Imporant update on CIR proposal - 28th April-2010

[pappu]

We have an important update on CIR developments.

We have the draft of the upcoming CIR proposal. We are considering releasing it .

Please stay tuned for further updates.


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Update
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here is the draft of the Senate proposal. We believe this is still a work in progress-
http://immigrationvoice.org/media/SenateDraftProposal.pdf

Here is our summary of the Senate proposal-
http://immigrationvoice.org/media/DraftProposalSummary.pdf

[looneytunezez]

Thanks for the update.
OK, lets see what CIR have they drafted?

[bpratap]

Pappu,

Great News !

Make sure IV's priorities are covered in the bill.

[ak_2006]

Thanks for the update and am enthusiastic to see the draft of the bill.

[cleopatra]

Pappu,

Thanks for the update. Can you please share the complete bill? Eagerly awaiting to read it.

Any idea on when they are planning to introduce this in the senate? The news keeps oscillating between doing immigration now and not doing it now. Sen. Reid's statement also seems to be oscillating between the two positions. Any idea on what is eventually going to happen? Any rough time lines?

Appreciate the update and contributions.

[Administrator2]

Please see the update in the first post of this thread.

[cleopatra]

Thanks for the quick update.

[vbkris77]

Thank you so much.. Now we need to make sure these are preserved for the entire battle.. I can see few easy targets. But then I wouldn't worry as much about them as I would for the existing backlog especially for EB3I folks.

[ilikekilo]

This whole "eb based commission" thing looks over reaching.....

[Guest007]

Looks like all Dem senators. Any ideas on if any Reps going to support it?

[Leo07]

It's good that our provisions are in the draft. Now it's on us to a: preserve them there. b. Support CIR with full might.

btw: It looks like it's on public forums already:

http://www.nationaljournal.com/congressdaily/issues/images/graphics_2010/cd-100428-rsm-bill-outline-draft.pdf

Thanks again!!!!

[mdcowboy]

This is good news..atleast a draft is out. Now Reid cannot complain there is no immigration bill.

I don't see Grahams name mentioned.

[Leo07]

Good:
a. "It authorizes the recapture of immigrant visas lost to bureaucratic delay"
b. "To address the fact that some countries face unreasonably long backlogs, the per country family immigration limits will be amended from 7 to 10 percent of total admissions."
c. "At the moment, high-skilled workers are prevented from emigrating to the Unites States due to restrictive caps on their entry. In order to accomplish this goal, a green card will be immediately available to foreign students with an advanced degree from a United States institution of higher education in a field of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics, and who possess an offer of employment from a United States employer in a field related to their degree."

This could be dangerous:
"This proposal also authorizes the creation of the Commission on Employment-Based Immigration. The Commission shall have the purpose of studying America’s employment-based immigration system to recommend policies that promote economic growth and competitiveness while minimizing job displacement, wage depression and unauthorized employment. Each year, the Commission shall publish a report to Congress detailing all relevant economic data surrounding the usage of all of America’s employment-based visas and green cards and shall issue recommendations."

and more on H1-B & L1 restrictions that are bad.

[spicy_guy]

"Immediate Green card availability for foreign students with US masters degree" ==> Does it apply for "new" students or all students who graduated in the past too?

what about folks who completed US degree years ago and are in backlogged EB lines?!?!

[vikki76]

Wow!..
At the moment, high-skilled workers are prevented from emigrating to
the Unites States due to restrictive caps on their entry. In order to accomplish this goal, a green card will be immediately available to foreign students with an advanced degree from a United States institution of higher education in a field of science, technology, engineering, or
mathematics, and who possess an offer of employment from a United States employer in a field related to their degree

[greyhair]

This is good news..atleast a draft is out. Now Reid cannot complain there is no immigration bill.

I don't see Grahams name mentioned.

They were planning on doing Financial regulation first. Republicans have agreed to do the financial regulation. They would have not agreed if it was good politics to stall.

GOP drops objections to banking reform debate - U.S. business- msnbc.com (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36822889/ns/business-us_business/)

The same will happen to the energy & climate change.

[ps57002]

Will this recapture employment based immigrant visas lost by USCIS or only family based.... Didn't seem too clear to me. Pg 22... seems more focused on family based to me (not that I have anything against family based).

[sugaur]

If some thing sounds too good to be true, it usually is.

[Edison99]

Thanks Pappu for headsup!

[freedom_fighter]

does it propose any faster citizenship. ppl who've already waited 5-10 yrs for there green card.

[ronhira]

Normally I am very optimistic but this proposal is very big one "In order to accomplish this goal, a green card will be immediately available to foreign students with an advanced degree from a United States institution of higher education in a field of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics, and who possess an offer of employment from a United States employer in a field related to their degree."

ha! they r proposing forming a commission for EB green card.... which depends on the unemployment rate..... it will take many years for unemployment rate to come down..... it means with all these goodies..... it will take 10-15 years to fix this backlog.....

1 good thing is the removal of per country limits..... this is a big deal & it was about time..... we all know that only 1 group worked on removal of per country limits.... good work

[greyhair]

The language of this bill is exempting new advance degree holders. It is not exempting people like us in the backlog. It will not exempt dependents of the new advance degree holders.

What do they meaning by commission?

Recently I started working for a reputable IT consulting firm. This bill will put lot of restrictions on my company.

[Bhadwaj]

I am concerned / worried about one part though. Does a MBA from US (Ivy, Tier-1) count towards this...

"a green card will be immediately available to foreign students with an advanced degree from a United States institution of higher education in a field of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics, and who possess an offer of employment from a United States employer in a field related to their degree"

[cleopatra]

It is a good draft overall. Removal of per country cap for EB, non capped GC for STEM masters degree holders, Recapture of lost visas. All of these should help clear the backlog. Also the commission only provides reports to congress every year with recommendations and the congress will vote to increase or decrease the numbers. Also, the spouses and children of LPRs will be considered immediate relatives thus uniting them sooner reducing delay.

Increased border security, biometric social security cards should decrease future flow of illegal immigrants. The two phase approach to those already present in the country illegally will ease them into society slowly and helps to avoid anti-immigrants' stand that this is amnesty for votes. They will not be eligible to vote for at least another 13 years (8 + 5). This is a more humane and better approach to dealing with those already present here.

Overall, this is a good draft that caters to all the current issues of a broken system and should find approval from most except the hard core racists and xenophobes. Let's push to get this enacted soon to make this a reality.

[cleopatra]

The language of this bill is exempting new advance degree holders. It is not exempting people like us in the backlog. It will not exempt dependents of the new advance degree holders.

What do they meaning by commission?

Recently I started working for a reputable IT consulting firm. This bill will put lot of restrictions on my company.

I did not see anything that excluded the existing backlogged masters holders. The wording just talks about providing GCs to students with US STEM masters.

[24fps]

If the supreme commander is so negative, nothing will happen this year for sure. Reid is just pulling these stunts for political mileage.

Obama Says Passing Immigration Bill May Be Difficult - NYTimes.com (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/29/us/politics/29immig.html)

[swamy]

stop salivating guys - the bill hasnt even been tabled yet much less debated. heres something else not totally unrelated-the author of the stinking racist arizona bill was apparently a LAWYER with DHS!thats right - anti-immigrant bigots WORKING with DHS!
Right Now - Ariz. immigration bill author hints that Obama's opposition is race-based (http://voices.washingtonpost.com/right-now/2010/04/arizona_immigration_bill_autho.html)

our problems are a LOT deeper than bureacratic delays and country caps

[gc28262]

stop salivating guys - the bill hasnt even been tabled yet much less debated. heres something else not totally unrelated-the author of the stinking racist arizona bill was apparently a LAWYER with DHS!thats right - anti-immigrant bigots WORKING with DHS!
Right Now - Ariz. immigration bill author hints that Obama's opposition is race-based (http://voices.washingtonpost.com/right-now/2010/04/arizona_immigration_bill_autho.html)

our problems are a LOT deeper than bureacratic delays and country caps

I agree. Even in this 21st century, this country has lot of racists and white supremacists than we ever imagined.

[ronhira]

I agree. Even in this 21st century, this country has lot of racists and white supremacists than we ever imagined.

please stop this race non-sense within immigration debate..... az bill is an issue..... but then there is this plan which is fixing/addressing that issue too.....

there will always be some kind of racism of someone against someone else..... r u suggesting not doing immigration bill, rather u would prefer to see anti-discrimination bill, right? is that what u want?

[swamy]

please stop this race non-sense within immigration debate..... az bill is an issue..... but then there is this plan which is fixing/addressing that issue too.....

there will always be some kind of racism of someone against someone else..... r u suggesting not doing immigration bill, rather u would prefer to see anti-discrimination bill, right? is that what u want?

unfortunately for the racists (&forunately for us), racial profiling isnt acceptable and is unconstitutional - thats why DoJ will take care of Arizona, & Texas if they do it too. we cant be anymore optimistic than the president himself, can we?obviously i'd love to see some action

[Leo07]

has potential to override all the goodies in one stroke...
"This proposal also authorizes the creation of the Commission on Employment-Based Immigration. The Commission shall have the purpose of studying America’s employment-based immigration system to recommend policies that promote economic growth and competitiveness while minimizing job displacement, wage depression and unauthorized employment. Each year, the Commission shall publish a report to Congress detailing all relevant economic data (http://immigrationvoice.org/forum/#) surrounding the usage of all of America’s employment-based visas and green cards and shall issue recommendations."

Normally I am very optimistic but this proposal is very big one "In order to accomplish this goal, a green card will be immediately available to foreign students with an advanced degree from a United States institution of higher education in a field of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics, and who possess an offer of employment from a United States employer in a field related to their degree."

As according to this article (http://chronicle.com/article/Number-of-Foreign-Students-in/49142/),

Some 671,616 international students attended U.S. institutions in 2008-9, an increase of almost 8 percent from a year earlier.

So say 600K VISA's a Year will be big one.. But it will also help to take out lots of EB1, EB2, EB3 from current queue. .........

In one line ... This is a Dream Bill.

[starscream]

Pappu / Admin2 thanks for the update...

understandably the draft is a work in progress..but what to make of this..looks like Sen Majority leader has decided to put climate before CIR

Reid: Despite activist uproar, climate comes before immigration - TheHill.com (http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/95031-reid-climate-comes-before-immigration)

[cleopatra]

Is the CIR going to happen now or not? We keep hearing news going back and forth. No one seems to realize the human element involved in all this and the lives being impacted by this.

Pappu/ Admin,

Is there any idea what is going on behind the scenes? Is there anything we can do to speed up the process and get this to table? Pls. share your thoughts.

[Murthy]

We have an important update on CIR developments.

We have the draft of the upcoming CIR proposal. We are considering releasing it .

Please stay tuned for further updates.


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Update
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here is the draft of the Senate proposal. We believe this is still a work in progress-
http://immigrationvoice.org/media/SenateDraftProposal.pdf

Here is our summary of the Senate proposal-
http://immigrationvoice.org/media/DraftProposalSummary.pdf
Dear Pappu
Hats off to IV efforts for EB immigrants.Without a CIR there is no permanentsolution for huge backlog of pending I-485 guys.Every knows it would be difficult to get CIR PASSED to become law.In the past no. of bills introduced never bacame law.Alternatively can IV try for issuance of multi-year say 10-year Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) and 10-year Advance Parole to those I-485 applicants who got pre-adjudicated awaiting visa numbers untill permanent fix.As per USCIS statistics there are about 207,352 (Jan 2010) I-485 applicants who got pre-adjudicated awaiting visa numbers. Hope every one agrees 10-year EAD plus 10-year AP gives big relief to the EB immigration community.

[h1b_forever]

I think this is a good framework which needs to be improved a little bit to get more people on board.
We need to enact something that can get passed, if it means we cannot get people to fall behind amnesty, then atleast create a roadmap for this by setting up checkpoints,

1)Make it almost impossible to hire illegals (not triple, but make fines 10 times, and have such companies go through a agency to verify employees and make them pay for such agencies)
2)Provide registration for already present undocumented that allows them to work and travel temporarily. Track their behavior for the next 10 years
3)Increase border security, use more technology, if we can monitor Afghan-Pak border, why not our border. As long as illegals cant find jobs, they wont come
4)Provide legal way to enter the country for temp jobs
5)Make employment/immediate family immigration that doesnt require someone to wait 15 years to get permanent residency, make it reasonable, if you dont get your residency in 5 years in your quota, you automatically qualify

and lastly
6)provide a roadmap for the now documented illegals if they have no legal problems, have paid taxes, and done everything right to be qualified for residency, they go back to the end of line. They could instead go back to their country and get into the temp employment status directly but thats their choice

I am sure there will be still people who wont agree to this, but I feel this may get through

Thats just me, I dont think anyone will buy this

[satyasrd]

People waiting to file their I-485 also need some kind of relief.

Pappu/Admin -
Is there any way that people can file their I-485's after their I-140 is approved ? It would be great to have an EAD and not worry about the H1 visa.

Thank you.

[h1techSlave]

Happy to see that immigration is not completely off the their minds.

[TeddyKoochu]

We have an important update on CIR developments.

We have the draft of the upcoming CIR proposal. We are considering releasing it .

Please stay tuned for further updates.


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Update
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here is the draft of the Senate proposal. We believe this is still a work in progress-
http://immigrationvoice.org/media/SenateDraftProposal.pdf

Here is our summary of the Senate proposal-
http://immigrationvoice.org/media/DraftProposalSummary.pdf

Pappu thanks for posting and thanks for the summary this is excellent stuff.

[TeddyKoochu]

People waiting to file their I-485 also need some kind of relief.

Pappu/Admin -
Is there any way that people can file their I-485's after their I-140 is approved ? It would be great to have an EAD and not worry about the H1 visa.

Thank you.

I hope that there is some relief on this count. Does anybody have any updates on pre-filing. Any news is greatly appreciated.

[h1-b forever]

Normally I am very optimistic but this proposal is very big one "In order to accomplish this goal, a green card will be immediately available to foreign students with an advanced degree from a United States institution of higher education in a field of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics, and who possess an offer of employment from a United States employer in a field related to their degree."

As according to this article (http://chronicle.com/article/Number-of-Foreign-Students-in/49142/),

Some 671,616 international students attended U.S. institutions in 2008-9, an increase of almost 8 percent from a year earlier.

So say 600K VISA's a Year will be big one.. But it will also help to take out lots of EB1, EB2, EB3 from current queue. .........

In one line ... This is a Dream Bill.

Don't get me wrong for playing the devil's advocate, but I believe this particular clause will be hard to pass as is - because - most of the al queda or supporters of the organization are well educated with masters from the US - and if this becomes the law, they get gc's too. There has to be some catch here. Just my thoughts.

[sri1309]

People, this sounds like more of steaming, rotten garbage that is spewed by the politicians, on the subject of immigration, on a regular basis.

If and when Immigration relief legislation in taken up by Washington DC in earnest, we will know about it from the people who bring it up for vote, not from these freelance websites and such.

Whole atmosphere in US is racially charged, and the developements in Arizona have only helped to make things worse. I hope, and I hope a thousand times that I am wrong, but I do not see any immigration relief legislation anytime during President Obama's current term.

Why not be positive and do whatever we can, to raise our voices also.
Nothing was talked about in the last few years and see something appear to happen now. Lets hope for the best and not just for someone to bring it up. Lets do something,.

Things can go very wrong sometimes, though.
Example:Its very possible the current processing dates for EB2 also to go back to 2003. We have seen things like that happen many times. So we must go with full efforts from our ends too.

[satyasrd]

Thanks for supporting me TeddyKoochu !

I am sure there are many others who missed the 2007 fiasco and waiting patiently. And I believe allowing pre-filing is an admin fix, correct ?

[TeddyKoochu]

Thanks for supporting me TeddyKoochu !

I am sure there are many others who missed the 2007 fiasco and waiting patiently. And I believe allowing pre-filing is an admin fix, correct ?

I believe that this is an admin fix, there are individuals who believe that this requires legislative change. There are many who missed Jul 07 and hope that this is somehow implemented. Thanks for you to bring up this point, I did also put this in my survey response, Iam sure many others did.

The current version of CIR especially the elimination of unfair per country limits and recapture seems to be very encouraging. This itself can give relief to all EB2 and EB3 from retrogressed countries. If this works we might just be able to file the 485 soon but have it approved as well.

Lets all hope that CIR moves really fast.

[satyasrd]

GCPerm, thanks for giving an input.

I agree that we should ask adding the Filing I140/485 Simultaneously Provision to the CIR.
I know that most people on this forum have their EAD's but would like to request considering the plight of ones who are at the mercy of the H1 visa.

I am surprised that no one else waiting to file I-485 is coming forward ?!

[new2gc]

Call me sarcastic....but Looks like there is no much relief for a regular/non-MS/ current EAD Holders...there will be a commission to decide the numbers to recapture numbers...which means we have to continue lobbying for ever.... :-( God Bless America....

It is better to join in some university for Masters right now to get GC immediately instead of waiting in line.... I know this draft will face many more changes before it becomes a bill (if at all)...but no immediate relief.....

[jchan]

Normally I am very optimistic but this proposal is very big one "In order to accomplish this goal, a green card will be immediately available to foreign students with an advanced degree from a United States institution of higher education in a field of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics, and who possess an offer of employment from a United States employer in a field related to their degree."

As according to this article (http://chronicle.com/article/Number-of-Foreign-Students-in/49142/),

Some 671,616 international students attended U.S. institutions in 2008-9, an increase of almost 8 percent from a year earlier.

So say 600K VISA's a Year will be big one.. But it will also help to take out lots of EB1, EB2, EB3 from current queue. .........

In one line ... This is a Dream Bill.

Not necessarily, out of these 600k, maybe 100k are advanced degree holders, and out of these 100k, maybe only 30k can find an eligible 'American Employer'. I am sure when publishing the details they will exclude all Indian consulting firms. But yeah even 30k sounds a lot. I believe they will change that to PhD from 'advanced degree'.That will use a few thousands extra visa, which is entirely reasonable.

[gcformeornot]

Not necessarily, out of these 600k, maybe 100k are advanced degree holders, and out of these 100k, maybe only 30k can find an eligible 'American Employer'. I am sure when publishing the details they will exclude all Indian consulting firms. But yeah even 30k sounds a lot. I believe they will change that to PhD from 'advanced degree'.That will use a few thousands extra visa, which is entirely reasonable.

I agree. The Key point is Find a Job in their STEM area. Not like today where a MS in Civil Engg ends up doing job in IT consulting.....

an offer of employment from a United States employer in a field related to their degree.

[jungalee43]

I don't understand why the information is being made public. I have been on this forum since 2006. Witnessed time and again information being made public and not going anywhere. If something has to happen let it come through official channel i.e. thomas.gov
Even if IV has been authorized to make the information public (I assume so) by whosoever, why are they choosing this forum to judge waters?
I hope and pray this (untimely?) publication of information does not jeoprdize our chances if there are any.
__________________________________________________ ______________________
Contributed in many ways to IV

[TeddyKoochu]

GCPerm, thanks for giving an input.

I agree that we should ask adding the Filing I140/485 Simultaneously Provision to the CIR.
I know that most people on this forum have their EAD's but would like to request considering the plight of ones who are at the mercy of the H1 visa.

I am surprised that no one else waiting to file I-485 is coming forward ?!

I remember atleast 2 members writing about this if I remember correctly. 1) Sakthisagar 2) Pointlesswait. There are many of us.

[TeddyKoochu]

Call me sarcastic....but Looks like there is no much relief for a regular/non-MS/ current EAD Holders...there will be a commission to decide the numbers to recapture numbers...which means we have to continue lobbying for ever.... :-( God Bless America....

It is better to join in some university for Masters right now to get GC immediately instead of waiting in line.... I know this draft will face many more changes before it becomes a bill (if at all)...but no immediate relief.....

I would like to make a humble suggestion that there should be some kind of waiver for those with 10+ years of work experience in the same league as advanced degree holders from US. Both people with US degrees and those with the experience are contributing to the US economy.

[k3GC]

I think this needs to be a thread of its own and ideas from this need to go into the CIR bill.

With all focus on provisions that need to get into the CIR bill, we are all forgetting the most important thing, how will USCIS deal with it?

From waiting for our dates to be current, we will now all have current dates but will still be waiting. There needs to be a solution to make sure the agency can deal with the impact of CIR else i really don't see reform happening.

Its all about the execution - thats where the result of reform is seem, if execution is left out, all that was accomplished is politicians have talking points, we have no relief

[Suva]

My friend, its already public on other websites like this one

http://www.nationaljournal.com/congressdaily/issues/images/graphics_2010/cd-100428-rsm-bill-outline-draft.pdf


I don't understand why the information is being made public. I have been on this forum since 2006. Witnessed time and again information being made public and not going anywhere. If something has to happen let it come through official channel i.e. thomas.gov
Even if IV has been authorized to make the information public (I assume so) by whosoever, why are they choosing this forum to judge waters?
I hope and pray this (untimely?) publication of information does not jeoprdize our chances if there are any.
__________________________________________________ ______________________
Contributed in many ways to IV

[Suva]

There are two options
1) Recapture of lost immigrant visas.
2) Removes per country quota for EB visas

I think this would clear the current backlogs.

Call me sarcastic....but Looks like there is no much relief for a regular/non-MS/ current EAD Holders...there will be a commission to decide the numbers to recapture numbers...which means we have to continue lobbying for ever.... :-( God Bless America....

It is better to join in some university for Masters right now to get GC immediately instead of waiting in line.... I know this draft will face many more changes before it becomes a bill (if at all)...but no immediate relief.....

[psaxena]

Reading the whole proposal, I got the same feeling.

2 sections of the legal immigrants are going to be benefitted ,
EB2 with advance degree from US
Family Based immigrants.

I don't see any provision or relief for EB3 .. guess we gonna left out in cold just like that.

I have seen many asking IV or Pappu to clarify on this , and none has replied on this one, so I believe eb3 gonna be left out in the whole process..
okie guys time for me to fill EAD renewal, by the time I am done with that, my AP renewal will come up.. enjoy.


This might become Big issue, My friend's Please get clarification or addition of line in employment based category also, so that they can clear EB3 backlog with Recaptured VISA. Otherwise they will use All Employment based Recaptured VISA to apply to FB..

IV CORE ???

[Suva]

It says "Recapture of immigrant visas". That means both employment and family based.
It doesn't say that all will be applied to family based. I think employment lost visas would be applied to EB visas and same would be the case with FB visas.

Reading the whole proposal, I got the same feeling.

2 sections of the legal immigrants are going to be benefitted ,
EB2 with advance degree from US
Family Based immigrants.

I don't see any provision or relief for EB3 .. guess we gonna left out in cold just like that.

I have seen many asking IV or Pappu to clarify on this , and none has replied on this one, so I believe eb3 gonna be left out in the whole process..
okie guys time for me to fill EAD renewal, by the time I am done with that, my AP renewal will come up.. enjoy.

[bikram_das_in]

Does IV has official data from USCIS on how many EB visas were wasted? What if USCIS says we did not waste any EB visa after CIR? Do we need to do an FOIA for this?

[pappu]

Reading the whole proposal, I got the same feeling.

2 sections of the legal immigrants are going to be benefitted ,
EB2 with advance degree from US
Family Based immigrants.

I don't see any provision or relief for EB3 .. guess we gonna left out in cold just like that.

I have seen many asking IV or Pappu to clarify on this , and none has replied on this one, so I believe eb3 gonna be left out in the whole process..
okie guys time for me to fill EAD renewal, by the time I am done with that, my AP renewal will come up.. enjoy.
The provisions will help everyone including EB3. There will never be a provision just for EB3 or EB2. Some of the provisions will have huge impact on the overall backlog. There are both good and bad parts in the bill and will continue even while the bill is on the floor. Expect all kinds of amendments. It will all depend on how much pro and anti immigration forces are able to advocate for their changes.

[Rajeev]

Last page of the draft proposal says "A new program will be created to provide visas
to promote property ownership by foreign nationals for the enhancement of America’s housing
market."

[pappu]

Does IV has official data from USCIS on how many EB visas were wasted? What if USCIS says we did not waste any EB visa after CIR? Do we need to do an FOIA for this?

This data is public information. Check out 2007 USCIS Ombudsman report. The ex USCIS Ombudsman is also now one of IV's board of advisers. IV has reviewed this data and we have this as one of the provisions in our list that we have been advocating .

[pappu]

I believe that this is an admin fix, there are individuals who believe that this requires legislative change. There are many who missed Jul 07 and hope that this is somehow implemented. Thanks for you to bring up this point, I did also put this in my survey response, Iam sure many others did.

The current version of CIR especially the elimination of unfair per country limits and recapture seems to be very encouraging. This itself can give relief to all EB2 and EB3 from retrogressed countries. If this works we might just be able to file the 485 soon but have it approved as well.

Lets all hope that CIR moves really fast.

If everyone can get their Greencard within a year and there is hardly any backlog, then why worry about filing of EAD? Backlog can be a thing of the past if a couple of big provisions can pass through. Those big provisions are the focus if the aim is to clear the backlog. BTW the filing of I485 provision is already part of our list and key offices are aware of it.

[satyasrd]

Thanks for your response Pappu !

[va_dude]

Pappu....

Do u think the statement regarding giving residency for folks with advanced degrees such as a MS, PhD, etc and a job offer from an american employer has any relation to the category that a person's green card was filed under.

Personally, i have an MS in comp sc, but if my category is EB3, i wonder how that will play out.

Any insights you could share?

Thanks.

[TeddyKoochu]

If everyone can get their Greencard within a year and there is hardly any backlog, then why worry about filing of EAD? Backlog can be a thing of the past if a couple of big provisions can pass through. Those big provisions are the focus if the aim is to clear the backlog. BTW the filing of I485 provision is already part of our list and key offices are aware of it.

Many thanks for your update and response.

[Edison99]

Hi Pappu,
IV Draft summary says "Authorizes the recapture of immigrant visas lost to bureaucratic delay" however OH Law nothing mentioned about "Recapturing Visa". Please shed some lights on this….
Thanks in advance!

If everyone can get their Greencard within a year and there is hardly any backlog, then why worry about filing of EAD? Backlog can be a thing of the past if a couple of big provisions can pass through. Those big provisions are the focus if the aim is to clear the backlog. BTW the filing of I485 provision is already part of our list and key offices are aware of it.

[pappu]

Media advisory

Senate Democrats to push new immigration reform plan - CNN.com (http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/04/29/democrats.immigration/index.html?hpt=Sbin)

Washington (CNN) -- Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and other leading Democratic senators will formally unveil the outlines of legislation for comprehensive immigration reform late Thursday, CNN has learned.

[Administrator2]

***MEDIA ADVISORY - Issued by Senate Majority Leader ***

SENATE DEMOCRATS TO UNVEIL FRAMEWORK FOR COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM BILL

Washington, DC— Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin, Democratic Conference Vice Chairman Chuck Schumer and Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Patrick Leahy will join Senators Dianne Feinstein and Bob Menendez for a press conference this afternoon to discuss a preliminary outline of ideas to both secure the nation’s borders and reform America’s immigration system. Immigration reform remains an important priority for Senate Democrats, but it will take bipartisan support to pass reform this year. That’s why Democrats are outlining a framework of concrete, bipartisan ideas to take an important step toward reform. In order to make immigration reform successful, Republicans need to work with Democrats and demonstrate a true commitment to fixing the flaws in America’s immigration system to improve our nation’s economic and national security.

WHO: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid
Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin
Democratic Conference Vice Chairman Chuck Schumer
Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Patrick Leahy
Senator Dianne Feinstein
Senator Bob Menendez

WHAT: Press Conference
WHEN: Today, Thursday, April 29, 2010, at 5:45 p.m.
WHERE: S. 115, U.S. Capitol

[amitjoey]

OH Law is just a lawyer's website, they are not privy to information that IV does.

[swamy]

Oh Wow if Durbin is on board thats interesting - maybe DREAM too will be a part of this then & that shoould attract more support.

[spicy_guy]

It would be nice if there is a provision for faster Citizenship for the people who filed 485 and waiting for GC. (>2 years wait).

May be asking for more?

[va_dude]

Pappu....

Do u think the statement regarding giving residency for folks with advanced degrees such as a MS, PhD, etc and a job offer from an american employer has any relation to the category that a person's green card was filed under.

Personally, i have an MS in comp sc, but if my category is EB3, i wonder how that will play out.

Any insights you could share?

Thanks.

[sundarpn]

It would be nice if there is a provision for faster Citizenship for the people who filed 485 and waiting for GC. (>2 years wait).

May be asking for more?

I second something like this. If in valid status all through and 485 is merely pending due to back log, grant an interim GC.

Also remove the restriction of priority date needing to be current for filing Dependent 485s. (This ties into not counting dependents I suppose).


Any plan from IV for a phone/fax/paper mail campaign?

[amitga]

Is there a way we can bring this to fore? And, yes. Its a dream provision :)

We must try to get this provision in the bill.

[sri1309]

We must try to get this provision in the bill.

I would also say "10 years in the US, have W2s, one should be eligible for Citizenship". Forget about he applied for GC or not, or how many times he got screwed up from the employer, as it happens.
And similarly for 5 years, a GC can be given, if you prove you were legal... W2.. etc..

[Devils_Advocate]

Hate to be the party pooper, but its better to see the reality than be lost in the illusion. The facts:

We a have bitterly and an acrimoniously divided Congress

The democrats are NOT together on this one i.e blue dogs, conservative Dems etc.

We have game changing mid terms coming in.

Democrats DONT have super majority in the Senate any more.

And MOST of all we have a president who has PUBLICLY said that this bill will not pass this year due to the lack of political clout.

This is just a ploy to rally up the hispanic votes by Reid, don't pin too much/any hopes on this, the writing on the wall is unfortunately very clear, not worth the heart break. :(

[cbpds]

Rightly said Devils_Advocate !!, one more thing is many Republicans support CIR too but still we dont have 60 votes to pass this measure.

Unfortunately, This measure is bound to fail when unemployment is 10% and politicians dont want to anger their base in an election year.



Hate to be the party pooper, but its better to see the reality than be lost in the illusion. The facts:

We a have bitterly and an acrimoniously divided Congress

The democrats are NOT together on this one i.e blue dogs, conservative Dems etc.

We have game changing mid terms coming in.

Democrats DONT have super majority in the Senate any more.

And MOST of all we have a president who has PUBLICLY said that this bill will not pass this year due to the lack of political clout.

This is just a ploy to rally up the hispanic votes by Reid, don't pin too much/any hopes on this, the writing on the wall is unfortunately very clear, not worth the heart break. :(

[vbkris77]

To me its a good strategy.. It generates enough confusion among people to go full force to oppose it. They couldn't do it for Healthcare, as it is too obvious. But this is a good strategy.. When a politicians lips are moving, you could be damn sure that he/she is bluffing.. It could be good for us or bad for us. But bluffing is consistent. In this case it is good for us..

To me I think we need to slowdown and wait for the things to take full shape. I don't think GOP is stupid to filibuster this time just 6 months before election knowing what happened in 2008.


Hate to be the party pooper, but its better to see the reality than be lost in the illusion. The facts:

We a have bitterly and an acrimoniously divided Congress

The democrats are NOT together on this one i.e blue dogs, conservative Dems etc.

We have game changing mid terms coming in.

Democrats DONT have super majority in the Senate any more.

And MOST of all we have a president who has PUBLICLY said that this bill will not pass this year due to the lack of political clout.

This is just a ploy to rally up the hispanic votes by Reid, don't pin too much/any hopes on this, the writing on the wall is unfortunately very clear, not worth the heart break. :(

[amitga]

See if you are running a marathon do not stop to pick up golden apples.

How about Mirage instead of Marathon

[India_USA]

Hate to be the party pooper, but its better to see the reality than be lost in the illusion.
Its wonderful to see your positive attitude :)


The facts:
We a have bitterly and an acrimoniously divided Congress
The democrats are NOT together on this one i.e blue dogs, conservative Dems etc.
We have game changing mid terms coming in.
Democrats DONT have super majority in the Senate any more.
The facts:
Show me one time in history when the congress was not divided on a controversial issue? Don't worry about the conservative democrats because at the end of the day that deficit can be overcome by getting republicans in both house and senate.
As I said, Republicans in senate will kick and scream, throw a bunch of tantrums like 2 year olds, but in the end, they know that they will have to come on board to keep their own seats - and there is no language they understand better than losing voters.


And MOST of all we have a president who has PUBLICLY said that this bill will not pass this year due to the lack of political clout.
And if he had publicly said that this bill would pass, would the republicans and conservative dems line up to vote for it?


This is just a ploy to rally up the hispanic votes by Reid, don't pin too much/any hopes on this, the writing on the wall is unfortunately very clear, not worth the heart break. :(
It may have started out as a ploy, but Arizona sure helped bringing it up for discussion all across the nation. And if republicans are smart (they are, in spite of their talk) they will not give up on 12 million votes without a fight!

You know how these hopey changey stuff works, right? ;)

[h1b_forever]

As everyone else here, I hope and pray they are able to pass something. I am tired of statements like "The atmosphere is not right", "No apetite" etc. Lets not try to kill it before it even is conceived.

Give it a push and see, nothing was ever achieved by doubting things.
Lets see where the cards fall.

[ronhira]

in 2006 2007 everybody expected immigration bill to pass but it failed both the times......

is it possible that in 2010 when everybody expect the bill to fail..... it will actually pass?

expectations mean nothing in this process.... we have all seen that...... y do v want to listen to some party pooper pooing around..... go to numbersusa.... that is where u belong....

[geevikram]

in 2006 2007 everybody expected immigration bill to pass but it failed both the times......

is it possible that in 2010 when everybody expect the bill to fail..... it will actually pass?

expectations mean nothing in this process.... we have all seen that...... y do v want to listen to some party pooper pooing around..... go to numbersusa.... that is where u belong....

It's not done (either way) until it's done. So let us work our bit in trying to get this to both senate and house floor.

[manish1905]

If green card is available to US students for the master degree then any body who has a job can just joint to any university and complete the master degree in little over a year.How about that.willl they give grren card then!!!!!

[va_dude]

Manish.

With all due respect, getting ur Master's in a field like Comp Sc, etc. isn't as quick and easy as u make it out to be.

Even if u start now, you will need to take your GRE, apply, get admission and the earliest you may be able to start might be the Spring semester in 2011.

Ad even if u take a boatload of courses it'll take you at least over an year (sometime in 2012) before u r done.

I don't see what the problem is with this provision being in CIR. It helps everyone. When folks with Master's get their GCs, it clears the backlog and folks without a Master's can get their GC much faster too.

There are going to be loopholes in every rule, no system is perfect.

[NNReddy]

Folks congress is divided and so are republicans and democrats, But we still need this discussion if not before midterms, I definitely see some chances in Nov and Dec after midterms. I think enough momentum will be there post midterm. If Hispanics pull Reid down and show their power.

[Leo07]

Post midterm the goal of GOP is to fail the president as much as possible. So that they can get a republican elected as President in 2012. GOP, being a minority party was so powerful in blocking everything, wait until they turn into majority.

So, the time is now when the iron is hot.

Folks, on a side note, please stay away from personal attacks and not bicker over EB2/EB3 or US Master's degree or anything that divides us as a community. It usually makes us look bad and even more so in time of need like this. Please look at the bigger picture.

God bless us all!
Sincerely!

[NNReddy]

I am talking about post mid term, before New congress takes charge(Jan 20 or so). After november, the existing congress will be in power for two more months, where things can happen. I don't think GOP will win as much as everyone is thinking. It still will be democratic majority in congress and senate.

[sri1309]

Rightly said Devils_Advocate !!, one more thing is many Republicans support CIR too but still we dont have 60 votes to pass this measure.

Unfortunately, This measure is bound to fail when unemployment is 10% and politicians dont want to anger their base in an election year.

Unless someone is shown how the thing will benefit or is in their interests, usually the support will be not much.
We must tell and push the idea as much as possible, and its a fact too, how the CIR will benefit the legal American Citizens and others legal and the country. We must tell them that CIR is not about amnesty, but its about something much different and much more.

Its about:
Securing the borders, as they cant be left porous forever.
Creating a legal path for undocumented, so that they'll apply for visas and as legals would do, pay taxes etc. Or can be go home and come back with visas.
Stopping all illegal immigration once for all.
Legal immigration and reducing the pains which legal immigrants face.
Reducing crime.
etc.. etc..

When you post your comments in any media, please make everyone aware that CIR is not amnesty. I saw some nice posts in cnn, WP, NYT, thehill.com etc..
When a topic opens in these sites, I see the 20 posts already and in less than 4 hrs, it crosses 2000 to 4000. Check it out.
But the sad part is, most of us are not posting anything there. Please do our part. Its possible someone can pick a nice point from here n there.

[gc28262]

To all nay sayers:

Did anyone expect Healthcare bill to pass after Scott Brown's victory ? -- it did pass
Did anyone expect republicans to give up filibuster tactics in finance reform ? -- they did

When there is a will, there is a way.

[sri1309]

To all nay sayers:

Did anyone expect Healthcare bill to pass after Scott Brown's victory ? -- it did pass
Did anyone expect republicans to give up filibuster tactics in finance reform ? -- they did

When there is a will, there is a way.

Well Said!!.
Lets be positive that it'll happen and try our best.
Who knows, its just possible.. Did we even expect last week that we would be typing on this topic today. Lets give all the momentum possible and leave it to them.
Who knows, it may just happen. When the setting is just right, much bigger things happened.

And if we get disappointed, then its fine too.. atleast we tried..

[waitingmygc]

The most feasible, generic and acceptable options to all are:
1) Recapture of lost immigrant visas.
2) Remove per country quota for EB visas.

Otherwise, it will be more complex especially with “a green card will be immediately available to foreign students with an advanced degree from a United States institution of higher education ………….” option. Its seems this particular option is proposal of another EB category in itself or in other words “Divide and Rule”.


There are two options
1) Recapture of lost immigrant visas.
2) Removes per country quota for EB visas

I think this would clear the current backlogs.

[GCScrewed]

I think the fairest and easiest solution for the current EB applicants, who are stuck in the backlog, is to grant them greencards right away or at lastest within 1 year after the CIR passed. There should be no limit, no duplicate reviews for the current backlog/pre-adjudicated cases. Once the current backlog is cleared, the new rules/CIR can be implemented.

Think about it... those illegals broke the laws and we have complied with the laws. I am not saying that illegals are not human... but the government should clearly demonstrate a preference for law adherence. Otherwise no one will ever respect American laws. In addition, simply removing the per country limit and recapture of lost visas may not serve us too much good considering the tens of millions of new application coming in. USCIS and the State Department certainly do not have the resources to process all the applications and the current backlog will grow bigger and bigger. The final result? Our application will be lost in the illegal tsumami. :(

So again, they should grant green cards to people in the current backlog right away without questions asked if they want to legalize illegals. :cool:

[gcdeena]

Obama takes immigration reform off agenda....Bummer :o



Obama takes immigration reform off agenda - Yahoo! News (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100429/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_immigration_politics_3)

Immigration reform has become the first of President Barack Obama's major priorities dropped from the agenda of an election-year Congress facing voter disillusionment. Sounding the death knell was Obama himself.

The president noted that lawmakers may lack the "appetite" to take on immigration while many of them are up for re-election and while another big legislative issue — climate change — is already on their plate.

"I don't want us to do something just for the sake of politics that doesn't solve the problem," Obama told reporters Wednesday night aboard Air Force One.

Immigration reform was an issue Obama promised Latino groups that he would take up in his first year in office. But several hard realities — a tanked economy, a crowded agenda, election-year politics and lack of political will — led to so much foot-dragging in Congress that, ultimately, Obama decided to set the issue aside.

With that move, the president calculated that an immigration bill would not prove as costly to his party two years from now, when he seeks re-election, than it would today, even though some immigration reformers warned that a delay could so discourage Democratic-leaning Latino voters that they would stay home from the polls in November.

Some Democrats thought pushing a bill through now might help their party. If it failed, they could blame Republican resistance, though in reality many Democrats didn't want to deal with an immigration bill this year either.

Perhaps seeing the handwriting on the wall, top Senate Democrats released a legislative framework for immigration reforms anyway. The draft proposal, obtained by The Associated Press on Tuesday, called for, among other things, meeting border security benchmarks before anyone in the country illegally can become a legal permanent U.S. resident.

By Wednesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi offered little hope that the issue was still alive on Capitol Hill.

"If there is going to be any movement in this regard, it will require presidential leadership, as well as an appetite, is that the word? ... as well as a willingness to move forward in the Congress," she said.

House Republican leader John Boehner was more blunt. "There is not a chance that immigration is going to move through the Congress," he said Tuesday.

Rep. Luis Gutierrez, the Democrats' leading advocate for immigration reform, has said he voted for health care reform on the understanding that Obama and congressional Democrats would move a major immigration bill.

Even though he would like to see Latinos turn out to vote for Democrats in 2010, Gutierrez said "many will probably decide to stay home." However, he added, a strict, new immigration law in Arizona may change that dynamic. The law requires law enforcement officers to question anyone they suspect is in the country illegally.

"On one hand you are not going to vote because you don't believe people you voted for are doing a good enough job," Gutierrez said. "Then you say, 'I got to vote, because the enemy is so mean and vindictive, I got to get out there.'"

[mdcowboy]

Obama takes immigration reform off agenda....Bummer :o



Obama takes immigration reform off agenda - Yahoo! News (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100429/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_immigration_politics_3)

Immigration reform has become the first of President Barack Obama's major priorities dropped from the agenda of an election-year Congress facing voter disillusionment. Sounding the death knell was Obama himself.

The president noted that lawmakers may lack the "appetite" to take on immigration while many of them are up for re-election and while another big legislative issue — climate change — is already on their plate.

"I don't want us to do something just for the sake of politics that doesn't solve the problem," Obama told reporters Wednesday night aboard Air Force One.

Immigration reform was an issue Obama promised Latino groups that he would take up in his first year in office. But several hard realities — a tanked economy, a crowded agenda, election-year politics and lack of political will — led to so much foot-dragging in Congress that, ultimately, Obama decided to set the issue aside.

With that move, the president calculated that an immigration bill would not prove as costly to his party two years from now, when he seeks re-election, than it would today, even though some immigration reformers warned that a delay could so discourage Democratic-leaning Latino voters that they would stay home from the polls in November.

Some Democrats thought pushing a bill through now might help their party. If it failed, they could blame Republican resistance, though in reality many Democrats didn't want to deal with an immigration bill this year either.

Perhaps seeing the handwriting on the wall, top Senate Democrats released a legislative framework for immigration reforms anyway. The draft proposal, obtained by The Associated Press on Tuesday, called for, among other things, meeting border security benchmarks before anyone in the country illegally can become a legal permanent U.S. resident.

By Wednesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi offered little hope that the issue was still alive on Capitol Hill.

"If there is going to be any movement in this regard, it will require presidential leadership, as well as an appetite, is that the word? ... as well as a willingness to move forward in the Congress," she said.

House Republican leader John Boehner was more blunt. "There is not a chance that immigration is going to move through the Congress," he said Tuesday.

Rep. Luis Gutierrez, the Democrats' leading advocate for immigration reform, has said he voted for health care reform on the understanding that Obama and congressional Democrats would move a major immigration bill.

Even though he would like to see Latinos turn out to vote for Democrats in 2010, Gutierrez said "many will probably decide to stay home." However, he added, a strict, new immigration law in Arizona may change that dynamic. The law requires law enforcement officers to question anyone they suspect is in the country illegally.

"On one hand you are not going to vote because you don't believe people you voted for are doing a good enough job," Gutierrez said. "Then you say, 'I got to vote, because the enemy is so mean and vindictive, I got to get out there.'"

I just read this too..I am not able to digest this.

[harivenkat]

Democrats Outline Plans for Immigration Changes - NYTimes.com (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/30/us/politics/30immig.html)

Democrats Outline Plans for Immigration Changes

By CARL HULSE and DAVID M. HERSZENHORN
Published: April 29, 2010

WASHINGTON — A coalition of top Senate Democrats laid out the contours of a proposed overhaul of immigration laws on Thursday — and appealed to Republicans to join them in pursuing it — even as doubts mounted about the prospects of winning approval of legislation this year.

Under the outline of immigration changes drawn up by Senator Charles E. Schumer of New York, the No. 3 Senate Democrat, the federal government would enhance border security and create a new fraud-resistant Social Security card.

Illegal immigrants who wish to remain in this country would have to admit they had broken the law, pay back taxes and fees, and pass a criminal background check to qualify for legal residency after eight years.

“Our immigration system is broken,” the majority leader, Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, said late Thursday afternoon at a packed news conference. “We’re offering this framework as an invitation, an invitation to our Republican colleagues to work with us to solve this problem that has plagued our country for too long.”

Even as the Democratic senators were still speaking, President Obama issued a statement praising the proposal as “an important step,” and he warned that lack of federal action would “leave the door open to a patchwork of actions at the state and local level that are inconsistent and, as we have seen recently, often misguided.”


Mr. Obama’s statement was a reference to the tough new law recently enacted in Arizona that many Democrats view as draconian and that helped prompt Democrats to take on the immigration issue sooner than some had planned.

“What has become increasingly clear,” Mr. Obama said, “is that we can no longer wait to fix our broken immigration system, which Democrats and Republicans alike agree doesn’t work.”

The statement contrasted with comments he made to reporters a day earlier on Air Force One, in which he suggested that Congress might not have the appetite for an immigration overhaul.

At the news conference, Democratic leaders said they were presenting the legislative framework in hopes of persuading Republicans to collaborate on the issue. They are also looking to sound out skeptical Democrats to gauge the prospects for support.

House Democrats have said they will not act unless the Senate moves first.

Mr. Reid, who is facing a difficult re-election fight back home, first put the issue back on the Congressional agenda a few weeks ago when he told a pro-immigration rally in Las Vegas that he intended to pursue legislation, a stance that caught many in Washington off guard.

Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, the chief Republican negotiating with Democrats on the issue, dropped out of the talks, saying he was angry that Mr. Reid seemed to be giving immigration priority over a climate bill.

At the news conference Mr. Reid said it was “not logical to use immigration as an excuse to not help on energy.” But he also said Democrats were not directing their message at Mr. Graham.

“There are 40 other Republicans,” he said.

On Thursday, the House Republican leader, Representative John A. Boehner of Ohio, flatly predicted that Congress would not send an immigration measure to the president this year. Mr. Boehner accused Democrats of engaging in a “cynical ploy to try to engage voters, some segment of voters, to show up in this November’s elections.”

“There is not a chance that immigration is going to move through the Congress,” he said.

But Mr. Schumer, who is now chairman of a subcommittee on immigration long headed by the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, said he believed there was a possibility of success.

Mr. Schumer hailed his approach as a way to combine border security and improvements in the American work force while providing a chance for millions of people living illegally in the United States to gain legal status and pay taxes.

And Mr. Schumer, who is known for his ambition in both the political and policy arenas, drew loud laughter when he said that he would not have accepted the subcommittee gavel if he had thought otherwise.

“If I did not believe we could accomplish immigration reform, I never would have chosen to accept the immigration subcommittee chairmanship,” he said. “Committees of inaction and legislative backwaters are not places in which I thrive.”

Democrats acknowledge, however, facing a difficult task considering that President George W. Bush, was unable to persuade enough of his fellow Republicans to back immigration changes in 2007, and the effort collapsed.
A version of this article appeared in print on April 30, 2010, on page A12 of the New York edition.

[mdcowboy]

Obama takes immigration reform off agenda....Bummer :o



Obama takes immigration reform off agenda - Yahoo! News (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100429/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_immigration_politics_3)

Immigration reform has become the first of President Barack Obama's major priorities dropped from the agenda of an election-year Congress facing voter disillusionment. Sounding the death knell was Obama himself.

The president noted that lawmakers may lack the "appetite" to take on immigration while many of them are up for re-election and while another big legislative issue — climate change — is already on their plate.

"I don't want us to do something just for the sake of politics that doesn't solve the problem," Obama told reporters Wednesday night aboard Air Force One.

Immigration reform was an issue Obama promised Latino groups that he would take up in his first year in office. But several hard realities — a tanked economy, a crowded agenda, election-year politics and lack of political will — led to so much foot-dragging in Congress that, ultimately, Obama decided to set the issue aside.

With that move, the president calculated that an immigration bill would not prove as costly to his party two years from now, when he seeks re-election, than it would today, even though some immigration reformers warned that a delay could so discourage Democratic-leaning Latino voters that they would stay home from the polls in November.

Some Democrats thought pushing a bill through now might help their party. If it failed, they could blame Republican resistance, though in reality many Democrats didn't want to deal with an immigration bill this year either.

Perhaps seeing the handwriting on the wall, top Senate Democrats released a legislative framework for immigration reforms anyway. The draft proposal, obtained by The Associated Press on Tuesday, called for, among other things, meeting border security benchmarks before anyone in the country illegally can become a legal permanent U.S. resident.

By Wednesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi offered little hope that the issue was still alive on Capitol Hill.

"If there is going to be any movement in this regard, it will require presidential leadership, as well as an appetite, is that the word? ... as well as a willingness to move forward in the Congress," she said.

House Republican leader John Boehner was more blunt. "There is not a chance that immigration is going to move through the Congress," he said Tuesday.

Rep. Luis Gutierrez, the Democrats' leading advocate for immigration reform, has said he voted for health care reform on the understanding that Obama and congressional Democrats would move a major immigration bill.

Even though he would like to see Latinos turn out to vote for Democrats in 2010, Gutierrez said "many will probably decide to stay home." However, he added, a strict, new immigration law in Arizona may change that dynamic. The law requires law enforcement officers to question anyone they suspect is in the country illegally.

"On one hand you are not going to vote because you don't believe people you voted for are doing a good enough job," Gutierrez said. "Then you say, 'I got to vote, because the enemy is so mean and vindictive, I got to get out there.'"

I actually read this article on Yahoo saying Obama has taken immigration off his agenda for the remainder of the year. I was totally dejected until I noticed comments for the post dated April 27th 2010...

I think the article gets bumped up as more comments pour in..I am not sure if this is actually what Obama said today. Lets hope. :confused:

[Rb_newsletter]

Why "Excluding dependent visa from 140k" is missing from the CIR? Should this be included? In case antis force any provision out this kind of additions will help to balance out.

[ronhira]

I just read this too..I am not able to digest this.

y do u only prefer to echo the -ve news..... u seem to only look for all the -ve information..... :p

[belmontboy]

while the draft bill looks impressive, the chances of this bill being successful are slim to none.
We need Republicans onboard, and they don't like CIR. If we look back to CIR 2007, their stand was clear. Being a Republican himself, Bush couldnot convince Republicans to get on board with CIR.
Mr Obama realizes he shares the same fate, and doesnot seem to be making a sincere effort to win bipartisanship.
The democrats know that this bill is going down the drain. However, their intention to move forward is a mere political ploy to undermine hispanic support for the Republican's in the mid term elections.

Even though I am hoping for any kind of relief to EB preferences, I believe we stand a good chance after mid-term.

P.S: The above are my opinions and would be glad if I am wrong :D

[kugaprakash]

Not to dissapoint anyone, but here is the link that Obama states:

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/6...

[sri1309]

y do u only prefer to echo the -ve news..... u seem to only look for all the -ve information..... :p

Yes, please be positive.
I'd not take the comments of the president that seriously or negative.
The reason is simple.
Did this current CIR topic come with the president's apetiite. NO. It came UP as one of the impo topics of discussion because of AZ reason. Right. And with the same setting, I'm sure this bill will get more focus.
And I think I read even TX wants to implement what AZ did. Other states may also follow, why not. AZ started it, and there is unemployment everywhere and the illegal flow is not stopping. I'd want it in my state.
Hence the CIR may come up as a forced situation and must be done with no other option to delay. I hope it passes also.
The full draft of the plan is now on thehill.com, which we got from IV, 2 days back itself.
Thanks IV.
One more thing: What is the most burning issue with CIR: 10-15 mill illegal undoc workers, right.
Lets use our brains also, and see if we can come up with some very smart solution how to fix that. Americans cannot tolerate 15 mill legalized in this economy. But there may be a way if we think. We may have a better idea than those policy makers on this issue.. Think .. think. Our problem is probably fully linked to this point.

Note:I am not against 10 million Mexicans. It is better to be legal workers. They are hardworking, and are just like us. Imagine every time someone knocks their door or a police siren, what happens. There should be a legal way.

[immig4me]

The democrats know that this bill is going down the drain. However, their intention to move forward is a mere political ploy to undermine hispanic support for the Republican's in the mid term elections.

Even though I am hoping for any kind of relief to EB preferences, I believe we stand a good chance after mid-term.

P.S: The above are my opinions and would be glad if I am wrong :D

If it wasn't for Arizona, then the democrats would have been doing a lip service. But after Arizona bill passage, there is a national discussion on immigration reform from the general public to the media. The hispanic community has been adamant in pushing for reform, and the passage of the bill.
Yes, the road ahead is tough, but my belief is that the hispanic community would not be pushing for it, if it had a "slim or zero" chance of passage. My two cents.

Besides, whether it passes or not, at least we should be able to say, that we did everything in our power to get this passed. Because the alternative is to stay at home, do nothing and crib that the system is broken.

The choice is clear.

[regacct]

Lets put aside division and lets work in making this a reality and not just talks.
As it is we face obstructions, we don't need to have it in our forums too.

[mdcowboy]

Yes, please be positive.
I'd not take the comments of the president that seriously or negative.
The reason is simple.
Did this current CIR topic come with the president's apetiite. NO. It came UP as one of the impo topics of discussion because of AZ reason. Right. And with the same setting, I'm sure this bill will get more focus.
And I think I read even TX wants to implement what AZ did. Other states may also follow, why not. AZ started it, and there is unemployment everywhere and the illegal flow is not stopping. I'd want it in my state.
Hence the CIR may come up as a forced situation and must be done with no other option to delay. I hope it passes also.
The full draft of the plan is now on thehill.com, which we got from IV, 2 days back itself.
Thanks IV.
One more thing: What is the most burning issue with CIR: 10-15 mill illegal undoc workers, right.
Lets use our brains also, and see if we can come up with some very smart solution how to fix that. Americans cannot tolerate 15 mill legalized in this economy. But there may be a way if we think. We may have a better idea than those policy makers on this issue.. Think .. think. Our problem is probably fully linked to this point.

Note:I am not against 10 million Mexicans. It is better to be legal workers. They are hardworking, and are just like us. Imagine every time someone knocks their door or a police siren, what happens. There should be a legal way.

To both you and RonHira...you guys never read my comments after that post..I believe it was a false rumor that I reacted to soon..

[amitga]

Understand what you are saying....... In mirage you would rather pick golden apples than find a way out of it. ... and fact is ... may be you will never get out of mirage but picking golden apples will surely not help you.
...
to your point, "Also remove the restriction of priority date" or "being in states for so many years" or such arguments are golden apples.
...
"getting CIR with realistically possible provisions (the ones which are already their) pass" is marathon.
...

now you decide where you would try to collect golden apples or you would rather complete the marathon.

Well said. Some more greens for you

[Edison99]

Perry against Arizona law for Texas
Perry against Arizona law for Texas | Politics | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle (http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/politics/6983315.html)

Yes, please be positive.
I'd not take the comments of the president that seriously or negative.
The reason is simple.
Did this current CIR topic come with the president's apetiite. NO. It came UP as one of the impo topics of discussion because of AZ reason. Right. And with the same setting, I'm sure this bill will get more focus.
And I think I read even TX wants to implement what AZ did. Other states may also follow, why not. AZ started it, and there is unemployment everywhere and the illegal flow is not stopping. I'd want it in my state.
Hence the CIR may come up as a forced situation and must be done with no other option to delay. I hope it passes also.
The full draft of the plan is now on thehill.com, which we got from IV, 2 days back itself.
Thanks IV.
One more thing: What is the most burning issue with CIR: 10-15 mill illegal undoc workers, right.
Lets use our brains also, and see if we can come up with some very smart solution how to fix that. Americans cannot tolerate 15 mill legalized in this economy. But there may be a way if we think. We may have a better idea than those policy makers on this issue.. Think .. think. Our problem is probably fully linked to this point.

Note:I am not against 10 million Mexicans. It is better to be legal workers. They are hardworking, and are just like us. Imagine every time someone knocks their door or a police siren, what happens. There should be a legal way.

[sri1309]

C-SPAN Video Player - Senate Majority Leader Reid & Democratic Members on Immigration Reform (http://www.c-span.org/Watch/Media/2010/04/29/HP/A/32371/Senate+Majority+Leader+Reid+Democratic+Members+on+ Immigration+Reform.aspx)


Copied from the other forum, as this one is visited more. A good 30 min recording of yesterday's event by Mr. Reid and others.
Enjoy.

[Leo07]

I think next week is crucial in understanding where this tornado will go.
a. It could be that the yesterdays show was for cameras and as always to fool Hispanic community. No one will talk about the draft anymore and dies of it's slow death. Already, it's off the headlines today on some networks.
or
b. It could be a sincere and genuine effort from Democrats caring for Hispanic and immigrant community.Not so much worrying about their own senate seats in November.

my blabber anyways:)

[cbpds]

Only Rebuplicans didnt stop the bill 15 democrats stopped it too.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/28/washington/28cnd-immig.html

while the draft bill looks impressive, the chances of this bill being successful are slim to none.
We need Republicans onboard, and they don't like CIR. If we look back to CIR 2007, their stand was clear. Being a Republican himself, Bush couldnot convince Republicans to get on board with CIR.
Mr Obama realizes he shares the same fate, and doesnot seem to be making a sincere effort to win bipartisanship.
The democrats know that this bill is going down the drain. However, their intention to move forward is a mere political ploy to undermine hispanic support for the Republican's in the mid term elections.

Even though I am hoping for any kind of relief to EB preferences, I believe we stand a good chance after mid-term.

P.S: The above are my opinions and would be glad if I am wrong :D

[joydiptac]

Was there anything in the bill for self petition after labor filing i.e. to decouple EB immigration from the actual employer?
I know this is a non issue if there is no backlog. Who is to say the backlog will never happen again?

[Rb_newsletter]

Just wanted to share.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/28/washington/28IMMIGTIMELINE.html

[Student with no hopes]

Only Rebuplicans didnt stop the bill 15 democrats stopped it too.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/28/washington/28cnd-immig.html

Just wanted to share.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/28/washington/28IMMIGTIMELINE.html
All the more reason to get it right this time. Because the alternative is unthinkable......immigration would fail, not sure which politician will be willing to take this up again, and most importantly, the AZ bill will spread to many other states in the US ( Wonk Room » REPORT: Following Passage Of Arizona Law, At Least Seven States Contemplate Anti-Immigrant Legislation (http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2010/04/28/immigration-arizona-law/) )......
With this law, us legals will have to carry papers at all times in AZ (and if the other states pass the bill, then there too.......) From there who knows where it will go.....

If the senate takes this bill on, NOW and ONLY NOW is the time to get the immigration bill done.

[kondur_007]

This bill is nicely written but lacks a lot of specifics; granted that it is just a draft.

It looks like it is written only for the Public.

Almost everyone has pointed out good things about the bill (Including IV admin who has nicely put together the summary of good provisions); I thought I will be devil's advocate and show some negatives (I am purposefully not mentioning positives; I am well aware of those..:))

The bill calls for "securing borders first"; literally creating a "human wall"; cost of which will be prohibitive. I dont know how they will justify this.

Additionally, it does nothing to the current "cap" on employment based immigration (which is the main problem; and if not addressed worse situation will arise in future).

Another catch is "what will happen after 8 years"? This is not very clear. They are claiming to "clear current backlog in 8 years" (which may be doable if they eliminate per country limit); and then without any country limit they will allow 11 million illegals to file employment based greencard! That will by itself will choke system for 50+ years :) (no change in total quota)

Also there is no mention of the system that will be used to provide "LPI status" to illegals; current USCIS resources would not be even closely sufficient to do this in next 8 years.

Also the "commission" that will overlook this; sounds to me like a "czar" system of democrates; There is overlooking systems currently (like Ombudsman); but it is just for the "show". I dont know what exactly they want to accomplish by this "commission".

In short; there are many shortfalls of this proposal; but the positive aspects are very bright as well; this bill hopefully will end agony of all of us and also hopefully they will address above shortfalls before being enacted.

And above all: I HOPE ALL PROVISIONS FOR LEGAL IMMIGRANTS WILL NOT BE STRIPPED IN THE CONGRESS!

[willigetgc?]

A couple of Senators office that I called did say that the language has not been written and therefore they cannot commit to the draft that is proposed.

I don't know if this is their standard reply to give vague answers or if it is genuine. Anyway, I will continue doing my part and be active with IV action items, and hope that they will guide us through this maze.

[kondur_007]

A couple of Senators office that I called did say that the language has not been written and therefore they cannot commit to the draft that is proposed.

I don't know if this is their standard reply to give vague answers or if it is genuine. Anyway, I will continue doing my part and be active with IV action items, and hope that they will guide us through this maze.

Thank you for contacting your senators; it helps a lot. I did contact my House Representative as well.

I think they are correct is saying that this draft does not mean much; there is no legal language or specifics spelled out in the draft. To my eyes, it is just written for the "public" to know that they are "doing something".

[Rb_newsletter]

Additionally, it does nothing to the current "cap" on employment based immigration (which is the main problem; and if not addressed worse situation will arise in future).

Another catch is "what will happen after 8 years"? This is not very clear. They are claiming to "clear current backlog in 8 years" (which may be doable if they eliminate per country limit); and then without any country limit they will allow 11 million illegals to file employment based greencard! That will by itself will choke system for 50+ years :) (no change in total quota)

Also the "commission" that will overlook this; sounds to me like a "czar" system of democrates; There is overlooking systems currently (like Ombudsman); but it is just for the "show". I dont know what exactly they want to accomplish by this "commission".



Yes, we should know exactly in which queue the undocumented are going to be lined up. We don't want to fall into another well after coming out of one. Enough sufferings in backlogs.

And we should know what the commission is for and its jurisdiction/power?

[Leo07]

Guys,

The below clause, as I feared is likely to kick all the goodies included for EB. Can IV confirm it's not the case or work against this clause?


I rarely quote Ron...here is one such occasion to show that my worry about the 'clause' is not alone:
Honestly, is there still a chance for CIR to be debated and pass this summer? (http://www.immigration-information.com/forums/pending-immigration-legislation/10860-honestly-is-there-still-a-chance-for-cir-to-be-debated-and-pass-this-summer.html)

"

What you are missing is the part about the "employment commission." This has been proposed (and shot down) several times in the past. It proposes that the employment based categories and quotas be kept open so that a commission can make determinations as to the needs of American businesses and recommend changes to Congress. Under this system, which will be dominated by unions, the commission will determine whether shortages exist in different fields. To the extent that they determine that a shortage exists, they will recommend a fixed level of immigration for that field. Putting aside the insanity of government trying to tell business who they need, the lag times between recognized shortages being acknowledged, the commission proposing remedies, and Congress acting will ensure that US businesses will offshore the rest of the tech jobs that are still here. Can you imagine tech companies going to this commission and begging for more IT personnel, only to have the Programmer's Guild step up (as they always do) and argue that there are too many IT workers here already? This portion of the legislation should be named the "Kill the IT Industry in America Act of 2010."

What good will it do to eliminate per country quotas if no one can qualify to immigrate?

"

Thanks!

has potential to override all the goodies in one stroke...
"This proposal also authorizes the creation of the Commission on Employment-Based Immigration. The Commission shall have the purpose of studying America’s employment-based immigration system to recommend policies that promote economic growth and competitiveness while minimizing job displacement, wage depression and unauthorized employment. Each year, the Commission shall publish a report to Congress detailing all relevant economic data (http://immigrationvoice.org/forum/#) surrounding the usage of all of America’s employment-based visas and green cards and shall issue recommendations."

[vbkris77]

Beauty of the lobby is that it will have both sides. If anti can make noise about more immigrants, business can lobby about resource availability. So it should find a balance.. It is the same infamous "death panels" argument that didn't win in Healthcare debate.

So I wouldn't worry as much about this as Ron G would..

Guys,

The below clause, as I feared is likely to kick all the goodies included for EB. Can IV confirm it's not the case or work against this clause?


I rarely quote Ron...here is one such occasion to show that my worry about the 'clause' is not alone:
Honestly, is there still a chance for CIR to be debated and pass this summer? (http://www.immigration-information.com/forums/pending-immigration-legislation/10860-honestly-is-there-still-a-chance-for-cir-to-be-debated-and-pass-this-summer.html)

"

What you are missing is the part about the "employment commission." This has been proposed (and shot down) several times in the past. It proposes that the employment based categories and quotas be kept open so that a commission can make determinations as to the needs of American businesses and recommend changes to Congress. Under this system, which will be dominated by unions, the commission will determine whether shortages exist in different fields. To the extent that they determine that a shortage exists, they will recommend a fixed level of immigration for that field. Putting aside the insanity of government trying to tell business who they need, the lag times between recognized shortages being acknowledged, the commission proposing remedies, and Congress acting will ensure that US businesses will offshore the rest of the tech jobs that are still here. Can you imagine tech companies going to this commission and begging for more IT personnel, only to have the Programmer's Guild step up (as they always do) and argue that there are too many IT workers here already? This portion of the legislation should be named the "Kill the IT Industry in America Act of 2010."

What good will it do to eliminate per country quotas if no one can qualify to immigrate?

"

Thanks!

[pbuckeye]

Beauty of the lobby is that it will have both sides. If anti can make noise about more immigrants, business can lobby about resource availability. So it should find a balance.. It is the same infamous "death panels" argument that didn't win in Healthcare debate.

So I wouldn't worry as much about this as Ron G would..

vbkris77 - is the effort to compile and put questions to USCIS still on? I see some responses on their blog but that's mostly already known info.

[vbkris77]

vbkris77 - is the effort to compile and put questions to USCIS still on? I see some responses on their blog but that's mostly already known info.

I am waiting for few more follow-ups. No ETA yet. But hope to get it done by end of this month.

[Leo07]

Dems could squander this opportunity if they don't act fast...well we have more to lose than anybody:(
Sahil Kapur: Squandered Opportunity? Democrats Put Off Immigration (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sahil-kapur/squandered-opportunity-de_b_561743.html)

[Administrator2]

Guys,

The below clause, as I feared is likely to kick all the goodies included for EB. Can IV confirm it's not the case or work against this clause?


I rarely quote Ron...here is one such occasion to show that my worry about the 'clause' is not alone:
Honestly, is there still a chance for CIR to be debated and pass this summer? (http://www.immigration-information.com/forums/pending-immigration-legislation/10860-honestly-is-there-still-a-chance-for-cir-to-be-debated-and-pass-this-summer.html)

"

What you are missing is the part about the "employment commission." This has been proposed (and shot down) several times in the past. It proposes that the employment based categories and quotas be kept open so that a commission can make determinations as to the needs of American businesses and recommend changes to Congress. Under this system, which will be dominated by unions, the commission will determine whether shortages exist in different fields. To the extent that they determine that a shortage exists, they will recommend a fixed level of immigration for that field. Putting aside the insanity of government trying to tell business who they need, the lag times between recognized shortages being acknowledged, the commission proposing remedies, and Congress acting will ensure that US businesses will offshore the rest of the tech jobs that are still here. Can you imagine tech companies going to this commission and begging for more IT personnel, only to have the Programmer's Guild step up (as they always do) and argue that there are too many IT workers here already? This portion of the legislation should be named the "Kill the IT Industry in America Act of 2010."

What good will it do to eliminate per country quotas if no one can qualify to immigrate?

"

Thanks!

We are fully aware of the commission provision and the other negative Durbin-Grassley provisions in the proposal. But there is no need to get worked up over the proposal. This is just a starting point of the debate. It will be unwise to engage in name calling shooting down the proposal right at this stage. No single group has gotten everything in this proposal which is a template at 50,000 feet. Even undocumented, tech companies or even unions could find reasons to reject this proposal calling it 'Killer of Hispanics' or "Killer of blue collar workers" or the companies could call it "Killer of technology". No one is getting worked up because this is just a template. With the given political climate it is next to impossible to get everything in the base bill. Such an effort will be a non-starter. In our opinion, ending the discussion by name calling before any real effort is initiated will be a sign of immaturity.

Immigration bill is not an event, it’s a process. The public distribution of this proposal is one step of that process. It will go through multiple rounds of discussions before we have a bill. If we want immigration bill see the light at the end of the tunnel then we all ought to be wise and not fall for any quick wins, because there are none.

Sen. Graham and Sen. Schumer were working on this proposal for several months leading up this announcement. Sen. Graham is no longer supporting it, however, now this proposal is an initiation of the process and at the same time it’s an invitation to the Republicans to negotiate the outline of CIR. There will be further negotiation before this thing goes somewhere. We have had several discussions with the Senate leadership on both sides of the aisle. Large companies and industry groups also had similar discussions. For high skilled provisions, all eyes will be on EB commission and Durbin Grassley provisions. Leadership is aware that it will not get the support of major groups if they will not reconsider some of the draconian EB provisions in the proposal. With that understanding, we need to continue to do our share in calling the Senate offices as requested in the latest Action Item. That is very important that we stay positive and continue to do the right thing without getting distracted by what amateurs or arm chair critics have to say.

Removal of per country limits provision is in the base proposal. We all know who has worked and advocated for this extremely important provision. The proposal also has recapture and exemption for STEM, plus a new category of immigrants owning real estate in US. We believe that the outline will get better and better as things progress. Let's stay on the message.

[Leo07]

My post was to raise the awareness. As long as we are aware of the repercussions of the clause and plan to tackle it, it must be OK.

But, in all honesty, no matter how much we trumpet about the other provisions, if this clause gets in in it's current format, we could be in trouble.

[pbuckeye]

I am waiting for few more follow-ups. No ETA yet. But hope to get it done by end of this month.

Thanks. Appreciate your work.

My post was to raise the awareness. As long as we are aware of the repercussions of the clause and plan to tackle it, it must be OK.

But, in all honesty, no matter how much we trumpet about the other provisions, if this clause gets in in it's current format, we could be in trouble.

I think the outline has multiple provisions that can benefit us and only the commission that sounds bad. So, the net result will still be very positive.

[imh1b]

God Bless !!!

The Thread (http://immigrationvoice.org/forum/forum108-analysis-discussion/1290405-iv-calling-for-i485-inventory-analysis.html)

Thread started on 03-23-2010, 11:01 AM
Last Post on thread - 04-21-2010, 01:32 PM
Hope to get it done - 05/31/2010.


and its only Hope...

Here we have NO ETA from IV LEADER / member, HOW WE ARE EXPECTING LAWMAKERS/USCIS/DOS TO ACT ON OUR REQUESTS?

Asking for answers will be a waste of time. We should be spending time on getting any Admin fix. I think only you are interested in this. Most people want Admin fix if we are talking to the administration. What use is the data or answers if we cannot benefit from it. We already know our wait time is 10-15 years. Will it matter if from the answers we come to know that wait time is 9-13 years or 14-16 years?

I urge IV not to pursue this and instead pursue an admin fix that gives us some benefit.

[Administrator2]

Good analysis. What happened in 2007 CIR bill? Initially there were good provisions for EB legal but but at the end it was terribly screwed up (introduced unrealistic point system) and all EB community was praying to kill this bill.

No CIR will pass with mass amnesty to 13 millions illegals.

IV opposed 2007 bill, the point system and all other bad provisions that bill.

But again, if at all there is any possibility of stripping of any EB provisions, it will be because some of the members here don't want to understand that beating down on the undocumented will only hurt our provisions. We have consistently requested all members to not beat down on the undocumented. But we see that some members continue to post against the undocumented. Lets try to be for something instead of against someone. If we continue down this dangerous road of beating down on the undocumented then there is every chance of a repeat of 2007. So be ready to blame yourself if you plan on the undocumented bashing spree.

It takes only one drop of mud to contaminate a clean jar of water. Likewise, it matters what each one of us say or do. There is no need to get presumptuous even before the process has started. We have all waited for the Congress to take up our provisions in some bill. After such a long wait, it will be extremely unwise to shoot down the immigration bill process at the first step.

In the end we all have to decided what is more important you. Do you oppose undocumented more than you support EB provisions? Its an individual choice for each one of us to make. If the answer is yes, then please do not be part of IV effort because you are better suited for Numbersusa. If the answer is no, then please help yourself to gather support for the CIR. With the current political dynamics, there will be no EB only bill in a foreseeable future. CIR will be the only vehicle to carry our provisions. I cannot emphasis more on how important it is not to beat down on the undocumented. If you want to continue to beat down on IV, please do not use IV platform for that purpose.

[kondur_007]

IV opposed 2007 bill, the point system and all other bad provisions that bill.

some of the members here don't want to understand that beating down on the undocumented will only hurt our provisions.



Well, I have to agree with you on this one; I will quote my own post from 3/23/10:

"CIR will never focus on legals due to political reasons. We do not have political leverage of our own and Hispanic caucus will not let anything passed without amnesty to illegals.

What can we/ should we do?

- We need to try to get our agenda integrated into CIR. Opposing it will not help (whether we approve amnesty or not). "

http://immigrationvoice.org/forum/forum5-all-other-green-card-issues/341049-gcs-for-illegals-via-amnesty-2.html#post1648370

Bottom line is: We need to focus on our objectives and get it through whichever way feasible.

However, asking someone to join numberusa (simply because they do not support amnesty) is a little too much of a statement (remember, everyone has their own thoughts, and freedom of speech is at the grassroot of the this country; one of the main reason we all are here).

At the same token, I would also urge everyone to understand the point and try to "digest" the idea that we are going no-where by just opposing amnesty. We can be neutral on it, but opposing will not help.

[cleopatra]

Pappu / Admin,

From your discussions, does it look like CIR will be taken up this year or not? I know no one has any definitive answers, but does it look likely or not?

Also, when talking to senators, they do not take a stand citing lack of details in the proposal. Do you know if there is any plan to convert the general proposal to a bill anytime soon or is it already underway?

It is very disappointing to see no news from our president about this. The human element is entirely missing from the immigration reform debates altogether. The fix of the legal immigration is not coming out to surface.

Any updates would be appreciated.

[Administrator2]

Well, I have to agree with you on this one; I will quote my own post from 3/23/10:

"CIR will never focus on legals due to political reasons. We do not have political leverage of our own and Hispanic caucus will not let anything passed without amnesty to illegals.

What can we/ should we do?

- We need to try to get our agenda integrated into CIR. Opposing it will not help (whether we approve amnesty or not). "

http://immigrationvoice.org/forum/forum5-all-other-green-card-issues/341049-gcs-for-illegals-via-amnesty-2.html#post1648370

Bottom line is: We need to focus on our objectives and get it through whichever way feasible.

However, asking someone to join numberusa (simply because they do not support amnesty) is a little too much of a statement (remember, everyone has their own thoughts, and freedom of speech is at the grassroot of the this country; one of the main reason we all are here).

At the same token, I would also urge everyone to understand the point and try to "digest" the idea that we are going no-where by just opposing amnesty. We can be neutral on it, but opposing will not help.

As you said and we agree that the focus should be on the objectives. Issues of undocumented and that part of immigration debate is not part of our objective. Why do some members keep beating down on the undocumented? And we know for fact that beating down on undocumented issue hurts our provisions. Is it then wise to continue to go down that path? Is it then not in contradiction to IV's objectives?

We are not asking anyone to support amnesty; we are simply saying not to damage our effort. On the question of undocumented, opposing groups have continued to beat down on undocumented by saying "what about legal immigrants". It does not mean that these opposing groups support legal immigrants; it just means that they like to pitch one group against another and have used this tactics for a long time. We have to be smarter if we want to reach our objective. IV has repeatedly request all members not to engage in beating down on the undocumented because it hurts our agenda. And if some members continue to use IV resources for beating down on the undocumented, we will be left with no other choice but to gently request, followed by maybe a personal message eventually leading to banning a user. It is no fun to ban someone from the forum. But if that it what it takes to reach our objective, then that's ok too. We are not here to please anyone. We are here to reach our objectives.

Once again if we could clearly clarify, IV was not created with the objective to promote or preserve freedom of speech. IV's objectives do not list promotion of the first amendment as there are lots of other people working on that goal. If someone is looking to work on promoting or preserving freedom of speech then please find other resources. Again beating down on the undocumented is against our agenda and we will be forced to take stringent measures to safeguard our agenda. If it involves some folks joining numbersusa, then so be it. We know we cannot make everyone happy and so that is not part of our goal either. We are investing our time and energy for a very specific purpose we are want to stay on the target. Even though we all agree with world peace, IV will not add world peace in its agenda.

[Administrator2]

Pappu / Admin,

From your discussions, does it look like CIR will be taken up this year or not? I know no one has any definitive answers, but does it look likely or not?

Also, when talking to senators, they do not take a stand citing lack of details in the proposal. Do you know if there is any plan to convert the general proposal to a bill anytime soon or is it already underway?

It is very disappointing to see no news from our president about this. The human element is entirely missing from the immigration reform debates altogether. The fix of the legal immigration is not coming out to surface.

Any updates would be appreciated.

We think there is a good chance that CIR will be taken up this year and there is a good chance that it could pass. The are a lot of backroom discussions going on right now. That is why we have requested all members to call specific offices in the Senate. These calls are tallied and the final number is used to weigh in on making a decision on an issue.

We think it is ok if no one talked about legal immigrants issues as long as we get out provisions. We don't want to see press on our issue if we don't have too. All the attention is on the issues of the issue of undocumented. Our feelings are not hurt if we slide under the radar as long as our provisions gets done. But we all need to do our share because we are all part of this debate. Unless we are willing to carry the load we should not expect someone else to do it for us.

Also, it is possible that if not in the month of June/July, CIR bill may pass in lame duck session. But as we know, battle lines are drawn long before a bill comes up. We were able to get removal of per country limits bill in Aug-2008 because of IV rally and lobby day in Sept-2007. We continued with our effort for this provisions and now we see removal of per country limits in the base proposal. So it takes long time to advocate for a policy change. If we want to do anything to influence CIR, we have to engage ourselves in the process. Nothing will happen by itself. Its a very slow process and it demands time and energy of each one of us. There is no quick answer to a question that when will CIR pass and if there will be anything for legal immigrants? If we all do our share of the work, then we will see our provisions in the bill. If we are not willing to do our share then we will see provisions designed to slow down the process. So in the end it entirely depends on us, we all.

[pbuckeye]

We think there is a good chance that CIR will be taken up this year and there is a good chance that it could pass. The are a lot of backroom discussions going on right now. That is why we have requested all members to call specific offices in the Senate. These calls are tallied and the final number is used to weigh in on making a decision on an issue.
......................


Thanks for the update.

[willigetgc?]

Asking for answers will be a waste of time. We should be spending time on getting any Admin fix. I think only you are interested in this. Most people want Admin fix if we are talking to the administration. What use is the data or answers if we cannot benefit from it. We already know our wait time is 10-15 years. Will it matter if from the answers we come to know that wait time is 9-13 years or 14-16 years?

I urge IV not to pursue this and instead pursue an admin fix that gives us some benefit.

this initiative was started by iv, that what thread says. yes they can abandon if they want to. :):):)

Do you seriously believe that administrative fixes happen any faster or is guaranteed compared to a legislative fix? Almost any provision that affects positively to a vast number of members come from legislative fixes. IV team has been working with the uscis/dos, legislative offices, administrative office, lobbyists - on advocacy issues, give them the benefit of the doubt - to know the most feasible path.

Yes, knowing whether it is 9-13 years, or 10-11 years or 14-16 years make no difference, but at least clearing the backlogs in 1-2 years should motivate you to work hard......... lets hope that is what you are doing - calling the senators from the IV list, and meeting with the legislators office.

I called the list twice, my gc life is in your hands too - so please if not for you, do it for me :)

[Leo07]

I agree that it will benefit you & me and people who are currently past the labor stage. It was my fault that I was not clear, the provision is bad for future immigrants.
Thanks. Appreciate your work.



I think the outline has multiple provisions that can benefit us and only the commission that sounds bad. So, the net result will still be very positive.

[Administrator2]

As we indicated earlier, IV was told that there will be no commission for EB green cards. The commission provision will be removed from the next version of the document, which will released in the near future.

[starscream]

Admin2 / Papu,

This item caught my eye ..does this have any impact on EB provisions in the bill. i.e removal of per country quota and recapture visas for EB greencards

Schumer vs. Chamber flares up, throwing immigration roadblock - TheHill.com (http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/96371-schumer-vs-us-chamber-flares-up-again)