Do any of the immigration reform bills currently being proposed provide green cards for folks with a graduate degree from a US university?

[saintforlife]

All the immigration talks seems to be centered on illegal immigration, border security and increasing the H1B cap. I think it is unfair that people who spend 2-5 years of their lives invest in a higher education, pay tuition fees and earn a degree have to fight with all the other H1B holders when it comes to getting a Green Card. I know there was some talk about stapling green cards to diplomas of people that get a Master's or PhD degree in engineering or related fields from a US university in the past. 

 

Is this still on the card on any of the immigration bills being proposed currently in the senate or the house? Do any of the recent bills address the green card situation of immigrants who have studied or are studying graduate schools in the US?

[omshiv]

so basically to get a GC you want to invest in Masters here?

[rahul412]

I think it is unfair that people who spend 2-5 years of their lives invest in a higher education, pay tuition fees and earn a degree have to fight with all the other H1B holders when it comes to getting a Green Card.

Dude, no one told you to do so, then why did you do it?? GC is not your right, if you want it then follow the rules.

 

Yes, this immigration bill has a provision to issue EAD's for STEM graduates.

[chakrakr]

All the immigration talks seems to be centered on illegal immigration, border security and increasing the H1B cap. I think it is unfair that people who spend 2-5 years of their lives invest in a higher education, pay tuition fees and earn a degree have to fight with all the other H1B holders when it comes to getting a Green Card. 

 

And I think it is unfair for someone who has a Degree from a decent state Engineering College or NIT , who has considerable work experience to fight with all those who  got a degree from a Capitaion fee  based college in India and then a self financed  Masters from a barely accredited Onehorsetown  University in US . 

[rambobu]

Its not about a fair system, its all about identifying immigration as a positive for the nation and building laws around it. Immigration is a positive to any developed economy. It adds to taxes (revenues), creates jobs, grows the economy, creates a strong young base that can support the aged. If Japan was open to immigration it would not find itself in the mess that it is today.Congress has created a mess with the existing INA not keeping up with changes in the economy and other dynamic micro econimic factors. In effect it has made the US uncompetetive as a nation to attract young immigrants. Hopefully, they resolve it and pass a bill that is better for the country as a whole. Based on last 4-5 years mess in the immigration system i am sure there are people around the world making decisions on their migration and US may not be their number one choice. Hopefully with the new reform bill when passed into law will put US on top once again.

 

Now when it comes down to people we do make a choice when we decide to make the United States our new home based on factors that we think might be okay. But by no means is 10-14 years a reasonable time to become a permanent resident. One can argue that then why make the choice? well, the facts were different when one made the choice and it is always too late to change or reverse ones decision.

[omshiv]

Good article.

[rahul412]

Congress has created a mess with the existing INA not keeping up with changes in the economy and other dynamic micro econimic factors.

That's correct. US needs economic reforms,immigration is nothing in front of US Economy, the current economic policies needs to be changed.

 

Reason for Reform : Increasing US National Debt.

[t75]

Life is not fair.

[saintforlife]

Yes, this immigration bill has a provision to issue EAD's for STEM graduates.

 

Do you have a link to this?

[rahul412]

Do you have a link to this?

 I don't have a link, but you can find it out in that 800 page documents.

Do a search in that document and you will get it, but it takes time to understand those clauses.

[rambobu]

Those are my views and I wrote it.

[JoeF]

Do you have a link to this?

The bill is online at lots of places. Use your favorite search engine.

The STEM provisions would be for people who graduated from a US university in the last 5 years.

[saintforlife]

The bill is online at lots of places. Use your favorite search engine.

The STEM provisions would be for people who graduated from a US university in the last 5 years.

That is just backwards. What makes recent graduates better? They should in fact first give Green Cards to people who have their Master's/PhD degrees from here, and have worked in this country in a relevant field for a minimum of 5 years, paid taxes and other dues. Those are the people that have played by the rules and have shown a commitment to staying in this country.  If they decide to give Green Cards only to recent graduates, going forward what is to stop people from just lining up and enrolling into any mom & pop university just to get a quick graduate degree and a GC without even showing an inclination to work in a STEM area after school? After all, isn't highly skilled workers working in STEM fields supposed to help grow the economy? This will just open up the system for rampant misuse. :smh:

[JoeF]

That is just backwards. What makes recent graduates better? They should in fact first give Green Cards to people who have their Master's/PhD degrees from here, and have worked in this country in a relevant field for a minimum of 5 years, paid taxes and other dues. Those are the people that have played by the rules and have shown a commitment to staying in this country.  If they decide to give Green Cards only to recent graduates, going forward what is to stop people from just lining up and enrolling into any mom & pop university just to get a quick graduate degree and a GC without even showing an inclination to work in a STEM area after school? After all, isn't highly skilled workers working in STEM fields supposed to help grow the economy? This will just open up the system for rampant misuse. :smh:

Such degrees have to come from accredited public or non-profit private institutions. So, no "mom-and-pop" frauds.

[omshiv]

That is just backwards. What makes recent graduates better? They should in fact first give Green Cards to people who have their Master's/PhD degrees from here, and have worked in this country in a relevant field for a minimum of 5 years, paid taxes and other dues. Those are the people that have played by the rules and have shown a commitment to staying in this country.  If they decide to give Green Cards only to recent graduates, going forward what is to stop people from just lining up and enrolling into any mom & pop university just to get a quick graduate degree and a GC without even showing an inclination to work in a STEM area after school? After all, isn't highly skilled workers working in STEM fields supposed to help grow the economy? This will just open up the system for rampant misuse. :smh:

 

 

Completely agree to this fact. Already people from some region line up to do their MS from some remote area in Montana to be eligible for EB2..now if they give GC for STEM people..I'll have to go North.

[Attorney_23]

That is just backwards. What makes recent graduates better? They should in fact first give Green Cards to people who have their Master's/PhD degrees from here, and have worked in this country in a relevant field for a minimum of 5 years, paid taxes and other dues. Those are the people that have played by the rules and have shown a commitment to staying in this country.  If they decide to give Green Cards only to recent graduates, going forward what is to stop people from just lining up and enrolling into any mom & pop university just to get a quick graduate degree and a GC without even showing an inclination to work in a STEM area after school? After all, isn't highly skilled workers working in STEM fields supposed to help grow the economy? This will just open up the system for rampant misuse. :smh:

The bill would allow eliminate the requirement for those who received an advanced degree in a STEM field from being subject to the worldwide levels or numerical limitations if it was earned from a U.S. school (I believe the school has to be accredited, but I would have to double-check to verify that), has an offer of employment from a U.S. employer in a related field, and earned the qualifying degree within the 5-year period immediately prior to the initial filing date of the petition.

 

From what I gather, the 5-year limit appears to be there because there are other means to obtain a green card for STEM graduates who received the degree earlier than that. The provision is a bit odd, but having the advanced degree would provide a fair number of points under the merit-based system, especially if he individual has a number of years of work experience in a related field. (i.e. Presumably, a foreign national who received the MS years ago would have accumulate a good number of points for job experience under Track 1, Tier 1.)

[rambobu]

I strongly feel a point system would be more prudent to use where everything is black and white. Right now the law is so complex that I am sure even the people who wrote it wont have a clue how to interpret it. Try reading some of the clauses in the INA. It has been ammended and modified so many times that there are many different ways to interpret it. As a result the EB category and people with advanced skills are put through situations that really makes one laugh. Spouse not approved, window open only for a month and then by the time dates become current spouse is already a US citizen. Or permanent resident gets married and spouse cannot join him or her for years because of retrogression (it is current now but was not for years). The whole system is mindless and since it is so complicated no one knows where to start.

 

We need to simplify it to benefit America and Americans. There needs to be a guest worker program so low skilled workers can take advantage of it and be able to work in the US. I am sure there are thousands who would not want to be permanent residents and that would like to just work for few years and keep going back and forth. Why cant someone on an H1B at the end of their 6 year term become a permanent resident by default? The whole premise of a green card for a future job sounds rediculous and funny. What future job? Hello, where were the heads when this was discussed? You identify the skill - be it plumbing, or software, nuclear physics or whatever and if there is a need for the nation, if it benefits the society then let them become permanent residents. They will find their jobs and they will add value to the economy.

 

Quotas, Categories, sub categories, country limits - you name - endless list. Canadian immigration is so simple that one can apply by themselves and not require an attorney. Once again, I love this country for all the greatness and the how everything is simplified to the T but at the same time they have got this immigration issue so entangled with politics that there is no end to it.

 

Once again going back to my original post, the US can be the best of the best in the world by attracting the best from all over the world. By promoting easier green cards for advanced studies, for skills that pays more than the average norm in the country, for entrepreneurs. By doing that we generate more gross rev (GDP), increases revenues (taxes) and thus creating more jobs - reducing unemployment. Secure the borders and legalize the 11 milion illegals. Put them at the back of the line and let it take 15 years to get a GC. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) found that the immigration bill bthat was passed in the Senate would cut the federal deficit by $175 billion over first 10 years of its enactment and by $700 billion over the decade after that. (courtsey abc news).

 

The H1B program was abused by a lot of body shoppers and a result of that is a US corporation went few miles across the border and opens a development center in Canada. The canadian government gave them a red carpet and made it real easy to make this happen.

 

The number of F1s have been reducing over a period of time, why wont it? Why would a smart 21 year old just out of under grad consider the US when there is Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United Kingdom which promises a faster route to citizenship than the US? (may be not UK so much as before). We can sit here and discuss this topic over and over for ever but the extreme rights of the world have a different opinion and seems like it is not going to change very soon.

 

We need to contact our local reps both senators and congressmen and express our suport for a comprehensive immigration bill in whatever form it may exist. Which may not be the best but like they say "it is what it is"

 

The biggest problem is to seperate the illegal issue from the legals which is probably never going to happen.

 

"America's problem today is politics and not economics".-courtsey - Fareed Zakaria - GPS.

[omshiv]

Wow..pretty good article. You must be a frustrated lot. Good reading though.

[rahul412]

We need to contact our local reps both senators and congressmen and express our suport for a comprehensive immigration bill in whatever form it may exist. Which may not be the best but like they say "it is what it is"

 

This 'CIR' is a solution to a problem. But this shouldn't be in 'whatever form', if its not fixing the actual problem.

[Desi Dude]

Uncontrolled Immigration in a welfare society is a dangerous idea. The notion that every immigrant would work and add to the society is not true when there is welfare available. There will be a lot of immigrants and their dependents who will go on welfare as soon as they become legal, free school, free healthcare, free food etc The goal to come to US would not be success anymore, it would be more about free welfare. Society can't sustain such an onslaught.

 

Immigration should be in a controlled manner incorporating the needs of society.

[omshiv]

Uncontrolled Immigration in a welfare society is a dangerous idea. The notion that every immigrant would work and add to the society is not true when there is welfare available. There will be a lot of immigrants and their dependents who will go on welfare as soon as they become legal, free school, free healthcare, free food etc The goal to come to US would not be success anymore, it would be more about free welfare. Society can't sustain such an onslaught.

Immigration should be in a controlled manner incorporating the needs of society.

Well said.

[rambobu]

I never said uncontrolled. I did define a broad outline which included nuclear physists too.

 

Not frustrated but kinda concerned with the way things are going. Everybody agrees to the problem but they put politics in front of doing the right thing and it never happens.

[saintforlife]

From what I gather, the 5-year limit appears to be there because there are other means to obtain a green card for STEM graduates who received the degree earlier than that. The provision is a bit odd, but having the advanced degree would provide a fair number of points under the merit-based system, especially if he individual has a number of years of work experience in a related field. (i.e. Presumably, a foreign national who received the MS years ago would have accumulate a good number of points for job experience under Track 1, Tier 1.)

If a person has a M.S. degree in engineering from an accredited US university, has worked in the US for 6 years on H1B visa in an engineering position, has an approved I-140 and has a priority date of September 2012 (EB2 India), when can this person expect to receive their Green Card under this bill?

[maverick41]

If a person has a M.S. degree in engineering from an accredited US university, has worked in the US for 6 years on H1B visa in an engineering position, has an approved I-140 and has a priority date of September 2012 (EB2 India), when can this person expect to receive their Green Card under this bill?

Section 2302--- "an alien who is the beneficiary of a petition filed before the date of the enactment of this Act is eligible for a green card within 5 years after the date on which the petition is filed."

[Desi Dude]

Section 2302--- "an alien who is the beneficiary of a petition filed before the date of the enactment of this Act is eligible for a green card within 5 years after the date on which the petition is filed."

 

 

So how come there are so many people with MS Engineering degrees waiting for 10yrs???