Hi
I want to address the backlog problems and what immigration voice is doing to solve that problem one more time(attempt number 341 on immigration voice and portal). And I have no problem to continue doing it.
First of all, I am not a backlog victim myself. But then again, I came pretty close to being one and my file got processed by San Francisco office a couple of months before BECs were born.
Anways, I would like serious attention from labor applicants who are stuck in backlogs in Philly and Dallas. Coz despite not being BEC victim myself, I thoroughly understand the end-result of delay in greencard process and its consequences on my career and personal life. Siva Singaram, the webmaster and co-founder of immigration voice(featured in "Roll Call" article of Washington DC on immigration topic) is a backlog victim. http://immigrationvoice.org/forum/showthread.php?t=277 Similarly there are more members in immigration voice core team that are backlog victims including Vineet and Anurag(see their bios on the "Team IV" menu of immigration voice).
We are addressing the labor backlog issue as seriously as the retrogression issue. However, there are legislative solutions for retrogression. There are no legislative solutions to backlog problem. There is no quota that can be raised and no visa recapture that can be done for backlogs problem. Then, you are left with two possible approaches:
1. Sue to dept of labor:
This approach will not take you anywhere. Filing a lawsuit is not put anyone's hair on fire. They have lawyers to deal with it. They are tax-financed government lawyers to fight that lawsuit. Also, you will not win because the department of labor, foriegn labor division has not broken any law by creating BEC/BPC and then not meeting their backlog elimination goals. IF anyone has evidence to prove anything illegal happening in those divisions/departments that can be used to file lawsuit, please email info@immigrationvoice.org or call (281) 576-7185 and we will allot funds to file a lawsuit.
2. Administrative solution to the problem:
This is the ONLY approach that can be taken to fight labor backlogs. Why? Because this IS an ADMINISTRATIVE PROBLEM. Hence it can be fixed by administrative solution. The 3 members of Core immigration voice team met with several staff members on capitol hill and administration staff and talked about this. There are possible solutions like funding the BPC/BECs with revenue raised from fee hike on future labor applications or premium processing fees for expediting existing labor. Some of the staff we talked to were in meetings with Secretary Micheal Chertoff in those meetings discussing those agencies. First of all, it is very important to understand what's broken before we fix it. Is it funding? Is it proper training of personnel who adjudicate labor applications? If we dont know what the problem is, we cannot fix it. In the upcoming weeks, some members of IV are going to meet with people who have sat in commitees and sub-committees that FORMED the BECs and BPCs so that we understand the problem before we propose a solution. Shouting from rooftops that "There is a problem here, FIX IT" is not the approach that works when you deal with any branch of the Government. Now again, if anyone has been personally present in the Dallas or Philadelphia backlog centers and seen the work there and understood any of the problems please email info@immigrationvoice.org or call 281-576-7185 and let us know so that we can address the problem better.
Now, let me quote an IV member who personally talked to senior staff member who has studied the problem of foriegn labor certification and also has personally travelled to Dallas and Philadelphia's backlog centers where our labor files are actually processed.
Now if you understand the gravity of the situation, THERE ARE FORKLIFTs involved. To handle files. Files that is the first step of your greencard application. Now, although I am not personally a victim of labor backlog, I can assure you that if I was, I would be popping anti-depresssants and sleep medication like M&Ms. Not kidding. They way I would see it is: After 30 years of hard work, everything, including my efforts in highschool, 12th, Bachelors degrees, finding the first job, getting H1, coming here, struggling in the first few projects, H1b blues, migraines from employers etc etc were made with the hope that at the end of the day, there would be light at the end of this tunnel. It all converges to your greencard application. And that Greencard application is sitting in a Warehouse handled by forklifts. Like some beer carton at Costco/Sams Club/Walmart. Isnt that what a forklift is supposed to be used for? Beer cartons? So if the forklift malfunctions and drops a few files somewhere between the stacks, your file could literally fall thru cracks and processed at the end of 18 months from now when they are closing the warehouses and backlog centers and notice a few leftover files on the floor. So that is where we stand. Our entire careers converging on a file that is handled by a forklift somewhere in Dallas or Philly.
So I humbly urge you to stop complaining that "Immigration voice is not handling the backlogs issue" because it is simply not true. And given the gravity of the situation, I request you to contribute funds so that we can get the work done to fix the problem. Please dont sit around and sing blues. Get up and speak up. Call you friends and other H1 colleagues and ask them to contribute and do the same. What would it take for you to get up out of your chair?
--logiclife.
I want to address the backlog problems and what immigration voice is doing to solve that problem one more time(attempt number 341 on immigration voice and portal). And I have no problem to continue doing it.
First of all, I am not a backlog victim myself. But then again, I came pretty close to being one and my file got processed by San Francisco office a couple of months before BECs were born.
Anways, I would like serious attention from labor applicants who are stuck in backlogs in Philly and Dallas. Coz despite not being BEC victim myself, I thoroughly understand the end-result of delay in greencard process and its consequences on my career and personal life. Siva Singaram, the webmaster and co-founder of immigration voice(featured in "Roll Call" article of Washington DC on immigration topic) is a backlog victim. http://immigrationvoice.org/forum/showthread.php?t=277 Similarly there are more members in immigration voice core team that are backlog victims including Vineet and Anurag(see their bios on the "Team IV" menu of immigration voice).
We are addressing the labor backlog issue as seriously as the retrogression issue. However, there are legislative solutions for retrogression. There are no legislative solutions to backlog problem. There is no quota that can be raised and no visa recapture that can be done for backlogs problem. Then, you are left with two possible approaches:
1. Sue to dept of labor:
This approach will not take you anywhere. Filing a lawsuit is not put anyone's hair on fire. They have lawyers to deal with it. They are tax-financed government lawyers to fight that lawsuit. Also, you will not win because the department of labor, foriegn labor division has not broken any law by creating BEC/BPC and then not meeting their backlog elimination goals. IF anyone has evidence to prove anything illegal happening in those divisions/departments that can be used to file lawsuit, please email info@immigrationvoice.org or call (281) 576-7185 and we will allot funds to file a lawsuit.
2. Administrative solution to the problem:
This is the ONLY approach that can be taken to fight labor backlogs. Why? Because this IS an ADMINISTRATIVE PROBLEM. Hence it can be fixed by administrative solution. The 3 members of Core immigration voice team met with several staff members on capitol hill and administration staff and talked about this. There are possible solutions like funding the BPC/BECs with revenue raised from fee hike on future labor applications or premium processing fees for expediting existing labor. Some of the staff we talked to were in meetings with Secretary Micheal Chertoff in those meetings discussing those agencies. First of all, it is very important to understand what's broken before we fix it. Is it funding? Is it proper training of personnel who adjudicate labor applications? If we dont know what the problem is, we cannot fix it. In the upcoming weeks, some members of IV are going to meet with people who have sat in commitees and sub-committees that FORMED the BECs and BPCs so that we understand the problem before we propose a solution. Shouting from rooftops that "There is a problem here, FIX IT" is not the approach that works when you deal with any branch of the Government. Now again, if anyone has been personally present in the Dallas or Philadelphia backlog centers and seen the work there and understood any of the problems please email info@immigrationvoice.org or call 281-576-7185 and let us know so that we can address the problem better.
Now, let me quote an IV member who personally talked to senior staff member who has studied the problem of foriegn labor certification and also has personally travelled to Dallas and Philadelphia's backlog centers where our labor files are actually processed.
Now if you understand the gravity of the situation, THERE ARE FORKLIFTs involved. To handle files. Files that is the first step of your greencard application. Now, although I am not personally a victim of labor backlog, I can assure you that if I was, I would be popping anti-depresssants and sleep medication like M&Ms. Not kidding. They way I would see it is: After 30 years of hard work, everything, including my efforts in highschool, 12th, Bachelors degrees, finding the first job, getting H1, coming here, struggling in the first few projects, H1b blues, migraines from employers etc etc were made with the hope that at the end of the day, there would be light at the end of this tunnel. It all converges to your greencard application. And that Greencard application is sitting in a Warehouse handled by forklifts. Like some beer carton at Costco/Sams Club/Walmart. Isnt that what a forklift is supposed to be used for? Beer cartons? So if the forklift malfunctions and drops a few files somewhere between the stacks, your file could literally fall thru cracks and processed at the end of 18 months from now when they are closing the warehouses and backlog centers and notice a few leftover files on the floor. So that is where we stand. Our entire careers converging on a file that is handled by a forklift somewhere in Dallas or Philly.
So I humbly urge you to stop complaining that "Immigration voice is not handling the backlogs issue" because it is simply not true. And given the gravity of the situation, I request you to contribute funds so that we can get the work done to fix the problem. Please dont sit around and sing blues. Get up and speak up. Call you friends and other H1 colleagues and ask them to contribute and do the same. What would it take for you to get up out of your chair?
--logiclife.
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