21stIcon
09-21 07:11 AM
I am really amazed how some guys do not even know how to search house on internet and posting 10 messages for very basic question and dreaming of owning house during one of the turbulent times in the history.
House is not an appreciating asset anymore for atleast another 5 years and it is luxury item which could loose value anywhere 10 to 30% by 2011.
Salaries will go down all across board for most people, which could make less people to afford.
Try to learn 1991 housing crash in US ,Japanese 1955 housing and curent UK turmoil.
Then look into Japan 1980's and US 2001 to 2005 housing boom which will help.
Do not spend 50% of your salary on housing which may loose by 2011 and you might not have anything on saving as well.
House is not an appreciating asset anymore for atleast another 5 years and it is luxury item which could loose value anywhere 10 to 30% by 2011.
Salaries will go down all across board for most people, which could make less people to afford.
Try to learn 1991 housing crash in US ,Japanese 1955 housing and curent UK turmoil.
Then look into Japan 1980's and US 2001 to 2005 housing boom which will help.
Do not spend 50% of your salary on housing which may loose by 2011 and you might not have anything on saving as well.
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aroranuj
11-24 10:12 PM
I am in the same boat....TSC denied my I-140. My attorney has said that you can file an appeal (in your case in the EB2 category) at the same time you can also file for a new I-140 in a different category. Your best bet is to possibly file in the EB3 Category & wait for the appeal take its time at AAO. In the end if they do deny the appeal you can still file a new I-140 in the EB2 category.
Let us know what reccomendations your attorney provides you.
Good luck!
Let us know what reccomendations your attorney provides you.
Good luck!
Sakthisagar
05-12 10:29 AM
sent the letter to Sen Leahy, what Mayorkas wnat to explain in pages a summary of how EB community is suffering. Thanks :)
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ChainReaction
05-04 09:11 AM
I just sent webfaxes to senators from PA , NY & NJ, with my old address for NY and NJ . I did used the letter on this thread since it covers our issues in a nice layout, with some alteration to it.:)
more...
rajuram
01-14 03:47 PM
It is just frustrating to visit these forums and see nothing is happening. We need more members and more money. But if that happens in 10 years, what is the use. Not much anyone can do. Might as well as start packing.
satyasaich
07-21 09:14 AM
When i was in a fortune 5 earlier in my career, Fragomen & Assc were my attorneys as well. Never had such thing in the past nor heard of it. By the way, thousands of people work from home in a company where i was also working from home till yesterday. ( today 7/21 i don't have a job due to EAD processing delays )
it's just their inability to explain the business model. For example, if you are in IBM, they have only few offices in midwest and most of the people work from home & travel to client site based on necessity. Some of the positions ( suchas DBA / Unix Admin/ Web Admin etc;)doesn't even require presence at client location not even once in an year.
That's how the business model is existing. just because some officers / clerks in USCIS doesn't understand / nor interpret properly the vebiage or context of law, it's their traning issue. worst case scenario, that's why we pay hefty amounts to so called 'immigration attorneys' to 'explain' the law & to work with USCIS officials to do the 'CORRECT' thing
Normally my wife is the one who is used to post or follow up on the latest here.
This came up a week ago. I have been working from home in a different state and we do not have any company office near my home. Nearest office location is about 3 hours. I had to move this far away due to personal reasons.
Now after working from home for 3 years (extending EAD, H1Bs etc) Fragomen (most of you know who they are) says I cannot do work from home anymore due to this conflict with uscis. it seems USCIS doesnt recognize your home as a Govt recognized work location. Hence I cannot work from home.
Now my manager wants me to only work from the office since folks reporting to me are also in that state. Now he is using Fragomen and HR emails as a reason for me to move back.
Anythoughts ? I am sure you all will agree that is the law. but why all this now ? even after working for 12 years.
One other point the fragomen lawyer said is - this is going to be the case for all thier clients.
it's just their inability to explain the business model. For example, if you are in IBM, they have only few offices in midwest and most of the people work from home & travel to client site based on necessity. Some of the positions ( suchas DBA / Unix Admin/ Web Admin etc;)doesn't even require presence at client location not even once in an year.
That's how the business model is existing. just because some officers / clerks in USCIS doesn't understand / nor interpret properly the vebiage or context of law, it's their traning issue. worst case scenario, that's why we pay hefty amounts to so called 'immigration attorneys' to 'explain' the law & to work with USCIS officials to do the 'CORRECT' thing
Normally my wife is the one who is used to post or follow up on the latest here.
This came up a week ago. I have been working from home in a different state and we do not have any company office near my home. Nearest office location is about 3 hours. I had to move this far away due to personal reasons.
Now after working from home for 3 years (extending EAD, H1Bs etc) Fragomen (most of you know who they are) says I cannot do work from home anymore due to this conflict with uscis. it seems USCIS doesnt recognize your home as a Govt recognized work location. Hence I cannot work from home.
Now my manager wants me to only work from the office since folks reporting to me are also in that state. Now he is using Fragomen and HR emails as a reason for me to move back.
Anythoughts ? I am sure you all will agree that is the law. but why all this now ? even after working for 12 years.
One other point the fragomen lawyer said is - this is going to be the case for all thier clients.
more...
LayoffBlog
01-27 01:32 PM
Specialty chemicals company Clariant AG said Tuesday it is cutting 1,000 jobs this year.Clariant said the job cuts are the result of a sharp decline in customer demand for its products in the textile, leather, automotive and construction industries.Source: International Herald TribunePosted in Chemical, Manufacturing, worldwide Tagged: Clariant, Clariant layoff http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=layoffblog.com&blog=5255291&post=1258&subd=layoffblog&ref=&feed=1
More... (http://layoffblog.com/2009/01/27/swiss-chemicals-company-clariant-cuts-1000-jobs/)
More... (http://layoffblog.com/2009/01/27/swiss-chemicals-company-clariant-cuts-1000-jobs/)
2010 more.
eagerr2i
12-07 09:28 AM
Chang from Cap Exempt to Cap Number H1B requires that you file the change when the visa is available during the FY which in H1B case is April 1st. The years spent on Cap Exempt status like not for profits is counted towards the 6 Yr limit.
more...
telekinesis
09-05 02:40 AM
No dissing the Pixel Stretch, ya'll betta recognize, my Splash would look even cr@pier without the pixel stretch!
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shirish
03-14 03:20 PM
My parents came on Jan 10th on Luft from Bangalore and they did not need a transit visa. I hear that the only time you may need a transit visa is when you are traveling to India on an expired US Visa. Even over this there is confusion.
You are right. I checked it with Germen consulate in DC few days back.
You are right. I checked it with Germen consulate in DC few days back.
more...
prasadn
04-07 05:15 PM
I did extended for my in-laws when they entered last time to US. When they entered next time they entered without any issues.
Last time time also lot of my friends scared me (immigration people will stop them at the port of entry), my another friend (both husband and wife doctors), they bring there in - laws everytime they will extend it to 3 times approxmately they will stay in US 2 years, they left several times and entered into US without any issues.
From my understanding, you need to give USCIS a compelling reason (medical reasons etc.) for extending your stay on Visitor visa. If not, there is a good chance for the officer at POE to limit stay to a very short period on the next visit.
Last time time also lot of my friends scared me (immigration people will stop them at the port of entry), my another friend (both husband and wife doctors), they bring there in - laws everytime they will extend it to 3 times approxmately they will stay in US 2 years, they left several times and entered into US without any issues.
From my understanding, you need to give USCIS a compelling reason (medical reasons etc.) for extending your stay on Visitor visa. If not, there is a good chance for the officer at POE to limit stay to a very short period on the next visit.
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factoryman
06-19 04:33 PM
Start worrying about LC approval notice and start working about AOS.
Aaj kal nav jawanoku, ye kya ho raha hi?
please post your comments
Aaj kal nav jawanoku, ye kya ho raha hi?
please post your comments
more...
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chanukya
05-17 11:43 PM
I think you are slightly off again. This clause pertains only to labor certification and has no relation to quotas as I understand. Remember that there is no such thing as an LC quota. So you still wait in line... Only gain is that the bar for labor is slightly lower because the employer has to show that they hired the best guy for the job as opposed to showing that no minimally qualified American citizen was available. ;)
US Masters and above exempt from quota...
Read this (Sec 514)
http://immigrationvoice.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=56&d=1147880856
in conjunction with this ...(USCIS Section 201(b)(1)(8 U.S.C 1151(b)(1)
http://www.uscis.gov/lpbin/lpext.dll/inserts/slb/slb-1/slb-20/slb-1225?f=templates&fn=document-frame.htm
US Masters and above exempt from quota...
Read this (Sec 514)
http://immigrationvoice.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=56&d=1147880856
in conjunction with this ...(USCIS Section 201(b)(1)(8 U.S.C 1151(b)(1)
http://www.uscis.gov/lpbin/lpext.dll/inserts/slb/slb-1/slb-20/slb-1225?f=templates&fn=document-frame.htm
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glus
10-20 08:22 AM
Hello,
As EAD is not same like H1-B, you can not work if the old EAD expires and new one is not issued (see an attorney's reponse here (http://forum.freeadvice.com/immigration-9/ead-renewal-195657.html) and here (http://murthyforum.atinfopop.com/4/OpenTopic?a=tpc&s=1024039761&f=1474093861&m=7161084702)). If EAD application is pending for more than 90 days, then you can open a service request and request expedited approval (there have been cases where such requests resulted in EAD approvals within a week). It is worth a try to approach the local USCIS and request a temporary EAD, but as far as I know, USCIS has stopped issuing such temporary cards.
It is important that you do not work in-between the expiry date of old EAD and start date of new EAD, so it is better to ask for unpaid leave for such time, though there is no need to quit the job. If the work demands are heavy, you may want to continue working as per 245k (but you will have to pay 1000 USD as fine), see the discussion here (http://immigrationvoice.org/forum/forum5-all-other-green-card-issues/20566-new-245-k-memo-released-with-more-clarifications.html).
Good luck!
hi there,
There is no 245(k), $1000 fee. This fee applied to different law, 245(i), which does not apply here. If a person works during the gap between EADs, he/she will incur "unauthorized employment". However, this clock stops when a new EAD is approved. As long as an Employment-based 485 beneficiary or derivative beneficiary did not incur 180 days of unauthorized employment or more, as in this case, his/hers I485 can be approved due to the 245(k) protection.
Best Wishes,
As EAD is not same like H1-B, you can not work if the old EAD expires and new one is not issued (see an attorney's reponse here (http://forum.freeadvice.com/immigration-9/ead-renewal-195657.html) and here (http://murthyforum.atinfopop.com/4/OpenTopic?a=tpc&s=1024039761&f=1474093861&m=7161084702)). If EAD application is pending for more than 90 days, then you can open a service request and request expedited approval (there have been cases where such requests resulted in EAD approvals within a week). It is worth a try to approach the local USCIS and request a temporary EAD, but as far as I know, USCIS has stopped issuing such temporary cards.
It is important that you do not work in-between the expiry date of old EAD and start date of new EAD, so it is better to ask for unpaid leave for such time, though there is no need to quit the job. If the work demands are heavy, you may want to continue working as per 245k (but you will have to pay 1000 USD as fine), see the discussion here (http://immigrationvoice.org/forum/forum5-all-other-green-card-issues/20566-new-245-k-memo-released-with-more-clarifications.html).
Good luck!
hi there,
There is no 245(k), $1000 fee. This fee applied to different law, 245(i), which does not apply here. If a person works during the gap between EADs, he/she will incur "unauthorized employment". However, this clock stops when a new EAD is approved. As long as an Employment-based 485 beneficiary or derivative beneficiary did not incur 180 days of unauthorized employment or more, as in this case, his/hers I485 can be approved due to the 245(k) protection.
Best Wishes,
more...
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gcpool
03-26 01:14 PM
How did you come to this conclusion?
I will go first: 50%
:p
I will go first: 50%
:p
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varumo_varatho
11-08 10:43 AM
Speaking of my personal experience, Yes, you can get an emergency appointment as returning h1b's are eligible for such appointments. Just send an email directly to the consulate and request for emergency appointment stating that you have to return to your project. I have done it before
It is advisable to carry all the LCA's, just in case, though the VO might just look at the current one. I am sure you will be taking all the other docs required.
Best of luck
cheers !
It is advisable to carry all the LCA's, just in case, though the VO might just look at the current one. I am sure you will be taking all the other docs required.
Best of luck
cheers !
more...
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greencardfever
12-11 08:33 AM
How many days prior to the EAD and AP expiry date can we apply for EAD and AP renewal?
Thanks.
greencardfever
Thanks.
greencardfever
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JunRN
12-28 09:32 AM
Delete your cookies. Hit the "back" button showed on the USCIS page (not the "back" button of your internet browser) and then, try it again.
That should work.
That should work.
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san3297
06-29 05:34 PM
Hi Martin,
Thanks once again for your reply with in no time.I really admire your service.I went through your Faqs but the part i dint understood is..
If you don't show the extension approval notice (maybe because you didn't know the case was approved before you returned), you will get just the old expiration date on your new I-94. This will then be the operative end date, not the extension date. This is because CIS has a "last action" rule, whereby the last status they give you is what governs. In this situation, the last action would be your admission until the visa and date.
As i get a new I94 attached with expiration date as my new 797 approval date(Assuming i get approval after my travel when i am in USA) .So my old I94 is valid till My present visa date and after that i have my New I 94 which is valid till my Extension approval date.So iam unable to get what complication i may get into.Only problem i can think of is if i dont get I 94 attached to my I 797 Approval Notice.Do let me know if iam missing anything.Thanks again.
Thanks once again for your reply with in no time.I really admire your service.I went through your Faqs but the part i dint understood is..
If you don't show the extension approval notice (maybe because you didn't know the case was approved before you returned), you will get just the old expiration date on your new I-94. This will then be the operative end date, not the extension date. This is because CIS has a "last action" rule, whereby the last status they give you is what governs. In this situation, the last action would be your admission until the visa and date.
As i get a new I94 attached with expiration date as my new 797 approval date(Assuming i get approval after my travel when i am in USA) .So my old I94 is valid till My present visa date and after that i have my New I 94 which is valid till my Extension approval date.So iam unable to get what complication i may get into.Only problem i can think of is if i dont get I 94 attached to my I 797 Approval Notice.Do let me know if iam missing anything.Thanks again.
calaway42
10-21 12:17 AM
my question is.. how do you guys start on ur piece?.. i mean do you outline with pencil tool first .. or what?
Blog Feeds
10-28 12:00 AM
AILA Leadership Has Just Posted the Following:
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY2BIzX_kLcpfPAuZIai9yHrnJII2EmC4rC45a6qYiRpCgUTfC3x6nLXEuPjKgKAsJuVCteDVEbCwbjLVg4GJnK7QbjjFE_WoHbWKf_Or51tKIhyyMBH-8iRrT3jyBkwt_0gjd6B7Ll2U/s320/Immigration+Lines.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY2BIzX_kLcpfPAuZIai9yHrnJII2EmC4rC45a6qYiRpCgUTfC3x6nLXEuPjKgKAsJuVCteDVEbCwbjLVg4GJnK7QbjjFE_WoHbWKf_Or51tKIhyyMBH-8iRrT3jyBkwt_0gjd6B7Ll2U/s1600-h/Immigration+Lines.jpg) I had a very upset client contact me this last week. He was angry . . . at the Visa Bulletin. He could not understand how, after the start of the new fiscal year, there was essentially no movement in the visa numbers. I tried to calm him by telling him that he just needed to be patient. Then I realized how patronizing that sounded. How much longer did he need to wait? He has an approved immigrant visa petition (EB-3) with an early 2005 priority date in the worldwide category. So, I decided to try to figure out when he might actually get his green card. I ask that you bear with me through this process. This is a LONG post, but one I think you will appreciate reading.
I have to warn you now, this math is a shot in the dark. I do NOT have all of the numbers of pending and approved cases in each category of employment based immigration. However, some estimate, based upon some pretty good numbers, is better than mere guesswork. Let me walk you through this analysis.
However, I first ask you to forgive me in advance, math is the reason I went to law school. Also, the USCIS simply has not released clear numbers (possibly for fear of letting folks know exactly how long their wait will actually be).
My focus for this analysis will be in the EB-2 and Eb-3 categories, since it is in those categories that our clients are most interested. There are four basic numbers we are looking for, NONE of them are easy to find. Let's discover the basic numbers we will be using:
First, how many approved I-140 cases are awaiting a visa number? According to AILA's recent liaison meeting with DOS, there are 198,186 "case ready" I-140 petitions awaiting visa issuance, in the EB-2 (52,584), EB-3 (139,737) and EW (5,865) categories. Case ready means (as best as we understand), that as soon as the petition is current, the Adjustment will be approved or consular processing will begin. Obviously, the EB-2 numbers are only for India and China.
Second, how many pending I-140 cases are there at the Service Centers awaiting adjudication? According to the June 2009, USCIS Production Update Report to Congress (http://www.uscis.gov/files/article/fy09q1backlog.pdf), USCIS had 85,970 pending I-140 cases awaiting adjudication. Unfortunately, USCIS does not break out the I-140 cases in this report between EB-2 and EB-3. These are the most recent numbers I could find.
Third, how many pending I-140 cases are at the District Offices? I have no idea! I cannot locate anywhere the numbers of cases at the local USCIS offices. No one knows. Really. There is no report that I can find where this number has been released. And, frankly, I do not believe that USCIS has an accurate count on this either (I do pray they get such a count soon).
Fourth, how many pending labor certifications are there at the DOL? This number is actually pretty sure. There are 62,100 pending labor certifications as of the September 22 stakeholder meeting with DOL (http://aila.org/Content/default.aspx?docid=30235) (not counting pending appeals). Unfortunately, again, we do not know which of the categories (EB-2 or EB-3) the cases will fall under.
Now, it is time for the math. Assuming all pending Labor Certifications and pending I-140s are approved (yes, I know some will be denied and some are duplicates), there are at least a total of 346,256 individuals with approved or soon to be approved petitions awaiting green cards, not including their families. If we assume an average family size of 4 people (I believe this is a safe assumption), there are 1,385,024 people waiting on employment based green cards in the EB-2 and EB-3 categories.
I know the number is huge! And next we have to try to fit that number into the two separate EB categories. Unfortunately, we have two problems in doing this. The first problem we have is that we do not know how many of these I-140 cases are in the EB-2, or EB-3 categories. So, let's use a little deductive reasoning here. Using experience and best guessing based upon the division we already know about in the numbers of cases from the DOS, lets say 26% are EB-2 (360,162), and 74% are EB-3 (1,024,917).
The second problem is that we do not have a per country breakdown. (I hope the USCIS has that breakdown). How to account for this? Again, let's estimate based upon the DOS numbers, that India accounts for 70% of the EB-2 and 39% of the EB-3 numbers and that China accounts for 30% of the EB-2 and only 3% of the EB-3 numbers and the rest of the world accounts for 58% of the EB-3 numbers.
We also know the maximum numbers available in any given year for all family and employment based categories is 25,630 (with some caveats), and that there are only a total of 80,000 employment based immigrant visas in the EB-2 and EB-3 categories combined (with some flow down from other categories).
You can see we have leaped, jumped, guessed, and assumed our way to the follow conclusions:
India EB-3 wait for permanent residence for a labor certification filed today: 15.8 years. This generous estimate comes from the fact that an estimated 399,717 Indian Nationals waiting for 25,630 visas a year. This estimate completely ignores the possible immigration of any family based immigrants which would subtract from this total and increase the wait time, and the number that would flow down from other immigrant visa categories, so the wait time is probably longer.
China EB-2 wait for permanent residence for a labor certification (or NIW) filed today: 4.1 years. This estimate comes from the estimated 108,048 Chinese Nationals waiting for 25,630 visas a year. This estimate completely ignores the possible immigration of any family based immigrants that would subtract from this total and increase the wait time, and the number that would flow down from other immigrant visa categories.
Worldwide EB-3 wait for permanent residence for a labor certification filed today: Well, there are 594,451 people waiting in this queue. The limiting factor here will be the 80,000 annual limit on employment based immigration. Excluding per country limits and flow down from other employment based immigrant visa categories, this is at least a 8.1 year wait.
And these waits are from when the person STARTS the green card, not when they come into the United States.
I can now tell my client a waiting date based upon, at least, some real numbers. But, I will still be wrong. The dates are not accurate, but at least it is not made up out of whole cloth. But we now all understand that we cannot look at the Visa Bulletin and actually determine how long the wait is.
The point of this whole exercise, besides telling my client how long he still might have to wait, is to point out the consequences of these numbers.
Line? What Line? These are employment based immigrants. Every single one has a job offer, an employer, and a certification that either there are no qualified, willing and able US workers for the job, or that the individual is so good, we do not even have to test the labor market. We need these people. We want these people. How many do you think will now just give up and go home?
This delay in legal, employment based immigration is a crisis for America. If you are an intending immigrant, and your immigration option is employment based, do you have the patience the wait 15 years for your green card? Can you do better in Australia, Canada, or even back home in your home country? What is the cost to our future competitiveness of a broken legal immigration system? What is the cost to U.S. innovation?
I believe these numbers have a purpose. The purpose is immigration reform, and not just a legalization. We all know that a broken legal immigration system causes illegal immigration. We need to fix the legal immigration system now! We need to modify the process, significantly shorten the wait and increase the numbers to meet the demand. We need to not include family members in the total calculated visa numbers. And, Yes, we need to make these change even in a struggling economy. We must maintain the great benefits that positive, focused employment based immigration has delivered to America. The reality is that Congress must act to help save the future of American innovation and economic growth. And, they must do it now.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/186823568153827945-159310338954847679?l=ailaleadership.blogspot.com
More... (http://ailaleadership.blogspot.com/2009/10/get-in-line-what-line-tragic-tale-of.html)
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY2BIzX_kLcpfPAuZIai9yHrnJII2EmC4rC45a6qYiRpCgUTfC3x6nLXEuPjKgKAsJuVCteDVEbCwbjLVg4GJnK7QbjjFE_WoHbWKf_Or51tKIhyyMBH-8iRrT3jyBkwt_0gjd6B7Ll2U/s320/Immigration+Lines.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY2BIzX_kLcpfPAuZIai9yHrnJII2EmC4rC45a6qYiRpCgUTfC3x6nLXEuPjKgKAsJuVCteDVEbCwbjLVg4GJnK7QbjjFE_WoHbWKf_Or51tKIhyyMBH-8iRrT3jyBkwt_0gjd6B7Ll2U/s1600-h/Immigration+Lines.jpg) I had a very upset client contact me this last week. He was angry . . . at the Visa Bulletin. He could not understand how, after the start of the new fiscal year, there was essentially no movement in the visa numbers. I tried to calm him by telling him that he just needed to be patient. Then I realized how patronizing that sounded. How much longer did he need to wait? He has an approved immigrant visa petition (EB-3) with an early 2005 priority date in the worldwide category. So, I decided to try to figure out when he might actually get his green card. I ask that you bear with me through this process. This is a LONG post, but one I think you will appreciate reading.
I have to warn you now, this math is a shot in the dark. I do NOT have all of the numbers of pending and approved cases in each category of employment based immigration. However, some estimate, based upon some pretty good numbers, is better than mere guesswork. Let me walk you through this analysis.
However, I first ask you to forgive me in advance, math is the reason I went to law school. Also, the USCIS simply has not released clear numbers (possibly for fear of letting folks know exactly how long their wait will actually be).
My focus for this analysis will be in the EB-2 and Eb-3 categories, since it is in those categories that our clients are most interested. There are four basic numbers we are looking for, NONE of them are easy to find. Let's discover the basic numbers we will be using:
First, how many approved I-140 cases are awaiting a visa number? According to AILA's recent liaison meeting with DOS, there are 198,186 "case ready" I-140 petitions awaiting visa issuance, in the EB-2 (52,584), EB-3 (139,737) and EW (5,865) categories. Case ready means (as best as we understand), that as soon as the petition is current, the Adjustment will be approved or consular processing will begin. Obviously, the EB-2 numbers are only for India and China.
Second, how many pending I-140 cases are there at the Service Centers awaiting adjudication? According to the June 2009, USCIS Production Update Report to Congress (http://www.uscis.gov/files/article/fy09q1backlog.pdf), USCIS had 85,970 pending I-140 cases awaiting adjudication. Unfortunately, USCIS does not break out the I-140 cases in this report between EB-2 and EB-3. These are the most recent numbers I could find.
Third, how many pending I-140 cases are at the District Offices? I have no idea! I cannot locate anywhere the numbers of cases at the local USCIS offices. No one knows. Really. There is no report that I can find where this number has been released. And, frankly, I do not believe that USCIS has an accurate count on this either (I do pray they get such a count soon).
Fourth, how many pending labor certifications are there at the DOL? This number is actually pretty sure. There are 62,100 pending labor certifications as of the September 22 stakeholder meeting with DOL (http://aila.org/Content/default.aspx?docid=30235) (not counting pending appeals). Unfortunately, again, we do not know which of the categories (EB-2 or EB-3) the cases will fall under.
Now, it is time for the math. Assuming all pending Labor Certifications and pending I-140s are approved (yes, I know some will be denied and some are duplicates), there are at least a total of 346,256 individuals with approved or soon to be approved petitions awaiting green cards, not including their families. If we assume an average family size of 4 people (I believe this is a safe assumption), there are 1,385,024 people waiting on employment based green cards in the EB-2 and EB-3 categories.
I know the number is huge! And next we have to try to fit that number into the two separate EB categories. Unfortunately, we have two problems in doing this. The first problem we have is that we do not know how many of these I-140 cases are in the EB-2, or EB-3 categories. So, let's use a little deductive reasoning here. Using experience and best guessing based upon the division we already know about in the numbers of cases from the DOS, lets say 26% are EB-2 (360,162), and 74% are EB-3 (1,024,917).
The second problem is that we do not have a per country breakdown. (I hope the USCIS has that breakdown). How to account for this? Again, let's estimate based upon the DOS numbers, that India accounts for 70% of the EB-2 and 39% of the EB-3 numbers and that China accounts for 30% of the EB-2 and only 3% of the EB-3 numbers and the rest of the world accounts for 58% of the EB-3 numbers.
We also know the maximum numbers available in any given year for all family and employment based categories is 25,630 (with some caveats), and that there are only a total of 80,000 employment based immigrant visas in the EB-2 and EB-3 categories combined (with some flow down from other categories).
You can see we have leaped, jumped, guessed, and assumed our way to the follow conclusions:
India EB-3 wait for permanent residence for a labor certification filed today: 15.8 years. This generous estimate comes from the fact that an estimated 399,717 Indian Nationals waiting for 25,630 visas a year. This estimate completely ignores the possible immigration of any family based immigrants which would subtract from this total and increase the wait time, and the number that would flow down from other immigrant visa categories, so the wait time is probably longer.
China EB-2 wait for permanent residence for a labor certification (or NIW) filed today: 4.1 years. This estimate comes from the estimated 108,048 Chinese Nationals waiting for 25,630 visas a year. This estimate completely ignores the possible immigration of any family based immigrants that would subtract from this total and increase the wait time, and the number that would flow down from other immigrant visa categories.
Worldwide EB-3 wait for permanent residence for a labor certification filed today: Well, there are 594,451 people waiting in this queue. The limiting factor here will be the 80,000 annual limit on employment based immigration. Excluding per country limits and flow down from other employment based immigrant visa categories, this is at least a 8.1 year wait.
And these waits are from when the person STARTS the green card, not when they come into the United States.
I can now tell my client a waiting date based upon, at least, some real numbers. But, I will still be wrong. The dates are not accurate, but at least it is not made up out of whole cloth. But we now all understand that we cannot look at the Visa Bulletin and actually determine how long the wait is.
The point of this whole exercise, besides telling my client how long he still might have to wait, is to point out the consequences of these numbers.
Line? What Line? These are employment based immigrants. Every single one has a job offer, an employer, and a certification that either there are no qualified, willing and able US workers for the job, or that the individual is so good, we do not even have to test the labor market. We need these people. We want these people. How many do you think will now just give up and go home?
This delay in legal, employment based immigration is a crisis for America. If you are an intending immigrant, and your immigration option is employment based, do you have the patience the wait 15 years for your green card? Can you do better in Australia, Canada, or even back home in your home country? What is the cost to our future competitiveness of a broken legal immigration system? What is the cost to U.S. innovation?
I believe these numbers have a purpose. The purpose is immigration reform, and not just a legalization. We all know that a broken legal immigration system causes illegal immigration. We need to fix the legal immigration system now! We need to modify the process, significantly shorten the wait and increase the numbers to meet the demand. We need to not include family members in the total calculated visa numbers. And, Yes, we need to make these change even in a struggling economy. We must maintain the great benefits that positive, focused employment based immigration has delivered to America. The reality is that Congress must act to help save the future of American innovation and economic growth. And, they must do it now.
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