Visa Bulletin – May 04/11/08

Nobody really knows what will be the next VB. Just kip on prayin…

My PD is March 2, 2006..I know God knows the best for me.GOD IS GREAT!
Thanks Bolog!

Hun,
Oh no. You are 2 days shy of the cut-off. But dont worry. Next month its your turn. The PDs will still advance.

Redflower,
I am here in the Philippines. If you have already submitted your DS230 and paid your visa fee, expect NVC to contact your agency or lawyer to have you again accomplish a new DS230.So you should always be in touch with your agency/lawyer at this point because time counts.
BTW, your NBI clearance must have expired or is almost expired so you should get a new one.

Bolog

THANK GOD!!!

hun,

God’s grace in due time.
Good luck!

Bolog

All,

Check this this link. I think it is for nurses and PT 61000 visa there.

http://cornyn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ForPress.NewsReleases&ContentRecord_id=39c4cd1a-802a-23ad-4d63-7b0adab48b23

kuwait,

This is good news not only for nurses and PTs but for EVERYBODY and I hope this bill pushes thru.
Thats a good find. Thanks for the info.

Bolog

gbert,you are correct..
gbert said………..
Let’s just admit it HLG and the other law firms are not doing anything for real to help for the cause of Schedule A. They are all just riding on the issue…

E3 Philippines is just lucky to be on track…does HLG is saying that this is their effort…NO definitely its not…

We at the E3 Philippines are sad for the slow paced of E3 India. Those who are in line are also human that needs to be treated fairly and has dream that needs to be fulfilled…

If only HLG/Chris has a conscience…and If only they are really doing the lobbying effort squarely…we will never reach this kind of point…Admit it HLG…you are only for money…

Sorry for the words…truth hurts!!!!

Friday, April 11, 2008 10:12:00 AM

I Feel USA is afraid of indian people ,that is y they are creating problems for them the very soft targed for them is Nurses,(who every one knows face a lot of difficulties ) as they cannot touch IT people because Big people like Bill Gates & others r supporting them who r contributing a lot in their economy

May be they r afraid of seeing Indian person as their coming PRESIDENT OF USA.

Cornyn, Lieberman, Gregg & Hagel Introduce Legislation To Help Maintain U.S. Competitiveness, Grow The Economy At Home
Thursday, April 10, 2008

WASHINGTON—On the heels of Tuesday’s announcement by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) that it received enough petitions, in just 24 hours, to meet the congressionally-mandated cap of 65,000 H-1B visas available for next year, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, announced today that he and several Senate colleagues are re-introducing legislation to address this urgent problem by promoting competitiveness, innovation, and employer access to skilled employees.

Specifically, Senator Cornyn, along with Senators Judd Gregg, Joe Lieberman, and Chuck Hagel, today introduced the “Global Competitiveness Act of 2008” (S. 2839) which would give United States employers access to previously unused H-1B temporary worker visas and permanent employment-based visas from prior fiscal years. The bill also temporarily increases the level of H-1B visas in a timely manner while including reasonable targeted enforcement provisions to combat and investigate fraud and abuse of the H-1B program. Importantly, under the Cornyn legislation, H-1B visa holders are only allowed to work in areas where there is a demonstrated shortage of American workers and are not allowed to act as “labor for hire” at different job sites, potentially displacing American workers. Furthermore, participating employers must agree to not rely exclusively on H-1Bs for their labor needs or advertise solely for H-1B workers, and make a concerted effort to hire Americans workers first.

“Tuesday’s announcement highlights the critical nature of this irresponsible cap. For businesses in Texas, and across the country, to continue to grow, prosper, and create more jobs here at home, they must have the resources necessary to remain competitive in an increasingly global economy. Just last month, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates testified before the House Science Committee on the issue of American competitiveness. He stated that the U.S. economy ‘depends on the ability of innovative companies to attract and retain the very best talent, regardless of nationality or citizenship.’ I agree and we need to do something about it,” Sen. Cornyn said today.

“Well-educated, highly skilled workers are key to our country’s competitiveness. Our outdated system has limited the ability of many American companies to recruit and retain top-quality talent. We must address the H-1B visa crisis to ensure that America remains the world leader in innovation,” Sen. Lieberman said.

“Congress must pass critical visa legislation for our small and seasonal businesses, as well as for companies that fuel economic growth for all Americans. The unreasonably low caps on H-1B and H-2B visas have made it difficult, if not impossible, for businesses to augment their U.S. workforce with foreign labor. Hotels, landscapers, restaurants, and other businesses in New Hampshire have been hit hard by losing access to the H-2B program, and some will be forced to reduce operations, lay off U.S. workers, or close their doors. Moreover, the lack of H-1B visas undermines our nation’s economy,” Sen. Gregg said. “Talent is a nation’s most important resource in today’s information age, and the lack of immigration opportunities for highly skilled labor undermines our competitive edge and forces companies to move their operations overseas, which hurts all Americans.”

“Clearly, the top priority for the Congress must be passage of a comprehensive immigration reform bill. But the unfortunate delay we have seen on that effort should not harm the high-tech companies and other employers who truly need to strengthen their U.S. workforce now and have played by the rules. This legislation creates interim relief for American businesses, large and small, to help maintain our competitiveness in a global market, while at the same time instituting certain enforcement measures temporarily until we can return to comprehensive immigration reform. This issue has the support of Senators in both political parties and I hope the Senate will soon address it,” Sen. Cornyn concluded.

OUTLINE OF GLOBAL COMPETITIVENESS ACT OF 2008:

H-2B Temporary Worker Program

* Extends the H-2B Returning Worker provisions for 3 fiscal years

H-1B Temporary Worker Program

* Recaptures 150,000 unused H-1B visas which will be distributed over a 3 year period
* Imposes a H-1B recapture fee of $1,500
* Increases H-1B visa levels from 65,000 to 115,000 for fiscal years 2009 through 2011
* Increases the advanced degree cap for H-1B workers with masters degrees or higher from 20k to 30k for fiscal years 2009 to 2011
* Increases the H-1B petition fee from $1,500 to $2,250

Employment Based Visas

* Recaptures approximately 218,000 unused employment-based visas
* Distributes 61,000 of the recaptured EB visas to nurses and physical therapists (and spouses and children accompanying or following to join)
* Imposes an EB visa recapture fee of $1,500
* Exempts health care facilities in underserved areas from paying the additional EB recapture fee

Prohibitions on Outsourcing and H-1B Only Recruiting

* Requires U.S. employers to provide prospective H-1B applications with a copy of their approved H-1B petition
* Requires all U.S. employers to agree not to advertise the jobs solely to H-1B or indicate that H-1B workers will be given priority
* Prohibits U.S. employers from outsourcing the labor of an H-1B worker by requiring that the alien work only at the worksite of the employer or its affiliates and subsidiaries in the United States
* Bars U.S. employers who have an employee total that includes more than 50% H-1B workers from filing more than 1,000 H-1B petitions in a given fiscal year
* Sunsets advertising and outsourcing provisions in 3 years

Early Adjustment Provisions

* Authorizes aliens who are seeking permanent employment-based visas to file for adjustment of status early if the visa number availability date shown on the State Department Visa bulletin is no more than 24 months out from the date of filing
* Imposes an additional $500 fee for early adjustment filing
* Revises distribution of fees to increase funding of STEM scholarship programs

H and L Enforcement Provisions

* Authorizing DHS and DOL to investigate H and L visa fraud
* Revising the conditions that will result in finding a violation of the provisions of a labor condition application
* Requires information and document sharing between DHS and DOL for H and L fraud investigations and noncompliance
* Increases frequencies of H and L program audits
* Doubles the penalties for violations of the labor condition application provisions
* Adds whistleblower protections for L workers, including requiring back-pay for those harmed by an employer violation
* Limits eligibility for L intra-company transferee status for aliens working with start-up companies

Miscellaneous Provisions

* Extends E-Verify authorization
* Modifies the H and L fraud account provisions to allow USCIS flexibility in terms of use of funds for benefit fraud investigations

Any hope for indian nurses ??????????

EVERY ONE IS WORKING FOR H1B…
I Feel USA is afraid of indian people ,that is y they are creating problems for them the very soft targed for them is Nurses,(who every one knows face a lot of difficulties ) as they cannot touch IT people because Big people like Bill Gates & others r supporting them who r contributing a lot in their economy

May be they r afraid of seeing Indian person as their coming PRESIDENT OF USA.

To Bolog, Mharz,gonewest, Redflower, beowulf and the rest who’s PD’s are current….

CONGRATULATIONS!

To Shyguy,

If you complete your DS230 paid your Visa fee, and your papers been forwarded to US embassy-NZ, you will receive the intstruction packet ….in few days time.

Hammond law group llc said(Feb 19):
Re- Indian Nurses. Unfortunately we don’t see those numbers moving, which makes the need for a Bridge/other Sched A legislation all the more…
Re- Bridge. Still being pushed. The lobbyists are on the hill once a week, and they are making progress. We all wish it could go faster.

Tuesday, February 19, 2008 6:22:00 AM

to leen,

thanx leen… god really answer our prayers… Share also ur exprience during ur interview… Right now wer processing our new brown passport, hopefully if its our time for interview we already have a new passport… god bless

hi leen
Thank you and hope will have to get our schedule interview soon. I will just wait for my agency to contact me for any further instructions on my case. As of now, I will keep on praying till I have my interview date.

yenoh-phil,

If you or your husband have lived for more than 6 months in another country, you are required to get a police certificate from that country. If not then an NBI Clearance is sufficient provided its not yet expired.

To all E3 Phil w/ current PDs,

Let us post the developments of our cases here and inform each other if our consular interview is already scheduled.

Thanks and let us pray this time for our consular interview.Good luck to all and Godbless!

Bolog

How come HLG doesn’t know about this OUTLINE OF GLOBAL COMPETITIVENESS ACT OF 2008 bill which was introduced on 10th April..??!! Its supporting 61000 nurses visa…!! HLG, what do you say..?

hi everyone!!!atlast my PD is current (AUGT. 23,2005)…hope for the best!!!let’s pray harder people!!!!

HI CAN ANYBODY TELL ME BASED ON PERSONAL EXPERIENCE AS TO HOW SOON WERE YOU CALLED FOR INTERVIEW ONCE YOUR PD BECAME CURRENT? PLS SPECIFY DATES. THANKS A LOT.

For REDFLOWER

i presume you are in the Phil. Your PD is Sept 2005 and you became current inthe May VB. Will u pls inform me as to when you receive notice of interview sched. It would really mean a lot to me. My PD is Mar 28,2006. Thanks a lot and Good Luck.

Big difference between phil and india. Means there is some hope for India in near future. But of no sure!!!

To all India people waiting for your PD:
Please stop saying that it’s “unfair” that your cut-off is way behind.. statements like that only shows that most of you are ignorant of the system.
So many of you are already given visas; therefore, there is a need for your country to retrogress as much due to being oversubscribed.
Take note that America is too “concerned about being fair”, that’s why they have to make per country allocation to avoid giving too many visas to one country only. You are not singled out because America is afraid of you(that’s crazy). In fact, I think Indians are very in demand now. It just so happens that (because of that demand) you are exhausting your visa number limit faster than other countries.

The Philippines has not yet used up so many visa numbers to date, maybe soon we will also slow down. Only some nurses and PTs are in need of these visas from our country. (India have nurses, PTs, and a lot of ITs). This is the reason Why, it is better for nurses to have thier own
schedule-A visa, that way they will not have to compete with the IT numbers.

You may call the system a bit impractical and stupid. But definitely it is JUST FAIR.

TO ARYO
Endorse your license to VERMONT BOARD,vtprofessionals.org

hanessia,

Contacting the Taiwan embassy is the right thing to do first. Ask them how you can get a police cert from Taiwan for your spouse. I am sure you don’t have to go to Taiwan just to get one.

hi leen!! im following your blogs,have you been interviewed?

My PD is may 2006…=)…just a few more months of waiting…thank you Lord for the wonderful things you give to those who patiently trust & wait for your blessings!
Hope the good news continue to come in! Thanks HLG!

To Kochu,

Your priority date is the date your I140 application was “received” at the USCIS

to bubbly-phil
Yes, I would be very glad to let everybody know in this blog as soon as I will get my interview schedule.

To HANESSIA:

Write to:
Foreign Affairs Division
Taipei Municipal Police Dept
No. 96, Yan Ping South Road
Taipei, Taiwan

Endorse an application form (available fr Taipei Economic & Cultural Rep Office (TECRO) or Rep of China Embassy, and a processing fee of US $1.00

look into http://travel.state.gov/visa/reciprocity/index.htm

Good Luck

My PD now is current (August 2005),has anyone here tell me how long you can receive your letter for a consular interview?My agency told me it’s about 2-3 weeks prior to your interview that you’ll get a letter from them.I am qiute concern for this as we are going on holiday back to Philippines this coming May and I don’t want to miss that important letter (by the way I am working here in UK),however,we only stay there for about 3 weeks.Please can anyone answer my query,thanks….

thanks so much bolog and bubbly-phil for the information,may God always bless you and your family.

Hai all,
Thursday, April 10, the Global Competitive Act of 2008 was submitted in the US Senate. This legislation would, among other things, recapture unused
visas from prior years, and dedicate 61,000 visas for use by healthcareworkers.This legislation is similar to that passed by the Senate last Fall, but removed by the House of Representatives during theHouse/SenateConference.
Hopefully this attempt will be more successful.
Pls, pray for The House of Representatives.

Aiyooooo…eee.pileee..nte salyam thaaangan vayyaaa

To Fairness and all other friends.

Q. Who is the GM of Hewlett Packard (hp) ?
A. Rajiv Gupta
Q. Who is the creator of Pentium chip (needs no introduction as 90% of the today’s computers run on it)?
A. Vinod Dahm
Q. Who is the third richest man on the world?
A. According to the latest report on Fortune Magazine, it is Azim Premji, who is the CEO of Wipro Industries. The Sultan of Brunei is at 6 th position now.
Q. Who is the founder and creator of Hotmail (Hotmail is world’s No.1 web based email program)?
A. Sabeer Bhatia
Q. Who is the president of AT & T-Bell Labs (AT & T-Bell Labs is the creator of program languages such as C, C++, Unix to name a few)?
A. Arun Netravalli
Q. Who is the new MTD (Microsoft Testing Director) of Windows 2000, responsible to iron out all initial problems?
A. Sanjay Tejwrika
Q. Who are the Chief Executives of CitiBank, Mckensey & Stanchart?
A. Victor Menezes, Rajat Gupta, and Rana Talwar.

We Indians are the wealthiest among all ethnic groups in America , even faring better than the whites and the natives.
There are 3.22 millions of Indians in USA (15% of population) .. YET,

38% of doctors in USA are Indians.
12% scientists in USA are Indians.
36% of NASA scientists are Indians.
34% of Microsoft employees are Indians.
28% of IBM employees are Indians.
17% of INTEL scientists are Indians.
13% of XEROX employees are! Indians.

Some of the following facts may not known to you. These facts were recently published in a German magazine, which deals with WORLD HISTORY FACTS ABOUT INDIA.
1. India never invaded any country in her last 1000 years of history.
2. India invented the Number system. Zero was invented by Aryabhatta.
3. The world’s first University was established in Takshila in 700BC. More than 10,500 students from all over the world studied more than 60 subjects. The University of Nalanda built in the 4 th century BC was one of the greatest achievements of ancient India in the field of education.

4. Ayurveda is the earliest school of medicine known to humans.
5. Although western media portray modern images of India as poverty striken and underdeveloped through political corruption, India was once the richest empire on earth.

6. The art of navigation was born in the river Sindh 5000 years ago.. The very word “Navigation” is derived from the Sanskrit word NAVGATIH.
7. The value of pi was first calculated by Budhayana, and he explained the concept of what is now k! nown as the Pythagorean Theorem. British scholars have officially published that Budhayan’s works dates to the 6 th Century which is long before the European mathematicians.

8. Algebra, trigonometry and calculus came from India . Quadratic equations were by Sridharacharya in the 11 th Century; the largest numbers the Greeks and the Romans used were 106 whereas Indians used numbers as big as 10 53
9. According to the Gemmological Institute of America , up until 1896, India was the only source of diamonds to the world.

10. USA based IEEE has proved what has been a century-old suspicion amongst academics that the pioneer of wireless communication was Pr! ofessor Jagdeesh Bose and not Marconi.
11. The earliest reservoir and dam for irrigation was built in Saurashtra

12. Chess was invented in India
13. Sushruta is the father of surgery. 2600 years ago he and health scientists of his time conducted surgeries like cesareans, cataract, fractures and urinary stones. Usage of anaesthesia was well known in ancient India .
14. When many cultures in the world were only nomadic forest dwellers over 5000 years ago, Indians established Harappan culture in Sindhu Valley ( Indus Valley India in 100 BC.

Quotes about India
We owe a lot to the Indians, who taught us how to count, without which no worthwhile scientific discovery could have been made.
Albert Einstein.

India is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend and the great grand mother of tradition.
Mark Twain.

If there is one place on the face of earth where all dreams of living men have found a home from the very earliest days when man began the dream of existence, it is India
French scholar Romain Rolland.

India conquered and dominated China culturally for 20 centuries without ever having to send a single soldier across her border.
Hu Shih
(former Chinese ambassador to USA )

ALL OF THE ABOVE IS JUST THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG, THE LIST COULD BE ENDLESS.
BUT, if you don’t see even a glimpse of that great India in the India that you see today, it clearly means that you are not working up to your potential
I hope you enjoyed it and work towards the welfare of INDIA .

I can Say proudly, I AM AN INDIAN. ,,,
What about YOU?????????????

From now, don’t say we Indians do not Know the Systems………………(any system) !!!!!!

To all E3 Phil who are current;

I called the Immigrant Visa Call Center of the embassy to inquire if I already have a date for consular interview. They said all cases who became current due to the May VB and already documentarily qualified should call on May 1 and the schedule will be given. They also mentioned that the embassy will no longer issue Pak4 and applicants should instead call the call center to know the date of their consular interview.

Has anyone else tried to call them and got the same response?

Bolog

hannesia:
are you from the phils?contact the Manila Economic Cultural Office at 8483796.They will instruct you on how to go about the Police Clearance application. My husband got one also and he was here in the Phils. when he applied for it.

Bren,

Immigrant Visa Calls within the Philippines, via PLDT: Tel. No. 1-909-101-7878
Callers in the USA can also contact the Call Center at 1-888-877-9888. There is a fee assessed to callers by the call center for its services.

May I ask your Priority Date?Thanks.

Bolog

Redflower,

Please see my post before yours for the telephone number.

Beware of the male agents, they are cranky.They dont seem to realize that we are paying P55/min for the call.Bear with them and use your most malambing voice.hehehe

You just have to give them your name,case number,type of petition(E3 in our case),address, and PD.

Their reply that no more Pak 4 to be sent to applicants is quite new so I am curious if someone with a current PD called them already and had the same reply from. There is nothing mentioned on the embassy website regarding that change of procedure so I am kind of doubtful of what those call center agents are giving us.

Bolog,

Feb.13 2006

Thanks

Bren

Hi! I have OCT 2005 PD but we will re-file a visa petetion with new employer using my PREVIOUS PD (OCT 05). anybody who knows how long will it take?
I understand I wont be included in the coming embassy interviews since we will re-file a new visa petetion.

hi! how can I know my PD? is it found on the receipt from uscis? or in approval from uscis? thanks much.

hi! how can i know my PD? is it found on receipt from uscis? or in approval from uscis? thanks much

Bolog,

I was just wondering how does one become documentarily qualified.What is your PD?Mine is AUG05.So I was thinking maybe if we have the same PD’s we may get the same reply?Were you not required to update your ds230?When did you submit your previous one?
Kindly shed some light on these.Thanks.

Lily xxx

to bubbly phil,

Hi! Do you have your embassy schedule for interview? May I know your priority date?

to: Anybody, (Bolog perhaps)

please enlighten me i am confused… can my agency pay for my visa fee eventhough my PD is not yet current? or will they have to wait or my PD to be current? will the NVC process my application or will they line me up for an interview once current?(if not yet paid). BTW my PD is April 2, 2007. thanks….

bubbly-phil,

Where in Florida are you going. What hospital and employer?If you don’t mind me asking.

Thanks.

Bolog

Hi. I am a filipino nurse presently working here in King Fahad Armed Forces Hospital in Jeddah. My PD is also current. Its August 9, 2005.

I am filled with mix emotion now. Happiness and Anxious. Does it mean I already have a visa slot? When would my Interview possibly be scheduled?

Can anyone help me on this. I have just signed a two yirs contract with the hospital. My contract will end still on april 2010. Is it possible for me to resign without completing my two years contract with the hospital? Opportunity knocks once and i have to grab this US visa against all odds….

Does anyone has same dimmema or problem? share with me pls. erwin_macrohon@hotmail.com is my email ad….hoping to hear from you soon. Tnxxxxx

to : bubly- phil,

U said in this blog that ur entry is in florida… What is ur agency? god bless

To Erwin,

You check the contract that you signed, and find out how long it will take for you to give notice of resignation, some hospital allowed 3 mos. notice, depends on the contract that you signed.

Did you know the status of your application in US? Does your agency, or atty. receive the notification to pay for the IV fee bill? You can post or ask any question in this blog…..if we know the answer we are happy to help.

Hi everyone. My Employer Just contacted me…My priority date is August 2005. He said it will take 2-3months before my papers can reach to my Consulate post(Riyadh) and after a month would be my deployment to USA. That if things will flow the way it used to be.

They are expecting me to arrive US sometime in October/november. That must be very quick. Im so much afraid now how to leave my present employer here in Saudi Arabia since my contract will still be till April 2009. Anyone with same problem, reach me out pls. Thanks

leen
have you done with nclex?Is it really possible to be given a visa without nclex?

Hi, Redflower

Aside from the pictures , what other documents do your agency requested.
Thanks

congrats guys!

Red flower…
Hi there. Thanks for supplying some infos. I guess we have to prepare everything by now to avoid delays. any additional requirements you know, please post them. it could be of great help to us in here.
Thanks

Cheryl….
I guess its alright if you decide to work in Middle East while waiting for your priority date to be current. If you will be working in big cities like Jeddah or Riyadh where USembassy/consulte is present, you could even request the NVC to have your medical and interview in that consular post like in my case.

redflower,

What do you mean by limited permit in a certain state?

bolog

to redflower

if havent taken and passed the nclex yet you can work as a nurse in the u.s. in a limited permit. this is only given once to nclex first timer/taker and valid for one year or until you passed or failed the exam whichever comes first.

the consulate will look the nclex result or state license during the interview..tho not in all cases, some granted with visas without it.

to redflower,

with your cgfns + english exam + visa screen, i am pretty much sure you will be given a visa but the thing is you have to passed the nclex while working in the states. perhaps you will be allowed to work as NA (depending on your employer) until you passed the nclex.

Bolog,

Thank u so much for the info..I will keep you posted..

Godbless us!!

jek-ph

Our case is the same, my Ist petition was cancelled, re- filed last May 2007 , 3 months after got it approved using my old PD (april 23, 2004). Last Aug, 23, 2007, it was shipped to Dep’t of state for Visa Processing…they give me new case no.

I got an email from my lawyer today saying “that the NVC does not seem to accept my previous payment for the VISA, I may have to pay for my visa again.it is $400.. but that decision will be made by NVC”. According to her also that my case is complicated because of the second petition .

My agency already paid my IV fee bill on my Ist petition….I’m really wondering on her statement since I read it from the NVC’s website that applicants who have paid the current $335 fee prior to Jan, 1, 2008 will not be required to make up the difference and pay the higher fee even if their application is actually processed after jan. 1, 2008..

Pls. anybody lend a helping hand…

Thank you so much!!

guys!!

congratulations to all having their PD’s current..am 4 months short from May bulletin,hope it will continue to move forward next month…
Cheers!!!

hi.. any body here who is hep b reactive ? do we have the chance to be cleared medically and issued immigrant visa?

the pd for june vb didn’t move, how true?according to mumbai state.gov