As many of you know, the Obama administration, and the Bush one before them, have tried to ease the immigration standoff in Congress by becoming their own mini-Congress, in effect making their own laws via executive order. The best known case involved giving work rights to the spouses of H-1B visa holders.
Recently, the Obama people tried the same approach to ease the long wait for a green card, among employer-sponsored workers. That has now backfired, as reported in this Minneapolis Star-Tribune article. The administration, in an attempt to give the green card waiters more mobility before their immigrant visa comes through, apparently miscalculated. As a result, it first promised lots of people that they would be mobile soon under the new rules, but then reversed their decision. The H-1B advocacy group Immigrant Voice is up in arms.
On the one hand, I can sympathize. I’ve long stated that those waiting for a green card are de facto indentured servants — and that many employers like it that way. But I must say that these foreign workers, in complaining about their woes, seem to have no inkling of the woes they cause many Americans, when employers hire them over equally-qualified Americans. And, as is common among the former foreign students now working in the U.S., we see an unwarranted sense of entitlement.
What is also interesting about the article is that it shows, once again, how the H-1Bs hired as foreign students at U.S. universities are mostly ordinary people doing ordinary work — NOT “the best and the brightest,” as claimed by the industry lobbyists.
The foreign worker highlighted in the lead paragraph, Haifeng Xiao, attended a non-elite university in China, and a non-elite university in the U.S. She is doing work that many Americans could do. As I said, ordinary people doing ordinary work.
The other main profile in the article is Srikanth Peddireddy. He has an MBA from a top school, but his job title is Performance Excellence Manager. Really, are there no qualified Americans available for that position?
So, why did the government reverse itself? One expert I consulted thinks the government simply added up its figures incorrectly. It’s also possible they are afraid of another lawsuit by the American workers. Or, it could just be that the tech industry quietly explained to DOS that it WANTS those workers to be immobile.
Upon Closer inspection 
[…] https://normsaysno.wordpress.com/2015/10/02/u-s-dept-of-state-overpromises-on-green-cards/ […]
LikeLike
Immigration voice is a grassroots high skilled immigrant worker advocacy group – It does not support any hike in H-1s in the way the current law is written nor does it do H-1 advocacy.
As recently as the budget resolution in april, IV did not support Hatch’s amendment 1025 (which would have hiked H-1 quotas). It supported Grassley’s amendment to bill HR3012 back in 2013 and continues to do so.
It is focusing currently on ways to fix/address the greencard mess – HR 213 (HR 3012 is reintroduced in the current congress). It does not support other flashy employer supported advocacy groups like FWD.US that need more H-1 numbers.
And yes, the admin goofed up with the numbers.They did a similar fiasco back in 2007 as well.
It’s also nice to see individuals from the other side of spectrum – http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/02/us/incorrect-count-on-visas-disrupts-lives-of-highly-skilled-immigrants.html
LikeLike
Yes, IV’s goal is to liberalize the green card policy, not to increase the H-1B cap. That is of course true, because most of IV’s members already have H-1B visas, so they have no need for an increase in the cap. I referred to the group as an “H-1B advocacy group” to mean, “an advocacy group consisting mainly of H-1B visa holders.”
Thanks for contributing to the blog. I hope you continue to do so.
LikeLike
Norm, thanks for writing this blog.
I do not particularly agree with your evaluation of Srikanth. However I do agree with you that his employers did not reach out to every available American before hiring him.But does that make Srikanth any less brighter?
Srikanth got an admit into a Top US school.. I believe that is a significant proof that he is brighter than many (I am sure you do not agree with that). So at what stages and how many times he has to prove that he is bright enough to stay and work in US? And whose definition of best and brightest he has to fulfill?Its obvious that your definition of best and brightest does not match with either that Top US school or Srikanth’s Employers.
Just like Employers, don’t schools (atleast graduate) have a moral obligation to seek out Americans first who were as bright as Srikanth?
Regarding “Unwarranted Entitlement”. I completely understand many former students make reckless comments.(I myself have made some). however i believe most are coming out of frustration rather than a strong belief of any sort of entitlement they need. What “Immigration Voice” is fighting (Liberalizing GC process) is at the heart of what the entire immigration community wants. At present a “Skills” based entrant into this country is differentiated based on his/her origin country while waiting in the line for gaining rights. I do not believe seeking Fairness in that matter is “Unwarranted Entitlement”
I am sure you sympathize with Indians and Chinese stuck in the GC process. However you believe that if the GC process is liberalized before restricting H1B than more students will flock in, further distorting the market. I myself have that apprehension, but keeping the lives of immigrants like Srikanth (who has probably stayed for 7-8 years here) hostage for that is not something I approve of.
(FYI: By liberalizing GC process, I do not mean handing out GC’s to those who graduate)
LikeLike
Since I myself brought in the issue of what schools these workers had attended, I must stand by it to some extent. I would say, though, that admission to an MBA program is a lot less impressive than to a grad program in STEM.
The real question is whether Mr. Peddireddy adds enough talent to the nation to justify the extra difficulty his hiring imposes on the job searches and wages of those already here. Given the type of position he filled, I’m quite doubtful of that.
You say that my definition of “best and brightest” doesn’t jibe with that of his employer, but in making that statement you’re ignoring my explanation yesterday that employers actually do not use quality as their first-stage filter.
I very strongly disagree with your claim that the sense of entitlement is largely a reflection of the frustration felt by those in the long green card queue. I’ve been observing this entitlement attitude for more than 20 years, long before the queues got so long.
LikeLike
“The real question is whether Mr. Peddireddy adds enough talent to the nation to justify the extra difficulty his hiring imposes on the job searches and wages of those already here.”
Why is this question not implemented on schools while seeking international STEM students? I think it is obvious that most international students end up in the labor market post graduation . So the question you are asking is equally justified on an Academic level , just like it should be for an Employer.
I am not ignoring the fact that employers are not seeking out for quality as their first preference. It is evident, they are not. But the person they hire is simply a pawn in their strategy. Now since American labor is unable to twist their hand or convince government to stop this malpractice, they want to make sure that immigrants struggle so that it discourages future immigrants from taking this journey.
LikeLike
Mack, I’m sorry to break the sad news to you, but the world doesn’t work that way. It especially doesn’t work that way for academia, in these days of “University.com.”
Universities often love foreign students these days not because the students are “the best and the brightest,” but because they are “the richest.” I see the Michigan’s MBA program charges 10% extra tuition for the foreign students, and they probably aren’t eligible for financial aid either. Bingo! — Mr. Peddireddy became a “profit center.”
In addition, many U.S. schools are now establishing branches in foreign countries (more profit centers), and having alumni from such countries can really facilitate that.
Furthermore, for both foreign and domestic applicants, influential people put pressure on the U.S. schools to admit certain applicants who are not stars. In my program, for instance, I once received a phone call from a Nobel laureate who was a friend of an applicant’s father, and received a letter of recommendation for another applicant from the U.S. Ambassador to the UN, again a friend of the family. Both applicants were foreign students, but again, this happens for domestic students too, and in many cases the applicants are admitted as a result.
So, not, universities do not necessarily admit “the best and the brightest.”
You may be amused by the following anecdote. Some years ago, during the height of an alleged STEM shortage, a certain American new graduate (Bachelor’s in physics, MS in EE, both from top schools) was rejected by Texas instruments three times. When I asked a TI recruiter how this could happen, she floored me by saying, “Probably he was TOO talented; TI doesn’t want people who are too smart.”
LikeLike
I am completely aware of how the academia works. After first 3 years in US as a student and seeing others flocking in , I easily realized that no Americans are paying as much to the grad schools as we are.
You have been one of the very few critiques who have criticized not only the body shops but also the foreign graduates as H1B’s. For the most part, you have been fair in your criticism. However for STEM graduates, your solutions for reform start from Employment (which is actually the second stage of abuse) when clearly it is the academia who has already distorted the future labor market by flooding in foreign students.
LikeLike
I’m sure you agree that we shouldn’t blame the foreign workers for the adverse impact on Americans. Similarly, I don’t see how we can blame the universities either.
Universities are businesses, just like the “real” businesses. Their job is to bring in money. No university can act unilaterally to stop, just like no business can. Both are abusing the system, but it is Congress’ fault for setting up that abuse.
LikeLike
@Mack: I’m sure you’re familiar with the phrase “caveat emptor.” I learned it intimately after buying my first used car at age 17. Unless these universities are offering a warranty guaranteeing a job post graduation, any international student who attends such a university should assume they will be returning home after graduating and not be disappointed when they don’t land a US job.
The government (correctly) didn’t protect me when I thought I should get a refund on my car when I found out it had a transmission problem three days after purchase — that is the nature of an as-is sale. Likewise, the government shouldn’t feel sorry for (i.e. protect) international students who attend a US university and can’t find a job post-graduation.
I assume the international student who attends the US university believes the degree they walk away with has more value than a similar degree from a university in their home country. So, if I were in their shoes, I’d still say I got something out of it because it should make my job search back home much easier. If, however, the international student views the degree as some kind of bribe to get into the US job market (“I’m paying you a lot of money for this degree so I better get a job in the US”), then I honestly have no compassion for them.
After I learned my lesson about as-is sales, I told my friends. I know that story saved at least one of them from making the same mistake later that year (they actually hired a mechanic to inspect the car prior to the sale and found a significant mechanical problem). If you believe American universities are taking advantage of international students (something I don’t necessarily disagree with), then the best thing you can do is spread the word outside the US so they can avoid making a potentially costly mistake.
LikeLike
Folks, canada has raised some interesting questions on the subject and switzerland has a system that appears to be working.
Thought I would share it with you here.
LikeLike
My issue with Shrikanth and proponents of Shrikanths of world is this:
1. In case of India, they have roughly 5 times of our population. I am strong believer that people are people thus doing a simple math they should outsmart us by numbers. Now that you and I are in agreement. The pool of smart people from the rest of the world is bigger than ours, is your conclusion that we give our country an ethnic cleansing?
2. Looking at India in particular, they have been replacing Americans for at least 20 years and been getting IT jobs from the rest of world mainly due to cost reasons. But look India, it has done nothing for their economy or otherwise except for exploding their population. If you are an advocate of ethnic cleansing then we’ll end up just like them. A nation that is exploding with people without any prospects of ever prospering as one. Is this what you want?
3. We need to keep our values that made America great by putting Americans first so that there will always be room for select number of Shrikanths to have a better place to migrate to. Going down the path that we are headed, it is just matter of time before we are no longer in a position to that.
Bottom line is that we don’t need Shrikanth or anyone else to make us better, it is our values, our society, and our dedication to our citizens first that has made America the place for everyone to want to come here. By putting people from foreign nations ahead of our own citizens, we are no longer a nation. Even though we are a nation of immigrants, we have not had this high percentage of immigrants in 104 years. When is enough is enough? Last but not least, is America a corporation or a nation? The first job of the government is to protect its citizens not destroy them economically. Mind you we live in a society where economic destruction is essentially ethnic cleansing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Approach 1: Create a level playing field and several of these ailments will go away.
1) Hike H-1 wage levels significantly.
2) Set a wage limit for L-1 and make (1) applicable to them too
3) Remove country quotas for greencards <—- Huge disincentive for employers to get indentured folks on depressed wages.
4) Once this is done, reduce the H-1 quotas (yes, once the incentives go away, the demand falls automatically)
5) Revisit Greencard Lotteries and eliminate, if at all possible.
(1) , (2) and (3) would reduce
Approach 2: Status quo/Stop all immigration
That has a downside. Work WILL get offshored. No one really is talking about the american jobs that are lost just to overseas especially if the market they serve is this country. Eg., Disney opening a completely offshore center in India/China/Elsewhere. (No, i am NOT talking about call centers). It's hard core research and development – and NO, I am not supporting what Disney did here. Just saying that day is not too far where private sector will move completely offshore.
There is this business model where companies are letting older folks retire and for each senior resource , 4 or 5 (or more) are getting augmented overseas in their "R&D" centers. No OPTs/No H-1s/No firings/No replacements/no bad press/no disgruntled folks. These senior folks are also doing this knowledge transfer happily.Win-Win for everyone. BUT jobs are being lost in huge numbers, IMO especially since the work done out of the country is for US market. In fact, these are bringing their employees on L-1 and generally 'play by the book' aka the original intent of L-1. While on that subject, I see people being brought in at higher positions on L-1A (from APAC/EMEA geography to NA) making them the VPs in this country/market.
As a side note,I am pretty sure that Nadella and Pillai, if they were to enter this country today, they would not have made the cut at all (in H-1 lottery). Too, an american could have easily filled their positions. In fact, I'd go with Prof's line of ordinary jobs done by ordinary people. Nadella aint no Gates; Pillai is not Steve Jobs..
Even for a second we assume that they are really 'brightest', the country is burdened with several million 'ordinary' folks coming in as 'bright and brilliant' behind every smart cookie.
It's only the Einsteins that can be counted as 'brightest and exceptional' – All other non-americans are ordinary/below average Joes'.
LikeLike
Offshoring has proven to be of limited use. Ending H-1B (which I’ve never advocated) would not result in a big increase in offshored work.
LikeLike
there is another option that will protect the people of every country (offshoring is happening in every country)
1. It is OK to grow, raise or manufacture your products here in America and sell them to other countries and the same applies to those countries.
2. It is OK to open retail or manufacturing branches in other countries to offset the shipping problems as long as you hire the locals to work in those countries.
3. It is NOT OK to put the people in your country out of work, send the growing, raising or manufacturing to another country and then import those products back into your country.
The MARKET is America and Europe.
If we told the businesses that they could not manufacture their products (american corporations) offshore and import them to America to be sold, they would stop what they are doing overnight.
LikeLike
@Adrian: Well said.
Recently, I’ve seen the H-1B narrative subtly change from “we’re filling jobs for which there are no qualified Americans” to “we’re smart and *deserve* a place in the American job market.”
When my great-grandparents came to the US during the run-up to the Russian Revolution, they had a different mindset from the special pleaders we hear from today. They didn’t have the entitlement mentality that because they had “skilled job X” in Russia, they should have “skilled job X” in the US. They accepted whatever work they could find because they wanted a better life for their children. Within one generation they succeeded, and my grandfather followed in his father’s profession as an MD.
I think many Americans have a similar family story that may have been told for many generations or is just now being experienced by the first generation. Namely, an ancestor sacrificed a career, property, etc. to make a better life in the US for their descendants. IMO, that sacrifice is what drives a lot of so-called “American exceptionalism.”
Regardless of the latest narrative proffered by the US Chamber of Crony Capitalism and their allies in the government, I agree that the end result will be a fundamental transformation of American society and values to the point where the US will be just another mediocre member of the league of nations.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hate to talk about another person’s resume because I wouldn’t like anybody analyzing my resume. But, there is really no evidence in this guy’s resume that he’s a quick learner. He has spent 4 years earning a MS in Industrial Engineering from OSU (I know that he might be working alongside but 4 years to earn a MS is still a pretty long period). He has had at least 5 years of experience in the industry before being enrolled in & completing his MBA from University of Michigan in 3 years time. I don’t mean to say that he is not a very bright individual. But, the fact that he is not the “best and the brightest” is quite evident from his profile. Anyone who has been given an opportunity to study MS in a reputed University in the US, has subsequently been given an opportunity to work for an industry in the US and knows well how to “drive” will have enough motivation to achieve what he has achieved. People forget one thing that being given an opportunity to work in the US for an industry is a very big confidence booster, provided you know what it takes. Being given a relatively easy path to live the American dream is highly motivating. Think about those qualified American students for whom the path has become more difficult. Think about those Indians who had to leave the US and work in India. I am sure that they would have done much better if allowed to stay. Then politicians in Washington DC look at these candidates and say “H1B’s are very hardworking”.
By the way Dr. Matloff, aren’t Universities institutions and not corporations? They should not be looking to maximize profit. Or we would see bitter rivalry among professors for who becomes the next dean, Lol.
LikeLike
As I’ve explained many times, “revenue enhancement” is extremely important to universities.
LikeLike
A person seeking a student visa supposedly intends to return home once the degree is completed. If no one from the Third World countries ever returns to share the knowledge they obtained via a US education, these countries will not advance. Those who obtain degrees in the US and remain have lied about their intent.
It is the responsibility of the citizens who were fortunate enough to obtain an education to work to improve the lives of their relatives, friends and countrymen. If those citizens do not care about their homeland, who will.
I really wish the US would require all who obtain a US education on non-immigrant visas to spend at least as much time in their home country after receiving their degree as they spent being educated in the US. That is the best hope for the future in these countries.
A US degree was never supposed to be the guarantee of either a US job or permanent residency.
LikeLike
a lot of the h-1b’s I have been talking too say that now the non immigrants use a student visa first to get them six years and then a h-1b to get another six years and then another 8 years to get a green card.
They have no interest in going home because there are no jobs in India and India’s solution is to poach jobs from other countries rather than create jobs in their own country.
LikeLike
@vbierschwale,
Don’t know which H-1s you have been talking to, but the path to green card is certainly not 8 years (or anywhere remotely close) – especially for countries like india/china. and these are the two countries that are generally spoken much about everywhere since there is a huge influx of below-ordinary folks coming into this country in H-1/L-1/J-1/what not masked as ‘Best and brightest’..
If any, it takes decades (going by current processing dates, it could be ~70 years for folks in EB-3 category from india) for someone from these countries to get a greencard. and they are indentured for all those years, which needless to say is a huge incentive to employers (no promotions/no change in job roles etc).
Going the way things are going (with congress maintaining status quo),
1) the Disney’s/Toys-R-Us and the likes will be creating a completely offshore centers by layoffs or by augmentation (Disney offshore coming onsite and learning stuff of the US counterpart on L-1 so to speak).
or
2) Several big organizations are letting their baby boomers retire gracefully (no forcing of any sort) and are augmenting resources in their offshore centers. This is very very disturbing since there is absolutely NO discussion on this in this country. Everyone is happy. Secondly, the same folks who were here on H-1/L-1 who are now citizens are helping ramp up the offshore activities (countering your argument of ‘they have no interest in going home’) . In fact these folks (although in fewer numbers) are heading back ‘homes’ at a higher position to lead those bigger teams that they just helped create…… I’d like to see some stats on this model (how many jobs are actually lost by way of baby boomers retiring).
LikeLike
There are basically 3 levels of employer-sponsored green cards. EB-1 and EB-2 are for the better-quality workers, while EB-3 is for the ordinary people. (As in the phrase I often use, “ordinary people, doing ordinary work.”) The wait for EB-1 and EB-2, i.e. the categories for the people who can contribute more to the U.S. (theoretically), is not that bad. The long wait is for the “ordinary people, doing ordinary work” category.
LikeLike
@matloff,
Sure – as of this month , the wait for EB2 (‘little-more-than-ordinary’ folks) is 10+ years. and the ‘ordinary’ category (EB3) has a life-long wait.
The irony is these so-called EB3s can never raise in their careers (or to the top) because they are in a 70 year queue to get their job mobility/promotion/greencard. Heading elsewhere is certainly an option:
1) By moving out of the country and coming back on L-1A which gives them a greencard almost instantly. And for the rest, they are indentured.
2) Leave country for good and someone else will take that spot in the already 70 year queue.
Neither of the above is letting an american to claim back the ‘stolen’ job, unfortunately.
If any, it’s depressing the wage system even more by choking the already burdened green card immigration queues.
LikeLike
The wait for EB-3 is currently 11 years for India, 4 years for China. For EB-3, the numbers are 7 and 2.
I don’t know what you mean about L-1A leading to an “instant” green card.
LikeLike
Norm, L1A status can lead to a green card.
LikeLike
One can be sponsored for a green card even if one is not in the United States, so of course L-1A can lead to a green card. But certainly NOT an instant one, or even a fast-track one.
LikeLike
@vbierschwale
This has been India’s strategy if you look at their history. Their main export is people. I have been to India. You have no idea what poverty is until you visit India.
Another issue that everyone seems to miss here is that, they have already succeeded at changing our work culture. We are working more for less money. Even if things get ten times worse here, it is still paradise compared to what they have. They are everywhere in the world where jobs are. They will always be faster, better, cheaper. It is a game where natives cannot win and have not been able to for close to a century. We as native cannot compete with them. We are not brought up to endure like they can.
I wish we could take this to like a private forum on FB, so we can collaborate and form a network like Dr. Matloff advocates. That is another advantage they have over us. They have a vast network where we Americans are bunch of lone wolves.
LikeLike
@Adrian
>>> Their main export is people
..and they are a world’s largest purchaser of US arms amongst other things.
LikeLike
@adrian – I have been offering to use Keep America At Work for nearly a decade to do just that and anything else that we felt was needed, but so far, no takers.
@despicable congress – you made me curious so I pulled up the latest visa bulletin (I’ve never understood how to read it) and it seems that you are correct and the dates are much more current than when I looked at it about a year ago.
Click to access visabulletin_October2015.pdf
As for my comments about it taking so long for the green card, I was referring to the EB-3 data as Mr. Matloff discussed above this comment.
Yes, India’s sole business model is to poach jobs.
Trust me, I get it.
For five years now I’ve been unemployed and I’ve endured the embarrassment of not being able to find work even though I worked in the top 10% of jobs for decades and the ridicule from friends and families saying why won’t he get a job when I know full well what I am going to is headed their way like a freight train..
So tell me, when the high paying jobs in private industry will not hire us and the low paying jobs will not hire us because we’ve made too much money and we won’t stay when times get better.
And when the government will not hire us.
And when we do not have the money to start a business or we do not have the credit to borrow money (my fico went from 650 in 2002 to 545 now) to start a business.
What option is left to us?
I fight with my website titled Keep America At Work.
Do I make mistakes?
Of course, I am only one person with one foot in the grave and the other foot depending on a federal government to save me when that federal government is armed with shovels full of dirt anxiously waiting to bury me.
But I don’t give up, and you shouldn’t give up either.
I didn’t understand it when I first found this site but Mr. Matloff is correct.
For some reason, high wage earners are reticent to tell their stories.
And because of this silence, it grows worse.
I’ve been tracking the H-1B LCA applications since about 2009.
It is painfully obvious which occupational categories (jobs) are being targeted.
What I don’t think most realize is that India alone has over 1 billion people and they all need and want jobs.
If just 300,000 of them are well educated, that will take every job that America has from the dishwasher to the chairman of the bank.
It is time that we all kicked in 100 bucks, or 20 if that is all that you can afford (i’m broker than all of you and I’ll find a way to kick in my share) and we start buying advertising space on the major tv stations.
I’ve been trying to do it on my own, but I’ve been unsuccessful.
But 10 or 20 million of us putting up this money will allow us to out maneuver FWD.us or any other well heeled organization.
You know it has to be done.
Why haven’t you done it?
LikeLike
I continue to be amazed that foreign nationals think that our Congress should take into consideration their issues even overriding the interests of American citizens when making law and policies. I can imagine how much American interests are considered in the legislative institutions outside the US.
I am also stunned by the disrespect and outright hatred of the American workers who have build the industries and institutions that these foreign nationals wish to participate in. If the foreign workers are so great, why do they need to leave their homeland.
I am also truly disturbed by the theft of intellectual property being transferred back to the birth countries of these workers – including those who have become citizens.
STEM workers cannot fight this battle alone. Any worker in a job requiring at least a bachelors degree should be worried about losing their job to an imported worker willing to work for less. We need to seek out all of the unemployed and underemployed A&S and b-school graduates; there are many H-1B and L-1 workers in those areas as well.
LikeLike
The reason they expect Congress to help them is that they believe they are doing great things for America. From that (incorrect) point of view, it makes sense that they wonder why Congress is not helping them. So, it all comes back to the feeling of entitlement I’ve often mentioned.
LikeLiked by 1 person
@matloff,
>>> But certainly NOT an instant one, or even a fast-track one
L-1A folks *do* get fast track greencards – They are in the “EB-1” category. In fact, the recent trends in LPR stats indicate that EB 1 dates would also retrogress sometime soon. (No Labor certification is required and the rules for EB 1 on pretty lax so far as L-1A goes).
Visa porting is altogether a different story that messes up these dates and their progressions – It distorts the entire queuing process (EB2->3->1 or 2->3->1 or 3->1 or 2->1). All ->1’s are via L-1A.
>>> The reason they expect Congress to help them is that they believe they are doing great things for America
Its not just them who should expect congress to act. everyone should expect congress to act.(americans and to-be.). until that happens, the wages will continue to be depressed.
>>>it makes sense that they wonder why Congress is not helping them
they wonder why congress is not fixing the system. and when i say ‘they’ it’s the individuals/employees and NOT the employer-lawyer-K street nexus.
I am all for congress putting a complete stop on legal immigration – as Messrs. Sessions and the like are quoting the PEW numbers to move that agenda. Don’t want to be pessimist but until that happens, the country is burdened with more and more (below) ordinary, wage stealers.
@vbierschwale,
Atleast 1 category (EB2 India) moved back 5 years – In 2014 September bulletin it was 01 MAY 09 and this years September bulletin it’s at 01 JAN 2006 and in october bulletin of this year (most recent one) it’s at 01 MAY 05 – Just to prove how dates move backward/retrogressed.
There are other categories that seem to be progressing, but the dates retrogress several years sometimes (just like EB2 example above) and move very slowly from there. Date movements are very very haphazard/random – (apparently state department thinks otherwise).
As for your other concerns, I do get it and understand it. Grassroots folks (employees/job stealers) get the reality you refer to. Unfortunately, all of it gets muffled by :
1) Employer-k street-lobby nexus. the same nexus also misguides folks like Sen. Sessions. It’s in the nexus’ best interest to maintain a status quo (as far as green card process is concerned) and hike H-1s to stuff more folks into the already burdened greencard process.
2) “They want it fixed so it can help them” notion — Unless the americans *and* the immigrants push congress to fix the system, it ain’t getting fixed anytime soon.
@cathy
>>> I continue to be amazed that foreign nationals think that our Congress should take into consideration their issues even overriding the interests of American citizens when making law and policies
On that contrary, as strange as it may sound, the actual foreign workforce (grassroots folks) are trying to protect the interests of american citizens (and in turn themselves). First step is to address the greencard backlogs.
It’s also sad to note that any bills are getting hijacked that have some reform with them – NO, its’ not the I Squared or the CIR bills; But commonsense amendments that were added by the likes of Messrs Grassley.
LikeLike
EB-1 is, by statute, for the really outstanding people. Most L-1As don’t qualify for that, and certainly having L-1A status doesn’t give them any benefit in that regard.
Your reply to Cathy is pretty outrageous, though I am sure it was sincere. Let me say it again: I have personally witnessed many cases in which young foreign students are hired while older Americans are rejected by the same employers.
In the future, please write separate responses to different posters. It will increase the chances that what you write actually gets read, rather than being skimmed over.
LikeLike