coolpal
03-20 09:21 AM
Hi,
I am in the same boat... but a little complicated. I am working for one of the big TARP funded firms as a consultant for almost a year now. I applied for h1 extension last june (my first 3 years was ending sep 30th 2008), but that application was pending forever, and I heard there were some queries with my (ex) employer (company A) for excessive use of h1bs... so applied for h1 transfer (while the first one was still pending) to company B in Dec 2008. I received a RFE asking for client letters, contracts etc, for h1b transfer application to company B in Jan 2009, for which we responded in first week of Feb 2009 with all the requested info including W2s from my first year of H1 till now.. my application was still pending as of last week, so we applied for premium processing on friday, and yesterday, I got an update saying they sent another RFE :(
I guess the contract that we sent for the first RFE probably had the contract end date as Feb 28th 2009.. not sure, but that might be the reason for the second RFE. Problem is my client usually approves contracts 4 - 6 months at a time, and I currently have a valid contract till June 30th 2009, and I know it is being extended beyond that, but I can't get the proof until June... hope I get it approved this time :mad:
I was always paid more than the prevailing wage and was never put on bench... just had some unpaid vacation a couple of times (for 3 weeks each) for visiting India... I even worked on CPT and OPT back in 2004 and have the W2s for them as well... in fact, I even sent them paystubs for all of 2008... man what else do they want? my life?? :mad:
pal :)
I am in the same boat... but a little complicated. I am working for one of the big TARP funded firms as a consultant for almost a year now. I applied for h1 extension last june (my first 3 years was ending sep 30th 2008), but that application was pending forever, and I heard there were some queries with my (ex) employer (company A) for excessive use of h1bs... so applied for h1 transfer (while the first one was still pending) to company B in Dec 2008. I received a RFE asking for client letters, contracts etc, for h1b transfer application to company B in Jan 2009, for which we responded in first week of Feb 2009 with all the requested info including W2s from my first year of H1 till now.. my application was still pending as of last week, so we applied for premium processing on friday, and yesterday, I got an update saying they sent another RFE :(
I guess the contract that we sent for the first RFE probably had the contract end date as Feb 28th 2009.. not sure, but that might be the reason for the second RFE. Problem is my client usually approves contracts 4 - 6 months at a time, and I currently have a valid contract till June 30th 2009, and I know it is being extended beyond that, but I can't get the proof until June... hope I get it approved this time :mad:
I was always paid more than the prevailing wage and was never put on bench... just had some unpaid vacation a couple of times (for 3 weeks each) for visiting India... I even worked on CPT and OPT back in 2004 and have the W2s for them as well... in fact, I even sent them paystubs for all of 2008... man what else do they want? my life?? :mad:
pal :)
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iv4gc
07-28 10:04 PM
Thanks for the info. Looks like I need to get Company B to recapture the PD of my earlier I140. This seems to be the best option. But I wonder if I go down this route, will it complicate and delay (significantly if I miss the window) the GC.
If you filed your I-485 in July, 2007 with the knowledge and consent of Company A, you are in order as GC is for future employment. It would appear you did so since they did not withdraw the I-140.
Having said, the only proper course of action is for you to go back to work for Company A after you obtain your GC.
If you would like to work for Company B after GC, you would have to file a change of employer right now (using AC21 provisions). Alternatively you may interfile the approved I-140 from employer B with your current application. You are entitled to keep the priority date on the I-140 of employer A so you should not be affected negatively.
If your lawyer is saying you could continue to work for employer B after GC without doing anything at this time, I would suggest you talk to another immigration attorney to hear a second opinion.
If you filed your I-485 in July, 2007 with the knowledge and consent of Company A, you are in order as GC is for future employment. It would appear you did so since they did not withdraw the I-140.
Having said, the only proper course of action is for you to go back to work for Company A after you obtain your GC.
If you would like to work for Company B after GC, you would have to file a change of employer right now (using AC21 provisions). Alternatively you may interfile the approved I-140 from employer B with your current application. You are entitled to keep the priority date on the I-140 of employer A so you should not be affected negatively.
If your lawyer is saying you could continue to work for employer B after GC without doing anything at this time, I would suggest you talk to another immigration attorney to hear a second opinion.
kondur_007
10-16 12:11 PM
I am a July 2nd filer with PD of OCT 2006. I am planning to switch my employer using EAD. Should I notify USCIS with AC21? What is my best option? What is the risk?
I appriciate your help.
Thank you
There are two options here:
1. Document that you are porting using AC 21; keep the documentation with lawyer but do not send it to the USCIS
2. Send the above documentation to USCIS.
The best option for YOU depends on specifics of the case: details of PERM (job title, job description, prevailing wage, location etc), your new job (job title, job description, wage, location, financial stability of the company etc) and your immigration history. (any out of status time etc). This decision is best made by a competent lawyer so that you do not face problems in future.
I will highly advise you to get help from a good and competent lawyer; it's money worth spent.
Good Luck.
I appriciate your help.
Thank you
There are two options here:
1. Document that you are porting using AC 21; keep the documentation with lawyer but do not send it to the USCIS
2. Send the above documentation to USCIS.
The best option for YOU depends on specifics of the case: details of PERM (job title, job description, prevailing wage, location etc), your new job (job title, job description, wage, location, financial stability of the company etc) and your immigration history. (any out of status time etc). This decision is best made by a competent lawyer so that you do not face problems in future.
I will highly advise you to get help from a good and competent lawyer; it's money worth spent.
Good Luck.
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gc_lover
07-24 12:17 PM
Can I file concurrently I-140 and I-485 if the labor is approved but haven't received the hard copy? What do I need to attach to these applications to substitute for the hard copy?
If you have a screenshot of approval, you can use that to file concurrently!
I am in exact same situation, except I have already filed on July 2nd. I am not very sure about this whole thing, but some lawyers are saying this only applies to people filing from July 17 to Aug 17th, I dont know. I will keep my fingers crossed and see what will happen to my application.
If you have a screenshot of approval, you can use that to file concurrently!
I am in exact same situation, except I have already filed on July 2nd. I am not very sure about this whole thing, but some lawyers are saying this only applies to people filing from July 17 to Aug 17th, I dont know. I will keep my fingers crossed and see what will happen to my application.
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ss1026
07-06 01:27 PM
Since 2000, a total of 182,694 work-based visas have not been given out because the immigration agency had fallen behind in processing applications, according to the 2007 report of the immigration agency�s ombudsman.
as per ny times report...
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/06/us/06visa.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
This number is down to 132K as 50K were captured by the nursing/medical lobby probably in 2004 or 2005. Google for more info
as per ny times report...
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/06/us/06visa.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
This number is down to 132K as 50K were captured by the nursing/medical lobby probably in 2004 or 2005. Google for more info
vejella
06-01 01:39 PM
It does not make sense to me how folks who are on L1 visa and manage some people can go at par with the people of Extraordinary ability .
I can understand if they holding a position where they make some policies/ generate bussiness that gonna have major impact on Employees or organizational direction ...
But I have seen some people who not at par qualified has applied for GC on EB1 category just because they are on L1 Visa it is getting expired....
But i feel that there is a big glitch in the definition of this category which many of the DESI Companies are abusing ....:(
I can understand if they holding a position where they make some policies/ generate bussiness that gonna have major impact on Employees or organizational direction ...
But I have seen some people who not at par qualified has applied for GC on EB1 category just because they are on L1 Visa it is getting expired....
But i feel that there is a big glitch in the definition of this category which many of the DESI Companies are abusing ....:(
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kumar1
01-15 10:02 AM
Man, you definitely sound like a multinational manager and worthy of L1A visa. Please tell USCIS that your wife is waiting for her bonus money and she is not readily available to join you on L2, USCIS would mail her Green Card overseas. Under the circumstances, someone from Department of State would personally hand it over to your wife. Thank you your highness.
Hi folks, sorry for posting this again, but I posted in the self-help area and nobody answered (I guess there's very little traffic there surprisingly)....
----
Hi Folks
I'm here in the US on a L1A visa and would like to apply for Green Card (I'm assuming i-485) soon. My wife who is currently outside of US has recently received her L2 visa within one business day I may add! So, we're waiting for her to join me here in the States within two months as she is currently working abroad and needs to wait for her bonus $...
In any case, I was thinking of applying for an EAD for her in conjunction of i-485, but I've been reading that others who are holding a H1 visa is also applying for an EAD (why on earth for?!) as you are allowed to work on H1 already no? I thought EAD is authorization to work only??
In my case, my wife needs EAD in order to work as L2 only allows her entry to the States and her visa would "clone" mine (ie. whatever my expiry date is, hers will expire).
Should I also apply for EAD too even though my L1a visa already permits me to work legally here in the US?
Hi folks, sorry for posting this again, but I posted in the self-help area and nobody answered (I guess there's very little traffic there surprisingly)....
----
Hi Folks
I'm here in the US on a L1A visa and would like to apply for Green Card (I'm assuming i-485) soon. My wife who is currently outside of US has recently received her L2 visa within one business day I may add! So, we're waiting for her to join me here in the States within two months as she is currently working abroad and needs to wait for her bonus $...
In any case, I was thinking of applying for an EAD for her in conjunction of i-485, but I've been reading that others who are holding a H1 visa is also applying for an EAD (why on earth for?!) as you are allowed to work on H1 already no? I thought EAD is authorization to work only??
In my case, my wife needs EAD in order to work as L2 only allows her entry to the States and her visa would "clone" mine (ie. whatever my expiry date is, hers will expire).
Should I also apply for EAD too even though my L1a visa already permits me to work legally here in the US?
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maddipati1
02-04 06:11 PM
i used to think based on I-131 instructions that, if we leave before AP aprroval, its considered abandoning 485. but my lawyer clarified that, thats true only if u dont have any oher status than AOS. if i leave before AP approval i can use H1 stamp to get back in and use AP for travel next time.
thx LIGP
thx LIGP
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shrayus
07-13 08:09 PM
:)
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GCBy3000
04-26 02:52 PM
I work for TOP 10 and background check is very serious here after enron debacle.
We interviewed several people and offered positions. To my surprise there are huge number of people fail the stringent background check of my company. They do it through private firm I beleive. They check all the previous employment, school / college records etc etc. Scary if you commit even a small offense like drunk and drive, etc etc and it affects your career.
THE FAILED persons are all CITIZENS.
What makes you say they can not check your previous salary if you hold GC/Citizenship. This does not seem right.
Actually it depends upon company to company how much background check they do and not on your visa status.
We interviewed several people and offered positions. To my surprise there are huge number of people fail the stringent background check of my company. They do it through private firm I beleive. They check all the previous employment, school / college records etc etc. Scary if you commit even a small offense like drunk and drive, etc etc and it affects your career.
THE FAILED persons are all CITIZENS.
What makes you say they can not check your previous salary if you hold GC/Citizenship. This does not seem right.
Actually it depends upon company to company how much background check they do and not on your visa status.
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HRPRO
05-04 01:43 PM
What if you open a company and sponsor your own H1? Ha! That will have a lawyer in knots!
Probably USCIS figured they would run into a guy like you at some point and very clearly defined the law. You cannot start a company and do your own H-1 out of it. :D:D:D:D Sorry, better luck next time:D:D:D:D:D
Probably USCIS figured they would run into a guy like you at some point and very clearly defined the law. You cannot start a company and do your own H-1 out of it. :D:D:D:D Sorry, better luck next time:D:D:D:D:D
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punjabi
09-10 02:54 PM
Hi javans,
I am not an attorney, but I have seen people using 3 yrs of experience to count for 1 year of education. And EB2 category needs at least 5 years of experience in the job area in which you will be applying PERM.
Thus, 3 years of education + 3 yrs of exprience + 5 years of experience = EB2 category.
You will need an Expert letter for an accredited Evaluation to prove that 3 years of education+experience = 4 yrs of education.
I have myself not done it, but I have met few people in the past who did that.
And as far as second question goes, I have not heard anything like that at all. If you are inclined to do online course for one year, I suggest you to do Masters (1.5 years of education and .half year of research project).
Hope it helps.
Good luck!
Thanks for the reply Veni001. Can anyone please answer to my second part of question i.e. online degree course.
Thanks,
javans
I am not an attorney, but I have seen people using 3 yrs of experience to count for 1 year of education. And EB2 category needs at least 5 years of experience in the job area in which you will be applying PERM.
Thus, 3 years of education + 3 yrs of exprience + 5 years of experience = EB2 category.
You will need an Expert letter for an accredited Evaluation to prove that 3 years of education+experience = 4 yrs of education.
I have myself not done it, but I have met few people in the past who did that.
And as far as second question goes, I have not heard anything like that at all. If you are inclined to do online course for one year, I suggest you to do Masters (1.5 years of education and .half year of research project).
Hope it helps.
Good luck!
Thanks for the reply Veni001. Can anyone please answer to my second part of question i.e. online degree course.
Thanks,
javans
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JazzByTheBay
06-20 09:34 PM
- Got wife's maiden name changed when I lost her passport... couple of years back. Recollect it took ~a week.
- Present Indian immigration statuc: ECNR, etc. - check your password. It should be ECNR if you've travelled this far... :)
- 16).Alien registration card number/Employment registration card number_____ (i dont have any of these numbers)
Don't recollect needing any of the above numbers.
- In our case, it was new passport in lieu of lost passport.
If you get in early (i.e. before they close for lunch, but preferably as soon as they open) they'll help you out with all that - generally nice & friendly folks in CGI.
jazz
Hi ,
Iam here on h4visa. Iam also planning to apply for name change from maiden name to married name in my passport.Is it true that it takes 1week time for the process if u go in person?Have u got any idea how long would it take if it is by mail?
And also i would want to ask some doubts in filling the application if u have already done this.None of them respond properly over phone from CGI.And by mail they are not answering appropriately.
can u help me in these questions.
16).Alien registration card number/Employment registration card number_____ (i dont have any of these numbers)
21).Present indian immigration status *ECR/**ECNR_________ ? (what to write here)
In the following question in the application form which option do i select for my maiden name change????????
31).Is this application for the
-first time passport
-new passport in replacement to expired/expiring passport
-lost passport
-damaged passport
Hope to get reply from u soon,
vaishu
- Present Indian immigration statuc: ECNR, etc. - check your password. It should be ECNR if you've travelled this far... :)
- 16).Alien registration card number/Employment registration card number_____ (i dont have any of these numbers)
Don't recollect needing any of the above numbers.
- In our case, it was new passport in lieu of lost passport.
If you get in early (i.e. before they close for lunch, but preferably as soon as they open) they'll help you out with all that - generally nice & friendly folks in CGI.
jazz
Hi ,
Iam here on h4visa. Iam also planning to apply for name change from maiden name to married name in my passport.Is it true that it takes 1week time for the process if u go in person?Have u got any idea how long would it take if it is by mail?
And also i would want to ask some doubts in filling the application if u have already done this.None of them respond properly over phone from CGI.And by mail they are not answering appropriately.
can u help me in these questions.
16).Alien registration card number/Employment registration card number_____ (i dont have any of these numbers)
21).Present indian immigration status *ECR/**ECNR_________ ? (what to write here)
In the following question in the application form which option do i select for my maiden name change????????
31).Is this application for the
-first time passport
-new passport in replacement to expired/expiring passport
-lost passport
-damaged passport
Hope to get reply from u soon,
vaishu
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Ram_C
11-21 12:06 PM
Happy Thanksgiving to IV Family.
-Ram
-Ram
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mirage
04-20 11:31 AM
Now I have started to feel nothing is going to happen. They all want to show us carrots, but we'll get sticks. I'm feeling down I am writing a very old hindi song sung by ishore Kumar. I feel as if this song was written for for all of us. I'm sorry for writing this here, but I wanted to share this, as I have this CD in my car and whenever I hear it, I feel I need to share with you guys.
Dukhi mun mere sun mera kehna. jahan nahee chaina wahan nahee rehna
oh my sad soul do not live where there's no peace.
dard hamara koi naa jaane aapne garaj ke sab hain diwane
Nobody feels our pain, everybody here is selfish
kise aage rona roye des paraya log begane
infront of whom you are crying, it is an alien country and alien people
Dukhi mun mere sun mera kehna. jahan nahee chaina wahan nahee rehna
oh my sad soul do not live where there's no peace.
apne liye yeh sab hain mele hum hai hurek mele mein akele
for me all these celeberations are meaningless as I'm alone here
kya payega isme reh ke jo duniya jeevan se kele
what will you get living in this word where people play with lives
Dukhi mun mere sun mera kehna. jahan nahee chaina wahan nahee rehna
oh my sad soul do not live where there's no peace.
Dukhi mun mere sun mera kehna. jahan nahee chaina wahan nahee rehna
oh my sad soul do not live where there's no peace.
dard hamara koi naa jaane aapne garaj ke sab hain diwane
Nobody feels our pain, everybody here is selfish
kise aage rona roye des paraya log begane
infront of whom you are crying, it is an alien country and alien people
Dukhi mun mere sun mera kehna. jahan nahee chaina wahan nahee rehna
oh my sad soul do not live where there's no peace.
apne liye yeh sab hain mele hum hai hurek mele mein akele
for me all these celeberations are meaningless as I'm alone here
kya payega isme reh ke jo duniya jeevan se kele
what will you get living in this word where people play with lives
Dukhi mun mere sun mera kehna. jahan nahee chaina wahan nahee rehna
oh my sad soul do not live where there's no peace.
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chanduv23
11-21 11:08 AM
Wonderful holiday season to all IV members and their families.
Drive safely if you are planning to drive, if you are flying or other means, get early to the place of travel.
Have a wonderful time, have faith on IV and lets keep the grassroots efforts on going.
Drive safely if you are planning to drive, if you are flying or other means, get early to the place of travel.
Have a wonderful time, have faith on IV and lets keep the grassroots efforts on going.
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java_jaggu
06-20 04:29 PM
logiclife, I am not sure whether we can file the 485 on our own with a letter from the employer. The letter from the employer is part of the "Initial Evidence" required to file the 485 petition. Here is a snippet from the immigration-law website talking about the importance of submitting the initial evidence at the time of filing. There is a high possibility that your I-485 petition will get denied(without an RFE) if you don't submit it without a letter from the employer.
06/17/2007: Flexible RFE/NOID Response Time Rule and Advisory for July EB-485 Filing
As we advised earlier, the USCIS published a new rule that allows the USCIS to have more discredtion and control over the two issues: One is shortening of the timeframe for responses to RFE from previous 12 weeks to any period of time which they see fit. The second rule is their authority to either reject or deny petitions or applications without issuing RFE where "initial evidence" is missing in the filing. Previously, the so-called Yates memo indirectly required the agency to avoid rejection and denial with a recommend to issue RFEs as much as possible. This part of the Yates memo is overridden by the new rule who took effect yesterday, June 16, 2007. It is thus likely that the Service Centers will more aggressively reject or deny the I-485 applications where the "initial evidence" are missing in the filing packet. It is thus very important that people understand the definition of "initial evidence." The initial evidence varies between the nonimmigrant and immigrant proceedings and for that matter, each type of proceedings. The immigration regulation lists in details the initial evidence. However, the instructions sheets to each petition or application lists the initial evidence that are required for filing. Accordingly, beginning from today, people may want to read the instruction sheet for I-485 form carefully to learn the list of initial evidence and not to miss omitting these evidence in filing I-485 applications.
06/17/2007: Flexible RFE/NOID Response Time Rule and Advisory for July EB-485 Filing
As we advised earlier, the USCIS published a new rule that allows the USCIS to have more discredtion and control over the two issues: One is shortening of the timeframe for responses to RFE from previous 12 weeks to any period of time which they see fit. The second rule is their authority to either reject or deny petitions or applications without issuing RFE where "initial evidence" is missing in the filing. Previously, the so-called Yates memo indirectly required the agency to avoid rejection and denial with a recommend to issue RFEs as much as possible. This part of the Yates memo is overridden by the new rule who took effect yesterday, June 16, 2007. It is thus likely that the Service Centers will more aggressively reject or deny the I-485 applications where the "initial evidence" are missing in the filing packet. It is thus very important that people understand the definition of "initial evidence." The initial evidence varies between the nonimmigrant and immigrant proceedings and for that matter, each type of proceedings. The immigration regulation lists in details the initial evidence. However, the instructions sheets to each petition or application lists the initial evidence that are required for filing. Accordingly, beginning from today, people may want to read the instruction sheet for I-485 form carefully to learn the list of initial evidence and not to miss omitting these evidence in filing I-485 applications.
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Pallavi79
02-21 11:43 PM
:)
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caliducas
06-06 04:56 PM
I believe unless you filed I-485 under the revised fee structure last year, you need to pay for EAD and AP renewal every time you have to renew.
I'm renewing my wife's and my EAD through my attorney. We'll pay only this time for the new fee and then on will be free. Same is with AP. Pay once under the new fee, and then you can renew it for free. The only fee you'll pay is your attorney's, which you don't have to do. You can efile by yourself like many other people have done.
I'm renewing my wife's and my EAD through my attorney. We'll pay only this time for the new fee and then on will be free. Same is with AP. Pay once under the new fee, and then you can renew it for free. The only fee you'll pay is your attorney's, which you don't have to do. You can efile by yourself like many other people have done.
GCwaitforever
09-22 04:16 PM
So can I ask my colleague to send me a notarized experience letter ?
Notarizing means taking an oath in front of a notary. Also be aware that notary is done for documents not in the public domain. Your freind better be sure of what he is vouching for. Otherwise he will get into trouble.
Why would not your ex-employer sign your experience letter? HR department of every company once in a while receive requests like this from ex-employees and they should not have a problem with it.
Notarizing means taking an oath in front of a notary. Also be aware that notary is done for documents not in the public domain. Your freind better be sure of what he is vouching for. Otherwise he will get into trouble.
Why would not your ex-employer sign your experience letter? HR department of every company once in a while receive requests like this from ex-employees and they should not have a problem with it.
pa_arora
03-11 12:27 PM
I am sorry if this is a re-post.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/06/AR2009030601926.html
----
They're Taking Their Brains and Going Home
By Vivek Wadhwa
Sunday, March 8, 2009; Page B02
Seven years ago, Sandeep Nijsure left his home in Mumbai to study computer science at the University of North Texas. Master's degree in hand, he went to work for Microsoft. He valued his education and enjoyed the job, but he worried about his aging parents. He missed watching cricket, celebrating Hindu festivals and following the twists of Indian politics. His wife was homesick, too, and her visa didn't allow her to work.
Not long ago, Sandeep would have faced a tough choice: either go home and give up opportunities for wealth and U.S. citizenship, or stay and bide his time until his application for a green card goes through. But last year, Sandeep returned to India and landed a software development position with Amazon.com in Hyderabad. He and his wife live a few blocks from their families in a spacious, air-conditioned house. No longer at the mercy of the American employer sponsoring his visa, Sandeep can more easily determine the course of his career. "We are very happy with our move," he told me in an e-mail.
The United States has always been the country to which the world's best and brightest -- people like Sandeep -- have flocked in pursuit of education and to seek their fortunes. Over the past four decades, India and China suffered a major "brain drain" as tens of thousands of talented people made their way here, dreaming the American dream.
But burgeoning new economies abroad and flagging prospects in the United States have changed everything. And as opportunities pull immigrants home, the lumbering U.S. immigration bureaucracy helps push them away.
When I started teaching at Duke University in 2005, almost all the international students graduating from our Master of Engineering Management program said that they planned to stay in the United States for at least a few years. In the class of 2009, most of our 80 international students are buying one-way tickets home. It's the same at Harvard. Senior economics major Meijie Tang, from China, isn't even bothering to look for a job in the United States. After hearing from other students that it's "impossible" to get an H-1B visa -- the kind given to highly-skilled workers in fields such as engineering and science -- she teamed up with a classmate to start a technology company in Shanghai. Investors in China offered to put up millions even before 23-year-old Meijie and her 21-year-old colleague completed their business plan.
When smart young foreigners leave these shores, they take with them the seeds of tomorrow's innovation. Almost 25 percent of all international patent applications filed from the United States in 2006 named foreign nationals as inventors. Immigrants founded a quarter of all U.S. engineering and technology companies started between 1995 and 2005, including half of those in Silicon Valley. In 2005 alone, immigrants' businesses generated $52 billion in sales and employed 450,000 workers.
Yet rather than welcome these entrepreneurs, the U.S. government is confining many of them to a painful purgatory. As of Sept. 30, 2006, more than a million people were waiting for the 120,000 permanent-resident visas granted each year to skilled workers and their family members. No nation may claim more than 7 percent, so years may pass before immigrants from populous countries such as India and China are even considered.
Like many Indians, Girija Subramaniam is fed up. After earning a master's in electrical engineering from the University of Virginia in 1998, she joined Texas Instruments as a test engineer. She wanted to stay in the United States, applied for permanent residency in 2002 and has been trapped in immigration limbo ever since. If she so much as accepts a promotion or, heaven forbid, starts her own company, she will lose her place in line. Frustrated, she has applied for fast-track Canadian permanent residency and expects to move north of the border by the end of the year.
For the Kaufmann Foundation, I recently surveyed 1,200 Indians and Chinese who worked or studied in the United States and then returned home. Most were in their 30s, and 80 percent held master's degrees or doctorates in management, technology or science -- precisely the kind of people who could make the greatest contribution to the U.S. economy. A sizable number said that they had advanced significantly in their careers since leaving the United States. They were more optimistic about opportunities for entrepreneurship, and more than half planned to start their own businesses, if they had not done so already. Only a quarter said that they were likely to return to the United States.
Why does all this matter? Because just as the United States has relied on foreigners to underwrite its deficit, it has also depended on smart immigrants to staff its laboratories, engineering design studios and tech firms. An analysis of the 2000 Census showed that although immigrants accounted for only 12 percent of the U.S. workforce, they made up 47 percent of all scientists and engineers with doctorates. What's more, 67 percent of all those who entered the fields of science and engineering between 1995 and 2006 were immigrants. What will happen to America's competitive edge when these people go home?
Immigrants who leave the United States will launch companies, file patents and fill the intellectual coffers of other countries. Their talents will benefit nations such as India, China and Canada, not the United States. America's loss will be the world's gain.
wadhwa@duke.edu
Vivek Wadhwa is a senior research associate at Harvard Law School and executive in residence at Duke University.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/06/AR2009030601926.html
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They're Taking Their Brains and Going Home
By Vivek Wadhwa
Sunday, March 8, 2009; Page B02
Seven years ago, Sandeep Nijsure left his home in Mumbai to study computer science at the University of North Texas. Master's degree in hand, he went to work for Microsoft. He valued his education and enjoyed the job, but he worried about his aging parents. He missed watching cricket, celebrating Hindu festivals and following the twists of Indian politics. His wife was homesick, too, and her visa didn't allow her to work.
Not long ago, Sandeep would have faced a tough choice: either go home and give up opportunities for wealth and U.S. citizenship, or stay and bide his time until his application for a green card goes through. But last year, Sandeep returned to India and landed a software development position with Amazon.com in Hyderabad. He and his wife live a few blocks from their families in a spacious, air-conditioned house. No longer at the mercy of the American employer sponsoring his visa, Sandeep can more easily determine the course of his career. "We are very happy with our move," he told me in an e-mail.
The United States has always been the country to which the world's best and brightest -- people like Sandeep -- have flocked in pursuit of education and to seek their fortunes. Over the past four decades, India and China suffered a major "brain drain" as tens of thousands of talented people made their way here, dreaming the American dream.
But burgeoning new economies abroad and flagging prospects in the United States have changed everything. And as opportunities pull immigrants home, the lumbering U.S. immigration bureaucracy helps push them away.
When I started teaching at Duke University in 2005, almost all the international students graduating from our Master of Engineering Management program said that they planned to stay in the United States for at least a few years. In the class of 2009, most of our 80 international students are buying one-way tickets home. It's the same at Harvard. Senior economics major Meijie Tang, from China, isn't even bothering to look for a job in the United States. After hearing from other students that it's "impossible" to get an H-1B visa -- the kind given to highly-skilled workers in fields such as engineering and science -- she teamed up with a classmate to start a technology company in Shanghai. Investors in China offered to put up millions even before 23-year-old Meijie and her 21-year-old colleague completed their business plan.
When smart young foreigners leave these shores, they take with them the seeds of tomorrow's innovation. Almost 25 percent of all international patent applications filed from the United States in 2006 named foreign nationals as inventors. Immigrants founded a quarter of all U.S. engineering and technology companies started between 1995 and 2005, including half of those in Silicon Valley. In 2005 alone, immigrants' businesses generated $52 billion in sales and employed 450,000 workers.
Yet rather than welcome these entrepreneurs, the U.S. government is confining many of them to a painful purgatory. As of Sept. 30, 2006, more than a million people were waiting for the 120,000 permanent-resident visas granted each year to skilled workers and their family members. No nation may claim more than 7 percent, so years may pass before immigrants from populous countries such as India and China are even considered.
Like many Indians, Girija Subramaniam is fed up. After earning a master's in electrical engineering from the University of Virginia in 1998, she joined Texas Instruments as a test engineer. She wanted to stay in the United States, applied for permanent residency in 2002 and has been trapped in immigration limbo ever since. If she so much as accepts a promotion or, heaven forbid, starts her own company, she will lose her place in line. Frustrated, she has applied for fast-track Canadian permanent residency and expects to move north of the border by the end of the year.
For the Kaufmann Foundation, I recently surveyed 1,200 Indians and Chinese who worked or studied in the United States and then returned home. Most were in their 30s, and 80 percent held master's degrees or doctorates in management, technology or science -- precisely the kind of people who could make the greatest contribution to the U.S. economy. A sizable number said that they had advanced significantly in their careers since leaving the United States. They were more optimistic about opportunities for entrepreneurship, and more than half planned to start their own businesses, if they had not done so already. Only a quarter said that they were likely to return to the United States.
Why does all this matter? Because just as the United States has relied on foreigners to underwrite its deficit, it has also depended on smart immigrants to staff its laboratories, engineering design studios and tech firms. An analysis of the 2000 Census showed that although immigrants accounted for only 12 percent of the U.S. workforce, they made up 47 percent of all scientists and engineers with doctorates. What's more, 67 percent of all those who entered the fields of science and engineering between 1995 and 2006 were immigrants. What will happen to America's competitive edge when these people go home?
Immigrants who leave the United States will launch companies, file patents and fill the intellectual coffers of other countries. Their talents will benefit nations such as India, China and Canada, not the United States. America's loss will be the world's gain.
wadhwa@duke.edu
Vivek Wadhwa is a senior research associate at Harvard Law School and executive in residence at Duke University.
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