vparam
01-23 05:16 PM
http://news.mainetoday.com/updates/008785.html
Our message to Narendra "Nick" Mandalapa : Enjoy prison. Maybe on the inside, you can sell contraband items just like on the outside you sold approved labor certs.
--------------------------------------
Like someone said on the news article thread, the only difference between this guy and other desi companies (Desi means "of Indian origin") is that this guy got caught, while hundreds of other companies still sell approved labor certs with earlier priority dates.
And all this illegal trade is much to the delight of AILA, who is pushing hard to keep labor substitution alive.
What's in it for AILA? : Additional business of labor substitution. Now, for a few extra pennies, AILA would not hesitate to screw thousands of GC applicants waiting in line and enable the "Cutting in line" that happens due to labor substitution.
So if you think AILA is a friend of immigrants (legal or illegal), think again. Its a friend of $$$. And there is nothing wrong with that. Everyone pursues self-interest. That is what AILA is doing. But dont misunderstand AILA as a champion of immigrants (legal or illegal). It represents immigration lawyers, not immigrants. On a rare occassion, the interests overlap, and that's good. But on many issues, AILA has a history of being very very employer friendly as far as immigration law is concerned, even if it comes at the cost of employees(immigrants).
Logiclife -
I would not say substitution of labor is totally wrong. I left my previous company after having waited for a labor over 2 years and helped find a suitable candidate, who also had the same level of education and experiance and was an exact replacement for me (Sr.Program Manager -designation). My (old) company which is fortune 100 company was not ware of this substitution business till i told them they should use it when they spent money filing it for me and i am not using it. while consulting companies also use it when the original person left and they have someone else to fill in that role..
The concept becomes wrong when it sold and not really used for a replacement and i think those guys have to be identified like Narendra Mandalapa and punished.
Our message to Narendra "Nick" Mandalapa : Enjoy prison. Maybe on the inside, you can sell contraband items just like on the outside you sold approved labor certs.
--------------------------------------
Like someone said on the news article thread, the only difference between this guy and other desi companies (Desi means "of Indian origin") is that this guy got caught, while hundreds of other companies still sell approved labor certs with earlier priority dates.
And all this illegal trade is much to the delight of AILA, who is pushing hard to keep labor substitution alive.
What's in it for AILA? : Additional business of labor substitution. Now, for a few extra pennies, AILA would not hesitate to screw thousands of GC applicants waiting in line and enable the "Cutting in line" that happens due to labor substitution.
So if you think AILA is a friend of immigrants (legal or illegal), think again. Its a friend of $$$. And there is nothing wrong with that. Everyone pursues self-interest. That is what AILA is doing. But dont misunderstand AILA as a champion of immigrants (legal or illegal). It represents immigration lawyers, not immigrants. On a rare occassion, the interests overlap, and that's good. But on many issues, AILA has a history of being very very employer friendly as far as immigration law is concerned, even if it comes at the cost of employees(immigrants).
Logiclife -
I would not say substitution of labor is totally wrong. I left my previous company after having waited for a labor over 2 years and helped find a suitable candidate, who also had the same level of education and experiance and was an exact replacement for me (Sr.Program Manager -designation). My (old) company which is fortune 100 company was not ware of this substitution business till i told them they should use it when they spent money filing it for me and i am not using it. while consulting companies also use it when the original person left and they have someone else to fill in that role..
The concept becomes wrong when it sold and not really used for a replacement and i think those guys have to be identified like Narendra Mandalapa and punished.
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pitha
09-25 12:20 PM
The pending perm applications are the missing piece of information to predict the visa bulletin. Is it possible to get this information from the perm database. I though the perm database was for the approved perm cases. I am sure there is some database (maybe the perm database itself) where we can figure out the pending perm cases. I will search for it, guys please all look into it aswell.
Can some one who has parsed the PERM database earlier get the count of pending PERM cases as of today (or the lasted available)?
Can some one who has parsed the PERM database earlier get the count of pending PERM cases as of today (or the lasted available)?
_TrueFacts
09-04 11:19 AM
This thought of submission is exactly what has always pulled India back from moving forward. That unless you are corrupt you are not normal. Speaking out against corruption is abnormality for us. Just starting out schemes does not ensure good. If everybody from the CM to the peon in the office demands his share how does the money trickle down to the needy?
Exactly right on point by rkg000.
Condemn corruption, political killings, land grabbing in any form and curtail wealth distribution to the minimum. YSR's death does not make him great. What makes any politician great is how long his policies and infrastructure development has successfully effected peoples lives.
Exactly right on point by rkg000.
Condemn corruption, political killings, land grabbing in any form and curtail wealth distribution to the minimum. YSR's death does not make him great. What makes any politician great is how long his policies and infrastructure development has successfully effected peoples lives.
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kshitijnt
04-01 07:59 PM
Some time back when I asked my chinese colleagues to join IV they commented that immigrationvoice.org is an "indian" immigration forum...
No wonder they felt that way.
So if stop discussing this thread, will they join us?
No wonder they felt that way.
So if stop discussing this thread, will they join us?
more...
rick_rajvanshi
05-25 11:21 AM
Is there a site that gives step by step instructions to filing for canadian PR? Like what sort of documents you need and when?
Go to CIC web site and download all the forms and instruction book you need in pdf - Fill them yourself - Pay fees - Follow instructions which come after filing - Simple process.
start here http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/index.html
Go to CIC web site and download all the forms and instruction book you need in pdf - Fill them yourself - Pay fees - Follow instructions which come after filing - Simple process.
start here http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/index.html
logiclife
07-10 11:08 AM
Very well said.
To add to that, my message to Ron Hira, his IEEE-USA, John Miano, others at programmer's guild, Bernie Sanders etc. :
Your plan to stop outsourcing is really going well. Isnt it ? Well, this is exactly why people like you and John Miano get replaced by hard-working foriegn workers. Because the foriegn workers have a mission to accomplish when they accept a job, unlike you, who intends to do one thing (stop outsourcing) and ends up achieving the opposite (cause outsourcing).
Keep up the good work and blame the foriegn workers for all your problems in life, including global warming.
And Bernie, you are the best. Now tell me, how are you going to protect the Americans whose jobs are being taken and shipped to Canada. Are you planning to run for Senate in Canada ? How about you resign and run for office in Canada and slap a $5000 fee there and also give a grand speech you gave in US senate ? Go Bernie, go.
To add to that, my message to Ron Hira, his IEEE-USA, John Miano, others at programmer's guild, Bernie Sanders etc. :
Your plan to stop outsourcing is really going well. Isnt it ? Well, this is exactly why people like you and John Miano get replaced by hard-working foriegn workers. Because the foriegn workers have a mission to accomplish when they accept a job, unlike you, who intends to do one thing (stop outsourcing) and ends up achieving the opposite (cause outsourcing).
Keep up the good work and blame the foriegn workers for all your problems in life, including global warming.
And Bernie, you are the best. Now tell me, how are you going to protect the Americans whose jobs are being taken and shipped to Canada. Are you planning to run for Senate in Canada ? How about you resign and run for office in Canada and slap a $5000 fee there and also give a grand speech you gave in US senate ? Go Bernie, go.
more...
cableman
05-10 06:27 PM
Does anyone have a comment on this ?
I got this from: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pub/imm-law.html#act12
Permanent residents
Persons who have been admitted to Canada as permanent residents have the right to come to the country and remain here, provided they have not lost that status or it has not been established that they have engaged in activities, such as criminal acts, that would otherwise subject them to removal.
Conditions may be imposed for a certain period on some permanent residents, such as entrepreneurs. A permanent resident must live in Canada for at least 730 days (two years) within a five-year period. In some situations, time spent outside Canada may count. All permanent residents must comply with this residency requirement or risk losing their status.
According to the website, you will lose your status if you go to Canada in the 5th year because you won't be able to attain the requirement of living in Canada for at least 730 days (two years) within a five-year period. Actually, after you pass your 3rd year, you will be in risk for the permanent status.
I got this from: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pub/imm-law.html#act12
Permanent residents
Persons who have been admitted to Canada as permanent residents have the right to come to the country and remain here, provided they have not lost that status or it has not been established that they have engaged in activities, such as criminal acts, that would otherwise subject them to removal.
Conditions may be imposed for a certain period on some permanent residents, such as entrepreneurs. A permanent resident must live in Canada for at least 730 days (two years) within a five-year period. In some situations, time spent outside Canada may count. All permanent residents must comply with this residency requirement or risk losing their status.
According to the website, you will lose your status if you go to Canada in the 5th year because you won't be able to attain the requirement of living in Canada for at least 730 days (two years) within a five-year period. Actually, after you pass your 3rd year, you will be in risk for the permanent status.
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deepakd
07-11 01:43 PM
Guys
On the sameline, I think no one is crazy about anything but material wealth for self.
Take my example, GOV of India spent lot of money on me so that I get a degree from IIT and here I am in USA salivating over GC dreams.
If I would be kicked out of USA, I may move to Canada, if I kicked out of Canada then to Australia and it would continue............
Aptly quoted fot this situation ( sorry for hindi language)
GC ne jalim Kutta banaa diya
Warna hum bhi the addme izzat ke
On the sameline, I think no one is crazy about anything but material wealth for self.
Take my example, GOV of India spent lot of money on me so that I get a degree from IIT and here I am in USA salivating over GC dreams.
If I would be kicked out of USA, I may move to Canada, if I kicked out of Canada then to Australia and it would continue............
Aptly quoted fot this situation ( sorry for hindi language)
GC ne jalim Kutta banaa diya
Warna hum bhi the addme izzat ke
more...
Legal
07-26 10:31 AM
According to my analysis based on recipted/pending I-485 they processed some 80-90K (estimated range) EB I-485 applications which 57/65% of 140k by April 2008.
May month usage was very low, i feel June/July not to bump too much so another 20k cases. We should still have FB rollover from 07 (31K) + another 10k visa in the pool for Aug/Sept visa.
It appears FB spillover is factored into EB quota in Sep bulletin every year.
May month usage was very low, i feel June/July not to bump too much so another 20k cases. We should still have FB rollover from 07 (31K) + another 10k visa in the pool for Aug/Sept visa.
It appears FB spillover is factored into EB quota in Sep bulletin every year.
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extra_mint
09-15 06:10 PM
There are no Spill over rules for splitting the visa's b/w I and C. Instead the Rule about spill over requires the PD (cutoff) for 2 countries to be same.
Infact if you look at any old VB (last quarter) where dates for China and India are same then that is the month for spill overs.
Cutoff for China will never advance India dates for spill overs.
There are 2.5 EB2-I application per EB2-C application. And EB2 China had cutoff dates of early 2005 in 2009 (they did not enjoy too much spillover in 2009). So my guess it that China will use its 3k annual limit + spillover numbers (depending on how much EB2-C dates move). The spillover would be split 25% china and 75% India.
Infact if you look at any old VB (last quarter) where dates for China and India are same then that is the month for spill overs.
Cutoff for China will never advance India dates for spill overs.
There are 2.5 EB2-I application per EB2-C application. And EB2 China had cutoff dates of early 2005 in 2009 (they did not enjoy too much spillover in 2009). So my guess it that China will use its 3k annual limit + spillover numbers (depending on how much EB2-C dates move). The spillover would be split 25% china and 75% India.
more...
mbawa2574
02-16 12:21 PM
My friend, writing in bold font doesn't make your argument bolder. An argument is bold by the underlying merit of the argument. Where did I mention anything about race?
Even if I had said that there is fraud and corruption in India, it would not be considered as a racist comment. Every year Transparency International generates a list of most corrupt nations. Ever wonder why India is on that list. Ever wonder why out of all places only in India US visa officers are instructed to do technical interview for IT visa applicants? You are living in complete denial and trying to play the race card whenever you get an opportunity.
Fraud and corruption is prevalent everywhere incuding India and a prepondernece of the bodyshops are nothing but a factory of producing overnight "IT Talents". Accept this is as one of the problem of this retrogression.
Don't make corruption in India as an incentive to thrash Indians. Majority of Indian H1b/L1 like any other community are well skilled professionals. It should not give you an incentive to thrash Indians or India. I am sure you belong to India and I am pretty depressed to see some one trash his own country to get some cheap publicity on this blog. I am not playing a race card but Yes I will defend Indians or Chinese for any attacks by bigots like you.
Even if I had said that there is fraud and corruption in India, it would not be considered as a racist comment. Every year Transparency International generates a list of most corrupt nations. Ever wonder why India is on that list. Ever wonder why out of all places only in India US visa officers are instructed to do technical interview for IT visa applicants? You are living in complete denial and trying to play the race card whenever you get an opportunity.
Fraud and corruption is prevalent everywhere incuding India and a prepondernece of the bodyshops are nothing but a factory of producing overnight "IT Talents". Accept this is as one of the problem of this retrogression.
Don't make corruption in India as an incentive to thrash Indians. Majority of Indian H1b/L1 like any other community are well skilled professionals. It should not give you an incentive to thrash Indians or India. I am sure you belong to India and I am pretty depressed to see some one trash his own country to get some cheap publicity on this blog. I am not playing a race card but Yes I will defend Indians or Chinese for any attacks by bigots like you.
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JunRN
02-12 07:14 PM
We are all expecting that the VB will go back to June 2007 figure...it looks like that RoW has been so fast in getting the latest PD back which could come in a very few months time.
I was not expecting this to come too soon but in June 2008.
I was not expecting this to come too soon but in June 2008.
more...
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ganguteli
06-02 04:05 PM
It very well depends on the lawyer .
If he could prove country quota as unconstitutional, which i feel it is.
But yes IV should talk to a good constitutional lawyer(not immigration), and find the odds,
And as you said, even if we do not win , we would for sure get some media coverage.
Why can't you find and talk to a good lawyer and spend your own money on consultation. We will know you are serious about it.
If he could prove country quota as unconstitutional, which i feel it is.
But yes IV should talk to a good constitutional lawyer(not immigration), and find the odds,
And as you said, even if we do not win , we would for sure get some media coverage.
Why can't you find and talk to a good lawyer and spend your own money on consultation. We will know you are serious about it.
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snram4
01-15 06:28 PM
That is true. No one knows the impact of outsourcing. Because no public data is available unlike H1b or L1. If american public gets exact data about outsourcing then they will oppose that also and goverment has to act. But there is no legal binding for Government or Corporations to give data about outsourcing. Some time back most manufacturing went silently out of USA and when people started realizing it was too late to act. But relaxing immigration will not prevent outsourcing as everything is based on cost
Whether you like it or not...they cannot save the job by restricting the H1/L1B... simply the job will fly to offshore. First they need to fix the GC black hole� stop harassing people before they are enforcing the rules. Then no one needs to work for consultants
Whether you like it or not...they cannot save the job by restricting the H1/L1B... simply the job will fly to offshore. First they need to fix the GC black hole� stop harassing people before they are enforcing the rules. Then no one needs to work for consultants
more...
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GCKaMaara
05-29 04:08 PM
Wow! So we have reached to cannibal state of survival? And we call ourselves as highly skilled.
Sometimes I think that outspoken & sometimes rude guy, Sanju was right. We are educated illiterates.
Sometimes I think that outspoken & sometimes rude guy, Sanju was right. We are educated illiterates.
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diptam
12-17 03:59 PM
Is the new Obama Administration going to consider "Instant GC" if we buy a House ? I'm thinking about the huge inventory of vacant house and how many could be bought up by GC holders... Its probably a fraction - Isn't it ?
Thanks jungalee, for writing on this issue, that makes two of us. I think everything done by over 1000/2000 people together and every subject covered in letters from over 1000/2000 people makes it to the top. Most half educated (which is worst than illiterate) usually give priority to their petty differences and find reasons not to participate, which is why they remain "wise fools".
It will definately help to draw attention to our issues if more people in the community will participate.
.
Thanks jungalee, for writing on this issue, that makes two of us. I think everything done by over 1000/2000 people together and every subject covered in letters from over 1000/2000 people makes it to the top. Most half educated (which is worst than illiterate) usually give priority to their petty differences and find reasons not to participate, which is why they remain "wise fools".
It will definately help to draw attention to our issues if more people in the community will participate.
.
more...
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Devils_Advocate
04-02 03:35 AM
Are you 'high skilled'?
Your logic suggests otherwise!
I guess you mean 'highly skilled", "high skilled" are the ones who smoke stuff they shouldn't ;)
Your logic suggests otherwise!
I guess you mean 'highly skilled", "high skilled" are the ones who smoke stuff they shouldn't ;)
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eldrick
10-19 03:58 PM
Hello,
I have a problem. My husband's green card has been approved 2.5 months back and mine wasn't approved yet. I was called in for interview. Honestly, we dont know the reason why.
One of the documents that we need to present during the interview, is my husband's EVL. Since he already got his GC, we just learned few days back that his salary should at least match the prevailing wage in his labor certification. Unfortunately, we dont have a copy of his labor, Thus, we dont know his prevailing wage. One thing, we are sure of is his current salary is lower than the offered wage.
Now, during the interview there's a chance that the officer will notice that there is a discrepancy in the numbers.
So concerned about this. Any advice on what to do??? Please please we really need your help.
Thanks a lot!
I have a problem. My husband's green card has been approved 2.5 months back and mine wasn't approved yet. I was called in for interview. Honestly, we dont know the reason why.
One of the documents that we need to present during the interview, is my husband's EVL. Since he already got his GC, we just learned few days back that his salary should at least match the prevailing wage in his labor certification. Unfortunately, we dont have a copy of his labor, Thus, we dont know his prevailing wage. One thing, we are sure of is his current salary is lower than the offered wage.
Now, during the interview there's a chance that the officer will notice that there is a discrepancy in the numbers.
So concerned about this. Any advice on what to do??? Please please we really need your help.
Thanks a lot!
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angelfire76
05-29 09:24 PM
still ppl feel pulling others lag would get them GC - this commnity can never be united!:confused:
You are not getting the point. We are not pulling others down, they are pushing us down.
It's not a subtle difference.
You are not getting the point. We are not pulling others down, they are pushing us down.
It's not a subtle difference.
jonty_11
07-13 01:21 PM
mind u with bigots like tancredo winning their district every election, US is not far beind when it comes to RACISM
Here's an article that appeared in Outlook (India) magazine 8 years ago. Apparently, the situation hasn't changed much since then:
http://outlookindia.com/full.asp?fname=international1&fodname=19990125&sid=1
Canada...The Grass Isn't Greener
Outlook: Jan 25, 1999
It's a dream gone sour. Thousands of Indian immigrants who land up in Canada are, more often than not, greeted with unemployment, racism, culture shocks...
SOHAILA CHARNALIA
"I didn't come here to be a chowkidar. I came here believing it to be a land of opportunity; a country that has never known the nepotism, the corruption, the shortages of India. I find I have only substituted one country for another... certainly not one set of values for another, as I hoped. " For Dr Gurdial Singh Dhillon, who was made to believe his qualifications would land him a good job fast, Canada was a real disappointment. When he did find work, it was that of a security guard. This, when the United Nations has declared Canada the best country to live in.
Some 200,000 people migrate to Canada every year, a majority from Asia. Hong Kong heads the list, followed by India, China, Taiwan and the Philippines. According to the Citizenship & Immigration Canada report, 21,249 Indians migrated to Canada in 1996 alone. (The high commission in Delhi, however, put the figure at 17,682). For many of them, especially those who are qualified professionals, dreams die fast. The life they face is never quite as rosy as made out by money-raking immigration lawyers.
Is the UN report the only reason for the increase in Indian applications for immigration? That, and the fact that it is easier to get entry into Canada than any other western country, says a Delhi-based immigration lawyer. Also, the fastest way of getting immigration to the US is through Canada.
Dhillon's disappointment is echoed by others. "I should have done my own homework before I applied", rues Aparna Shirodhkar, an architect from Mumbai, working as a saleswoman in a department store. "My husband is unemployed. I am the sole earner for a family of four. Sometimes I feel like running back". For Raheela Wasim, who's gone from being a schoolteacher in India to a telemarketer here, the experience was very discouraging, very disheartening. "I started losing confidence in myself. I felt I was not capable of the job market here".
Jobs are the sore point with Indian immigrants. The irony is, they are often more qualified than their Canadian peers, yet they end up with either no work, or with entry-level jobs that have no future. "I was not told that you require a Canadian degree to get a job here", says Paramjeet Parmar, a postgraduate in biochemistry from Bombay University. Parmar works as a telemarketer, which has turned her from an elite professional to an unskilled, daily wage labourer.
Ditto Opinder Khosla, a mechanical engineer from India, who has ended up as a salesman. "I found it difficult to even get an interview call", he says. The Canadian authorities are non-committal about the social and economic devaluation that the country imposes on immigrants.
"You can't come thinking you can just walk in and get a job in your profession", says Isabel Basset, minister of citizenship, culture and recreation, responsible for handling immigrants' woes in Canada's largest province, Ontario. But she admits that the licensing bodies regulating the professions need to be more accepting of people trained elsewhere.
That effort could only come from the government, argues Demetrius Oriopolis, co-author of Access, a government-commissioned report on assessing qualifications of newcomers, a 10-year-old report whose recommendations have still to be implemented. The report suggests certain rules of equivalence should be made binding on the regulatory bodies, which are exclusionist by nature.
But Basset won't even hear of making the regulatory bodies accountable: "We believe in private enterprise with a minimum of government checks. Besides, she argues, the exercise would cost millions of dollars".
Needless to say, the organisations are gleeful. Only professional bodies have the ability to determine what constitutes competence in a particular profession, was the cold response of the spokesperson for the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants, an institution that's responsible for the unemployment as well as under-employment of hundreds of qualified chartered accountants from India. They do not grant licences for professional practice, because Indian qualifications are not acceptable.
"What kind of society are we creating? Is it a new form of slavery?" asks an irate Bhausaheb Ubale, Canada's former human rights commissioner. Qualified immigrants work as drivers, guards. If this isn't job discrimination, what is? Dr Ubale lobbied intensely before Indians were accepted in the media. They now hold jobs as reporters and anchors, he says, but a lot more has to be done.
While skilled men may not be able to find jobs, their less qualified wives find it easier because they accept whatever comes their way. In several cases, the wives earn and support their husbands who are busy upgrading themselves, by studying for a Canadian degree. The working wife sometimes slogs away at three jobs. Sumitra starts at 7 am at her first job, teaching immigrants English; her second job as telemarketer starts at 4 pm. She gets back home around 8 pm, after which she begins selling cosmetics and household goods door to door. Till midnight. Sumitra supports three students, her husband and two school-going children.
The other problems Indians face here are the high taxes, high mortgage payments for new homes and the sort of hidebound laws that the benign anarchy back home hardly prepares them for. "You can't run a red light, you can't escape from a hit-and-run site even if you are just the witness, you can't smoke in public. Too many rules, so different from home", says Harminder Singh.
Two 'Indian' practices that do exist here, however, cause immigrants the maximum trouble. They are sifarish baazi (nepotism) and mufat ka kaam (free work). The Canadians, of course, have given them sophisticated terminologies, the former is referred to as 'networking' and the latter, 'volunteerism'. In a country where you are never encouraged to 'drop in' to meet someone, where the fax, the computer or the phone is used to complete most transactions, a job-seeking immigrant often has the phone put down on him. Polite but firm secretaries block access, unless the caller can drop a magic name that can help him gain entry. It takes at least a year for even the most enterprising immigrant to get to know somebody who can help him, before he can get a job at all.
'Networking' goes hand in hand with 'volunteerism'. Many immigrants put in a year of free service before they are given the job. Most writers and anchors of Asian origin are given only part-time jobs, paid by assignment and with no fringe benefits. The company insists on the word 'freelance' on their business cards, to make it clear they have not been hired by the company, and hence can't demand higher pay or any benefits. They can, and often are, fired at will.
Perhaps the greatest problem in Canada is the one that is least articulated--racism. According to a diversity report on Toronto (said to be the most ethnically diverse city in the world), the year 2000 will see its minority becoming its majority that is, 54 per cent of Toronto's population by the end of the millennium will be non-Whites. Keeping that in mind, it warned, if the discrimination against them in education, employment, income and housing, or incidents of hate are not addressed, it will lead to a growing sense of frustration.
"All our problems exist because of racism", sums up Anita Ferrao, who works in a firm. Anita has worked for them for three years and has got neither promotion nor raise. "As an Indian immigrant, you can never reach the top. They'll see to that. It's better to bring in some money here and start a business. It's the only way you'll do well here and be respected. "
But then if life is so tough here, why do people give up everything back home and come? The answer is the rosy picture of North America, inculcated right from childhood. Everything 'American' is considered superior. Better food, better homes, better life.
Here's an article that appeared in Outlook (India) magazine 8 years ago. Apparently, the situation hasn't changed much since then:
http://outlookindia.com/full.asp?fname=international1&fodname=19990125&sid=1
Canada...The Grass Isn't Greener
Outlook: Jan 25, 1999
It's a dream gone sour. Thousands of Indian immigrants who land up in Canada are, more often than not, greeted with unemployment, racism, culture shocks...
SOHAILA CHARNALIA
"I didn't come here to be a chowkidar. I came here believing it to be a land of opportunity; a country that has never known the nepotism, the corruption, the shortages of India. I find I have only substituted one country for another... certainly not one set of values for another, as I hoped. " For Dr Gurdial Singh Dhillon, who was made to believe his qualifications would land him a good job fast, Canada was a real disappointment. When he did find work, it was that of a security guard. This, when the United Nations has declared Canada the best country to live in.
Some 200,000 people migrate to Canada every year, a majority from Asia. Hong Kong heads the list, followed by India, China, Taiwan and the Philippines. According to the Citizenship & Immigration Canada report, 21,249 Indians migrated to Canada in 1996 alone. (The high commission in Delhi, however, put the figure at 17,682). For many of them, especially those who are qualified professionals, dreams die fast. The life they face is never quite as rosy as made out by money-raking immigration lawyers.
Is the UN report the only reason for the increase in Indian applications for immigration? That, and the fact that it is easier to get entry into Canada than any other western country, says a Delhi-based immigration lawyer. Also, the fastest way of getting immigration to the US is through Canada.
Dhillon's disappointment is echoed by others. "I should have done my own homework before I applied", rues Aparna Shirodhkar, an architect from Mumbai, working as a saleswoman in a department store. "My husband is unemployed. I am the sole earner for a family of four. Sometimes I feel like running back". For Raheela Wasim, who's gone from being a schoolteacher in India to a telemarketer here, the experience was very discouraging, very disheartening. "I started losing confidence in myself. I felt I was not capable of the job market here".
Jobs are the sore point with Indian immigrants. The irony is, they are often more qualified than their Canadian peers, yet they end up with either no work, or with entry-level jobs that have no future. "I was not told that you require a Canadian degree to get a job here", says Paramjeet Parmar, a postgraduate in biochemistry from Bombay University. Parmar works as a telemarketer, which has turned her from an elite professional to an unskilled, daily wage labourer.
Ditto Opinder Khosla, a mechanical engineer from India, who has ended up as a salesman. "I found it difficult to even get an interview call", he says. The Canadian authorities are non-committal about the social and economic devaluation that the country imposes on immigrants.
"You can't come thinking you can just walk in and get a job in your profession", says Isabel Basset, minister of citizenship, culture and recreation, responsible for handling immigrants' woes in Canada's largest province, Ontario. But she admits that the licensing bodies regulating the professions need to be more accepting of people trained elsewhere.
That effort could only come from the government, argues Demetrius Oriopolis, co-author of Access, a government-commissioned report on assessing qualifications of newcomers, a 10-year-old report whose recommendations have still to be implemented. The report suggests certain rules of equivalence should be made binding on the regulatory bodies, which are exclusionist by nature.
But Basset won't even hear of making the regulatory bodies accountable: "We believe in private enterprise with a minimum of government checks. Besides, she argues, the exercise would cost millions of dollars".
Needless to say, the organisations are gleeful. Only professional bodies have the ability to determine what constitutes competence in a particular profession, was the cold response of the spokesperson for the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants, an institution that's responsible for the unemployment as well as under-employment of hundreds of qualified chartered accountants from India. They do not grant licences for professional practice, because Indian qualifications are not acceptable.
"What kind of society are we creating? Is it a new form of slavery?" asks an irate Bhausaheb Ubale, Canada's former human rights commissioner. Qualified immigrants work as drivers, guards. If this isn't job discrimination, what is? Dr Ubale lobbied intensely before Indians were accepted in the media. They now hold jobs as reporters and anchors, he says, but a lot more has to be done.
While skilled men may not be able to find jobs, their less qualified wives find it easier because they accept whatever comes their way. In several cases, the wives earn and support their husbands who are busy upgrading themselves, by studying for a Canadian degree. The working wife sometimes slogs away at three jobs. Sumitra starts at 7 am at her first job, teaching immigrants English; her second job as telemarketer starts at 4 pm. She gets back home around 8 pm, after which she begins selling cosmetics and household goods door to door. Till midnight. Sumitra supports three students, her husband and two school-going children.
The other problems Indians face here are the high taxes, high mortgage payments for new homes and the sort of hidebound laws that the benign anarchy back home hardly prepares them for. "You can't run a red light, you can't escape from a hit-and-run site even if you are just the witness, you can't smoke in public. Too many rules, so different from home", says Harminder Singh.
Two 'Indian' practices that do exist here, however, cause immigrants the maximum trouble. They are sifarish baazi (nepotism) and mufat ka kaam (free work). The Canadians, of course, have given them sophisticated terminologies, the former is referred to as 'networking' and the latter, 'volunteerism'. In a country where you are never encouraged to 'drop in' to meet someone, where the fax, the computer or the phone is used to complete most transactions, a job-seeking immigrant often has the phone put down on him. Polite but firm secretaries block access, unless the caller can drop a magic name that can help him gain entry. It takes at least a year for even the most enterprising immigrant to get to know somebody who can help him, before he can get a job at all.
'Networking' goes hand in hand with 'volunteerism'. Many immigrants put in a year of free service before they are given the job. Most writers and anchors of Asian origin are given only part-time jobs, paid by assignment and with no fringe benefits. The company insists on the word 'freelance' on their business cards, to make it clear they have not been hired by the company, and hence can't demand higher pay or any benefits. They can, and often are, fired at will.
Perhaps the greatest problem in Canada is the one that is least articulated--racism. According to a diversity report on Toronto (said to be the most ethnically diverse city in the world), the year 2000 will see its minority becoming its majority that is, 54 per cent of Toronto's population by the end of the millennium will be non-Whites. Keeping that in mind, it warned, if the discrimination against them in education, employment, income and housing, or incidents of hate are not addressed, it will lead to a growing sense of frustration.
"All our problems exist because of racism", sums up Anita Ferrao, who works in a firm. Anita has worked for them for three years and has got neither promotion nor raise. "As an Indian immigrant, you can never reach the top. They'll see to that. It's better to bring in some money here and start a business. It's the only way you'll do well here and be respected. "
But then if life is so tough here, why do people give up everything back home and come? The answer is the rosy picture of North America, inculcated right from childhood. Everything 'American' is considered superior. Better food, better homes, better life.
sidbee
02-15 03:50 PM
Have you checked the latest news about USCIS Ombudsman's Mr. ? Here I am not talking on the behalf of senior members, if some leaders come forward, make efforts to sue USCIS, I don't doubt about the moral support from entire IV community including senior members.
Once it is law suit, USCIS is the system since it is what created this wastage of visa numbers.
Yup, the news about Mr 's resignation is unfortunate.
The case should be drafted in such a way that it shoud try to recapture the visa number , and not blaming USCIS for it. i agree its the USCIS fault , wasting the immigrant visas, but even if USCIS wants it can not recapture those numbers , because there is law which stops USCIS from doing that , We need to file a lawsuit to change that law.
Once it is law suit, USCIS is the system since it is what created this wastage of visa numbers.
Yup, the news about Mr 's resignation is unfortunate.
The case should be drafted in such a way that it shoud try to recapture the visa number , and not blaming USCIS for it. i agree its the USCIS fault , wasting the immigrant visas, but even if USCIS wants it can not recapture those numbers , because there is law which stops USCIS from doing that , We need to file a lawsuit to change that law.
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