vedicman
11-30 09:00 AM
The Startup Case For Immigration Reform - Maureen Farrell - Scaling Up - Forbes (http://blogs.forbes.com/maureenfarrell/2010/11/23/startups%E2%80%99-case-for-immigration/?boxes=Homepagechannels)
It�s not just Google that�s worried about attracting and retaining top technical talent. However, the search giant�s recent 10% raise for all its employees is a leading indicator of the talent and compensation war surging through Silicon Valley, and among tech startups around the US.
�It�s the worst I�ve seen since the late 1990s,� says Bessemer Venture Partner�s David Cowan, who estimates that salaries for experienced engineers are up about 20% from before the crisis. Charles River Partners� George Zachary says it takes between $90,000 and $100,000 to land even starting engineers compared to $75,000 to $80,000 just six months ago.
Of the dozen venture capitalists and CEOs I spoke to who are seeing this trend, nearly all say a business-friendly immigration policy could help them find talent to help them grow startups.
�Everyone of my startups has an issue with trying to fill out their engineering headcount plan,� says Cowan. �There are lots of talented engineers around the world. If we invited them to participate in our industry here in the U.S. we would see more Googles and Facebooks.�
Large and small businesses are lining up behind an immigration policy that would make it easier for entrepreneurs and high-tech professionals to come or stay in the United States. Congress did not move forward on comprehensive immigration reform before the midterm election. It has also failed to pass several of the more specific immigration proposals made in recent years. One of these, the DREAM Act, would have allowed alien students who graduate from college or served for two years in the military to stay in the US. Another, the Startup Visa Act, sought to give a visa to anyone who�s received $1 million in equity investment in their company and would create 10 US jobs.
Expect a concerted push to reverse what�s seen as a brain drain from big business and the venture capital industry. Jim Turley, the CEO of Ernst and Young who serves on Obama�s National Export Council, advocates a policy of what he calls �staple diplomacy.� Explaining it he said: �Whenever there�s a student from anywhere in the world who is walking across the stage from a leading university getting his or her PhD or masters we should staple a visa there to him or her and say you�re welcome to stay.�
Immigration proponents cite studies by Duke Professor Vivek Wadhwa, who determined that immigrants created a quarter of all technology and engineering firms founded in the U.S. between 1995 and 2005. Foreign-born nationals residing in this country were part of nearly one-quarter of patents filed in 2006.
Right now entrepreneurs and businesses have two options to bring highly skilled international residents into the US: the EB-5 visa and the H1B visa. With the EB-5 visa, immigrant investors can obtain a green card if they invest $1 million into a new or existing business and create at least 10 jobs. Less than half of last year�s 10,000 EB-5 slots were filled. Eleanor Pelta, the President-Elect of the American Immigration Lawyers Association and a partner at the law firm Morgan Lewis in Washington says foreign nationals are wary of using these visas to start a new business because if a business runs into trouble and the company doesn�t employ 10 workers two years later, the investor will lose his or her provisional visa. �It�s a dicey proposition because you have to use your own money or secure it with your own assets and you might not get a visa at the end of it anyway,� she says.
The H-1B visa is for highly skilled foreign workers who will fill jobs that Americans can�t. US companies must sponsor these visas. The US caps this visa category at 65,000 individuals and it�s nearly always oversubscribed. Cleveland immigration attorney David Leopold and current President of the American Immigration Lawyers Association expects that this fiscal year�s (staring on October 1, 2010) visa slots will be filled by January of 2011. �So from January through next October, no companies can bring in skilled workers on these visas.�
The United States� Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra says President Obama has tried to lower administrative barriers for bringing foreign nationals into the US for professional development. �In his first year the President wanted to make sure scientists around the world who wanted to visit the US to participate in conferences and seminars could do that,� says Chopra. �We have streamlined that process and efforts so they can participate in ways that are a lot more friendly to their participation.�
Many in Silicon Valley question how well even that move has worked. New Enterprise Associates Scott Sandell who invests in companies in Silicon Valley and China says it�s hard to bring in top executives from Chinese firms to meet with executives from his US companies. �Immigration agents are more overwhelmed and seem to have more trouble processing applications than they ever have,� says Sandell, noting that it�s been worse in the past six months.
Still both Chopra and Undersecretary of Commerce Francisco Sanchez say that Obama will put political capital behind immigration reform in the next Congress. �We are obviously committed to comprehensive solution for immigration reform,� asserts Chopra. �There are clear areas of consensus in this country around reform, and areas of high-growth entrepreneurship clearly might be one that we can take action on sooner.�
It�s not just Google that�s worried about attracting and retaining top technical talent. However, the search giant�s recent 10% raise for all its employees is a leading indicator of the talent and compensation war surging through Silicon Valley, and among tech startups around the US.
�It�s the worst I�ve seen since the late 1990s,� says Bessemer Venture Partner�s David Cowan, who estimates that salaries for experienced engineers are up about 20% from before the crisis. Charles River Partners� George Zachary says it takes between $90,000 and $100,000 to land even starting engineers compared to $75,000 to $80,000 just six months ago.
Of the dozen venture capitalists and CEOs I spoke to who are seeing this trend, nearly all say a business-friendly immigration policy could help them find talent to help them grow startups.
�Everyone of my startups has an issue with trying to fill out their engineering headcount plan,� says Cowan. �There are lots of talented engineers around the world. If we invited them to participate in our industry here in the U.S. we would see more Googles and Facebooks.�
Large and small businesses are lining up behind an immigration policy that would make it easier for entrepreneurs and high-tech professionals to come or stay in the United States. Congress did not move forward on comprehensive immigration reform before the midterm election. It has also failed to pass several of the more specific immigration proposals made in recent years. One of these, the DREAM Act, would have allowed alien students who graduate from college or served for two years in the military to stay in the US. Another, the Startup Visa Act, sought to give a visa to anyone who�s received $1 million in equity investment in their company and would create 10 US jobs.
Expect a concerted push to reverse what�s seen as a brain drain from big business and the venture capital industry. Jim Turley, the CEO of Ernst and Young who serves on Obama�s National Export Council, advocates a policy of what he calls �staple diplomacy.� Explaining it he said: �Whenever there�s a student from anywhere in the world who is walking across the stage from a leading university getting his or her PhD or masters we should staple a visa there to him or her and say you�re welcome to stay.�
Immigration proponents cite studies by Duke Professor Vivek Wadhwa, who determined that immigrants created a quarter of all technology and engineering firms founded in the U.S. between 1995 and 2005. Foreign-born nationals residing in this country were part of nearly one-quarter of patents filed in 2006.
Right now entrepreneurs and businesses have two options to bring highly skilled international residents into the US: the EB-5 visa and the H1B visa. With the EB-5 visa, immigrant investors can obtain a green card if they invest $1 million into a new or existing business and create at least 10 jobs. Less than half of last year�s 10,000 EB-5 slots were filled. Eleanor Pelta, the President-Elect of the American Immigration Lawyers Association and a partner at the law firm Morgan Lewis in Washington says foreign nationals are wary of using these visas to start a new business because if a business runs into trouble and the company doesn�t employ 10 workers two years later, the investor will lose his or her provisional visa. �It�s a dicey proposition because you have to use your own money or secure it with your own assets and you might not get a visa at the end of it anyway,� she says.
The H-1B visa is for highly skilled foreign workers who will fill jobs that Americans can�t. US companies must sponsor these visas. The US caps this visa category at 65,000 individuals and it�s nearly always oversubscribed. Cleveland immigration attorney David Leopold and current President of the American Immigration Lawyers Association expects that this fiscal year�s (staring on October 1, 2010) visa slots will be filled by January of 2011. �So from January through next October, no companies can bring in skilled workers on these visas.�
The United States� Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra says President Obama has tried to lower administrative barriers for bringing foreign nationals into the US for professional development. �In his first year the President wanted to make sure scientists around the world who wanted to visit the US to participate in conferences and seminars could do that,� says Chopra. �We have streamlined that process and efforts so they can participate in ways that are a lot more friendly to their participation.�
Many in Silicon Valley question how well even that move has worked. New Enterprise Associates Scott Sandell who invests in companies in Silicon Valley and China says it�s hard to bring in top executives from Chinese firms to meet with executives from his US companies. �Immigration agents are more overwhelmed and seem to have more trouble processing applications than they ever have,� says Sandell, noting that it�s been worse in the past six months.
Still both Chopra and Undersecretary of Commerce Francisco Sanchez say that Obama will put political capital behind immigration reform in the next Congress. �We are obviously committed to comprehensive solution for immigration reform,� asserts Chopra. �There are clear areas of consensus in this country around reform, and areas of high-growth entrepreneurship clearly might be one that we can take action on sooner.�
NolaIndian32
02-10 10:05 PM
I agree, you should stay on an H1b as much as you possibly can. The H1b is already approved and you can transfer an existing H1b to a new employer (don't have to get a new H1b). But if you invoke the EAD status, you will forever lose your H1b. If anything goes wrong with your pending I-485 and you are still on an H1b, you still have time to appeal and to work through the issues. But if you are on the EAD at this time, then thats it, you have no time left because your EAD is issued to you as conditional approval of your pending I-485. You need to weigh the risks and benefits in taking a job with an employer who will not sponsor you on an H1b.
Best of Luck
Best of Luck
BECsufferer
09-03 09:09 AM
Congrats to 12/2004 PD holders.
Unfortunatly for me and my wife, it appears we will be missing this window of opportunity. Just happened to have filed an AP for her. F&$k USCIS:mad:
Unfortunatly for me and my wife, it appears we will be missing this window of opportunity. Just happened to have filed an AP for her. F&$k USCIS:mad:
Jeff Wheeler
06-08 07:25 PM
Some really great ones. Congratulations to whomever wins (although I'm sure I'll congratulate you again), and thanks for holding this great contest. :)
more...
makemygc
06-14 11:02 AM
Bump
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Sorry to bump it. Wish someone could answer my question or could share their experience.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Sorry to bump it. Wish someone could answer my question or could share their experience.
phillyag
05-30 04:43 PM
2. I140 receipt
3. I485 receipt
Would photocopies do for the above 2 docs ?
3. I485 receipt
Would photocopies do for the above 2 docs ?
more...
guygeek007
07-25 01:00 PM
^^^^^^^^^
peer123
04-10 09:22 AM
I am not sure how to set up a poll question
Can any one who knows how to do it set up a poll question
Have changed job using AC21, after having approved I140 and > 180 days of 485 application?
1. Invoked AC21
2. Invoked AC21 and H1B transfer
3. Did not inoked AC21 but only H1B Transfer
4. Did not change JOB
Thanks
peer123
Can any one who knows how to do it set up a poll question
Have changed job using AC21, after having approved I140 and > 180 days of 485 application?
1. Invoked AC21
2. Invoked AC21 and H1B transfer
3. Did not inoked AC21 but only H1B Transfer
4. Did not change JOB
Thanks
peer123
more...
perm2gc
08-24 10:22 PM
If I were you, I would read the "captions" before responding.:mad: come out of box dude
vallabhu
01-02 01:53 PM
I am in my 8th year extension which is ending in April, My attorney think its 100% win case for one main reason
my labor is filed EB3 Skilled worker
he mentioned with in EB3 there are 2 categories Skilled and professional
for EB3 professional USCIS has complete authority to deny based educational requirements and they can define educational requirements based on job profile.
but for eb3 skilled employer has complete discretion of defining edu requirements.
mine was filed in eb3 skilled and ETA clearly says client will accept 3 year foreign degree.
h thinks any second eye would have approved this but it was unfortunate to be processed by a adjudicator who does have comeplete knwledge and does not know difference between eb3 prof and eb3 skilled
his plan of action is to send them evaluations from multiple academies as you guys have mentioned.
and it looks very fishy from the denial letter
denial states I have now taken any maths courses in graduation but course in physics and chemistry in graduation, and one math course in intermediate which is not sufficient.
and maths is mentioned between physics and chemistry we don't know how he could miss that, Intermediate transcripts does mention mathematics.
I can paste exact content of denial by tomorrow.
my labor is filed EB3 Skilled worker
he mentioned with in EB3 there are 2 categories Skilled and professional
for EB3 professional USCIS has complete authority to deny based educational requirements and they can define educational requirements based on job profile.
but for eb3 skilled employer has complete discretion of defining edu requirements.
mine was filed in eb3 skilled and ETA clearly says client will accept 3 year foreign degree.
h thinks any second eye would have approved this but it was unfortunate to be processed by a adjudicator who does have comeplete knwledge and does not know difference between eb3 prof and eb3 skilled
his plan of action is to send them evaluations from multiple academies as you guys have mentioned.
and it looks very fishy from the denial letter
denial states I have now taken any maths courses in graduation but course in physics and chemistry in graduation, and one math course in intermediate which is not sufficient.
and maths is mentioned between physics and chemistry we don't know how he could miss that, Intermediate transcripts does mention mathematics.
I can paste exact content of denial by tomorrow.
more...
chintals
09-03 12:54 PM
Thank you for sharing the boat. Although, it is better than being lonely, I don't want anyone in this dilemma.
I hope we both get ours soon, hopefully by EOD today as other poster was wishing.
I just called USCIS and confirmed with TSC and 2nd level customer service center that my case is approved on monday 09/01/09 SLUD date even though i have not recieved email for same.. Thank you all and good luck.
I hope we both get ours soon, hopefully by EOD today as other poster was wishing.
I just called USCIS and confirmed with TSC and 2nd level customer service center that my case is approved on monday 09/01/09 SLUD date even though i have not recieved email for same.. Thank you all and good luck.
asanghi
02-09 12:39 AM
USCIS has been sued by Citizenship hopefuls for a reason which applies to us all. The process took longer time than expected.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/02/08/BAG7QO1AN18.DTL
What if we sue USCIS, if not USCIS then some other Fed agency. Least of all, it capture the nation's attention that IV badly needs and make it a mainstream issue just like illegal immigration.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/02/08/BAG7QO1AN18.DTL
What if we sue USCIS, if not USCIS then some other Fed agency. Least of all, it capture the nation's attention that IV badly needs and make it a mainstream issue just like illegal immigration.
more...
dealsnet
07-23 01:55 PM
AP expiry doesn't mean out of status. If paroled into US and the I-485 is in process means no problem.
But if you are on EAD and not renewed EAD means, you can't work till you have received a new EAD.
AP need only going abroad. IT IS BETTER TO HAVE IN HAND, FOR USING AN EMERGENCY TRAVEL.
But if you are on EAD and not renewed EAD means, you can't work till you have received a new EAD.
AP need only going abroad. IT IS BETTER TO HAVE IN HAND, FOR USING AN EMERGENCY TRAVEL.
ash27
07-17 02:55 PM
Guys,
We need to ignore postings from Rockford. He is just trying to spread unnecessary rumors to gain attention. What a shame
we really have to be morons to take anynonymous comments at face-value.
or did you post the comments yourself and like the attention?
We need to ignore postings from Rockford. He is just trying to spread unnecessary rumors to gain attention. What a shame
we really have to be morons to take anynonymous comments at face-value.
or did you post the comments yourself and like the attention?
more...
Cheran
04-06 10:28 AM
This is talking about I-140 and not I-485.....
My I-140 filed with TSC is still pending since August 2007. I hope I get a decision ( hopefully positive) by Sep 2009!
Could you elaborate why you say this is about I140? I couldn't derive that from the posting. Anyhow this whole this is utter nonsense from the immigration department. I don't think there will be any action, period.
The whole thing is written as if June 2007 happened by mistake, I don't buy that.
My I-140 filed with TSC is still pending since August 2007. I hope I get a decision ( hopefully positive) by Sep 2009!
Could you elaborate why you say this is about I140? I couldn't derive that from the posting. Anyhow this whole this is utter nonsense from the immigration department. I don't think there will be any action, period.
The whole thing is written as if June 2007 happened by mistake, I don't buy that.
hemasar
06-22 09:38 AM
Due to time contraints doctor sent me for a chest x-ray and skipped the TB skin test. Chest x-ray came back negative. Question: Is a TB skin test required if a chest x-ray is negative? No remarks were made as to why TB skin test was not given. Should suggest, to a reasonable person, that no active TB is present
My colleague told me that he took only chest X-ray and not done skin test he got his GC.
My colleague told me that he took only chest X-ray and not done skin test he got his GC.
more...
inetuser
07-16 01:52 PM
Here is the update we have been waiting for
USCIS has announced that on Wed, Jul 18, 2007, from 9:00pm ET until Thur at 1:00am ET, the INFOPASS appointment system will be unavailable for a scheduled upgrade. USCIS customers will see some minor changes to the appointment screens on Thur, Jul 19, 2007. ;)
USCIS has announced that on Wed, Jul 18, 2007, from 9:00pm ET until Thur at 1:00am ET, the INFOPASS appointment system will be unavailable for a scheduled upgrade. USCIS customers will see some minor changes to the appointment screens on Thur, Jul 19, 2007. ;)
manishcp
09-21 07:00 PM
Thanks for information.
Manish
Manish
roseball
10-15 04:07 PM
I think the same. As my latest passport shows no visa except the AP entry stamp, they are confused how did I travel to India earlier. My wife explained them that I used AP, but they still believe that a visa page is missing in the supporting docs. So they have retained the passport and asked to submit 'current copy of husband's visa'. Now I am going to write a personal letter explaining the same and attaching the original I-797 which has my I-94.
Did you have your wife take copies of all pages from your passport. If not, I suggest you send them along with the letter. Also attach copy of your AP.
Did you have your wife take copies of all pages from your passport. If not, I suggest you send them along with the letter. Also attach copy of your AP.
chalamurariusa
04-28 12:39 PM
Thanks. Our finger printing was done in jan 2008 and this notice is only for my elder son. I hope there is no issue.
Hermione
09-27 10:07 AM
The article says: "After all, if the legal process was more efficient and less daunting, perhaps the illegal immigration problems wouldn't be quite so bad."
I say, it is not perhaps, it is a given. When there is a legal remedy for any issue (not just immigration), then 9 out of 10 people would not go the illegal way.
This is very much correct. And it is also the reason to position fixing immigration system as a remedy for both legal and illegal immigration. If you propose a help for legal immigrants, lawmakers are not going to listen to you as much as if you proposed something that fixes both legal immigration and encourages less illegal immigration in the future. It is that simple.
I say, it is not perhaps, it is a given. When there is a legal remedy for any issue (not just immigration), then 9 out of 10 people would not go the illegal way.
This is very much correct. And it is also the reason to position fixing immigration system as a remedy for both legal and illegal immigration. If you propose a help for legal immigrants, lawmakers are not going to listen to you as much as if you proposed something that fixes both legal immigration and encourages less illegal immigration in the future. It is that simple.
