Live updates: Advocacy day Event

[pappu]

Live updates of the advocacy day event will be posted on this thread as well as

Advocacy Days (http://advocacydays.blogspot.com/)

Updates will start pouring in from Sunday morning 10:30 AM and continue till Tuesday night.

Please stay tuned

[pappu]

Advocacy day is going well. There are about 300 meetings being planed between today and tomorrow. Its very hectic in the situation room.

This afternoon USCIS Ombudsman came to meet us in the situation room and spoke with the members. More details and pictures will be posted soon. Stay tuned.

[Caliber]

Thanks for the update Pappu. I am ashamed of missing this big and important event.

[pappu]

Congress.org - News : Why Bill Gates cares about immigration (http://www.congress.org/news/2010/05/24/why_bill_gates_cares_about_immigration)

Why Bill Gates cares about immigration
Foreign workers have a stake in fight to change laws.

Activists on both sides of the immigration debate tend to focus on the millions of illegal immigrants whose fate rests on whether Congress passed a law.

But foreigners here legally also have a stake in this fight.

The U.S. issues temporary worker visas, called H-1B after their official classification, to thousands of non-residents each year. Often, they hold college degrees and have technical skills.

Microsoft and other technology companies hire many workers this way. They often have to prove they can't hire skilled U.S. citizens to fill those jobs first.

Bill Gates wrote in the Washington Post several years back that there is an employment gap that H-1B visas help fill:

This issue has reached a crisis point. Computer science employment is growing by nearly 100,000 jobs annually. But at the same time studies show that there is a dramatic decline in the number of students graduating with computer science degrees.

The United States provides 65,000 temporary H-1B visas each year to make up this shortfall -- not nearly enough to fill open technical positions.

H-1B workers, who have united under grassroots groups like Immigration Voice , want more than just an increase in visas. They want the government to streamline the rules.

Currently, the workers have to apply for green cards through their employers, often a lengthy and cumbersome process. They can't switch jobs easily and sometimes have to reapply for a visa even if they move jobs within the same company. They have to leave the country every few years before they can reapply for a visa.

The workers can also apply for a spouse to come to the U.S., but their partners are not allowed to work under the H-4 status granted to them. The activists argue that those individuals represent a skilled base of workers who could contribute to the U.S. economy and help pay for household expenses.

Powerful corporations back the H-1 B workers in their demands, since it would make it easier for them to hire skilled workers. But groups like Numbers USA argue that those companies shouldn't hire non-residents at a time when many Americans are jobless.

-- Ambreen Ali, Congress.org

[pappu]

USCIS Ombudsman Ms. January visits Immigration Voice Situation Room

http://advocacydays.blogspot.com/



USCIS Ombudsman Ms. January speaking to the Immigration Voice members.

[pappu]

The event was a big success. We will be posting more updates soon.

[vthattik]

Cost of flight ticket, hotel and car : $520
Cost of metro tickets : $14
Cost of a couple of lunch + dinners : $50
Cost of taking cabs to visit lawmakers : $20
Cost of attending the meetings with lawmakers and seeing every IVian, that attended the event during the last three days, working relentlessly for the entire immigrant community stuck in the huge greencard backlog : PRICELESS PRICELESS PRICELESS :)

I think, the event was a huge success and the outcome of the meetings were positive. I wish at least one representative from each state participated in the event. Some offices insisted that they talk to their constituents.

Kudos to everyone who participated!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[needhelp!]

Just got back to from DC and back to work. In a nutshell, it was amazing to relive the 2007 experience and reconnect with the dedicated IV members and Core team.

More updates coming..

[redds777]

Hi Guys

I would like to point out a few things about the recent Lobby day we from IV did on June 6th and 7th in Washington DC.

I am a proud participant and I am glad I did take part in it. This was my first time and I am ready to this again when needed. Initially I was skeptical about this drive like a lot of you . But after I saw the commitment and dedication of our senior members , I am encouraged and I am glad I went there to DC and I was surprised how positive was the response I got from the offices of senators and congressmen and congresswomen. There were a lot of IV members who traveled from all across the country although there were a few states from where members could not make it to DC. Thanks to all of those who attended this event and those who attended know how much positive feeling we had on those 3 days.

In my opinion we were successful in bringing the attention of various congressmen/congresswomen and senators to the issue of employment based green card backlogs. A lot of the senators offices were already aware of what IV is doing and in some cases when we said we are from IV, They started telling why we were there and they were very supportive of our cause.

Some of them had no idea what we were talking about. They think that there is no such thing as backlog in green cards for high skilled immigrants from some countries like India and china and Philippines etc.. We had to educate them and explain the entire green card process steps to their legal aides but towards the end they understood our issue and were supportive of our cause.

Actually a lot of the staffers of senators and congressmen attended the Reception on capital hill on Tuesday. That also underscores the support we have there. To translate the support into more concrete legislative support in our favor, We need to organize more and increase number of members attending these events in future to have a more solid impact on them.

I want to bring up one point very clearly. Guys there is no one in Washington DC offices talking about the difficulties we are facing other than IV organization members . We need to lobby the lawmakers much much before any legislation is drafted and taken up for debate in congress. If we think we will rise up and make some noise when the bill is tabled, we are wrong. By then we will be very very late in the game. The deals would have already be done in congress and our issues will not be addressed at all. ( that is just how business is done in Washington . If you snooze you loose) We need to rise up and take a more active role in IV by
1. Contacting senators and congressmen in our districts and explain to them the issues we are facing , IV Can help you by providing the documentation required and any other help needed in talking to the representatives. ( you will be surprised by their support and positive response to our issues when you meet them )
2. Register and take part in the IV state chapters meetings and discussions
3. Donate what ever we can ( 10 , 20 , 30$ etc..) to our cause in IV . If we can not help ourselves, no one can help us .(keep in mind in DC We would need money to take up any advocacy efforts ).
4. Participate in the lobby drives and other such events to raise awareness about our problems. Numbers really matter in DC . just posting the issues on forums will not help us although it may serve as a consolation by venting out on forums . this will not take us anywhere

Guys please talk to your friends who are in the limbo in EB GC process and get them to actively be involved for our cause. We all will be benefited by the results from the efforts we put in. We all have day jobs at the same time we need to sacrifice some time and resources to the larger cause.
Hope I have inspired my fellow members who are sitting on fence to actively get involved in IV and support our cause.

Thanks
Redds777














Just got back to from DC and back to work. In a nutshell, it was amazing to relive the 2007 experience and reconnect with the dedicated IV members and Core team.

More updates coming..

[harivenkat]

Cant thank you less redds777 for the update and the inspirational account you have provided.

Truly salute all you IV members for your untiring focused effort, dedication, solidarity and commitment you heroes have torrentially outpoured over the last 3 days at the doorstep of these congressmen.

this GC business apart, personally I learnt so many new things in life by attending this event.... this is truly a unique event of its kind.

Thank you every body, thank you.

[sanju_dba]

Hi Guys


I want to bring up one point very clearly. Guys there is no one in Washington DC offices talking about the difficulties we are facing other than IV organization members . We need to lobby the lawmakers
3. Donate what ever we can ( 10 , 20 , 30$ etc..) to our cause in IV .


Thanks Redds777!

For this event we did fund raising and that helped the cause. for the Lobby efforts is there any number that IV want to publish and members will get inspired again!

[santb1975]

Our Goal for this event was $50000 and so far we did not even raise 20k. We are approximately 60% under target. We won't be able to have another event like this if we go down this path. The last thing we want to happen is our efforts to stall due to lack of dollars. it would undo everything we have done in the past 4.5 years

Thanks Redds777!

For this event we did fund raising and that helped the cause. for the Lobby efforts is there any number that IV want to publish and members will get inspired again!

[cbpds]

We can also ask some big companies like Microsoft who back legal immigration extensively to help us financially right?

just my 2 cents

Our Goal for this event was $50000 and so far we did not even raise 20k. We are approximately 60% under target. We won't be able to have another event like this if we go down this path. The last thing we want to happen is our efforts to stall due to lack of dollars. it would undo everything we have done in the past 4.5 years

[santb1975]

Can you?

We can also ask some big companies like Microsoft who back legal immigration extensively to help us financially right?

just my 2 cents

[vthattik]

Even if 1000 of our ~41000 members contribute 100 dollars each, we can host two more events like this.

It makes sense to ask help from outside of the organization only when our internal resources are all exhausted. However, sadly, most of us do not want to even contribute for the good cause. :o

We can also ask some big companies like Microsoft who back legal immigration extensively to help us financially right?

just my 2 cents

[dummgelauft]

Even if 1000 of our ~41000 members contribute 100 dollars each, we can host two more events like this.

It makes sense to ask help from outside of the organization only when our internal resources are all exhausted. However, sadly, most of us do not want to even contribute for the good cause. :o

I am not a dornor, BUT, I am going to say this one more time:

1000 X $100 (one-time) = $100,000.00 (one time)

41,000 X $10/year = $410,000/YEAR

Take your pick.

It is is high time to make IV a paid subscription site, something as little as $10/year should bring in a STEADY, healthy flow of funds.

Even if HALF of IV members drop off, because of this $10/yr fee, we will still have $200,000.00/year in assured, steady flow.

I would like to see Pappu's comments on this, once he gets so time off from the avocacy effort.

BTW, I did send in my contribution for Advocacy effort.

[vbkris77]

We could have got 1000 from each of the IV member, if July Fiasco hadn't happened.

Most I spoke to are content with EAD/AP.

Even if 1000 of our ~41000 members contribute 100 dollars each, we can host two more events like this.

It makes sense to ask help from outside of the organization only when our internal resources are all exhausted. However, sadly, most of us do not want to even contribute for the good cause. :o

[gk_2000]

I had this question - how the 50k would be used? If you could post in greater detail perhaps more members would be enlightened to contribute

[redds777]

Thank you Sanju for donating for this event .

Actually funds that are raised for an event should happen much before any such event because we need to lay the ground work for the event in DC . I dont know when our next event would be. IV core can comment on that after watching the legislative events in DC in next few months .

What i was conveying was, to donate to the pool of resources and be ready when the bills start moving in the congress . IV would need to hit the road again at that time to continue the momentum from the lobby event and have our provisions included in the base bill. Regarding the dollar number, i dont know how much would be needed.

On the day of the events you can get involved by actually hosting some members in your homes if u live in DC area . actually i hosted 3 guys from MI thsi time . that way it makes easier for the members on their pockets as they would have spent on air tickets etc.. there are many ways to be actively invloved in IV for our cause. you can motivate your collegues and friends do teh same for our cause. Rest assured that IV will use the money sensibly as i have seen in this event.

Thanks

Thanks Redds777!

For this event we did fund raising and that helped the cause. for the Lobby efforts is there any number that IV want to publish and members will get inspired again!

[newuser]

Great Job by IV.

In fact, I met a fellow IV'ian who joined IV three days ago after learning about it through a friend and came to DC for the advocacy day.

[desixp]

Thank You IV & redds777,

Thanks to all IV members who have participated in the Advocacy efforts in DC. Special thanks to redds777 for hosting some guest.

Regards

[needhelp!]

I had this question - how the 50k would be used? If you could post in greater detail perhaps more members would be enlightened to contribute

The only way to enlighten yourself and others is to get yourself and your friends involved and participating towards the effort. You will automatically see the sacrifices made by others who are not thinking about "I" all the time.

No sensible member would expect detailed spending reports to be published on a public forum. I hope you weren't expecting that?

[ItIsNotFunny]

Advocacy day is going well. There are about 300 meetings being planed between today and tomorrow. Its very hectic in the situation room.

This afternoon USCIS Ombudsman came to meet us in the situation room and spoke with the members. More details and pictures will be posted soon. Stay tuned.

This is one of the most important event conducted. I feel bad that I couldn't attend in person.

Kudos and special thanks to everyone who made this happen.

[Suva]

I was there for the three days (though I was very late on Sunday). This was an exciting experience for me. I was involved in 10 meetings with the lawmaker's offices on Monday & Tuesday.

I would also like to thank DesiXP for arranging accommodation for me and my friend.

[gk_2000]

I had this question - how the 50k would be used? If you could post in greater detail perhaps more members would be enlightened to contribute

This got me 3 more reds

If this is the reception a perfectly good point like mine gets, then it certainly doesn't reflect well. To let you know, I have just contributed $100, so reserve your reds for the other guys contributing sweet talks and 0 $$$. And if you have given me red and not contributed, then you are the real A$$#073 here

I request members to quit being childish and engage in sincere discussions

[gk_2000]

The only way to enlighten yourself and others is to get yourself and your friends involved and participating towards the effort. You will automatically see the sacrifices made by others who are not thinking about "I" all the time.

No sensible member would expect detailed spending reports to be published on a public forum. I hope you weren't expecting that?

I never asked this question for myself

And I never discredited anyone for their effort

I am just chipping in with a suggestion on how to improve members' involvement level. It's unfortunate you have interpreted this as some kind of personal attack, which it is anything but

[redds777]

Those of you who dont believe IV is not spending the money collected judiciously, I completely understand your concern. please attend one event and you see for yourself and then decide if you want to continue the donations. After seeing the usage of resources and efforts IV is putting i am sure you will be convinced . For ex; for this Event IV had to book Hyatt hotel conference room for 3 days in washington DC for co-ordinating and training the members who are meeting the lawmakers.Everything is expensive in DC as you may have noticed.

We are all professionals in IV. We dont want to make a living out of deceiving people. we all have our day jobs . we are trying to achieve a common goal which will benifit a lot of people on this forum and those who are not in this forum also .

you may be wondering why i am suddenly becoming more active and writing so many posts. you are right i had never written so many posts before and I am not one of teh core IV as well. After attending the event i realized how many other competing groups are aiming for the same pie ie. green cards for various categories through lobbying efforts on the hill. if we dont rise up and fight for our piece of the pie, other groups will eat our piece and leave the emply box for us .

Again do actively participate and give it a try you will be satisfied with the outcome.

Thanks






I never asked this question for myself

And I never discredited anyone for their effort

I am just chipping in with a suggestion on how to improve members' involvement level. It's unfortunate you have interpreted this as some kind of personal attack, which it is anything but

[gk_2000]

There is no doubt participation by all is very important. I have also emailed my regional politicians thru IV website and encourage everyone to do the same

[devang77]

I am not on estrogen therapy, but I decided to write about the feelings that I underwent during the 3 days of the event. If you do not want to read the entire post, skip to the last paragraph.

1. Anxiety: On Sunday, as I was making my way towards Hyatt Regency on the Capitol Hill (a beautiful and an expensive hotel) I was a little anxious about meeting new people (I am a closet introvert :D ). I was not sure if the people would just continue the non-productive conversations about Eb3 vs EB2 or India vs ROW or just be plain annoying. Boy, was I wrong!!! That anxiety disappeared in a matter of minutes after walking in the situation room. The folks were dedicated and meant business. The leadership of the core group was evident, they made sure that we didn't go off message, relatively an easy task for them since most of us there realized the importance of keeping on message.

2.Excitement: As we started the training, people started pouring great ideas (and few not so great IMHO).The trainer in chief chased each of these ideas to its logical conclusion and without saying whether they had merit or not made it obvious for us to decide. How classy and what a phenomenal coaching style!. The talking points that we discussed were articulated meticulously and question/comments were dealt with insight, experience and facts (this one is very important, we all know what opinions are like...). This was the one feeling (excitement) that lasted through the 3 days and I still cant shake it off (not that I am trying, but I don't want people to confuse me for the energizer bunny!! - we have some one else for that ;))

3.Nervousness: The first meeting. No, no not with the folks from Congress, but the mock meeting at the training session. The veterans gave us a demonstration of their insights/ knowledge and quick wit. So of course I was nervous coming in after that performance. I volunteered to be on the first ones of these mock sessions and felt all eyes in the room on me. I tried to focus on the task at hand (which was at that time, to stop my legs from shaking ;)). Perhaps, the mock session was the toughest of all the meetings that I had on the hill (remember that the hotel was 'on the hill' too :)).

4.Awesomeness: This is what it was all about. For me as a first timer, entering the hallowed halls of congress and participating in the democratic process up close and personal is an awesome feeling. Just walking down those corridors and noticing the closed doors with signs that say 'Appropriations Committee', or 'Democratic Caucus' and knowing that laws that affect lives of more than 300 million people are being crafted, debated and being voted on right there....what a rush. I think this too will be with me for a long long time.

5.Camaraderie: This is a fun bunch of serious people on a mission. I think mostly everyone hit off well with everyone else. I made a whole bunch of acquaintances that I feel could mature into strong friendships. Even though we worked our collective butts off, there was always light hearted humor floating around. It was great.

6.Gratitude: Looking at the hard work put in by the countless tireless volunteers was a humbling experience. These very kind souls put in hour after hour of work during the event but they put in even more before the event started. I don't know, if the rest of you know, organizing an event at such a scale is a massive undertaking and despite hiccups we came out the other end in great shape. My gratitude goes to all the people that put their hearts, minds and souls in allowing our community to participate in the democratic process at the highest level. Thanks for making this happen.

Why am I writing this you wonder (or may be not). This event changed me. I felt myself grow in these 3 days. I rubbed shoulders with some of the most famous and powerful men and women in the nation and conveyed our message. I also saw first hand the resource constraints that IV has and how they figure something out and make it happen. Trust me folks, it is not easy to work thanklessly for days on end for 18 hours and still keep a cheerful demeanor but they did. My sincere thanks to IV leadership, all the fellow volunteers and all monetary contributers for allowing me such a great opportunity. Part of me hopes that we never have to do this again, but that hope also makes me sad that I probably wont get to experience a full gamut of feelings again.

[sugaur]

I hope Pappu will post a succinent summary of the event soon. Please dont do it in donors forum only. Many of us have contributed to IVs efforts and for one reason or other don't have donor access.

[Pagal]

Go IV!!

[spicy_guy]

Excellent!!! very well put out! :)

I am not on estrogen therapy, but I decided to write about the feelings that I underwent during the 3 days of the event. If you do not want to read the entire post, skip to the last paragraph.

1. Anxiety: On Sunday, as I was making my way towards Hyatt Regency on the Capitol Hill (a beautiful and an expensive hotel) I was a little anxious about meeting new people (I am a closet introvert :D ). I was not sure if the people would just continue the non-productive conversations about Eb3 vs EB2 or India vs ROW or just be plain annoying. Boy, was I wrong!!! That anxiety disappeared in a matter of minutes after walking in the situation room. The folks were dedicated and meant business. The leadership of the core group was evident, they made sure that we didn't go off message, relatively an easy task for them since most of us there realized the importance of keeping on message.

2.Excitement: As we started the training, people started pouring great ideas (and few not so great IMHO).The trainer in chief chased each of these ideas to its logical conclusion and without saying whether they had merit or not made it obvious for us to decide. How classy and what a phenomenal coaching style!. The talking points that we discussed were articulated meticulously and question/comments were dealt with insight, experience and facts (this one is very important, we all know what opinions are like...). This was the one feeling (excitement) that lasted through the 3 days and I still cant shake it off (not that I am trying, but I don't want people to confuse me for the energizer bunny!! - we have some one else for that ;))

3.Nervousness: The first meeting. No, no not with the folks from Congress, but the mock meeting at the training session. The veterans gave us a demonstration of their insights/ knowledge and quick wit. So of course I was nervous coming in after that performance. I volunteered to be on the first ones of these mock sessions and felt all eyes in the room on me. I tried to focus on the task at hand (which was at that time, to stop my legs from shaking ;)). Perhaps, the mock session was the toughest of all the meetings that I had on the hill (remember that the hotel was 'on the hill' too :)).

4.Awesomeness: This is what it was all about. For me as a first timer, entering the hallowed halls of congress and participating in the democratic process up close and personal is an awesome feeling. Just walking down those corridors and noticing the closed doors with signs that say 'Appropriations Committee', or 'Democratic Caucus' and knowing that laws that affect lives of more than 300 million people are being crafted, debated and being voted on right there....what a rush. I think this too will be with me for a long long time.

5.Camaraderie: This is a fun bunch of serious people on a mission. I think mostly everyone hit off well with everyone else. I made a whole bunch of acquaintances that I feel could mature into strong friendships. Even though we worked our collective butts off, there was always light hearted humor floating around. It was great.

6.Gratitude: Looking at the hard work put in by the countless tireless volunteers was a humbling experience. These very kind souls put in hour after hour of work during the event but they put in even more before the event started. I don't know, if the rest of you know, organizing an event at such a scale is a massive undertaking and despite hiccups we came out the other end in great shape. My gratitude goes to all the people that put their hearts, minds and souls in allowing our community to participate in the democratic process at the highest level. Thanks for making this happen.

Why am I writing this you wonder (or may be not). This event changed me. I felt myself grow in these 3 days. I rubbed shoulders with some of the most famous and powerful men and women in the nation and conveyed our message. I also saw first hand the resource constraints that IV has and how they figure something out and make it happen. Trust me folks, it is not easy to work thanklessly for days on end for 18 hours and still keep a cheerful demeanor but they did. My sincere thanks to IV leadership, all the fellow volunteers and all monetary contributers for allowing me such a great opportunity. Part of me hopes that we never have to do this again, but that hope also makes me sad that I probably wont get to experience a full gamut of feelings again.

[gc28262]

devang77 pretty much covered the experience of most participants !

Let me add my observations here:
For people who doubt where all the money is going, remember Aman founded this organization putting his own money into this ( not in hundreds but thousands). He and some other core members has already got their green cards, but they continue to work for this cause. I also remember Aman and core members saying this "It is not about you. It is about the community. You just don't think about yourself, you work for everyone." Most of the talk points for meetings were meant for relief to the entire community, not a specific group.

For me, I had to go for a meeting alone. Initially I was disappointed, but I could handle that meeting very well, thanks to IVs training session. For those who are apprehensive about attending these meetings -- It is pretty straightforward if we follow IVs talking points and presentation style. We cover ourselves well with arguments and counter arguments during training session.

As for meeting lawmakers, it will always be a pleasant experience. This is the greatest democracy on the face of the earth. Lawmakers will lend a patient, listening ears to your issues. No worries there. Also fixes to our issues will benefit not only us, it will help this country in the long run. If you haven't met your lawmaker yet, please plan meeting them and let them know your pains. A meeting from a constituent is very valuable for these lawmakers.

A request to IV core:
It is better if IV could conduct the training in different state chapters, so that people will feel more confident and less apprehensive in meeting their lawmakers.

[ajay]

I am not on estrogen therapy, but I decided to write about the feelings that I underwent during the 3 days of the event. If you do not want to read the entire post, skip to the last paragraph.

1. Anxiety: On Sunday, as I was making my way towards Hyatt Regency on the Capitol Hill (a beautiful and an expensive hotel) I was a little anxious about meeting new people (I am a closet introvert :D ). I was not sure if the people would just continue the non-productive conversations about Eb3 vs EB2 or India vs ROW or just be plain annoying. Boy, was I wrong!!! That anxiety disappeared in a matter of minutes after walking in the situation room. The folks were dedicated and meant business. The leadership of the core group was evident, they made sure that we didn't go off message, relatively an easy task for them since most of us there realized the importance of keeping on message.

2.Excitement: As we started the training, people started pouring great ideas (and few not so great IMHO).The trainer in chief chased each of these ideas to its logical conclusion and without saying whether they had merit or not made it obvious for us to decide. How classy and what a phenomenal coaching style!. The talking points that we discussed were articulated meticulously and question/comments were dealt with insight, experience and facts (this one is very important, we all know what opinions are like...). This was the one feeling (excitement) that lasted through the 3 days and I still cant shake it off (not that I am trying, but I don't want people to confuse me for the energizer bunny!! - we have some one else for that ;))

3.Nervousness: The first meeting. No, no not with the folks from Congress, but the mock meeting at the training session. The veterans gave us a demonstration of their insights/ knowledge and quick wit. So of course I was nervous coming in after that performance. I volunteered to be on the first ones of these mock sessions and felt all eyes in the room on me. I tried to focus on the task at hand (which was at that time, to stop my legs from shaking ;)). Perhaps, the mock session was the toughest of all the meetings that I had on the hill (remember that the hotel was 'on the hill' too :)).

4.Awesomeness: This is what it was all about. For me as a first timer, entering the hallowed halls of congress and participating in the democratic process up close and personal is an awesome feeling. Just walking down those corridors and noticing the closed doors with signs that say 'Appropriations Committee', or 'Democratic Caucus' and knowing that laws that affect lives of more than 300 million people are being crafted, debated and being voted on right there....what a rush. I think this too will be with me for a long long time.

5.Camaraderie: This is a fun bunch of serious people on a mission. I think mostly everyone hit off well with everyone else. I made a whole bunch of acquaintances that I feel could mature into strong friendships. Even though we worked our collective butts off, there was always light hearted humor floating around. It was great.

6.Gratitude: Looking at the hard work put in by the countless tireless volunteers was a humbling experience. These very kind souls put in hour after hour of work during the event but they put in even more before the event started. I don't know, if the rest of you know, organizing an event at such a scale is a massive undertaking and despite hiccups we came out the other end in great shape. My gratitude goes to all the people that put their hearts, minds and souls in allowing our community to participate in the democratic process at the highest level. Thanks for making this happen.

Why am I writing this you wonder (or may be not). This event changed me. I felt myself grow in these 3 days. I rubbed shoulders with some of the most famous and powerful men and women in the nation and conveyed our message. I also saw first hand the resource constraints that IV has and how they figure something out and make it happen. Trust me folks, it is not easy to work thanklessly for days on end for 18 hours and still keep a cheerful demeanor but they did. My sincere thanks to IV leadership, all the fellow volunteers and all monetary contributers for allowing me such a great opportunity. Part of me hopes that we never have to do this again, but that hope also makes me sad that I probably wont get to experience a full gamut of feelings again.
Thanks to all IV efforts. It was indeed a great experience to meet all great IV people from all states and to know them more and learn more about everything.

[needhelp!]

I never asked this question for myself

And I never discredited anyone for their effort

I am just chipping in with a suggestion on how to improve members' involvement level. It's unfortunate you have interpreted this as some kind of personal attack, which it is anything but

Yes everything is personal when you are so close to the effort. The answer is still the same for anyone that did not participate and find out for themselves what it takes to co-ordinate an event like this.

[imh1b]

Kudos to everyone who went to DC. Your experiences are inspiring. Thank you IV core for organizing it.

[mantagon]

for representing a community that can be so painfully thankless!!

[ak_2006]

I am extending my donations for one more year. It’s almost a year I signed up for monthly contribution.
I could not go to DC ..but I will continue my support through funding. I sent mails to local senators.
Kudos to everyone who participated in the DC advocacy event. Core IV is really deserved to be appreciated from bottom of our hearts.

[gk_2000]

Yes everything is personal when you are so close to the effort. The answer is still the same for anyone that did not participate and find out for themselves what it takes to co-ordinate an event like this.

Sorry, let's peace out. We are on the same side

[needhelp!]

A Great Big Thank You to all of you who have been Contributing to enable IV to organize an event of this proportion.

My sincere gratitude for the countless hours/days/weeks/months that IV leadership has donated in doing the background work and getting the advocacy days put together. Special thanks to Aman, Himanshu, Pratik, Anu, Jay, Sivkanth, Gopal, Puneet, Kiran, Meenal, Prasad, Bimal, Vikrant, Devang, Ravi, Renji, Ameet & all the DC folk who arranged for out-of-staters to stay in their homes and helped with all the logistics. I got to witness your contributions first-hand. Thank You to your families who supported you and to all the other volunteers working remotely and finally to the ones that I inadvertently left out, a humongous thanks to you too! Kudos to the member from California who attended the event despite having a sick baby at home. Many many attendees have made many many personal sacrifices to come for this event and they are worthy of applause.

At first, I was hesitant to join because I hadn't been as actively involved in the past months; there was too much personal stuff going on that needed to be dealt with; too much work load, and taking vacation now meant I would have to take unpaid leave when I needed it later. Plus the cost of tickets and getting away from family responsibilities. I thought I could escape with a $ contribution and let someone else do the real work. However, a few phone calls later, I realized how lame all this sounded when people that didn't need to be doing this were working hard for my issues and volunteering for an effort of which I was going to be a beneficiary. It helped that we had a team of members from Texas chapter who had already come forward to go to DC and others were contributing to enable more members to participate.

Many conference calls were organized by IV leadership right up to the day of the event and many volunteers made hundreds of phone calls to request our members to participate and represent their state and districts. After all, members of congress are working to solve issues that are most affecting their own constituents and having members from their own district coming to DC carries a lot of weight. Many IV members I spoke with had some problem or another and couldn't make it, and then there were few that really wanted to help out in any way they could. In the background, meetings were being sought from both Senate and House representatives, and confirmations were coming in right up to the last minute.

Situation Room on Sunday:
Got to the Situation Room in Hyatt on Sunday afternoon. Nervous excitement was in the air. Meeting new faces & reconnecting with old ones brought back memories of September 2007 and the atmosphere of college festivals. Training sessions were already in progress, followed by mock sessions which I thought were a terrific idea. There were printers set up and volunteers were at work printing business cards and IV information materials and arranging them into folders. Another row of tables had been set up for signing in, IV coordinator & state chapter leaders were matching up meetings with team members , reaching out to members to confirm their attendance and new members were pouring in throughout the day and evening. Pictures were being taken and posted on the blog. Past and present USCIS Ombudsman visited us there and supported us and spent time talking to us one on one. There were a couple of people that had joined IV just a few days ago and now participating in Lobby Day. Then there was my DC host who was not going to be able to participate in the meetings, but the energy of the situation room got to him and made him change his decision. And how couldn't it! I stayed there helping out until midnight, but a few folks didn't leave until the wee hours of dawn. I must confess that IV Situation Room is THE most fun thing to do in DC. For those of you who missed it, I hope Congress does nothing and you get another chance when IV plans this again. (just kidding...)

Monday - Day 1 of Advocacy:
We met in situation room in the morning. Everyone picked up their schedules for the day and were off to a day of true grass-roots work of educating Congressional staff of our issues and proposing solutions. The most important part was telling our own stories of how the process is affecting our lives and driving talent out of the country. The staff members were very polite and listened carefully to our points. Not one of them argued against any of our issues. The support was there, although we did hear things about political climate causing the delay in action on part of Congress. I was done with meetings at 4 pm on Monday and we walked across the Capitol and onto New Jersey Avenue enjoying the perfect DC weather on our way back to the Situation Room. Folders had to be prepared for the next day and schedules created as well, since there were some last minute meetings coming in & some members not able to make it for the next day. We also had to pack and move and set up the new room upstairs since we switched rooms in the Hyatt. Once again, we got out of there at 3.30 am, and had to get back in by 9am.

Tuesday - Day 2 of Advocacy
Another full day of meetings was in store for everyone. We had fewer members on Tuesday since a lot of them had gone back on Monday and a lot of members did at least a few meetings by themselves. By this time we were all experts at the message we needed to deliver. Once again the response was similar. Some of the offices gave us leads into other representatives that might be able to champion the issue. Some of them were supportive of administrative fixes that could be done while Congress contemplates on larger fixes. Tuesday was the first time I had meetings on both the House and Senate side and we walked through the Capitol to get to the other side. There is a little mini train you can ride and the building has impressive murals and architecture. But we had very little time to appreciate those in detail. I had the opportunity to meet one Senator himself and it was a whole new feeling being face-to-face and talking to someone that shapes American future laws everyday and is directly going to vote on my issue. This is what democracy was all about, and IV was the enabler providing me the opportunity to be heard on the Hill.


Tuesday - Congressional Reception
This was held in the Capitol itself, we had leading lawyers attend as well as Ombudsman and Congressional staff and lobbyists. There was some nice food to be enjoyed by all, informal discussions, humor and brainstorming for the future. After the 2 hour reception many had flights to catch and rest of us went back to wrap up in the Situation room and brainstorm for the future.

At the end of it all, I was a little sad to leave all the excitement and return to "normal" life. But there is tons of work to be done in local chapters and those of us who have been to DC know how important it is to go and seek out the members from each and every constituency from our state, get members to come forward and talk to the media, and finally raise funds so that we can continue lobbying Congress to fix this problem.

Thank You IV for providing us with this platform to get our voices heard where it matters the most. Go IV!

[StarSun]

To all IV non participating members (DC event),

The phenomenal experience of actually doing something positive to solve our problems is priceless. Every member that came to DC from all across America were dedicated and focused - many volunteered to help the IV Core (and in spite of doing many things ahead of time, there was much more things that needed attention!!).

On Monday and Tuesday, while I manned the phones, it was heartwarming to get calls from members who were in the Hill, calling and asking for more meetings - If they finished their meetings and had time before the next meeting, they called in to say - "is there a group we can join - so that we can be in a larger group?" or while they walked in the hallways, they would spot their congressman/congresswoman's office - and call in to ask if they could go in and just introduce themselves and ask for an audience. Mind you, this is not an easy task nor did they get to talk to staffers - but I am just acknowledging the great enthusiasm that was vibrating with our members - they realized the gravity of the situation, the opportunity that was within their grasp and wanted to make the best use of it. Hats off to you guys!!

IV realizes that our strength lies within our members and their dedication - both in terms of participation and funding. And if there is one thing that almost every single participant took home from the event is that - we still have a long way to go and we need far more support and participation.

Please contact me and I will put you in touch with the leaders from your state. I cannot stress enough on how important being involved in this process is............ The July fiasco has led many of our members to get their EADs and has lulled them into false security. If your goal is just EAD, please continue with what you are doing but if your goal is to get green card or citizenship - NOW has to be your wake up call.

[needhelp!]

The July fiasco has led many of our members to get their EADs and has lulled them into false security. If your goal is just EAD, please continue with what you are doing but if your goal is to get green card or citizenship - NOW has to be your wake up call.

StarSun: Thanks for all your work for IV!

[new_horizon]

I was one of the guys from MI that redds777 hosted. I must say I can't thank enough for the hospitality he and his family had shown us.

Also I know a couple of other DC members who hosted outside folks. Thanks to them also.


Thank you Sanju for donating for this event .

Actually funds that are raised for an event should happen much before any such event because we need to lay the ground work for the event in DC . I dont know when our next event would be. IV core can comment on that after watching the legislative events in DC in next few months .

What i was conveying was, to donate to the pool of resources and be ready when the bills start moving in the congress . IV would need to hit the road again at that time to continue the momentum from the lobby event and have our provisions included in the base bill. Regarding the dollar number, i dont know how much would be needed.

On the day of the events you can get involved by actually hosting some members in your homes if u live in DC area . actually i hosted 3 guys from MI thsi time . that way it makes easier for the members on their pockets as they would have spent on air tickets etc.. there are many ways to be actively invloved in IV for our cause. you can motivate your collegues and friends do teh same for our cause. Rest assured that IV will use the money sensibly as i have seen in this event.

Thanks

[willigetgc?]

This was the first time I participated in the event - I had no idea of what to expect and what can be achieved. I can honestly say that meeting all the people who attended the advocacy days showed me the dedication this group has and also realized that there was so much more to initiating laws and passing laws and how futile our arguments are on the forums regarding different categories in EB.

In the meetings that I attended either the staff knew little about our problems (green card backlogs and legal immigration) or they knew of our problems and told us about the vast hurdles in the political environment that keeps popping up and derailing immigration reform. However, at no time the issue of EB1, EB2, or EB3 ever came up!! At the end of Monday, most of us met to share our experiences and as far as I can remember none of them mentioned it either. There was a lot of discussion on what the staffers wanted to know about IV and the solutions it was proposing. We were met with both understanding as well as skepticism - and I believe our job is to have more discussion with them and to make them see our point of view.

Obviously we cannot be in DC to do this all the time, but I believe that we need to continue to keep in touch with these staffers as well as make repeated visits to the local district offices too. Two observations, many of the staffers wanted to know if we were from the district or the state that their offices represented - and even though IV tried to match this, we just lacked members from certain area, so fellow IVians, I request larger and wider participation in such efforts. Secondly, I have met with both my Rep as well as one of my Senators office locally, and when I mentioned it to the staffer in DC, she was very happy and was more receptive.

I want to take this opportunity to Thank IV for opening my eyes to a world that I live in but never cared to understand. The road ahead for us immigrants is hard and long, but now I have started to pave the road with IV leadership. The question is will it be just few working hard and long? Or can we hope for better with 40,000 members?

[gsc999]

It was inspiring to see some of the returning folks from 2007 and also to see a lot of new IVians/ IVers. Hats off to you all for your service to this good cause. May god bless America and may god bless you all.

We have come a long way since Aman a few other brave folks came together to form this group in 2005. Only in America can a truly grassroots organization unite diverse people from different countries, backgrounds, genders and race allowing them to feel empowered and showcase their issues and problems to the venerable American institutions like the Congress and the Senate. Unfortunately, issues faced by the High skilled legal immigrants have been a low priority. As future Americans, only thing we can do is make them aware about our issues. Hopefully, the lawmakers will act, sooner than later, in American interest to salvage the sinking oil well of legal immigration system.

A few brave souls whispered about the current financial crisis before it arrived at the American shores but we all ignored those pleas and warnings. Here we are again. This time the stakes are higher, it is not just about our green cards but it is about American competitiveness and American values. Will the next generation of Americans be able to look each other in the eye and boldly say, yes, we can do the right thing. Our principles were tested but we did the right thing. It took time but we did the right thing.
As legal high skilled immigrants we can do so much. Provide facts to counter opinions. Organize advocacy events to counter demagoguery. Hopefully, all this will become sweet nostalgia where we all reminisce about the long hardships we braved and in the end the American dream did turn into a reality instead of a nightmare like the BP oil spill.

I just heard that a friend moved to Canada, Toronto. He had a baby last year. I was excited for him then. Now, I feel sad, not because I lost a close-by friend here in America but because he always did the right thing. Always followed the rule of law worked hard but in exchange he left empty handed from this great country where he had come to make his fortune and contribute in many ways through his talents to this land. All because of the currently broken legal immigration system.

Economic scenarios are changing. Top talent is becoming a scare commodity. Laws of demand and supply will eventually win. Resource and talent hungry countries are starting to compete among themselves to attract and retain the best and the brightest. The canary in the coal mine is singing softly but hopefully the miners are listening.

[Student with no hopes]

I, unfortunately could not make it to DC, however, I would love to hear more about what was done in DC and the kind of responses IV got from the offices...... I am positive there are thousands of members who wanted to participate in the event and could not do so for unavoidable reasons - and if the participants could post their experiences, it will give us a better idea and make us feel that we are a part of the efforts too (many thanks to those who have already done so - it is inspiring).

Please share your thoughts with us. Thank you.

[amitjoey]

A Great Big Thank You to all of you who have been Contributing to enable IV to organize an event of this proportion.

Thank You IV for providing us with this platform to get our voices heard where it matters the most. Go IV!


The phenomenal experience of actually doing something positive to solve our problems is - but I am just acknowledging the great enthusiasm that was vibrating with our members - they realized the gravity of the situation, the opportunity that was within their grasp and wanted to make the best use of it. Hats off to you guys!!

IV realizes that our strength lies within our members and their dedication - both in terms of participation and funding. And if there is one thing that almost every single participant took home from the event is that - we still have a long way to go and we need far more support and participation. .

Thank You needhelp!, Devang, StarSun for summarizing the DC Experience. Each one of us that went to DC came back with a more positive outlook, the satisfaction of doing something good. I will write in detail my personal experience, but in a nutshell- The camaraderie, the enthusiasm and the tireless effort that some members put in is just commendable.

[redds777]

Thank you New horizon .

That is the least i could do for you guys . lets keep in touch and fight for our cause.

Thanks
Redds777

I was one of the guys from MI that redds777 hosted. I must say I can't thank enough for the hospitality he and his family had shown us.

Also I know a couple of other DC members who hosted outside folks. Thanks to them also.

[amitjoey]

I was one of the guys from MI that redds777 hosted. I must say I can't thank enough for the hospitality he and his family had shown us.

Also I know a couple of other DC members who hosted outside folks. Thanks to them also.

Ajay and his family hosted us. Thanks a lot to him and his family.

[ajay]

Ajay and his family hosted us. Thanks a lot to him and his family.
Thanks Ameet for your compliments. It was our pleasure also to have you with your family with us. We also enjoyed your stay.

[shantanup]

Good to have you back in action. Your attitude towards IV issues, lawmaker meetings and advocacy efforts in general is inspiring for others.

A Great Big Thank You to all of you who have been Contributing to enable IV to organize an event of this proportion.

My sincere gratitude for the countless hours/days/weeks/months that IV leadership has donated in doing the background work and getting the advocacy days put together. Special thanks to Aman, Himanshu, Pratik, Anu, Jay, Sivkanth, Gopal, Puneet, Kiran, Meenal, Prasad, Bimal, Vikrant, Devang, Ravi, Renji, Ameet & all the DC folk who arranged for out-of-staters to stay in their homes and helped with all the logistics. I got to witness your contributions first-hand. Thank You to your families who supported you and to all the other volunteers working remotely and finally to the ones that I inadvertently left out, a humongous thanks to you too! Kudos to the member from California who attended the event despite having a sick baby at home. Many many attendees have made many many personal sacrifices to come for this event and they are worthy of applause.

At first, I was hesitant to join because I hadn't been as actively involved in the past months; there was too much personal stuff going on that needed to be dealt with; too much work load, and taking vacation now meant I would have to take unpaid leave when I needed it later. Plus the cost of tickets and getting away from family responsibilities. I thought I could escape with a $ contribution and let someone else do the real work. However, a few phone calls later, I realized how lame all this sounded when people that didn't need to be doing this were working hard for my issues and volunteering for an effort of which I was going to be a beneficiary. It helped that we had a team of members from Texas chapter who had already come forward to go to DC and others were contributing to enable more members to participate.

Many conference calls were organized by IV leadership right up to the day of the event and many volunteers made hundreds of phone calls to request our members to participate and represent their state and districts. After all, members of congress are working to solve issues that are most affecting their own constituents and having members from their own district coming to DC carries a lot of weight. Many IV members I spoke with had some problem or another and couldn't make it, and then there were few that really wanted to help out in any way they could. In the background, meetings were being sought from both Senate and House representatives, and confirmations were coming in right up to the last minute.

Situation Room on Sunday:
Got to the Situation Room in Hyatt on Sunday afternoon. Nervous excitement was in the air. Meeting new faces & reconnecting with old ones brought back memories of September 2007 and the atmosphere of college festivals. Training sessions were already in progress, followed by mock sessions which I thought were a terrific idea. There were printers set up and volunteers were at work printing business cards and IV information materials and arranging them into folders. Another row of tables had been set up for signing in, IV coordinator & state chapter leaders were matching up meetings with team members , reaching out to members to confirm their attendance and new members were pouring in throughout the day and evening. Pictures were being taken and posted on the blog. Past and present USCIS Ombudsman visited us there and supported us and spent time talking to us one on one. There were a couple of people that had joined IV just a few days ago and now participating in Lobby Day. Then there was my DC host who was not going to be able to participate in the meetings, but the energy of the situation room got to him and made him change his decision. And how couldn't it! I stayed there helping out until midnight, but a few folks didn't leave until the wee hours of dawn. I must confess that IV Situation Room is THE most fun thing to do in DC. For those of you who missed it, I hope Congress does nothing and you get another chance when IV plans this again. (just kidding...)

Monday - Day 1 of Advocacy:
We met in situation room in the morning. Everyone picked up their schedules for the day and were off to a day of true grass-roots work of educating Congressional staff of our issues and proposing solutions. The most important part was telling our own stories of how the process is affecting our lives and driving talent out of the country. The staff members were very polite and listened carefully to our points. Not one of them argued against any of our issues. The support was there, although we did hear things about political climate causing the delay in action on part of Congress. I was done with meetings at 4 pm on Monday and we walked across the Capitol and onto New Jersey Avenue enjoying the perfect DC weather on our way back to the Situation Room. Folders had to be prepared for the next day and schedules created as well, since there were some last minute meetings coming in & some members not able to make it for the next day. We also had to pack and move and set up the new room upstairs since we switched rooms in the Hyatt. Once again, we got out of there at 3.30 am, and had to get back in by 9am.

Tuesday - Day 2 of Advocacy
Another full day of meetings was in store for everyone. We had fewer members on Tuesday since a lot of them had gone back on Monday and a lot of members did at least a few meetings by themselves. By this time we were all experts at the message we needed to deliver. Once again the response was similar. Some of the offices gave us leads into other representatives that might be able to champion the issue. Some of them were supportive of administrative fixes that could be done while Congress contemplates on larger fixes. Tuesday was the first time I had meetings on both the House and Senate side and we walked through the Capitol to get to the other side. There is a little mini train you can ride and the building has impressive murals and architecture. But we had very little time to appreciate those in detail. I had the opportunity to meet one Senator himself and it was a whole new feeling being face-to-face and talking to someone that shapes American future laws everyday and is directly going to vote on my issue. This is what democracy was all about, and IV was the enabler providing me the opportunity to be heard on the Hill.


Tuesday - Congressional Reception
This was held in the Capitol itself, we had leading lawyers attend as well as Ombudsman and Congressional staff and lobbyists. There was some nice food to be enjoyed by all, informal discussions, humor and brainstorming for the future. After the 2 hour reception many had flights to catch and rest of us went back to wrap up in the Situation room and brainstorm for the future.

At the end of it all, I was a little sad to leave all the excitement and return to "normal" life. But there is tons of work to be done in local chapters and those of us who have been to DC know how important it is to go and seek out the members from each and every constituency from our state, get members to come forward and talk to the media, and finally raise funds so that we can continue lobbying Congress to fix this problem.

Thank You IV for providing us with this platform to get our voices heard where it matters the most. Go IV!

[logiclife]

Be Unreasonable & a cause of progress, not just a beneficiary.

Hello everyone,

I will explain the title of this thread in a minute (the unreasonable part) but before that I would like to share my experience in DC last week during, before and after lobby days.

A few weeks ago, when Aman called me to join him in lobby days, just like many others, I was having a difficult time scheduling vacation days off from work. I somehow convinced my boss to let me take those days off and finish the work in the weekend prior to June.

The Airport pickup:

When I reached the Airport, Aman and Pratik were there to pick me up. And this is where it got funny and really hilarious. The car was a compact rental car and it was full of printers, laptops and folders -- all in preparation of lobby day. There was barely enough place to sit in the car. After shutting all the doors tight (we really had to compress the luggage and force the door shut) we started driving towards the hotel. And the dome light would not shut off. So everyone outside can see a car full of luggage, printers and people packed like a can of sardines. Fortunately Aman knew the way to the Hotel and we could go there without having to stop for directions.

Preparation and training on Sunday:

Sunday was hectic, busy, tiring and very very interesting. I met a lot of new people on Sunday who had come to DC for the first time. And it felt really really good to reconnect with people who we had met earlier in 2007 rally in DC and the earlier rally in San Jose in July. Just felt like I had met my friends from college with whom I spend 4 years. The kind of relationship and chemistry that we have is impossible to describe in words. Crisis and calamity have a way of creating bonds that last a lifetime. We all may get green-cards in next 1 year or maybe 10 years. But I will remember the people I met in DC twice and in San Jose for the rest of my life. And I am sure others feel the same way. These are the people who were sitting on the laptop scheduling lawmaker meetings and connecting members to appointments till 4:00 AM on Monday morning and then back to work by 8:00 AM. We ate whatever was ordered or whatever we found in the hotel. There were people printing business cards in one corner. Others were printing the drop-off material for lawmakers, preparing neat folders for meetings. There was training and mock-meetings going on in another corner for people who had never been to the Capitol Hill before. There was so much purpose and so much goal-oriented motivation in the room, I felt really glad to have not missed this even one out of 3 times we done this both in DC and in San Jose.

The next two days:

Over the next two days, I went to about 7 meetings in the House and Senate side and had very very interesting experiences, mostly positive. I cannot share the details of the response for each office as this is a public forum, but I can tell you that having been to DC about 6 times now since 2006, there are Hill Staffers who know many of us and even remember our names. Our conversations do not begin with introductions, but where we left off in our last meeting. More than 60-70% of the offices of Congressmen and Senators know about Immigration Voice and know about the issue. Some offices may have newer staff and not know, and that's where education helps.

Every single day consisted of going to the Hill from the situation room, (I mostly took a cab, I am lazy that way even if its only 4 blocks), coming back, getting some work done, going back to the Hill, accompanying someone if they are alone in the meetings (it helps to have 2 or more IV members go to a meeting). We worked till 11 PM mostly, and got about 4-5 hours of sleep each night. And that is true for everyone who was there. EVERY SINGLE one. Walking between the office buildings (and they are big) and walking a few times back to the Hotel also made some of us realize (like me) that how out of shape we are physically :):)

And now to the UNreasonables:

The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.
George Bernard Shaw
Irish dramatist & socialist (1856 - 1950)


Every single person who came to DC this time or the time before, or who came to San Jose rally has been told by friends, family and colleagues "Why are you going to DC, let others go, take care of yourself, all problems get fixed eventually, Congress will take care of it".

They sound very reasonable or try to convince you that they are the reasonable ones and you are being unreasonable by going to the Capitol and working on your cause.

The truth is...yes, we may be. But we are the ones who will eventually make a difference. If you read the quote from George Bernard Shaw, you will realize that the reasonable men and women will sit around and talk about us, save their time for family and leisure and comply themselves to the system. They will comply themselves to a system that keeps in hanging without a green card for 20 years. They will never be capable of ushering progress.

The unreasonable ones, the ones like us, who contribute to this cause in various forms, are the gifted ones. We are the lucky ones. For we have the wisdom and the strength to do the unreasonable and get the world to comply to our point of view.


And flower campaign, the DC rally -- that got bulletin reversed in 2007,
the popularity of removing per-country ceilings in the offices that exist today and didnt exist before --


All this a work of men and women like us who are unreasonably resilient, who will not listen to the advise of reasonable men who sit on the sidelines and refresh the Visa Bulletin page every first friday of every month 20 times a day.

But to those who get it...I have one more quote for you, a final one, I promise:

"If we did all the things we are capable of, we would literally astound ourselves."
Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931)

I wish the problem of greencard backlogs get cleared soon, but if it doesnt, I will do this a 100 times again and with same or more passion, determination and purpose. Our energy and determination would outlast and outlive the intertia of Congress.

[needhelp!]

Very Well Written. It was a pleasure meeting and working with you. ;)

Cheers,
Rayoflight

Ditto.. Advocacy lectures by logiclife are an experience you CANNOT miss. And those who got LIVE training in lawmaker offices because they were too new and didn't make it on Sunday.. absolutely not fair..:cool:

[goosetavo]

I also joined the group in DC and wow! What a rush! I did not attend the 2007 rally and have regreted it ever since, so when Aman asked me to join this time around I was 100% ready.

Highlights:

1) The training we received on Sunday was outstanding, the IV core group is very experienced in lobbying our Congress folks, but they need manpower! So we were all there to learn and prepare.

2) Meeting so many people in my same situation was enlightening and uplifting, you could feel the energy in the room and a hundred people getting ready to change the world!

3) Monday and Tuesday were incredibly hectic. I figured out how to navigate the House and Senate office buildings sort of by the end of the first day, once you see all the tunnels you start to get the hang of it.

4) We met with staffers from Congressional offices from the west coast mostly and some from the east coast. Some of the were clearly our allies, some others not so clear, although many pedged to support our provision even if they would not support CIR as a whole for example. This was very encouraging.

5) DC was a buzz with tlka of the November elections and how that will affect the agenda for 2011, luckily we were there to start shaping it!

6) Several staffers were aware of our issues (thanks to IV efforts), but they still don't know the subtle details like per-country quotas, AC21 interpretations and other issues that impact us. That's why we need to reach out in DC as well as our districts.

7) Highlights were meeting with White House staffers and an actual Senator, I was very impressed. The Sen. was aware of our issues (although some confusion with H1B) but the staffers were very aware. I feel we really touched a nerve and made her realize the gravity of the situation for many.

8) We met with the Microsoft government affairs people in DC and the outlook was bleak, they were in full damage-control around the Sanders-Grassley ammendment that would essentially throw out visa and GC holders from companies that had done or needed to do layoffs. WE NEED TO ADVOCATE FOR OURSELVES! WE CAN'T RELY ON CORPORATIONS TO DO IT FOR US!

9) The reception on Tuesday evening was a great opportunity to meet other lobbyists that are our allies and discuss next steps and serve a s a capstone for a job well done.

Great work on organizing this IV! We all need to support IV so that these events can keep happening and our cause can gain more visibility!

[willigetgc?]

Be Unreasonable & a cause of progress, not just a beneficiary.

And now to the UNreasonables:

The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.
George Bernard Shaw
Irish dramatist & socialist (1856 - 1950)

Every single person who came to DC this time or the time before, or who came to San Jose rally has been told by friends, family and colleagues "Why are you going to DC, let others go, take care of yourself, all problems get fixed eventually, Congress will take care of it".

They sound very reasonable or try to convince you that they are the reasonable ones and you are being unreasonable by going to the Capitol and working on your cause.

The truth is...yes, we may be. But we are the ones who will eventually make a difference. If you read the quote from George Bernard Shaw, you will realize that the reasonable men and women will sit around and talk about us, save their time for family and leisure and comply themselves to the system. They will comply themselves to a system that keeps in hanging without a green card for 20 years. They will never be capable of ushering progress.

The unreasonable ones, the ones like us, who contribute to this cause in various forms, are the gifted ones. We are the lucky ones. For we have the wisdom and the strength to do the unreasonable and get the world to comply to our point of view.


And flower campaign, the DC rally -- that got bulletin reversed in 2007,
the popularity of removing per-country ceilings in the offices that exist today and didnt exist before --


All this a work of men and women like us who are unreasonably resilient, who will not listen to the advise of reasonable men who sit on the sidelines and refresh the Visa Bulletin page every first friday of every month 20 times a day.

But to those who get it...I have one more quote for you, a final one, I promise:
"If we did all the things we are capable of, we would literally astound ourselves."
Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931)

I wish the problem of greencard backlogs get cleared soon, but if it doesnt, I will do this a 100 times again and with same or more passion, determination and purpose. Our energy and determination would outlast and outlive the intertia of Congress.

Not having participated in any previous efforts, the skepticism I had when I landed in DC vanished the moment you started the training session. You are right, if we are not goaded into action, we are content to refresh the visa bulletin every 1st Friday of the month - why 20? 50 times a day!!

Never once did I realize that by clicking on refresh button - I am actually doing nothing to change the outcome of what will be published. However, during the training, during our lawmaker meeting in DC - I realized I AM ACTUALLY WORKING TO CHANGE THAT VISA BULLETIN

I realized that my participation will not bare immediate fruits but just that I added a good dose of Miracle Grow and Water. The amount of sunshine is controlled by the powers beyond me, but IV and I are working to make sure that our plant does not get overshadowed by larger trees. Will I be ready to add more Miracle grow in the next 4/5 months? ABSOLUTELY.

Every IV member can take this as a challenge or as a request - watch the political environment and follow what is happening on the IV forums and action items. As things get warmer, talk to your bosses, spouses and be prepared to participate in Lobby or Rally efforts that will propel our issues to the forefront and get the solutions (be it in whole or partial). Be prepared to participate. Find reasons to participate in such efforts and not excuses/contention/indifference. If you can't do it, find others to take your spot. Do what it takes.

We may be high skilled in technology but we have a long way to go in terms of communication - and to find you LOGICLIFE, an excellent communicator - it is a privilege, be trained by him, and to actually be in a meeting with him - Priceless.

Lastly, I want to say, that I have become so "Unreasonable" and am trying to convince every friend of mine to be active in IV for our issues, that I have come to a point where I want every high skilled immigrant to perceive solutions to immigration the way I do!!!

[Motivated]

donated $50; learned about the organization on June 8, participated in the event - not knowing any of the issues. Was an eye opener to the legislative process. I did not do much, just accompanied the IV members to the meetings - these members were well prepared to present the case as well as to answer questions. I am impressed, and here I am registered and donated.
Thank you IV for being pro-active. Feels good to be part of the action.

[amitjoey]

donated $50; learned about the organization on June 8, participated in the event - not knowing any of the issues. Was an eye opener to the legislative process. I did not do much, just accompanied the IV members to the meetings - these members were well prepared to present the case as well as to answer questions. I am impressed, and here I am registered and donated.
Thank you IV for being pro-active. Feels good to be part of the action.

Thanks Motivated for your contributions.
Please post on the funding drive.

[axp817]

Jay,
You never cease to amaze me, impress me, and educate me.

You have taught me that this goes beyond just getting our green cards.

This is the difference between people that succeed in life and people that don't, people that bring change to the world and people that sit around hoping the world will change for them.

In you, and many others on IV, I see that kind of drive and motivation, and I hope to absorb some of that positive energy.

At times I have wondered why I do this, when most people that I know, who are in a similar situation don't. But I have always come out of that thought process with nothing but reaffirmation of my actions, and the intent to continue doing what I do, thanks to IV members like yourself.

I might get my green card in another year or so, but seeing the unwavering motivation and passion with which some people continue to challenge and change things that aren't right, makes me want to continue doing whatever little or large I can, to help them (and help myself in the process!).

My next destination after this thread, was this one.

http://immigrationvoice.org/forum/forum85-action-items-for-everyone/1534974-funding-drive-iv-needs-your-support-for-advocacy-events-in-dc-27.html#post1964441

[av2004]

Logiclife, thank you very much for the encouraging words and your commitment to our cause.

I had the good fortune of attending the IV Advocacy days (albeit only for one day) in DC and walking side by side with great people such as logiclife, Aman etc. and experiencing the amazing feat performed by most of the members (naming a few, please feel free to add more...):


Contacting the lawmakers, confirming appointments.


Being cheerful, yet completely focussed on the task at hand.


Being mindful of what to mention to the lawmakers or their representatives.


All this was accomplished with the limited resources that IV has in terms of volunteer and monetary support. I, like many of the people here, was skeptical of how IV spends the money that is being donated by many donors we see on this forum. It was an eye opener to me when heard that we are doing the advocacy event after 3 long years because of the limited resources we have. I mean, think the 40,000+ users we have on this forum. If each one of us members donated $1, it would have pretty much covered the advocacy day costs. Instead, I read that we could collect only $20,000 for this event (even after most of people paid $50 at a minimum!).

I am not a donor on this forum yet, but I would like to be one just to support the activities of IV. I am more than convinced that the money I will spend will be put to good use for the good of this community. Mind you, many of the IV advocacy day volunteers had already received their green cards, yet they are fighting for me and you. What good would it be if we still continue to sit on the side and not support such wholesome activities made by these sincere guys? Hats off to IV (and the leaders of IV) for providing us with a great platform and opportunities to make an impact and make out issues heard by the lawmakers.

So, I request you all to take some action to help IV and help yourself, in turn. If you have any misgivings, by all means direct questions to any of the IV leaders and I am sure they can provide answers..

Lastly, I really liked the "passion" part of logiclife's message very much and would like to end with a quote about passion:

"Swami Vivekananda said, "Give me men of passion." Passion means a passionate nature, that if I do this, I must do it perfectly. I must do it as well as I can. I must do it now. And promises do not constitute work. He who wants to give must give now."

Be Unreasonable & a cause of progress, not just a beneficiary.

Hello everyone,

I will explain the title of this thread in a minute (the unreasonable part) but before that I would like to share my experience in DC last week during, before and after lobby days.

A few weeks ago, when Aman called me to join him in lobby days, just like many others, I was having a difficult time scheduling vacation days off from work. I somehow convinced my boss to let me take those days off and finish the work in the weekend prior to June.

The Airport pickup:

When I reached the Airport, Aman and Pratik were there to pick me up. And this is where it got funny and really hilarious. The car was a compact rental car and it was full of printers, laptops and folders -- all in preparation of lobby day. There was barely enough place to sit in the car. After shutting all the doors tight (we really had to compress the luggage and force the door shut) we started driving towards the hotel. And the dome light would not shut off. So everyone outside can see a car full of luggage, printers and people packed like a can of sardines. Fortunately Aman knew the way to the Hotel and we could go there without having to stop for directions.

Preparation and training on Sunday:

Sunday was hectic, busy, tiring and very very interesting. I met a lot of new people on Sunday who had come to DC for the first time. And it felt really really good to reconnect with people who we had met earlier in 2007 rally in DC and the earlier rally in San Jose in July. Just felt like I had met my friends from college with whom I spend 4 years. The kind of relationship and chemistry that we have is impossible to describe in words. Crisis and calamity have a way of creating bonds that last a lifetime. We all may get green-cards in next 1 year or maybe 10 years. But I will remember the people I met in DC twice and in San Jose for the rest of my life. And I am sure others feel the same way. These are the people who were sitting on the laptop scheduling lawmaker meetings and connecting members to appointments till 4:00 AM on Monday morning and then back to work by 8:00 AM. We ate whatever was ordered or whatever we found in the hotel. There were people printing business cards in one corner. Others were printing the drop-off material for lawmakers, preparing neat folders for meetings. There was training and mock-meetings going on in another corner for people who had never been to the Capitol Hill before. There was so much purpose and so much goal-oriented motivation in the room, I felt really glad to have not missed this even one out of 3 times we done this both in DC and in San Jose.

The next two days:

Over the next two days, I went to about 7 meetings in the House and Senate side and had very very interesting experiences, mostly positive. I cannot share the details of the response for each office as this is a public forum, but I can tell you that having been to DC about 6 times now since 2006, there are Hill Staffers who know many of us and even remember our names. Our conversations do not begin with introductions, but where we left off in our last meeting. More than 60-70% of the offices of Congressmen and Senators know about Immigration Voice and know about the issue. Some offices may have newer staff and not know, and that's where education helps.

Every single day consisted of going to the Hill from the situation room, (I mostly took a cab, I am lazy that way even if its only 4 blocks), coming back, getting some work done, going back to the Hill, accompanying someone if they are alone in the meetings (it helps to have 2 or more IV members go to a meeting). We worked till 11 PM mostly, and got about 4-5 hours of sleep each night. And that is true for everyone who was there. EVERY SINGLE one. Walking between the office buildings (and they are big) and walking a few times back to the Hotel also made some of us realize (like me) that how out of shape we are physically :):)

And now to the UNreasonables:




Every single person who came to DC this time or the time before, or who came to San Jose rally has been told by friends, family and colleagues "Why are you going to DC, let others go, take care of yourself, all problems get fixed eventually, Congress will take care of it".

They sound very reasonable or try to convince you that they are the reasonable ones and you are being unreasonable by going to the Capitol and working on your cause.

The truth is...yes, we may be. But we are the ones who will eventually make a difference. If you read the quote from George Bernard Shaw, you will realize that the reasonable men and women will sit around and talk about us, save their time for family and leisure and comply themselves to the system. They will comply themselves to a system that keeps in hanging without a green card for 20 years. They will never be capable of ushering progress.

The unreasonable ones, the ones like us, who contribute to this cause in various forms, are the gifted ones. We are the lucky ones. For we have the wisdom and the strength to do the unreasonable and get the world to comply to our point of view.


And flower campaign, the DC rally -- that got bulletin reversed in 2007,
the popularity of removing per-country ceilings in the offices that exist today and didnt exist before --


All this a work of men and women like us who are unreasonably resilient, who will not listen to the advise of reasonable men who sit on the sidelines and refresh the Visa Bulletin page every first friday of every month 20 times a day.

But to those who get it...I have one more quote for you, a final one, I promise:



I wish the problem of greencard backlogs get cleared soon, but if it doesnt, I will do this a 100 times again and with same or more passion, determination and purpose. Our energy and determination would outlast and outlive the intertia of Congress.

[santb1975]

It has been a real busy year with long working days and multiple complex projects that have been taking away my weekends when I first saw the news about Advocacy days planned by Immigration Voice in Washington D.C. That was definitely not another thing I had time and energy for. My first thought about the event was that I will make it if I can. As days went by I did not want to miss this event. I thought I would regret if I missed this. After a couple of years of no talks about immigration, Advocacy days provided a good opportunity to focus and advocate for issues we all have been living with for many years with many more to come. My vacation request was sent for approval to all the project managers I have been working with and got approved.
I landed in D.C saturday evening and went to the situation room on Sunday. The situation room was filled with passionate people who have made a choice to dedicate their time to advocate for issues faced by our community. All of us had a lot to accomplish over the next three days. Every one of us had anywhere between four to eight meetings with people who write laws that shape this nation and determine its future. There were a few events happening in the situation room throughout the day like registering members, giving out meeting schedules, tracking schedule changes, training members on how to handle meetings with law makers, mockup lawmaker meetings, preparing meeting materials, printing business cards, making sure everyone has necessary accommodation, making sure everyone knows where their meetings are, who their team members are etc. Towards the end of the day, former USCIS Ombudsman made a visit to the situation room and told all of us how important it is for us to take our issues to law makers and keep up with the work we have done when we go back home. Things don’t happen in life if we don’t try. He really felt bad for all of us who had to walk between House and Senate offices for our meetings over the next couple of days. It was around 11 PM when most of us were ready for the next day. I met my team before I left the situation room and I knew our team was high performing and would do really well. A few people stayed back to finish up and it turns out everyone who stayed back were up until 4 AM.
We had five meetings scheduled for day 1 in three different buildings on the same side of the capital building. We picked up an additional meeting over the ones we were already scheduled for since we had additional time. Everyone we met knew our issues and were very supportive. No one needed an introduction. Our team accomplished a lot on day and we felt really good. Towards the end of the day and my foot started screaming. Walking between three large buildings which serve as offices for House of Representatives and climbing steep staircases gave me one less blister compared to what I normally get after finishing a half Marathon and next day was not going to be a day of rest.
My second day turned out to be more exciting compared to the first one. I had five meetings scheduled and I was going solo for my first two lawmaker meetings. I had an opportunity to give a process overview of obtaining permanent residency (Green Card) for highly skilled legal immigrants in one office and that felt really good. After my second meeting I met my IV friends from Southern California and we all headed to our next meeting together. We went to the Rayburn cafeteria to get lunch after. Just when I thought I had luxury of having a 90 minute lunch and only two more meetings to go to for the day my foot really started screaming. The dress code on the hill did not allow me to take my shoes off and stretch my foot or wear sneakers. It felt better to sit for the next 90 minutes in the cafeteria compared to walking or standing. Our next meeting was in the Senate building which was on the other side of the Capital. Normally it would take about 10 to 15 minutes to walk to other side but it took over 40 minutes to reach the office we were supposed to get to only to find out that our meeting got rescheduled to 4:30 PM. I had a 5 PM meeting scheduled as well which did not give me enough time to stay for this meeting and head to the building I came from earlier. I split from my team and started walking towards the other side of the capitol hill for my 5 PM appointment almost an hour early because of my foot issues. I couldn’t really walk for long after I left the senate building. I walked to the nearest bench in front of the capital. I didn’t care about anyone watching me and just took my shoes off and sat down for the next 30 minutes before I could walk again. Our 5 PM meeting was with a Congressman himself and had a Core team member, myself and another member who was later offered an unpaid Internship by a lobbying firm. Just when we were wondering why the position would be unpaid we were told that the reason for being unpaid was because the green card process for the member accepting the position would be reset since It would not fall under same or similar category which made all of us crack up.
Our next stop was the congressional reception which gave us an opportunity to spend the evening with present and former USCIS Ombudsman, representatives from law maker’s offices, personnel from our lobbying group and a few prominent Immigration attorneys. Our reception was wrapped out around 8 PM and we headed to the situation room for our closing meeting. Our closing meeting went on until 11 after which each one of us took our Action items and next steps to take back to our districts. Everyone we met over the past couple of days told us to keep up the work we have been doing for the past few years. Good work and great follow through always leads to good results.

[gc??]

.... Our 5 PM meeting was with a Congressman himself and had a Core team member, myself and another member who was later offered an unpaid Internship by a lobbying firm. Just when we were wondering why the position would be unpaid we were told that the reason for being unpaid was because the green card process for the member accepting the position would be reset since it would not fall under same or similar category which made all of us crack up.

Was this intern an IV member or was this intern a member of the staff - and is the lobby firm that hired him working on fixing immigration issues?

Our closing meeting went on until 11 after which each one of us took our Action items and next steps to take back to our districts. Everyone we met over the past couple of days told us to keep up the work we have been doing for the past few years. Good work and great follow through always leads to good results.

Couldn't agree with you more on this........ I am a member of my state chapter - are there any follow up actions that non participating members can take?