Discussion of Bills that remove the Per Country Limits - H.R.3012, H,R. 213

[lalaji]

Update from Hill: Planning to move this bill by today:

http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-actio...says-sen-brown

[psychedelicNerd]

Do we have a word on whether the bill would be standalone or would move along with H.R. 3012? The above article does not hint of H.R. 3012 anywhere.

[skpanda]

I thought Senator's browns bill was E3 without any relief to undocumented.

How does one become Citizen with an E3 visa? Either he does not know what he is talking about or we do not know the entire contents of the bill.

Note: E3 visa will allow 10,000 Irish citizens every year to move to USA if they have a job offer. It is given for 2 years and can be extended as many times as they want. Australia currently enjoys similar arrangement.

Update from Hill: Planning to move this bill by today:

http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-actio...says-sen-brown

[randomax]

It's quite ridiculous that there are special visa's for people from Ireland and Australia and there are people who make a big deal about immigrants from India/China/Mexico/etc. Talk of racism...

[kd2008]

Please pay no attention to news sources. They only report what is told to them and not what the actual negotiations are. The only source to trust is the Senate floor schedule.

[immitime]

I - or anyone on this forum - is not qualified to give you the absolute best answer for that. It all depends on whether THIS senator has heard more of 3012 or S1857 or the Irish bill from Schumer or Scott and what their individual stances are.

To pick one, I'd pick HR3012... simply because it passed the house and is supposedly/arguably "famous". I'm sure others will have different opinions.

I hope more people are emailing, writing, and calling. This includes those who've recently become current but wont be getting the GC soon purely because of country based quotas. Hopefully, the satisfaction of getting EAD+AP wont lull them into complacency and they'll still remember that these efforts directly help them just as much as those who aren't current yet.

manubhai,

Satisfaction of getting EAD-AP only creating problems, eventhough more than 210,000 EAD holders on EB-3, they are using EAD/AP as Temp GC and getting the jobs using AC21 law and most of the EB-3 Indians don't bother about H.R.3012, who is on EAD. AP helps them to travel smoothly new H1Bs are too ignorant. !

[lalaji]

Oh Law Firm Update:

02/09/2012: Sen. Grassley's Pitch Against High Skilled Foreign Workers in his Letter to the President on 02/07/2012

It is indeed annoying to read this letter to the President. His pitch goes against the late initiatives of the Obama Administration to administratively fix in part the broken employment-based immigration system to attract and retain high skilled foreign workers, including employment authorization opportunity for the spouses of valuable foreign brain workers. For most of the nonimmigrant worker visas including L visa, J visa, and E visa, their accompanying spouses are given employment authorization if they want under the current DHS regulations. Then why should the DHS discriminate against the spouses of H-1B workers who play a critical role to sustain the competitive edge of this country in the global competition? Be real, Senator!

[Suva2001]

Is anything happening on HR-3012?

[imviswa]

Senate discussing S.1813 from the morning, so no sign of 3012 today as well

[chengisk]

Senate is done for the week (http://democrats.senate.gov/2012/02/...-call-votes-9/)
They will reconvene on Tuesday (14th) and I see nothing on the schedule for 3012/3476/1857/1866/1983
(http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/com...e_hearings.htm)

[gs1968]

To chengisk
The senate reconvenes on Monday February 13th but as you mentioned-there is no indication any of these Bills are under consideration

To SKPanda
The E-3 visa is an employment visa like the H-1 and L-1 Visa and can be converted into an employment-based Green Card if one finds a suitable sponsor. They can also convert to FB green cards based on family relationship/marriage etc. What he is implying is that the Irish Nationals do not have to overstay their visas illegally and can pursue a path to eventual US citizenship.Also the E-3 visa is a dual-intent visa like in the case of H-1B where the visas can continue to be renewed every 2 years even if the immigration proceedings are pending.

The language for the Irish E-3 is interesting.The educational requirements are not as high as the Australian E-3 and there is no indication that this is open only to specialty occupations.

[skpanda]

Not sure how confident you are about E3 being dual intent. My own cousin is Australian Citizen. He was here on E3. He had to change his visa to H1 and then apply for GC. He has mentioned to me that he had to move from E3 to H1.

He works for a large US company and at a very senior position. That would make me think that he along with his company attorney would have explore all options before moving to H1. If E3 --> GC while staying in US was possible, that would have been their first choice.

I will check with him on this again to understand about this and post here when i get a chance.

To chengisk
The senate reconvenes on Monday February 13th but as you mentioned-there is no indication any of these Bills are under consideration

To SKPanda
The E-3 visa is an employment visa like the H-1 and L-1 Visa and can be converted into an employment-based Green Card if one finds a suitable sponsor. They can also convert to FB green cards based on family relationship/marriage etc. What he is implying is that the Irish Nationals do not have to overstay their visas illegally and can pursue a path to eventual US citizenship.Also the E-3 visa is a dual-intent visa like in the case of H-1B where the visas can continue to be renewed every 2 years even if the immigration proceedings are pending.

The language for the Irish E-3 is interesting.The educational requirements are not as high as the Australian E-3 and there is no indication that this is open only to specialty occupations.

[gs1968]

To SKPanda
Thanks for the clarification.I would defer to your opinion since your information is more first-hand than mine.I was going by the Wikipedia information as below

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-3_visa

Some lawyer websites mention that after labor certification is approved one can return to Australia and pursue consular processing which seems to work. In any case in 2010 Australia received a total of 2512 green cards of which only 735 were EB.These numbers are too small to draw any conclusions. There is the letter of the Law and the USCIS interpretation guidelines of the law which can be two totally different things as all of us immigrants know very well by now.

Believe me-if the Irish lobby can pull this off,they will make sure that the E-3 is interpreted as dual-intent!

[lalaji]

Update from Oh Law Firm: (Denial of H1 & L1 stops new GC filers)

02/10/2012: Pending Irish Nego, a Day Gone by Without Any Action on H.R. 3012 in the Senate Yesterday

The Senate adjourned until 02/13/2012, Monday, with no scheduled debate on H.R. 3012. At this point, Irish E-3 lobby works as a double edge sword for H.R. 3012: A powerful ally as well as a bloc for the stand-alone H.R. 3012. If their negotiation with Senator Chuck Grassley is successful, the bill may even be passed very quickly in a unanimous consent matter without even vote. Depending on the result of the compromise, though, it may or may not face another hurdle when it goes back to the House or to the Senate-House conference process. As time passes, patience runs thin for the H.R. 3012 stakeholders.

02/09/2012: Report Indicates Unusual High Rates of RFE and Denial of H-1B and L-1 Petition in 2011

From 60% to 90% of L-1 petitions experienced either RFE or denial, according to this report. Astonishing!

[lalaji]

[SIZE="7"]Interesting twist in Irish E3 bill:[/SIZE]

http://www.irishcentral.com/news/Ant...139082249.html

[vishnu]

this helps increase EB1C spillover to EB2

[devi_pd]

Looks like the only way for HR3012 to pass is through is through unanimous consent in the senate. I don't think Reid wants to waste floor time by invoking cloture for HR3012.

The politics on 3012 are just disgusting. ** is not providing any updates. At least when the bill was in the house, we had something happening like the mark-up in the judiciary commitee and we knew well in advance when the bill coming to the floor. Senate is like a huge blackbox and things get revealed only the previous day.

[lalaji]

Update from irish central:

http://www.irishcentral.com/news/Iri...139082949.html

[gs1968]

To Lalaji
I am confused by Irish Central news and was hoping somebody in the forum would explain better.I thought S.1983 was blocked due to the 3012 provisions or a lack of sufficient Republican sponsors to overcme filibuster or both Is he moving his standalone bill? Sen.Schumer has already removed the undocumented waiver provisions and if that was Sen.Grassley's objection then there is no reason to prolong the hold. There is a post earlier linking to IC where anti-immigrant organizations are already targeting this Bill. I think like any other cultural media-IC is only telling people what they would like to hear!

[lalaji]

Update from Oh Law Firm:

02/10/2012: Anti-Immigration Group Waking Up to Oppose Sen. Brown Bill

Irish media report indicates that the Numbers USA, one of the primary anti-immigration groups in the country, has started its campaign to oppose the Brown bill. Interesting enough, however, they are opposing Irish E-3 bill for seeking special favor for one individual ethnic group. Since Sen. Brown bill itself covers only Irish E-3 visa and not H.R. 3012, the anti-immigration group appears to target at his stand-alone Irish E-3 visa bill. This new development complicates the H.R. 3012 itself since the Irish attempted to attach their bill to H.R. 3012 through Sen. Schumer against such opposition from the other anti-immigration groups under the assumption that H.R. 3012 would give a better chance to pass in the Senate rather than the stand-alone Irish E-3 bill itself, and for the reasons, implicitly they might not want to see the stand-alone H-R. 3012 being taken up and passed in the Senate. What a mess!!

[mniwas]

Update from Oh Law Firm:

02/10/2012: Anti-Immigration Group Waking Up to Oppose Sen. Brown Bill

Gai Bhains pani mein >>> The buffalo went in the water <<<

[bhala5]

Intesrting News from OH Law Firm

According to Oh Law website:


==============
Yesterday, Congressman Howard Berman introduced in the House H.R.3992 to allow otherwise eligible Israeli nationals to receive E-2 nonimmigrant visas if similarly situated United States nationals are eligible for similar nonimmigrant status in Israel. A similar bill was introduced in the Senate, S.921 by Sens. Schumer, Kirk and Kyl on May 11, 2011. In the House, joining Mr. Berman as original co-sponsors are Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX), Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Immigration Policy Subcommittee, and Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
==============


No doubt, this is a copy of Irish bill. Since it was introduced in May 2011 but didn't pass, definitely the proposers would like to use HR3012 as vehicle, just like what Irish did. And of course no one doubts the power of Jewish in United States . With powerful co-sponsor (Lamar Smith & Zoe Lofgren), Israel E-2 has great chance to bind with HR3012 when HR3012 is back to House with amendments. After that, another no doubt, the super-combination bill has to go back to Senate again due to Israel E-2 added.

I believe ** never expected such things:
1. Grassley's hard push for H1B reform and his firm hold
2. Irish's great power from Schumer/Leahy/Durbin to bind E-3 with HR3012
3. Another hidden powerful community, Jewish, is waking and attaching their bill

At the end, HR3012, which was described as "probably pass Congress in 2-3 months", becomes a super-combined immigration ball which is kicked between Senate and House, with more and more amendments added.

God bless immigrants!!!

[bhala5]

According to Oh Law website:


==============
Yesterday, Congressman Howard Berman introduced in the House H.R.3992 to allow otherwise eligible Israeli nationals to receive E-2 nonimmigrant visas if similarly situated United States nationals are eligible for similar nonimmigrant status in Israel. A similar bill was introduced in the Senate, S.921 by Sens. Schumer, Kirk and Kyl on May 11, 2011. In the House, joining Mr. Berman as original co-sponsors are Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX), Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Immigration Policy Subcommittee, and Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
==============


No doubt, this is a copy of Irish bill. Since it was introduced in May 2011 but didn't pass, definitely the proposers would like to use HR3012 as vehicle, just like what Irish did. And of course no one doubts the power of Jewish in United States . With powerful co-sponsor (Lamar Smith & Zoe Lofgren), Israel E-2 has great chance to bind with HR3012 when HR3012 is back to House with amendments. After that, another no doubt, the super-combination bill has to go back to Senate again due to Israel E-2 added.

I believe ** never expected such things:
1. Grassley's hard push for H1B reform and his firm hold
2. Irish's great power from Schumer/Leahy/Durbin to bind E-3 with HR3012
3. Another hidden powerful community, Jewish, is waking and attaching their bill

At the end, HR3012, which was described as "probably pass Congress in 2-3 months", becomes a super-combined immigration ball which is kicked between Senate and House, with more and more amendments added.

God bless immigrants.

http://www.trackitt.com/usa-discussi...page/last_page

[gcq]

Where did you see HR 3012 attached to this bill ? In house there is no need to attach Israeli E2 to HR 3012. HR 3012 already cleared the house. We have enough speculators already !

Isn't it interesting that OH law firm always has "news" :-)

[Spectator]

No doubt, this is a copy of Irish bill.

Hardly. E-2 is a non-immigrant Investor Visa. The Irish Bill is for the E-3 visa.