advad
07-15 01:01 AM
Hi there,
Here is my situation, any help to resolve this is appreciated.
- My self (primary) & my wife's(derivative) I-485's (PD June 2002) were filed in March 2007.
- My I-485 was approved in July 2007, my wife's was pending due to NC.
- My wife's employer filed PERM (PD June 2007) & then filed I-140 in March 2008.
- We recently contacted NSC regarding my wife's case status, we received a letter from them stating that, her I485 is waiting for I-140 to get approved.
They linked her new I-140 to her pending I-485 that was filed as derivative.Is this USCIS error?.How to correct this error and have them consider her I-485 application as a derivative application?.
Thanks for your help.
Here is my situation, any help to resolve this is appreciated.
- My self (primary) & my wife's(derivative) I-485's (PD June 2002) were filed in March 2007.
- My I-485 was approved in July 2007, my wife's was pending due to NC.
- My wife's employer filed PERM (PD June 2007) & then filed I-140 in March 2008.
- We recently contacted NSC regarding my wife's case status, we received a letter from them stating that, her I485 is waiting for I-140 to get approved.
They linked her new I-140 to her pending I-485 that was filed as derivative.Is this USCIS error?.How to correct this error and have them consider her I-485 application as a derivative application?.
Thanks for your help.
wallpaper She#39;s been with the red for
snathan
05-01 04:46 PM
Well said! Being an Indian-Tamilian, it pains to see the whole SL Tamil community caught between the devil (LTTE) and deep sea (SL govt). The SL gov't has used this war cleverly to nurture the hatred between SL Tamil minority and Sinhala majority deep, very deep almost to the point of no return.
Thomas Jefferson, once said, "A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine. "
I really believe Jefferson's worst fear is playing out in Sri Lanka.
Discalimer: I dont support LTTE. Also, I was pained and frustated equally when terrorists killed innocent Indian civilians. So, pls. don't jump on me on that account!
I second this..
Thomas Jefferson, once said, "A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine. "
I really believe Jefferson's worst fear is playing out in Sri Lanka.
Discalimer: I dont support LTTE. Also, I was pained and frustated equally when terrorists killed innocent Indian civilians. So, pls. don't jump on me on that account!
I second this..
smuggymba
01-14 10:19 AM
what the heck are you talking about. If there is any specific cases of abuse please contact the CIS and report those. Dont say "almost all" etc on this website. That might not be true and we dont want general statements like these to hurt the prospects of our members.
I understand. But it's true. I have many friends and these body shoppers don't pay for their medical insurance and all of my friends have a tough time - even Kforce etc doesn't pay if you're a contractor directly hired by them. Infosys, TCS pays and provides all kinds of benefits for people on H1, I don't know what ppl are against companies that have good business practice.
Deloitte, Accenture, IBM brings ppl from other countries on L1 - why balme Infosys, TCS.
I understand. But it's true. I have many friends and these body shoppers don't pay for their medical insurance and all of my friends have a tough time - even Kforce etc doesn't pay if you're a contractor directly hired by them. Infosys, TCS pays and provides all kinds of benefits for people on H1, I don't know what ppl are against companies that have good business practice.
Deloitte, Accenture, IBM brings ppl from other countries on L1 - why balme Infosys, TCS.
2011 Rihanna had a natural red
gcdreamer05
07-17 11:50 AM
Hi Attorney,
My friend has an I-140 EB3 priority date oct 2005 approved and he had filed for 485 during july 2007.
He also has another approved LC under EB2 category and he has to file I-140 now.
In August 2008, the EB2 priority date becomes current for him since if he interfiles he would get oct 2005 on his new I-140.
Since he would be porting his EB3 PD to EB2 I-140, is it allowed that now in august he can file both I-140 & I-485 along with porting PD request.
or should he only file I-140 with porting request alone.
Does USCIS still allow concurrent filing and in this scenario can he file concurrently.
What happens to his earlier 485, does he need to withdraw it or how does it work. He is still working on his h1b now.
What will happen to the EAD which was recieved but not yet used. For the new 485 will he get a new EAD or how does EAD depend on changes to 485.
Please clarify.
Thanks.
My friend has an I-140 EB3 priority date oct 2005 approved and he had filed for 485 during july 2007.
He also has another approved LC under EB2 category and he has to file I-140 now.
In August 2008, the EB2 priority date becomes current for him since if he interfiles he would get oct 2005 on his new I-140.
Since he would be porting his EB3 PD to EB2 I-140, is it allowed that now in august he can file both I-140 & I-485 along with porting PD request.
or should he only file I-140 with porting request alone.
Does USCIS still allow concurrent filing and in this scenario can he file concurrently.
What happens to his earlier 485, does he need to withdraw it or how does it work. He is still working on his h1b now.
What will happen to the EAD which was recieved but not yet used. For the new 485 will he get a new EAD or how does EAD depend on changes to 485.
Please clarify.
Thanks.
more...
chantu
05-01 02:41 PM
Forget fellow Tamils in SL.....Our CON govt under weak Puppet PM MM Singh cannot protect his fellow citizens. See the link from the US state dept.
http://www.state.gov/s/ct/rls/crt/2008/122434.htm
"In 2008, India ranked among the world�s most terrorism-afflicted countries."
And we still find a large number of educated Indians still vote for this WEAK PM.
http://www.state.gov/s/ct/rls/crt/2008/122434.htm
"In 2008, India ranked among the world�s most terrorism-afflicted countries."
And we still find a large number of educated Indians still vote for this WEAK PM.
carpediem
05-29 12:01 AM
That's really tough! I don't think I can keep the same job profile for 10 years. Neither can I form a start-up and have it sponsor my GC application.
The only hope might be to become a multinational executive really fast, or win the lottery and invest a million dollars in the US. :)
Guys I think it's time to go home, Swades style!
The only hope might be to become a multinational executive really fast, or win the lottery and invest a million dollars in the US. :)
Guys I think it's time to go home, Swades style!
more...
Canuck
02-14 01:03 PM
Galvez v. Howerton 503 F. Supp. 35, 39 (C.D. Cal. 1980)
http://boards.immigrationportal.com/showpost.php?p=1838094&postcount=14843
"IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that plaintiffs' Motion for Summary Judgment is granted, and defendants' [**14] Motion for Summary Judgment is denied. The Court orders the defendant Secretary of State to issue A.T. Cortes and E. Cortes Fifth Preference visa numbers and to charge them to the 1979 visa allotments"
Good, then a precedent has been set that the lawyers can use. Perhaps Rajiv Khanna's underlings and paralegals did not do their research properly.
I'm also wondering whether a charge can be filed in the same lawsuit for the per country limit as one of racial discrimination, or whether it would have to be a separate lawsuit.
http://boards.immigrationportal.com/showpost.php?p=1838094&postcount=14843
"IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that plaintiffs' Motion for Summary Judgment is granted, and defendants' [**14] Motion for Summary Judgment is denied. The Court orders the defendant Secretary of State to issue A.T. Cortes and E. Cortes Fifth Preference visa numbers and to charge them to the 1979 visa allotments"
Good, then a precedent has been set that the lawyers can use. Perhaps Rajiv Khanna's underlings and paralegals did not do their research properly.
I'm also wondering whether a charge can be filed in the same lawsuit for the per country limit as one of racial discrimination, or whether it would have to be a separate lawsuit.
2010 Rihanna - Red Hair vs. Beyonce
kondur_007
01-13 09:25 PM
Can USCIS face legal challenges on this? It was just a memo, no law has been changed by the Government; the laws are just the same they were when they let it about a million people or so through these IT consulting companies.
Now they go back and say that was a misinterpretation of existing laws :eek:
This is the issue. They are targeting areas that are not "clearly defined" in the "law" itself and so they are changing "interpretation" and Implementation the way they wish. This is quite vicious move...rather than dealing with legal process, they are manipulating it. I am not a lawyer, but I doubt that this can be chanllenged legally. All we can work on is to actually "define them in law"; which would require help of congress to get actual law that defines these things; not the interpretation of some bureaucrat...
Now they go back and say that was a misinterpretation of existing laws :eek:
This is the issue. They are targeting areas that are not "clearly defined" in the "law" itself and so they are changing "interpretation" and Implementation the way they wish. This is quite vicious move...rather than dealing with legal process, they are manipulating it. I am not a lawyer, but I doubt that this can be chanllenged legally. All we can work on is to actually "define them in law"; which would require help of congress to get actual law that defines these things; not the interpretation of some bureaucrat...
more...
krishmunn
07-27 02:21 PM
Nobody is misguiding anyone. Talk to your lawyer and find out. Amway doesn't offer you employment.
What you get is 1099-MISC the same you get for your stocks and investments. Talk to your lawyer and find out.
So you think Murthy folks are wrong ? BTW, attorney Khanna also says the same.
You should first learn that there are different type of 1099. The one you get for Stocks and Investment include 1099-B, 1099-INT, 1099-DIV. Your Amway bosees will not inform you about these as they want your money.
If you lawyer has said that you are OK with this unauthorized business I suggest -- change your lawyer.
What you get is 1099-MISC the same you get for your stocks and investments. Talk to your lawyer and find out.
So you think Murthy folks are wrong ? BTW, attorney Khanna also says the same.
You should first learn that there are different type of 1099. The one you get for Stocks and Investment include 1099-B, 1099-INT, 1099-DIV. Your Amway bosees will not inform you about these as they want your money.
If you lawyer has said that you are OK with this unauthorized business I suggest -- change your lawyer.
hair She has taken her bright red
smuggymba
01-15 03:24 PM
I trust the talent of desi dallas, they will come up with a way to circumvent this:D
Their other talent includes asking some part of money from the employee from their salary every month so that they can give them money when they are on bench. They are genius. They come up with some serious fun stuff:eek:
I thought the same way as you did too. I am no fan of these job shop companies but remember some one will pay the price and face hardships I hope its just those companies not the employees. But the way things are if this gets effective employees can also get into a limbo - which I dont like - like say someone has gone for visa stamping and that gets denied or worst his/her family is still in the US - or something like that. Its true that the employee should try and look for a new job opportunity meeting new regulations but its not easy as it sounds.
More important point to consider is that new rules/regulations the way I understand it were suddenly implemented mid-stream - you cant do that. What if in after some time they apply same regulations to say people on EAD and using AC21 (i am still not clear whether it already applies to EAD we will have to wait for legal experts to comment) ? Or worse yet they come up with new regulations for people who already have their GC's approved ?
cinqsit
Their other talent includes asking some part of money from the employee from their salary every month so that they can give them money when they are on bench. They are genius. They come up with some serious fun stuff:eek:
I thought the same way as you did too. I am no fan of these job shop companies but remember some one will pay the price and face hardships I hope its just those companies not the employees. But the way things are if this gets effective employees can also get into a limbo - which I dont like - like say someone has gone for visa stamping and that gets denied or worst his/her family is still in the US - or something like that. Its true that the employee should try and look for a new job opportunity meeting new regulations but its not easy as it sounds.
More important point to consider is that new rules/regulations the way I understand it were suddenly implemented mid-stream - you cant do that. What if in after some time they apply same regulations to say people on EAD and using AC21 (i am still not clear whether it already applies to EAD we will have to wait for legal experts to comment) ? Or worse yet they come up with new regulations for people who already have their GC's approved ?
cinqsit
more...
gonecrazyonh4
07-03 08:29 PM
Done my part hoping it would help
hot The always fashionable Rihanna
unitednations
02-14 11:49 AM
Is there any proof that there are even are unused visas? I find this topic a rather moot point.
With India, China, The Philipinnes and Mexico all being oversubscribed, they appear to be reaching their 7% limit. With all the countries in ROW I doubt if any one country is even vaguelly reaching their 7% limit.
With the obvious retrogression across the board, it just tells me that there isn't anything spare to share around in whatever direction.
Am I just totally missing the point?!
It is an important topic.
Reason is:
2005 and prior; certain countries went over their limit. If they hadn't gone over their limit then EB3 would not have gone unavailable. If EB3 would not have gone unavailable then EB3 ROW would have much more advanced dates. Countries cannot go over their 7% limit now until ROW eb3 essentially gets current. If they had done it in the past then maybe eb3 row would be current and the other countries can go over their 7% limit and their dates would also have advanced. Due to what happened in 2005 the dates are further back for everyone then they should have been.
How it is working and how it is supposed to work is important in people making their decisions; ie., should i file in eb2 or eb3?
What is impact by eliminating the 7% limit
What would happen if there is 485 filing without priority date being current and there is a hard cap of 7%. There would never, ever be unused visas for china, india. They would have never ending retrogression.
For people who constantly watch visa bulletin; the dates won't move forward until fourth quarter when eb1 and eb2 visas get spilled over.; so no sense in waiting for it so eagerly.
With India, China, The Philipinnes and Mexico all being oversubscribed, they appear to be reaching their 7% limit. With all the countries in ROW I doubt if any one country is even vaguelly reaching their 7% limit.
With the obvious retrogression across the board, it just tells me that there isn't anything spare to share around in whatever direction.
Am I just totally missing the point?!
It is an important topic.
Reason is:
2005 and prior; certain countries went over their limit. If they hadn't gone over their limit then EB3 would not have gone unavailable. If EB3 would not have gone unavailable then EB3 ROW would have much more advanced dates. Countries cannot go over their 7% limit now until ROW eb3 essentially gets current. If they had done it in the past then maybe eb3 row would be current and the other countries can go over their 7% limit and their dates would also have advanced. Due to what happened in 2005 the dates are further back for everyone then they should have been.
How it is working and how it is supposed to work is important in people making their decisions; ie., should i file in eb2 or eb3?
What is impact by eliminating the 7% limit
What would happen if there is 485 filing without priority date being current and there is a hard cap of 7%. There would never, ever be unused visas for china, india. They would have never ending retrogression.
For people who constantly watch visa bulletin; the dates won't move forward until fourth quarter when eb1 and eb2 visas get spilled over.; so no sense in waiting for it so eagerly.
more...
house Who Wears Red Hair Color Best?
tikka
07-04 12:06 AM
http://digg.com/politics/USCIS_Visa_scandal 49 DIGS
http://digg.com/politics/Rep_Lofgren_Issues_Statement_on_Updated_Visa_Bulle tin
http://digg.com/politics/U_S_Withdraws_Offer_of_60_000_Job_Based_Visas_Ange ring_Immigration_Lawyer/who - 72 DIGS
http://digg.com/politics/Rep_Lofgren_Issues_Statement_on_Updated_Visa_Bulle tin
http://digg.com/politics/U_S_Withdraws_Offer_of_60_000_Job_Based_Visas_Ange ring_Immigration_Lawyer/who - 72 DIGS
tattoo Rihanna Releases Cover Art of
whatamidoinghere
02-22 04:26 AM
Looks like lot of data is available for us to crunch on:
Labor certifications from 2000 to 2006
http://www.flcdatacenter.com/CasePerm.aspx
H1Bs issued from 2002 to 2006
http://www.flcdatacenter.com/CaseH1B.aspx
Hopefully using this data we can get some rough prediction on cutoff date movement. I'm going to spend the coming weekend on this.
Labor certifications from 2000 to 2006
http://www.flcdatacenter.com/CasePerm.aspx
H1Bs issued from 2002 to 2006
http://www.flcdatacenter.com/CaseH1B.aspx
Hopefully using this data we can get some rough prediction on cutoff date movement. I'm going to spend the coming weekend on this.
more...
pictures Rihanna is certainly never one
django.stone
09-17 02:18 PM
Do you have any data to back your claim? I beleive there are more EB2 China numbers than India. I remember seeing some data a while back where Indian EB2 & Eb3 ratio was close to 50% where as China it was 80% EB2 to 20% EB3. Which makes me think there are more EB2 china than india.
You need to multiply ratio with total to get absolute EB2 numbers. If China total is 100, 80% of 100 is, 80 and if India total is 1000, 60% of 1000 is 600. I think people are saying here that in absolute terms India EB2 > China EB2.
You need to multiply ratio with total to get absolute EB2 numbers. If China total is 100, 80% of 100 is, 80 and if India total is 1000, 60% of 1000 is 600. I think people are saying here that in absolute terms India EB2 > China EB2.
dresses Rihanna rocks red at the 2008
sidbee
06-02 03:59 PM
Its possible we will not win such a lawsuit....I am not a lawyer, and often things which seem discriminatory to the common man, cannot be proved so in the court of law.
Yet, such a lawsuit could get some publicity and at least highlight the baltantly unfair laws against certain groups people based on country of birth in the EB category.
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.
Yet, such a lawsuit could get some publicity and at least highlight the baltantly unfair laws against certain groups people based on country of birth in the EB category.
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.
more...
makeup Beyonce was one of the many
JunRN
05-29 11:30 AM
1] To date there are 60K EB2I and another 60K EB3I I-485 applictaions pending.
2] 3.2K visas were available for EB2I for FY2009.
Assuming 3.2K visas are available every year from now on, it will take 60/3.2=18.75 years for all EB2I applicants upto today to be granted GC.
Unbelievable!
I think you have not yet included those doing Consular Processing in your computation. CP accounts for about 20% of total usage.
2] 3.2K visas were available for EB2I for FY2009.
Assuming 3.2K visas are available every year from now on, it will take 60/3.2=18.75 years for all EB2I applicants upto today to be granted GC.
Unbelievable!
I think you have not yet included those doing Consular Processing in your computation. CP accounts for about 20% of total usage.
girlfriend She dyes her hair bright red.
nojoke
12-11 12:32 PM
The focus is shifting from housing to economy and jobs. With 500,000+ applying jobless claims in a week is horrific. People will soon be thinking 'can we send 10+ million illegal immigrants and 1+ million legal immigrants back home to get jobs for local people'. I find it would be tough now to sell the idea that immigrants can save the economy by buying house. If some bright politician gets the idea 'why not send the immigrants home and create jobs' we all will be in trouble. :(
hairstyles Rihanna was of course also
ramus
07-03 05:14 PM
Thanks..
Other members from Ohio please make a call to Ralph Regula..
Ralph Regula in Ohio
Other members from Ohio please make a call to Ralph Regula..
Ralph Regula in Ohio
johnmcdonald98
03-26 06:47 PM
And does this mean that this law will definitely change, or is it still possible that vested interests may still keep substition alive?
I want to know this too... What's the rough estimate, how long will it take before this will be come LAW?
thanks,
I want to know this too... What's the rough estimate, how long will it take before this will be come LAW?
thanks,
sankap
07-12 11:14 AM
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/27/washington/27points.html?ex=1184385600&en=d3301beecf778d15&ei=5070
June 27, 2007
Canada�s Policy on Immigrants Brings Backlog
By CHRISTOPHER MASON and JULIA PRESTON
TORONTO, June 26 � With an advanced degree in business management from a university in India and impeccable English, Salman Kureishy is precisely the type of foreigner that Canada�s merit-based immigration system was designed to attract.
Yet eight years went by from the time Mr. Kureishy passed his first Canadian immigration test until he moved from India to Canada. Then he had to endure nine months of bureaucratic delays before landing a job in his field in March.
Mr. Kureishy�s experience � and that of Canada�s immigration system � offers a cautionary tale for the United States. Mr. Kureishy came to this country under a system Canada pioneered in the 1960s that favors highly skilled foreigners, by assigning points for education and work experience and accepting those who earn high scores.
A similar point system for the United States is proposed in the immigration bill that bounced back to life on Tuesday, when the Senate reversed a previous stand and brought the bill back to the floor. The vote did not guarantee passage of the bill, which calls for the biggest changes in immigration law in more than 20 years.
The point system has helped Canada compete with the United States and other Western powers for highly educated workers, the most coveted immigrants in high-tech and other cutting-edge industries. But in recent years, immigration lawyers and labor market analysts say, the Canadian system has become an immovable beast, with a backlog of more than 800,000 applications and waits of four years or more.
The system�s bias toward the educated has left some industries crying out for skilled blue-collar workers, especially in western Canada where Alberta�s busy oil fields have generated an economic boom. Studies by the Alberta government show the province could be short by as many as 100,000 workers over the next decade.
In response, some Canadian employers are sidestepping the point system and relying instead on a program initiated in 1998 that allows provincial governments to hand-pick some immigrant workers, and on temporary foreign-worker permits.
�The points system is so inflexible,� said Herman Van Reekum, an immigration consultant in Calgary who helps Alberta employers find workers. �We need low-skill workers and trades workers here, and those people have no hope under the points system.�
Canada accepts about 250,000 immigrants each year, more than doubling the per-capita rate of immigration in the United States, census figures from both countries show. Nearly two-thirds of Canada�s population growth comes from immigrants, according to the 2006 census, compared with the United States, where about 43 percent of the population growth comes from immigration. Approximately half of Canada�s immigrants come through the point system.
Under Canada�s system, 67 points on a 100-point test is a passing score. In addition to education and work experience, aspiring immigrants earn high points for their command of languages and for being between 21 and 49 years old. In the United States, the Senate bill would grant higher points for advanced education, English proficiency and skills in technology and other fields that are in demand. Lower points would be given for the family ties that have been the basic stepping stones of the American immigration system for four decades.
Part of the backlog in Canada can be traced to a provision in the Canadian system that allows highly skilled foreigners to apply to immigrate even if they do not have a job offer. Similarly, the Senate bill would not require merit system applicants to have job offers in the United States, although it would grant additional points to those who do.
Without an employment requirement, Canada has been deluged with applications. In testimony in May before an immigration subcommittee of the United States House of Representatives, Howard Greenberg, an immigration lawyer in Toronto, compared the Canadian system to a bathtub with an open faucet and a clogged drain. �It is not surprising that Canada�s bathtub is overflowing,� Mr. Greenberg said.
Since applications are not screened first by employers, the government bears the burden and cost of assessing them. The system is often slow to evaluate the foreign education credentials and work experience of new immigrants and to direct them toward employers who need their skills, said Jeffrey Reitz, professor of immigration studies at the University of Toronto.
The problem has been acute in regulated professions like medicine, where a professional organization, the Medical Council of Canada, reviews foreign credentials of new immigrants. The group has had difficulty assessing how a degree earned in China or India stacks up against a similar degree from a university in Canada or the United States. Frustrated by delays, some doctors and other highly trained immigrants take jobs outside their fields just to make ends meet.
The sheer size of the Canadian point system, the complexity of its rules and its backlogs make it slow to adjust to shifts in the labor market, like the oil boom in Alberta.
�I am a university professor, and I can barely figure out the points system,� said Don J. DeVoretz, an economics professor at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia who studies immigration systems. �Lawyers have books that are three feet thick explaining the system.�
The rush to develop the oil fields in northern Alberta has attracted oil companies from around the world, unleashing a surge of construction. Contractors say that often the only thing holding them back is a shortage of qualified workers.
Scott Burns, president of Burnco Rock Products in Calgary, a construction materials company with about 1,000 employees, said he had been able to meet his labor needs only by using temporary work permits. Mr. Burns hired 39 Filipinos for jobs in his concrete plants and plans to hire more. He said that many of the temporary workers had critically needed skills, but that they had no hope of immigrating permanently under the federal point system.
�The system is very much broken,� Mr. Burns said.
Mr. Kureishy, the immigrant from India, said he was drawn to Canada late in his career by its open society and what appeared to be strong interest in his professional abilities. But even though he waited eight years to immigrate, the equivalent of a doctoral degree in human resources development that he earned from Xavier Labor Relations Institute in India was not evaluated in Canada until he arrived here. During his first six months, Canadian employers had no formal comparison of his credentials to guide them.
Eventually, Mr. Kureishy, 55, found full-time work in his field, as a program manager assisting foreign professionals at Ryerson University in Toronto. �It was a long process, but I look at myself as fairly resilient,� Mr. Kureishy said.
He criticized Canada as providing little support to immigrants after they arrived.
�If you advertised for professors and one comes over and is driving a taxi,� he said, �that�s a problem.�
Christopher Mason reported from Toronto, and Julia Preston from New York.
June 27, 2007
Canada�s Policy on Immigrants Brings Backlog
By CHRISTOPHER MASON and JULIA PRESTON
TORONTO, June 26 � With an advanced degree in business management from a university in India and impeccable English, Salman Kureishy is precisely the type of foreigner that Canada�s merit-based immigration system was designed to attract.
Yet eight years went by from the time Mr. Kureishy passed his first Canadian immigration test until he moved from India to Canada. Then he had to endure nine months of bureaucratic delays before landing a job in his field in March.
Mr. Kureishy�s experience � and that of Canada�s immigration system � offers a cautionary tale for the United States. Mr. Kureishy came to this country under a system Canada pioneered in the 1960s that favors highly skilled foreigners, by assigning points for education and work experience and accepting those who earn high scores.
A similar point system for the United States is proposed in the immigration bill that bounced back to life on Tuesday, when the Senate reversed a previous stand and brought the bill back to the floor. The vote did not guarantee passage of the bill, which calls for the biggest changes in immigration law in more than 20 years.
The point system has helped Canada compete with the United States and other Western powers for highly educated workers, the most coveted immigrants in high-tech and other cutting-edge industries. But in recent years, immigration lawyers and labor market analysts say, the Canadian system has become an immovable beast, with a backlog of more than 800,000 applications and waits of four years or more.
The system�s bias toward the educated has left some industries crying out for skilled blue-collar workers, especially in western Canada where Alberta�s busy oil fields have generated an economic boom. Studies by the Alberta government show the province could be short by as many as 100,000 workers over the next decade.
In response, some Canadian employers are sidestepping the point system and relying instead on a program initiated in 1998 that allows provincial governments to hand-pick some immigrant workers, and on temporary foreign-worker permits.
�The points system is so inflexible,� said Herman Van Reekum, an immigration consultant in Calgary who helps Alberta employers find workers. �We need low-skill workers and trades workers here, and those people have no hope under the points system.�
Canada accepts about 250,000 immigrants each year, more than doubling the per-capita rate of immigration in the United States, census figures from both countries show. Nearly two-thirds of Canada�s population growth comes from immigrants, according to the 2006 census, compared with the United States, where about 43 percent of the population growth comes from immigration. Approximately half of Canada�s immigrants come through the point system.
Under Canada�s system, 67 points on a 100-point test is a passing score. In addition to education and work experience, aspiring immigrants earn high points for their command of languages and for being between 21 and 49 years old. In the United States, the Senate bill would grant higher points for advanced education, English proficiency and skills in technology and other fields that are in demand. Lower points would be given for the family ties that have been the basic stepping stones of the American immigration system for four decades.
Part of the backlog in Canada can be traced to a provision in the Canadian system that allows highly skilled foreigners to apply to immigrate even if they do not have a job offer. Similarly, the Senate bill would not require merit system applicants to have job offers in the United States, although it would grant additional points to those who do.
Without an employment requirement, Canada has been deluged with applications. In testimony in May before an immigration subcommittee of the United States House of Representatives, Howard Greenberg, an immigration lawyer in Toronto, compared the Canadian system to a bathtub with an open faucet and a clogged drain. �It is not surprising that Canada�s bathtub is overflowing,� Mr. Greenberg said.
Since applications are not screened first by employers, the government bears the burden and cost of assessing them. The system is often slow to evaluate the foreign education credentials and work experience of new immigrants and to direct them toward employers who need their skills, said Jeffrey Reitz, professor of immigration studies at the University of Toronto.
The problem has been acute in regulated professions like medicine, where a professional organization, the Medical Council of Canada, reviews foreign credentials of new immigrants. The group has had difficulty assessing how a degree earned in China or India stacks up against a similar degree from a university in Canada or the United States. Frustrated by delays, some doctors and other highly trained immigrants take jobs outside their fields just to make ends meet.
The sheer size of the Canadian point system, the complexity of its rules and its backlogs make it slow to adjust to shifts in the labor market, like the oil boom in Alberta.
�I am a university professor, and I can barely figure out the points system,� said Don J. DeVoretz, an economics professor at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia who studies immigration systems. �Lawyers have books that are three feet thick explaining the system.�
The rush to develop the oil fields in northern Alberta has attracted oil companies from around the world, unleashing a surge of construction. Contractors say that often the only thing holding them back is a shortage of qualified workers.
Scott Burns, president of Burnco Rock Products in Calgary, a construction materials company with about 1,000 employees, said he had been able to meet his labor needs only by using temporary work permits. Mr. Burns hired 39 Filipinos for jobs in his concrete plants and plans to hire more. He said that many of the temporary workers had critically needed skills, but that they had no hope of immigrating permanently under the federal point system.
�The system is very much broken,� Mr. Burns said.
Mr. Kureishy, the immigrant from India, said he was drawn to Canada late in his career by its open society and what appeared to be strong interest in his professional abilities. But even though he waited eight years to immigrate, the equivalent of a doctoral degree in human resources development that he earned from Xavier Labor Relations Institute in India was not evaluated in Canada until he arrived here. During his first six months, Canadian employers had no formal comparison of his credentials to guide them.
Eventually, Mr. Kureishy, 55, found full-time work in his field, as a program manager assisting foreign professionals at Ryerson University in Toronto. �It was a long process, but I look at myself as fairly resilient,� Mr. Kureishy said.
He criticized Canada as providing little support to immigrants after they arrived.
�If you advertised for professors and one comes over and is driving a taxi,� he said, �that�s a problem.�
Christopher Mason reported from Toronto, and Julia Preston from New York.
