Immigrationvoice Thanks the following Lawfirms and orgs

[pappu]

Immigrationvoice likes to thank the following organizations and law firms for endorsing our effort. Some law firms have posted the rally information on their website, sent newsletters to their clients. Some have come forward and contributed money as well. Lets use this thread to express our gratitude to all organizations and law firms by naming them on this thread.

Immigrationvoice also likes to thank the members who contacted their lawyers and other organizations and sought support from them.

Please continue the good work.

Originally Posted by natrajs

Here is the E mail I got from Immigrantslist.org today

Dear Friends,

With comprehensive immigration reform dead for this Congress, our hope is that other positive steps will be possible.

There will be a rally for legal, employment based skilled immigrants in Washington, DC, on September 18th. The event is being organized by Immigration Voice and is expected to have between 5,000 to 10,000 participants.

What: Rally for employment based skilled immigrants
When: Tuesday, September 18th
Where: Washington DC


The issues they are address at the rally are:

1. The need to fix the backlog in the employment based green card system.
2. The need to change the current per-country rationing of green cards.

Click Here for more information on the issues they are addressing.

For more information on the rally and how you can take part, visit their website at http://www.immigrationvoice.org.

Respectfully,

Drew Seman
Immigrants' List

[pappu]

http://www.murthy.com/a_sep18.html

Dear iv members,

Our efforts are being recognized by the pro immigrant community. We owe it to ourselves to continue being the strong voice of highly skilled workers in limbo in the current immigration quagmire. It is our commitment to work towards the end of ALL retrogression for all EB applicants.

The September 18 rally is one important step in achieving this goal. The success of this rally will go a long way in helping us achieve our goals. Failure will doom us to more waiting and endless frustrations. Filing AOS applications was one small victory for us. The war is yet to be won.

Let us not sit on our laurels. Let not our commitment waver. Let us not send a signal of weakness to the anti immigrant community. Let not all our efforts be frittered away by a few moments of complacency.

Today our community has grown to a stature where concerned agencies recognizes our strength and representation and we have the ability to influence views and events on an unprecedented scale. It is time to push for relief from retrogression in the current session of Congress.

Come join us on September 18th at the Washington Memorial as we march to the capitol to petition the government for immigration reform. Join us as we celebrate the enthusiasm and motivation of volunteers from all parts of the country- people flying in from the west coast and busing and flying in from the South and Midwest, and streaming in any which way from the DC region, North East and Tri-States area. Join us on the 17th for a lobby day- meet your lawmakers and then join the IV community in the evening for our first ever gathering. Let us celebrate the freedom and the rights to petition government peacefully that our adopted country grants us. But most of all, join us in sending a message that we are a strong viable community that will stand up for our rights.

See you all in DC!

Originally Posted by natrajs

Murthy Law firm sent out their Weekly today

http://murthy.com/bulletin.html

VOL. XIII, no. 37; September 2007, week 1
Posted : Sep 07, 2007

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6. Join the Sep 18th Immigration Voice Rally!

As the September 18th Rally organized by Immigration Voice approaches, we at the Murthy Law Firm and MurthyDotCom would like to encourage all in the immigrant community to consider attending and participating in this important event. [See our Aug 26th article, Immigration Voice Group Organizes September Rally, available on MurthyDotCom.]

Law-abiding, highly-skilled foreign nationals need to bring their dire situation to the forefront; awakening lawmakers and U.S. citizens to the broader social and economic implications. This segment of the immigrant population, represented by Immigration Voice, on the one hand is contributing to the U.S. economy, paying taxes, and following the complex and expensive path of legal immigration. On the other hand, they are caught in backlogs caused by processing delays and a shortage of immigrant visas stemming from annual numerical caps under U.S. immigration law. Their problems have been too long ignored by Washington. The time is right to add your voice and make sure you are heard.

Add your number to those whom history will recognize as having made an important difference. Invite not only others in the immigrant community to join you at the rally, but also your U.S.-citizen colleagues, business associates, and friends. Let's not forget that throughout the history of this country, leaders have been moved to action through peaceful protest. Be a part of this historically significant rally. Help to change the present course and build a better future for immigrants to the United States!

We at the Murthy Law Firm and MurthyDotCom support this peaceful demonstration and rally, organized by Immigration Voice, and offer to help where needed. A schedule for Lobby Day and the Immigration Voice Rally are available under September 18 Rally: Updates and What You Should Know, on the Immigration Voice WebSite.

NOTE : For individuals who have concerns about participating in this event, we at the Murthy Law Firm would like to allay some of those fears. The right to gather peacefully is guaranteed by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, in the Bill of Rights. It specifically allows peaceful demonstrations and the freedom to gather as a measure to address injustice. It states, in relevant part, that "Congress shall make no law … abridging … the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances." [See http://usinfo.state.gov/usa/infousa/...cs/billeng.htm for the full text of the Bill of Rights. The U.S. Constitution, in its totality, is available at http://usinfo.state.gov/usa/infousa/...consteng.htm.]

The following FAQs are provided by Immigration Voice.

Question 1. What is First Amendment? Does it apply to me? I'm on H-1 / H-4 / EAD / and have applied for I-485, etc.

Constitutional rights of an individual are applicable to everyone, including foreign nationals.

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Question 2. Will I get arrested and/or deported for participating in the rally?

No, participating in rally with proper permits from city police and other authorities is legal. You cannot be arrested or deported for simply participating in the rally.

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Question 3. Will participation in the rally negatively impact my current nonimmigrant status or future green card application?

No, exercising your civil rights does not impact your nonimmigrant status or future green card application. There are certain procedures and processes for rejecting or denying petitions and applications, it is not done on whims and moods of agencies or USCIS employees. There is a process driven by federal regulations and rejections and denials are backed up by reasons described in federal regulations and the laws. Participating in rallies, meeting with your lawmakers, exercising your civic duties, and enjoying your civil rights granted by the Constitution are not grounds for denial or rejection of petitions and applications or any other adverse action on immigration petition or application.

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Question 4. Can my employer take action against me for participating in the rally? Do we have any obligation to inform my employer if I participate by taking a day off?

No, an employer cannot simply take action against you for having exercised your Constitutional right granted by the first amendment. Whether you inform your employer about your plans for your vacation or day off is up to you and your relationship with your employer. Usually employers do not care what their employee do with their time off from work, as long as those activities are legal.

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Question 5. What kind of identification do I need to carry? Will my driver's license be enough?

Yes. Your driver's license or a state-issued identification card is enough for ID purposes.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Thank Q Murthy Law Firm

[pappu]

http://www.shusterman.com/siu.html

Law Offices of Carl Shusterman

3. September 18th Demonstration in D.C. by High-Skilled Workers
Immigration Voice, a grass-roots advocacy group of legal high-skilled immigrants is organizing a historic; first-ever rally of skilled workers in Washington D.C. on Tuesday, September 18, 2007.

Thousands of high-skilled, legal immigrants including doctors, engineers, scientists, MBAs and other professionals from all over the country are expected to participate in this rally in the nation's capital.

Immigration Voice urges the legal high-skilled immigrant community to come and show their support for this cause. More information about the demonstration is available at

http://shusterman.com/pdf/immvoice82907.pdf

Rally Path
Rally participants will assemble at the Washington Monument at 9 AM for registration and announcements. The rally will start by 11 AM and reach the Capitol Building by 12:30 PM.
Why?
If thousands of high-skilled immigrants come into the streets in protest and to draw attention to the flaws in the legal immigration process, it means two things:

* One, the immigration process for legal high-skilled professionals is badly broken.
* Two, these skilled professionals, despite all the setbacks and the hoops that the system has made them jump through, love this country, its freedom and want to grow permanent roots here.

With this peaceful rally, these legal high-skilled professionals want to draw the attention of the US lawmakers, the immigration bureaucracy and the American public towards their current painful long wait times that have put them in probationary status for many years and seek an immediate solution.

Will Lawmakers Act Before It Is Too Late?
The question is that will the lawmakers and the immigration bureaucracy pay attention to their demands of a fair treatment or will they wait until it is too late? According to a recently published study by researchers from Harvard, Duke and New York universities, if steps to alleviate the backlog of green cards are not taken soon, the US faces a very real prospect of "reverse brain-drain". An article about the report and a link to the report can be found at

http://shusterman.com/immrpts.html

According to the report, there are over a million foreign nationals stuck in the backlog for green cards and the wait in the number of years can be 6-8 years. These are the professionals who are highly sought after by other countries and by their own home countries. In 2006, 24.2% of US patents were filed by foreign nationals, despite the fact that only about 140,000 green cards are given to skilled professionals, out of a total of approximately 1.2 million green cards awarded per year. The current backlog and the lack of concern shown by the US Congress towards skilled, legal professionals is disheartening because these professionals played by the rules, entered this country legally, have used the most productive years of their lives in enriching this country and yet, the entire immigration process is hopelessly mired in inefficiencies, lack of transparency and mind-boggling delays.
Contact
Immigration Voice, an advocacy group representing high- skilled, legal professionals from all countries, is organizing this rally.

For more information contact:

Immigration Voice

PO Box 114
Dayton
New Jersey -08810
Telephone: (850) 391-4966
ImmigrationVoice.Org
E-Mail: info@immigrationvoice.org

[pappu]

http://www.immigration.com/i
ImmigrationVoice to Hold Rally in Wash, DC
Law offices of Rajiv S. Khanna

[pappu]

http://www.immigration-law.com/

THE OH LAW FIRM

[pappu]

http://blogs.ilw.com/gregsiskind/

Greg Siskind's Blog

[gsc999]

Thank you Greg, Rajeev, Murthy, Oh, Carl and others.

Your support is really appreciated!

[drona]

Thank you to Steel, Rudnick and Ruben Immigration Firm for donating an airfare for a Southern California member's trip to Washington DC for the Rally!

[pappu]

http://www.bibdaily.com
Daniel M. Kowalski
Editor

Rally in D.C. Tuesday, September 18th, 2007
"Immigration Voice To Organize A Peaceful Rally Of Legal, Skilled Foreign Professionals In Washington D.C. Immigration Voice (http://www.immigrationvoice.org), a grass-roots advocacy group of highly skilled legal immigrants is organizing a rally of skilled workers in Washington D.C. on Tuesday, September 18th, 2007 to draw the attention of US lawmakers and the American public toward the excessive delays and backlogs in the Employment Based Immigration system. Thousands of skilled, legal professionals, such as Doctors, Engineers, Scientists, MBAs and other professionals from all over the country are expected to participate in this unprecedented rally in the nation's capital. With this rally, they hope to impress upon the Congress the urgency and the necessity for reform in the Employment Based Immigration System."

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[seahawks]

Thank you all for supporting IV, adding links and spreading the message!

[mybid2003]

Thank You for Supporting ImmigrationVoice objectives.

[pappu]

http://www.immigration-law.com/

09/07/2007: Time for the Hill to Hear Voice from Foreign Skilled Workers

* We have reported again and again the importance of foreign brains for the sustained growth of this nation in every aspect of life as the most powerful leader in the world, including enrichment of culture, sustained economic growth, leadership in technology and business, etc. We have also reminded the political leaders through this website time and time again unfair treatment of these foreign brains and intentional or unintentional minimization of the tremendous contributions of these foreign brans to the nation. We even used the term that they remain "orphans" in terms of lack of attention and care from the American political leadership. We also reminded the political leaders of their failure to give "at least" an equal shake in the nation's immigration policy and legislative process, not necessarily unfair favor extended to these foreign brains over other immigrants. However, it is extremely frustrating to notice in the nation's capital that the "immigration reform" is perceived and considered "synanimous" with amnesty of illegal aliens or low-end industry unskilled workers. We do recognize that these latter immigration issues are as important as the immigration issues involving foreign brains. In stating such, we must underscore the term "as important as." The reality is though that the political leaders have been and are obsessed with one part of politically volitile immigration issue and closing their eyes to other part of important immigration issue, to wit, "legal immigration" and "inducement and retention of foreign brains." We find this unacceptable.
* These foreign brains deserve at least an "equal shake" in the political process. In a way, the nation has failed to give such equal shake because these foreign brain workers have been "under-represented" in the political and legislative process and it is time for the leaders in Washington, D.C. to hear voice from these foreign workers. As we reported earlier, these skilled foreign workers are scheduled to gather in the nation's capital on September 18, 2007 to call the nation's attention to the importance of this issue as they may not be able to "take it no more" being treated unfairly or neglected. This rally is organized and called upon by a group of foreign skilled workers named immigrationvoice. We usually do not encourage people to go out to the streets to address their views and opinions, but in this instance, we, as the watcher of the nation's politics and political process on the immigration, share with them the need for their voice heard in the nation through such action. We encourage the immigrants to participate in such activities to have their voice heard in the nation's capital.
* We also urge the business leaders, research and academic institutions, and political leaders to come forward to educate some of the misinformed and misguided political leaders and the members of the public with the critical issues involved in foreign brains immigration. We reiterate with regret that yesterday's House Judiciary Committee Immigration Subcommittee hearing on STRIVE ACT legislation missed the opportunity to hear the voice from this segment of immigrants, and the business community, academic community, and foreign brains are entiled to be outraged for the House's unfair treatment of the U.S. employers needs and foreign brains contribution to this nation. We trust that this unfortunate event will never be repeated in the future. The nation is impatient of the Capital Hill's engaging in politiking with the label of "do nothing" when it comes to the immigration legislation. One way for the nation's capital to recover from such label will be to solve issue by issue producing legislation rather than dumping hundreds of different issues under the name of "comprehensive" and fail to produce any single immigration legislation. We admire the House leaders for their initiaves to bring back CIR debate. At the same time, we want to urge these leaders not to neglect passage of piecemeal immigration legislation at the same time.

[little_willy]

I just sent a thank you note to my attorney (Steel, Rudnick and Ruben) for supporting our cause and here is her response.

"I'm glad to hear that you are involved in IV. I think it is an amazing organization and it gives me hope for the future. Are you going to the DC rally? I will be there in spirit, but I think having lawyers there would take away from the uniquely grassroots nature of the organization."

Others, please do the same.

[needhelp!]

For sponsoring radio publicity on Funasia radio.

[chanduv23]

My Attorney, Prashanti Reddy from Manhattan , has promised complete support when she heard about the organization and rally. She will be coming out with her piece of contribution soon.