Brat1

So, here we go, I just wanted to see what peoples opinions are on this Bill, if it's in the wrong forum Moderators, please feel free to move it...

We are approaching our priority date, they are looking at September 2006 according to the Visa Bulletin for August, and ours is January 2007. If this Bill goes through, I'm assuming that ours is going to retrogress. Much as I am pleased for those the Bill is going to help, I can't help but feel real disappointment for me, and I know that's being really selfish. I just wondered what peoples thoughts are, who have been through the employment immigration process, does it always seem like one step forward, 3 steps back???

http://www.grassley.senate.gov/news/...eID_1502=41746

MarylandNed

I don't know your situation or exactly how this affects you and I haven't read the complete details of the bill. However, any move to reduce family-based immigration and increase skills-based immigration is long overdue.

Canada has roughly 67% skills-based immigration and 33% family-based immigration. The US is the exact opposite - roughly 33% skills-based and 67% family-based. This means that we have the ridiculous situation whereby highly-talented foreigners come to the US to be educated at top universities and then can't stay to put their skills to good use in the US. They end up going to other countries such as Canada to set up businesses or take up employment (including with US companies like Microsoft).

I'm sorry if this has affected you in a negative way but the US simply has to overhaul its immigration system if it hopes to continue to compete in the global economy.

Brat1

I hear you, but from what I've read on the bill, they're going to increase the per country numerical limitation for family-sponsored immigrants....

All it is doing is not changing the amount of employment based GC's available per calendar year, but removing the percentage limitations for each country so that the people who have been waiting here, from India, for 10+ years, would move forward in the queue basically, because it would be on a first come, first served basis. If I'm reading it correctly, and I agree with you, anything that would change the competition in the global economy should be welcomed, but I don't see how this will......

Steve_

Assuming it actually becomes law, which it still may not, it doesn't take effect until FY 2015. There are transitional arrangements which take effect from FY 2012 which progressively change the quota. I'm not quite following the math in the bill but it seems to be trying to minimize the impact on people already waiting.

I think the more relevant point is that to remove Grassley's hold, Schumer had to agree to new H-1B enforcement language, so the negative impact is likely to be on people applying for H-1B.

Also if you're in one of the family-based categories that takes forever, that might retrogress.