What we are doing is illegal ??
Hi folks,
I just saw this on isnamerica.org
Zazona is bashing them..
Zazona Newsletter talks about IsnAmerica.Org - Is It Illegal?? - Please Comment In This Thread - What IsnAmerica doing is neither Political Action Campaign nor Lobbying.
http://www.isnamerica.org/forums/showthread.php?t=566
Subject: Revenge of the H-1Bs
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JOB DESTRUCTION NEWSLETTER
by Rob Sanchez
November 17, 2005 No. 1370
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There is a battle going on in the House over the increase of work visas that the Senate approved. The Senate approved 30,000 new H-1B visas and over 350,000 other work visas for foreign people who want to work and live in the U.S. So far the House hasn't agreed to a visa increase, but the battle is far from over, and both sides of the issue are trying to influence the representatives.
Make no mistake about one thing, the House is debating the visa increase, and the open-border advocates know all about it:
http://www.immigration-law.com/
11/17/2005: H.R. 4241 Laid On Table in the House, 12:45 P.M. EST
This bill is on the table now for the debate on the House floor. We will monitor the progress of this bill today. Please stay tuned.
This is another excerpt from the immigration attorney's website:
The House is scheduled to adjourn after the some voting activities
between (this) evening and Friday evening, November 18, 2005 for
the Thanksgiving break. Currently, no voting activities are
scheduled on the House floor until and after the first week of
December 2005, once the House misses to vote for H.R. 4241 before
the Thanksgiving! ..... Accordingly, today and tomorrow are the
critical dates for the businesses, schools, and immigration
supporters to contact en masse the members of the House so that this
bill is passed within this week. The House is under political
pressure to act on the deficit reduction bill (H.R. 4241).
Please act now!!"
On our side of the issue NumbersUSA is gearing up for a massive fax and phone call campaign to prevent the House from approving more visas. Hopefully this won't be too little too late. On the other side of the issue is an organization called "Immigration Support Network (ISN). (Don't confuse the ISN with the the INS which is now called BCIS.) ISN is running a fax campaign that is very similar to NumbersUSA except they are asking for the House to approve the additional visas. The ISN is also running a campaign to support the McCain/Kennedy guest-worker to amnesty bill (S. 1033).
Many of you probably aren't familiar with the ISN. Go here to view their website.
http://www.isnamerica.org/
You have to sign in as a member to get most of the web access. If you are interested, just choose a fake name and choose a password. I chose a very Indian name to avoid suspicion. I used to be signed up as ShameH1B and that didn't bother them, so choose any name you want.
This is the ISN mission statement. It makes no secret that they actively lobby our Congress.
ISNAMERICAISNAMERICA is a non-profit, democratic, and
international organization with the main purpose of
supporting all those who are legally trying to immigrate
to the United States of America through the employment
channel. Mission of ISNAMERICA is to act as an interface
between all the would be immigrants, and the legislative
and executive branches of the government of USA; and in
the process, facilitate immigration to USA.
Technically it's illegal for foreign nationals to operate as a political action campaign (PAC) but ISN somehow gets away with it. They even have a web button for lobbying efforts, although I can't see anything there. On the contact page they list their lobbying group - some of them include Rajagopalan, Jyothi K Bansal, Naveen Varma, and Garlapati Bhasker.
The ISN website is quite buggy but they do show a surprising amount of organization and activism considering most of them are foreign nationals. Since the website is made by foreigners who are supposed to be the world's best and brightest, I would have thought it would work better. Their color scheme using a red, white, and blue with a United States flag at the top of their home page almost seems to mock our country. They even did a domain change that is obvious in it's propaganda intent - it used to be ISN.org while now it's ISNAmerica.org.
ISN is doing a fax campaign to influence Congress. Their fax is below. There are complaints that not enough people are sending faxes, so it appears that foreign workers are just as apathetic as Americans.
Not surprisingly I don't agree with most of what is in the fax, but the statement below is particularly egregious:
It may be noted that professionals who will be considered
for these recaptured visa numbers, in most cases, are
already employed in U.S. companies for the last 4-6 years
and are law-abiding, tax-paying legal residents. They have
been certified by the U.S. Department of Labor as
high-skilled workers who will not be displacing existing
American workers in the market.
To see what ISN is talking about, let's look at a breakdown of the visa garage sale that the Senate approved:
H-1B visas: Current cap: 85,000 Increase: 30,000 per year
Green Card permanent employment-based visas: Current cap: 140,000 Increase: 90,000 each year
Exempt family members: Current: 0 Increase: 278,000 est.
CONCLUSION: Since current Green Card holders can permanently stay in the U.S., the only foreign nationals who could benefit as described by ISN are those H-1B workers who are already employed in the U.S. In other words, the ISN wants to make it easier for H-1Bs to get Green Cards, and they want to allow an additional 30,000 H-1Bs and 278,000 family members to take new jobs. If ISN gets their way, foreign nationals will take 308,000 jobs in our nation per year, and more H-1Bs will get to stay here permanently. ISN is engaging in wishful thinking because the reality is that most of the extra Green Cards will go to new foreign workers, not H-1Bs. Not very many employers are willing to convert their H-1Bs to permanent status because it would be tantamount to releasing them from indentured servitude.
*********************************
Material Copied from ISN website
*********************************
1. FAX to Congress asking House representatives to support the Senate visa increase.
2. Letter that businesses can use to pressure Congress to give them more work visas. It's sort of amuising to see the ISN writing letters for their slavelords.
3. Sen. Barbara Boxer assures Bhardwaj Suni that she will support the McCain/Kennedy guest-worker and amnesty bill.
4. Sen. Ken Salazar says about the same thing as Barbara Boxer.
5. Letter to Congress in support of the McCain/Kennedy bill (S. 1033). If you want to know why foreign high-tech workers support a general guest-worker bill like McKennedy, read this one.
6. Letter to Congress in support of the McKennedy bill. This letter explains why the first to benefit from the bill will be foreign workers from India, China, Philippines and Mexico.
1. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +
(FAX to Congress asking House Representatives or Senators to support the Senate visa increase.)
Subject: Please support Section 8001, Recapture of unused visa numbers, of the Senate Deficit Reduction Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 2006.
I am a concerned constituent and I urge you to vote in support of the Senate modifications incorporated in the Deficit Reduction Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 2006 (S. 1932) passed by the Senate. Besides incorporating the House recommendations of increasing the L-1 visa fees, Section.8001 - Recapture of unused visa numbers, has provisions that serve to alleviate the problems of the American industry and numerous applicants. The action taken by the Senate Judiciary Committee proposes an increase in revenue by recapturing authorized, but never used, visa numbers for foreign workers with key skills in jobs for which U.S. workers are not available.
1. It may be noted that professionals who will be considered for these recaptured visa numbers, in most cases, are already employed in U.S. companies for the last 4-6 years and are law-abiding, tax-paying legal residents. They have been certified by the U.S. Department of Labor as high-skilled workers who will not be displacing existing American workers in the market. These applicants also have been certified to be highly qualified and suitable for the positions that the immigration opportunity is for.
2. The version proposed by the Senate Judiciary Committee has fee increases for L-1 as recommended by the House Judiciary Committee. It also proposes to raise the revenue from the recaptured visas.
3. The Senate Judiciary package would recapture unused employment based visas. This enables the U.S. industry to attract and retain the best talent from around the world, which is a major factor for American competitiveness. Arbitrary quotas on employment-based green cards for highly educated and skilled workers would jeopardize America's ability to attract and retain best talent-and ultimately jobs-in the United States.
4. The Senate Judiciary proposal permits the filing of I-485 application without having to wait for the priority date to become current. If this important proposal is not passed it hurts many highly skilled and qualified professionals currently holding key positions in the U.S. Without the ability to file for I-485 many qualified professionals will be forced to leave the U.S. and return back to their own countries taking highly specialized knowledge and experience with them. This is a major long term disadvantage for the US.
I, hereby urge you to vote in support of Section 8001, Recapture of unused visa numbers, of the Senate Deficit Reduction Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 2006 when it comes up for consideration. Your vote will not only address the issue of deficit reduction but will also ensure that the United States of America will be in the forefront of science and technology and will retain the best talent from around the world.
2. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +
(Letter that businesses can use to pressure Congress to give them more work visas.)
Honorable Senator/Congressman
Our Company __________, based in __________ City, ___ State, urges you to vote in support of the Senate Deficit Reduction Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 2006 SEC. 8001 - "Recapture of unused visa numbers" The action taken by the Senate Judiciary Committee proposes an increase in revenue by recapturing authorized, but never used, visa numbers for foreign workers with key skills in jobs for which U.S. workers are not available.
1. Please note that the highly skilled professionals face lengthy "green card" backlogs (in some cases, for more than 5 years) that will prevent them from becoming U.S. permanent residents in the foreseeable future. The inability of our company to hire these talented professionals on a permanent basis severely hinders our competitiveness in a dynamic and global economy.
2. The Senate Judiciary Committee's budget reconciliation package would give us some relief from the current `backlog' crises. It would provide for the modest recapture of already authorized but never used employment-based visas ("green cards") from prior years. While we are concerned about growing fees, we believe these increased fees represent a measured approach that satisfies the reconciliation target while providing increased access to employment-based visas.
3. Please note that the professionals, who will be considered for these recaptured visa numbers, are already working with us for more than 2-3 years. They have been a true asset to our organization and their talent and hard-working qualities are much desired. Subsequent to our rigorous but unfruitful recruitment efforts, these professionals have been certified by the US Department of Labor as high-skilled workers who are not displacing existing American workers in the market.
On behalf of my company, I request you to vote in support of Section 8001, "Recapture of unused visa numbers", of the Senate Deficit Reduction Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 2006 when this comes up for consideration. This vote will not only raise much needed funds for deficit reduction, but will also ensure that the United States of America remains competitive in the fields of science and technology and retains the best talent from around the world.
Sincerely,
____________________
(HR Manager, __________ Company)
3. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +
(Sen. Barbara Boxer assures Bhardwaj Suni that she will support the McCain/Kennedy guest-worker and amnesty bill.)
Sunil Bhardwaj Date: Fri Sep 30, 2005 12:30 pm
Dear Mr. Bhardwaj: Thank you for contacting me regarding S.1033, the Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act. I appreciate hearing from you.
S.1033 is an immigration and border security overhaul bill that would require the Secretary of Homeland Security to develop and implement a national border security plan.
This bill would allocate funding for the costs associated with incarcerating criminal aliens and for reimbursements to hospitals that provide emergency care to undocumented immigrants. It would also create a new temporary worker visa program with subsequent adjustment of status for certain qualified workers.
S.1033 addresses document security by requiring an electronic verification system of an employee = s work status. Additionally, the bill broadens the authority of the Secretary of Labor to investigate employer requirement compliance and mandates that all new visas and immigration-related documents be biometric, machine readable and tamper resistant.
I am committed to combating terrorism and strengthening our nation = s borders. Please rest assured that I will keep your views in mind should this bill come before the Senate for a vote.
Again, thank you for writing to me.
Barbara Boxer
United States Senator
4. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +
(Sen. Ken Salazar says about the same thing as Barbara Boxer)
jonty_11 Date: Mon Sep 26, 2005 10:53 am
Thank you for your contacting me regarding the Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act (S. 1033). As you know, this bi-partisan legislation was introduced by Senator John McCain on May 12, 2005. Because I share your concern that our current immigration laws are not working and believe that we must tackle this issue in order to keep our homeland secure, I joined with both Republicans and Democrats in supporting this legislation. I believe S. 1033 is comprehensive border strengthening bill designed to address our nation's 21st century imperative of homeland security by controlling our borders and confronting illegal immigration. More generally, I believe that our nation's current immigration laws are not working, and will carefully review additional proposals introduced in the 109th Congress. I will continue to seek solutions to improve our nation's response to this challenge, and will keep your comments in mind when evaluating additional immigration proposals considered during the 109th Congress. Again, thank you for writing. Sincerely,
Ken Salazar
United States Senator
5. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +
(Letter to Congress in Support of the McCain/Kennedy bill (S. 1033).
Your name
Your address
Your city, state, zip code
phone: Your phone number
email: Your email address
To,
The Honorable Congressman/woman/Senator Legislator's Name
Legislator's address
Legislator's state, zip code
Subject: Help to resolve retrogression affected employment based
immigrant visa categories issue
Dear Congressperson/Senator name,
[Your Company's name] has a permanent employment opportunity in the
United States for which they have sponsored me for permanent residency
to fill this position. Unfortunately due to annual numerical limits on
the employment based immigrant visa, my permanent residency petition
is pending for need of visa numbers. This year the retrogression has been
so severe that there are no immigrant visas available for the employment
based third preference category (EB-3) in the last quarter. This has very
adversely affected me as I have been waiting for xx years to get to the
pending last phase of immigration. Hence this has stopped me from taking
on the position for which the permanent residency has been sponsored for
and for which it has already been established that I am a suitable candidate
because of my relevant professional and educational skills.
The situation does not seem to have any end in sight if there are no
immigration policy changes. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration
Services has done and is doing some commendable work in backlog
reduction and expedited processing but this is meaningless if there
are no employment based visa numbers available to successfully complete
the immigration.
Section 601 (d) of S.1033 , the Secure America and Orderly Immigration
Act (introduced in Senate) recommends increasing the yearly quota to
290,000 and incorporates some visa number recapture from the previous
years for employment based immigration. This would help in alleviating our
problems by making a higher number of visa available. Section 603 (b)
also seeks to increase the availability of the visas to the third
preference category (EB-3) which is most affected by retrogression.
As recently as last month, Mr. Bill Gates and Mr. Craig Barrett, some
of the country's foremost industry leaders, spoke on the matter of
legal immigration and pointed out that America's immigration system needs
fixing. These visionaries have recognized that the economic progress and
standard of living can only be achieved and maintained through qualified
and skilled immigrant labor. Mr.Greenspan also indicated in his last month
speech that US needs skilled immigrants for proper economic growth.
So I urge you to support this pending legislation that incorporates all
above-mentioned changes to eliminate employment based immigrant visa
retrogression. This will allow me and my family to achieve our long
cherished dream of becoming permanent residents of the United States.
If you have any questions I will be glad to talk to you. I am giving my
address and phone number, in case your office wants to know more details.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Your signature
Name
Contact Information
6. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +
(Letter to Congress in Support of the McKennedy bill.)
Honorable Senator ____________________,
Subject: Retrogression of Visa Numbers for various employment-based Permanent Residency applicants
I am a member of 'Techworkers' immigration group. Our group represents employment based permanent residency applicants who have been very adversely affected by the ongoing visa unavailability (aka visa retrogression).
Issue: On September 13, 2005, the US Department of State issued its monthly visa bulletin. As per the bulletin, visas would no longer be available for processing permanent residency applications for a large number of applicants who are in the approval process. Applicants from India, China, Philipines and Mexico are worst affected. As a result applicants who have already spent anywhere between 2-5 years in the Permanent Residency process have to sit tight and not expect an approval for a long time to come. Many renowned immigration attorneys have speculated that additional wait time may range between 2-6 years. If we look at the total potential processing time we are looking at any where between 4 years to 12 years for processing permanent residency. All these applicants are taking the legal route to immigration and they possess best of skills.
Individuals Affected: There are three main groups of people who are impacted by the new cut-off dates:
1) Those who have reached the final stage of green card processing i.e. they are undergoing background and other security clearances. Skilled immigrant petition (i.e. I140) has already been approved. However they cannot receive green card for many years even if their application is approved right now.
2) Those whose I140 or skilled immigration petition is not approved and who cannot apply for the final stage (i.e. I485) for many years.
3) New Entrants who dread applying for a green card currently because of the existing backlog.
Effects of Visa Retrogression on Applicants:
Some of the effects of the current retrogression include:
1) Difficulty in changing jobs
2) Lack of visibility about life decisions like buying a house, getting settled in life, family planning and prospects of working and living in this country.
3) Lack of job security for those who do not have an H1B to back them up
4) Lack of confidence in current system to treat legal immigrants fairly. In fact most media talk is about illegal immigration.
5) Consideration of alternate job opportunities in foreign destinations that are more immigrant friendly (for instance in UK you can become a citizen in 5 years vis-`-vis getting a green card in US which can take anywhere between 4-12 years)
a. Feeling trapped with investments made in various movable and immovable assets in USA
Expectations from your office:
1) We exhort you to strongly support passage of the Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act 2005 introduced by Senators John McCain and Edward Kennedy. The bill is due for hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee on October 18, 2005. This bill will increase the current visa quotas and open up more visa numbers.
2) Push for processing consistency and immigration reforms for legal immigrants: There is major inconsistency between Department of Labor and Department of State measures to promote speedy processing of Permanent Residency. DOL has speeded up processing to give a kick-start to Green Card processing. USCIS (INS) has done an excellent job at expediting processing. However DOS does not have visa numbers to grant approval to applications processed by DOL and USCIS. There is currently no cure for the resulting deadlock.
I hope that you will support the quest of every hardworking, employment-based, skilled immigrant who wants to play a leading role in the progress of this great nation. We look forward to a bright future for United States of America. God bless America!
Sincerely,
__________(name)
__________(address)
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