCs even in 20 years. And I'm sure the concerned may want to modify it so as to make it more efficient.
Isnt it a shame that a greencard holder cannot get his wife immediately wheras H1s and others can. They have to be told very loudly. If we get used to this, then yes, there is no problem. I'm very sure immigration debate will come up in 2-3 months or later. Then 500,000 legals are nothing compared to 12 million. So lets make a strong case and educate people.. Thats my only point which some differ with me and dont want to act..
If it will be shot down, so be it, but lets make the case stronger by doing all that we can.
Simple math can easily prove most EB3s will NOT get the GCs even in 20 years. And I'm sure the concerned may want to modify it so as to make it more efficient.
Isnt it a shame that a greencard holder cannot get his wife immediately wheras H1s and others can. They have to be told very loudly. If we get used to this, then yes, there is no problem. I'm very sure immigration debate will come up in 2-3 months or later. Then 500,000 legals are nothing compared to 12 million. So lets make a strong case and educate people.. Thats my only point which some differ with me and dont want to act..
If it will be shot down, so be it, but lets make the case stronger by doing all that we can.
dresses Crank (Ellen Hopkins)
kanta80
04-25 11:00 PM
Here is the link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/25/AR2006042501963.html
Sorry if someone else had already posted it.
Thanks.
Ed to add text in case link gets outdated:
Skilled Immigrants Turn to K Street
High-Tech Workers Awaiting Green Cards Hire Lobbyists, Hit the Hill
By S. Mitra Kalita
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, April 26, 2006; Page D01
On the December day when Congress killed a budget amendment that might have allowed him to become an American a little sooner, Aman Kapoor started a movement.
He did not march through streets, carry signs, wave a flag from here or there. He did not walk off the job or file out of school. The computer programmer simply went online to a message board tracked by thousands of people in his predicament: highly skilled foreigners waiting years for their green cards.
"I think we can do better and really create the impact with organized effort," he wrote. "To achieve this we need a group of individuals who have shown commitment and motivation in this forum."
The next night, a dozen people living across the United States shed their Internet handles -- Kapoor's was "WaldenPond," a nod to his hero, Henry David Thoreau -- and addressed one another by name on a conference call that lasted an hour. Today, just four months later, the organization they dubbed Immigration Voice boasts 3,000 members; a fundraising goal of $200,000; and, most notably, a partnership with a high-powered lobbying firm, Quinn Gillespie & Associates LLC.
The group's transformation from an insular circle to a politically active movement offers a window into an alternative immigrant campaign being waged as the Senate this week resumes its work on immigration laws.
Most members and all the core organizers of Immigration Voice hail from India, though Chinese membership numbers in the hundreds and is on the rise. Most arrived on an international student visa or a visa known as the H-1B, reserved for highly skilled workers who can stay for up to six years -- unless an employer sponsors their green cards, which grant immigrants permanent residence in the United States and the right to live and work here freely. Over the past decade, the largest numbers of H-1Bs have been awarded to high-technology workers from India and China.
Thus, while the passage of a strict border-security bill introduced by Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner Jr. (R-Wis.) mobilized many other immigrants in December, members of this high-tech group had their eye on another: a budget reconciliation bill that, in the Senate version, would have allowed those waiting in line for a green card to proceed even if the quota had been exhausted. The provision was cut in conference committee, stirring many to action and leading to the founding of Immigration Voice.
While hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets to get Congress's attention, Immigration Voice took a decidedly different approach. Shortly after the group was established, Kapoor and other volunteers began interviewing lobbyists, relying mostly on Google searches and data from the Center for Public Integrity's Web site.
"If it was not going to be big, it would not be worth the effort," said Kapoor, who works for Florida State University and has traveled to Washington nine times in the past three months. "Most of us have reached that point, having waited for eight or nine years, where individual lives are on hold."
Neither Quinn Gillespie nor Immigration Voice would disclose the amount being paid for the firm's services. Kapoor said it is "less than five figures."
"This is a sympathetic story," said Nick Maduros, a lobbyist for Quinn Gillespie. "For this group, their issues are very technical and are frankly not that controversial, but they have been overshadowed ."
Immigration Voices also enlisted the help of Rick Swartz, who has his own firm and has long been a leading lobbyist for immigration groups. Swartz gathered members of the group at his home one January weekend for a crash course in American politics, teaching them to position themselves as the "new Cubans for the Republicans."
Although their numbers are far smaller -- fewer than 2 million Indians live in the United States, according to the 2000 Census -- the group is among the more affluent immigrant communities. And because their numbers are smaller than those of Hispanics, they are trying to focus on other ways they can exert power -- through their wealth, their positions of influence in the high-tech and business communities, and their alliances with more established advocacy groups such as one for Indian physicians and an Indian political action committee.
While the immigrant marchers' demands have covered a range of issues, including allowing immigrants to gain legal status and eventually citizenship, the members of this association are more narrowly focused: They want Congress to pass measures that would end the years-long wait for a green card. In fact, they warn that efforts to enable millions of illegal immigrants to remain here permanently would result in the same bureaucratic nightmare legal immigrants are now facing.
"If you're going to reform, reform across the board," said Bharati Mandapati, who oversees content for the group, which means she has learned how to word and pitch legislative amendments.
The group has refrained from taking a stand on the fate of the undocumented workers, though it monitors chatter on its Web site to ensure that frustrated high-tech workers don't disparage lower-skilled laborers such as landscapers and restaurant workers. It also has stayed mum on raising the cap on H-1Bs, the visas that made most of their passages possible.
Under a proposal introduced by Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), the number of employment-based green cards being issued would increase from 140,000 to 290,000. Currently, no one country is supposed to take up more than 7 percent of the allotment, though unused green cards can be redistributed to countries that have already met their quota. That has made possible migrations in excess of 7 percent from nations such as India, China, Mexico and the Philippines. Under the proposal, the per-country cap would be increased to a hard and fast 10 percent. Proponents say this would prevent one country from dominating the category and would retain jobs for native-born Americans.
But Mandapati, a California-based economist, argues that the restriction would hurt the United States because the demand for skills changes. "It just so happens that computer technology and certain technical skills are in great demand here and all over the world. It just so happens that there are two countries that have invested a lot of resources in educating people in these fields . . . India and China."
About a half-million immigrants are caught in the green-card backlog, some as they wait for Labor Department approval or because quotas have been exceeded. In that time, they cannot be promoted or given substantial pay increases because that would mean a change in job description and salary. They turn to Web sites to compare their wait times with others, and their Internet handles, such as "stucklabor" and "waiting_labor," exude their frustration.
During meetings on Capitol Hill, Maduros and at least one Immigration Voice representative lay out the group's platform, weaving in the personal stories of members. Shilpa Ghodgaonkar, a Germantown housewife, has become a staple anecdote -- and a frequent visitor on the Hill.
For four years, she and her husband have been waiting for their green cards. Ghodgaonkar's husband arrived on an H-1B visa, and she followed as his dependent, unauthorized to work here. To pass the time, she learned to cook. Then she volunteered as a career counselor in Montgomery County. Last year, she earned her MBA from George Washington University. In December, around the time Kapoor sent out his e-mail plea for mass mobilization, Ghodgaonkar had run out of options.
"I just couldn't keep quiet anymore," Ghodgaonkar said. "I cannot be depressed anymore."
She keeps a spreadsheet that lays out appointment times and the senators' offices she has visited or still plans to: Specter, Frist, Schumer, Brownback, Bingaman, Feinstein, Feingold. Wednesdays bring a weekly call with Quinn Gillespie. And every few nights, there are conference calls among Immigration Voice's core team.
Now the group plans to closely watch the debate resuming in the Senate Judiciary Committee. Earlier this month, Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) proposed amendments with all of the group's provisions. Other lawmakers confirm that they are still meeting with the group to hear their concerns.
Immigration Voice leaders say the past few months have focused and politicized Indian immigrants in a way that was not apparent in the past. "There is a very 'Mr. Smith Goes to Washington' quality" about the current effort, Mandapati said. "It's been a journey, a loss of naivete and getting to know about American politics."
Sorry if someone else had already posted it.
Thanks.
Ed to add text in case link gets outdated:
Skilled Immigrants Turn to K Street
High-Tech Workers Awaiting Green Cards Hire Lobbyists, Hit the Hill
By S. Mitra Kalita
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, April 26, 2006; Page D01
On the December day when Congress killed a budget amendment that might have allowed him to become an American a little sooner, Aman Kapoor started a movement.
He did not march through streets, carry signs, wave a flag from here or there. He did not walk off the job or file out of school. The computer programmer simply went online to a message board tracked by thousands of people in his predicament: highly skilled foreigners waiting years for their green cards.
"I think we can do better and really create the impact with organized effort," he wrote. "To achieve this we need a group of individuals who have shown commitment and motivation in this forum."
The next night, a dozen people living across the United States shed their Internet handles -- Kapoor's was "WaldenPond," a nod to his hero, Henry David Thoreau -- and addressed one another by name on a conference call that lasted an hour. Today, just four months later, the organization they dubbed Immigration Voice boasts 3,000 members; a fundraising goal of $200,000; and, most notably, a partnership with a high-powered lobbying firm, Quinn Gillespie & Associates LLC.
The group's transformation from an insular circle to a politically active movement offers a window into an alternative immigrant campaign being waged as the Senate this week resumes its work on immigration laws.
Most members and all the core organizers of Immigration Voice hail from India, though Chinese membership numbers in the hundreds and is on the rise. Most arrived on an international student visa or a visa known as the H-1B, reserved for highly skilled workers who can stay for up to six years -- unless an employer sponsors their green cards, which grant immigrants permanent residence in the United States and the right to live and work here freely. Over the past decade, the largest numbers of H-1Bs have been awarded to high-technology workers from India and China.
Thus, while the passage of a strict border-security bill introduced by Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner Jr. (R-Wis.) mobilized many other immigrants in December, members of this high-tech group had their eye on another: a budget reconciliation bill that, in the Senate version, would have allowed those waiting in line for a green card to proceed even if the quota had been exhausted. The provision was cut in conference committee, stirring many to action and leading to the founding of Immigration Voice.
While hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets to get Congress's attention, Immigration Voice took a decidedly different approach. Shortly after the group was established, Kapoor and other volunteers began interviewing lobbyists, relying mostly on Google searches and data from the Center for Public Integrity's Web site.
"If it was not going to be big, it would not be worth the effort," said Kapoor, who works for Florida State University and has traveled to Washington nine times in the past three months. "Most of us have reached that point, having waited for eight or nine years, where individual lives are on hold."
Neither Quinn Gillespie nor Immigration Voice would disclose the amount being paid for the firm's services. Kapoor said it is "less than five figures."
"This is a sympathetic story," said Nick Maduros, a lobbyist for Quinn Gillespie. "For this group, their issues are very technical and are frankly not that controversial, but they have been overshadowed ."
Immigration Voices also enlisted the help of Rick Swartz, who has his own firm and has long been a leading lobbyist for immigration groups. Swartz gathered members of the group at his home one January weekend for a crash course in American politics, teaching them to position themselves as the "new Cubans for the Republicans."
Although their numbers are far smaller -- fewer than 2 million Indians live in the United States, according to the 2000 Census -- the group is among the more affluent immigrant communities. And because their numbers are smaller than those of Hispanics, they are trying to focus on other ways they can exert power -- through their wealth, their positions of influence in the high-tech and business communities, and their alliances with more established advocacy groups such as one for Indian physicians and an Indian political action committee.
While the immigrant marchers' demands have covered a range of issues, including allowing immigrants to gain legal status and eventually citizenship, the members of this association are more narrowly focused: They want Congress to pass measures that would end the years-long wait for a green card. In fact, they warn that efforts to enable millions of illegal immigrants to remain here permanently would result in the same bureaucratic nightmare legal immigrants are now facing.
"If you're going to reform, reform across the board," said Bharati Mandapati, who oversees content for the group, which means she has learned how to word and pitch legislative amendments.
The group has refrained from taking a stand on the fate of the undocumented workers, though it monitors chatter on its Web site to ensure that frustrated high-tech workers don't disparage lower-skilled laborers such as landscapers and restaurant workers. It also has stayed mum on raising the cap on H-1Bs, the visas that made most of their passages possible.
Under a proposal introduced by Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), the number of employment-based green cards being issued would increase from 140,000 to 290,000. Currently, no one country is supposed to take up more than 7 percent of the allotment, though unused green cards can be redistributed to countries that have already met their quota. That has made possible migrations in excess of 7 percent from nations such as India, China, Mexico and the Philippines. Under the proposal, the per-country cap would be increased to a hard and fast 10 percent. Proponents say this would prevent one country from dominating the category and would retain jobs for native-born Americans.
But Mandapati, a California-based economist, argues that the restriction would hurt the United States because the demand for skills changes. "It just so happens that computer technology and certain technical skills are in great demand here and all over the world. It just so happens that there are two countries that have invested a lot of resources in educating people in these fields . . . India and China."
About a half-million immigrants are caught in the green-card backlog, some as they wait for Labor Department approval or because quotas have been exceeded. In that time, they cannot be promoted or given substantial pay increases because that would mean a change in job description and salary. They turn to Web sites to compare their wait times with others, and their Internet handles, such as "stucklabor" and "waiting_labor," exude their frustration.
During meetings on Capitol Hill, Maduros and at least one Immigration Voice representative lay out the group's platform, weaving in the personal stories of members. Shilpa Ghodgaonkar, a Germantown housewife, has become a staple anecdote -- and a frequent visitor on the Hill.
For four years, she and her husband have been waiting for their green cards. Ghodgaonkar's husband arrived on an H-1B visa, and she followed as his dependent, unauthorized to work here. To pass the time, she learned to cook. Then she volunteered as a career counselor in Montgomery County. Last year, she earned her MBA from George Washington University. In December, around the time Kapoor sent out his e-mail plea for mass mobilization, Ghodgaonkar had run out of options.
"I just couldn't keep quiet anymore," Ghodgaonkar said. "I cannot be depressed anymore."
She keeps a spreadsheet that lays out appointment times and the senators' offices she has visited or still plans to: Specter, Frist, Schumer, Brownback, Bingaman, Feinstein, Feingold. Wednesdays bring a weekly call with Quinn Gillespie. And every few nights, there are conference calls among Immigration Voice's core team.
Now the group plans to closely watch the debate resuming in the Senate Judiciary Committee. Earlier this month, Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) proposed amendments with all of the group's provisions. Other lawmakers confirm that they are still meeting with the group to hear their concerns.
Immigration Voice leaders say the past few months have focused and politicized Indian immigrants in a way that was not apparent in the past. "There is a very 'Mr. Smith Goes to Washington' quality" about the current effort, Mandapati said. "It's been a journey, a loss of naivete and getting to know about American politics."
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mnq1979
06-10 02:41 PM
Thanks, i managed to open a new thread !!!!
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indigokiwi
03-10 10:36 AM
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Thank you, dhirajs. What was the amount (so that I can add it to the total)? Thanks..
Thank you, dhirajs. What was the amount (so that I can add it to the total)? Thanks..
hairstyles and Glass by Ellen Hopkins
somegchuh
11-18 10:32 PM
Just out of curiosity how many of those 60% were citizens? I know a lot of friends who have put in extra 5 years to get the citizenship.
I think aging parents is probably the biggest and valid concern a lot of ppl have.
I think there are plenty of people who always planned to go back .. the GC /USC was just a career advancement tool for these people. In fact, a survey of US returnees to India after 2000 shows that the majority (around 60%) were USCs/ GC holders, which is clearly an indication that the relocation was by choice rather than any immigration issues.
And finally, many of us have family issues like taking care of aged parents which either makes the re-location inevitable or in some cases may coincide with career goals.
I have seen that most ppl who have been here for over 5 years have almost fallen in love with the possibilities. They talk about going back to take advantage of the booming growth but very few actually do go back.
Or maybe some of us came here precisely for the reasons you mention, seeking greener pastures but fell in love with the openness, informality and the possibilities here .
I think aging parents is probably the biggest and valid concern a lot of ppl have.
I think there are plenty of people who always planned to go back .. the GC /USC was just a career advancement tool for these people. In fact, a survey of US returnees to India after 2000 shows that the majority (around 60%) were USCs/ GC holders, which is clearly an indication that the relocation was by choice rather than any immigration issues.
And finally, many of us have family issues like taking care of aged parents which either makes the re-location inevitable or in some cases may coincide with career goals.
I have seen that most ppl who have been here for over 5 years have almost fallen in love with the possibilities. They talk about going back to take advantage of the booming growth but very few actually do go back.
Or maybe some of us came here precisely for the reasons you mention, seeking greener pastures but fell in love with the openness, informality and the possibilities here .
franklin
09-13 02:50 AM
And, would you mind explaining why would ROW get affected? If they were current all along, all the ROW candidates must have already filed, even before july fiasco, right? So, just exactly how do they get affected?
Sorry for the outburst, but I sometimes get tired of people just throwing out speculations :eek: as if they are stating facts. So, back up your statement with logic.
Um... ROW has been retrogressed for some time too (at least EB3), so there is no need to "wait for it to get affected" - wait for that to become current before significant change in other areas of chargeability. But I've been waiting for that for years too.
You could wait, or you could come to DC and help us to get it changed!
Sorry for the outburst, but I sometimes get tired of people just throwing out speculations :eek: as if they are stating facts. So, back up your statement with logic.
Um... ROW has been retrogressed for some time too (at least EB3), so there is no need to "wait for it to get affected" - wait for that to become current before significant change in other areas of chargeability. But I've been waiting for that for years too.
You could wait, or you could come to DC and help us to get it changed!
sandiboy
07-19 02:08 PM
EB3/Sent Via Fedex/Reached NSC Jul 2nd @ 7:55 AM
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