Green card dreams in trouble 24 May, 2007
NEW DELHI:
In the immigration debate that is sweeping the corridors of power in the US Capitol, skilled visas — or H1-B — may escape the really acrimonious exchanges.
But on the sacrificial pyre of the US immigration churn will probably fall the much loved and much desired 'green card'. There is a serious case for increasing the number of H1-B visas, though the House version of the immigration Bill barely mentioned them. The Senate version proposes raising the H1-B cap to 1,15,000 from the present 65,000, with optimists projecting an increase to 1,80,000 in future, but a decision on this is still pending.
It will be the green card holders that may face trouble. The centrepiece of the immigration reform, which is to legalise over 12 million illegal immigrants in the US including 3,00,000 Indians, may end up penalising legal immigrants. Indian-Americans don't win by numbers compared to illegal workers, but they are definitely an asset to the American society. Largely law abiding, highly motivated and skilled, by some estimates, these people are responsible for starting up to 25% of the companies in the Silicon Valley.
The new law proposes to restrict the current family-based immigration system that many Indian-Americans rely upon to join their families who live and work in the US.
While the legislation will open the doors for these Indian-Americans to live and work in the US, their future settlement will depend on their education, skills and how they benefit the US economy. Indian-American lobby groups claim this threatens their interests as it moves away from the family-oriented process, which is currently in place, and puts parents, children and siblings of citizens and green card holders in the firing line. The Bill may also completely wipe out the option of green cards for siblings and adult children of US citizens. It may even cap visas for parents of US citizens, besides eliminating the Diversity Lottery Programme, under which US grants 50,000 green cards on a random basis every year.
The Bill also requires applicants who filed their petitions after May 2005 to re-apply, resulting in processing delays. The shape of the Bill shows the more active and powerful lobbying abilities of Hispanic immigrants in the US. Indian immigrants form the largest number of legal and affluent immigrants, but their lobbying capabilities are clearly pathetic, because the proposed immigration Bill will actually target their interests, in the two most crucial aspects: hi-tech visas and green cards.
The bright side is that the US immigration system is moving the Australia and UK way — a merits-based system, under which immigrants with education, skills, backgrounds that benefit the US will be rewarded extra points. Immigrants will also be granted weightage on the basis of their English, technical skills and endorsement by US employers. All of this weighs in favour of Indians seeking to live and migrate to the US. In addition, the heated politics attending the immigration reform debate, particularly in the backdrop of forthcoming elections in the US, it's unlikely that H1-B visas will see a huge jump.
24 May, 2007 l 0326 hrs IST
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
In the immigration debate that is sweeping the corridors of power in the US Capitol, skilled visas — or H1-B — may escape the really acrimonious exchanges.
But on the sacrificial pyre of the US immigration churn will probably fall the much loved and much desired 'green card'. There is a serious case for increasing the number of H1-B visas, though the House version of the immigration Bill barely mentioned them. The Senate version proposes raising the H1-B cap to 1,15,000 from the present 65,000, with optimists projecting an increase to 1,80,000 in future, but a decision on this is still pending.
It will be the green card holders that may face trouble. The centrepiece of the immigration reform, which is to legalise over 12 million illegal immigrants in the US including 3,00,000 Indians, may end up penalising legal immigrants. Indian-Americans don't win by numbers compared to illegal workers, but they are definitely an asset to the American society. Largely law abiding, highly motivated and skilled, by some estimates, these people are responsible for starting up to 25% of the companies in the Silicon Valley.
The new law proposes to restrict the current family-based immigration system that many Indian-Americans rely upon to join their families who live and work in the US.
While the legislation will open the doors for these Indian-Americans to live and work in the US, their future settlement will depend on their education, skills and how they benefit the US economy. Indian-American lobby groups claim this threatens their interests as it moves away from the family-oriented process, which is currently in place, and puts parents, children and siblings of citizens and green card holders in the firing line. The Bill may also completely wipe out the option of green cards for siblings and adult children of US citizens. It may even cap visas for parents of US citizens, besides eliminating the Diversity Lottery Programme, under which US grants 50,000 green cards on a random basis every year.
The Bill also requires applicants who filed their petitions after May 2005 to re-apply, resulting in processing delays. The shape of the Bill shows the more active and powerful lobbying abilities of Hispanic immigrants in the US. Indian immigrants form the largest number of legal and affluent immigrants, but their lobbying capabilities are clearly pathetic, because the proposed immigration Bill will actually target their interests, in the two most crucial aspects: hi-tech visas and green cards.
The bright side is that the US immigration system is moving the Australia and UK way — a merits-based system, under which immigrants with education, skills, backgrounds that benefit the US will be rewarded extra points. Immigrants will also be granted weightage on the basis of their English, technical skills and endorsement by US employers. All of this weighs in favour of Indians seeking to live and migrate to the US. In addition, the heated politics attending the immigration reform debate, particularly in the backdrop of forthcoming elections in the US, it's unlikely that H1-B visas will see a huge jump.
24 May, 2007 l 0326 hrs IST
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
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