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  • pappu
    06-15 12:35 PM
    I believe in luck in the GC process. Before 2005 PERM process, many folks applied in states where Labor was fast. They were able to get greencards within a couple of years while others were stuck in Labor Backlog centers (http://immigrationvoice.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=67&Itemid=50). Some cleared all hurdles and got stuck in namechecks for years. Until 2007 Namecheck was a big scare. (http://immigrationvoice.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=81&Itemid=61)

    Many people could not file in July 07 for various reasons. Some people were born in India but were brought up in other country. Even they are stuck. Some people decided to rise in their careers and changed jobs on H1. While they did rise, but lost in the grreencard PD race.

    So definitely luck pays its role.





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  • Keeme
    05-01 05:29 PM
    "Tomorrow if we or our generations are getting killed in the US, would you say the same thing" ....

    Of course yes! If our generations are US citizens, US govt should take care of them and if they are part of any terrorist organisation, they should be treated the way terrorists are treated.

    "Country needs to care about its people" ... Its is in your quote ... Issue is about Srilankan's and their goverment should take care of it, NOT India. I don't think any one has a doubt about how LTTE should be handled.

    Agreed but some Govt. fails to do so. IF Govt. were acting resposibly , World wouldn't have seen the WW1 and WW2 and Bosnia-Serbia crisis and countless other masscare !

    One should understand difference b/w ' Srilankan Tamils' and 'LTTE'.





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  • BharatPremi
    12-14 02:48 PM
    Yes BP, in that case Britain too will be oversubscribed just like IN,CH,MXa and PH.
    7% ceiling applies to all the countries not just the ones that happen to be oversubscribed now.

    So that interprets to "7% limit for every country" - seems to be "Equality"





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  • gapala
    04-20 04:08 PM
    Guys,

    Poll is ok, but what about our voting rights? Many countries allow citizens to use proxy vote / vote by mail to exercise their rights... I remember that there was a bill in 2006 on the floor of parlement to allow this for NRI's and Congress party was dead against such a bill due to some reason... Not sure what happened after that...

    Its rediculous that about a million folks in this country and many more around the world, (I believe 30 million or so NRI's in total) are deprived of their fundamental contitutional right to vote, well a small portion compared to total population. Its unfortunate.



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  • hydboy77
    06-04 01:13 PM
    This is what I was also proposing in another thread. we should ask for an administrative fix where once the application is pre adjudicated the applicant should be left alone and not issed any Employment verification letter rfe, or semilar\same job restrictions if they are back logged because of country quota and face multiple year wait, this way atleast it will give people some breating space, the way the system if set up right now, EAD, 485 pre adjudication, I140 approval are all useless if you keep getting Employment verification letter rfe and same semilar job rquirement. Without visa recapure it is going to take atleast 10 years for Eb3 and Eb2 india, in the next 10 years you will keep getting Employement verifivation letter rfe and semilar and same job requirement, there is no way anybody can survive that for 10 yeears. Administrative fix like this can happen without passing a law, for example USCIS started issuing 2 year EAD for retrogressed applicants as an administrative fix. We dont even need a interim green card we can continue on EAD with the administrative fix to exempt cases which have been preadjucated (485) from Employment verification letter RFE and same and semilar job requirement.

    I just used t he term Interim GC to convey the idea, it could be named anything. EAD is a also a partial GC, it gives you rights of a GC holder pending administrative processing of your application - to work with any employer. The interim GC may provide all rights of a GC holder, awaiting final count in the legal register (due to legal need of numeric limitations) and the final card, just like a temporary driver license you get immediately after the road test. The idea is that once this stage is passed, no further questions on employment, etc. should be asked.





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  • gapala
    02-13 11:11 AM
    Lets see how a common member look at so called "GC Dream" and try to understand why there is no unity.
    Is it what is called "Inspiration" which is missing? I guess so. Can we call it "Motivation"?
    What else can we call that "thing" which stops us from uniting for a cause? "So far I am just "Encouraged" thats all, not inspired". Is this what it is? I do believe there is a huge difference in these 2 words.

    Everyone in this community are Brave and Courageous.

    Note: Do not jump on me asking What am I doing on all this. :) I think we just have to realize this to get a bigger perspective.

    Well -

    AMAN KAPOOR, JAY PRADHAN, HIMANSHU and everyone who are on the forefront are JUST ORDINARY COMMON PEOPLE LIKE EVERYONE HERE. the idea behind IV is to provide a support network. If people want to see success - they HAVE to be a part of it. The efforts of such organizations is not to make profits and then sell shares and perform well and then make people join it, it is to provide with a platform where people can help themselves.

    This is truely heroic

    Our primary issue is in our thought process. We want to do everything, we want everything in the world BUT we do not want to stand up and rise in unity. Not necessarly true in everyone's case. several people do not care about green card. Their approach is to stay here as long as they can (or They are allowed so to say) and if the situation gets violent or unbearable. They plan to choose the best option to move back to home country and take advantage of what ever is the exchange rate.

    We want to blame IV leaders saying they are rude and pushy. We come up with discussion threads saying we must do this we must do that and finally we see these discussions just getting buried. Again Not everyone does that

    Good examples of how communities thrive anywhere in the world are the Jewish community and the Patel community. The only reason they have succeeded is because they believe in themselves and their cause - they are all over the world and are united, they have managed to make their lives easier by uniting for their causes. There is no question that unity is the key but not easy as the individual goals are different. Unity is not constant..people unite based on the issue and its effect on them. Once the issue for which they united is resolved or becomes one of less importance" they will choose to stay away. There are several examples in the history even revolutions and freedom strugles. Unity pervails until the comfort zone then it takes its direction.

    Look at us - if green card is delayed - we say - I dont care about it, India is rising - but are we going there? No way - no one who says "India is rising" will go - in fat they will be the first to apply for any immigration benefit. Again this does not apply to everyone. Some may apply for immi benefit but nothing wrong in that and they take that concious decision on the situation that odds of getting GC in this life is near 0.

    Why are we individually so highly skilled and intelligent and capable but collectively so naive? As important this issue is for you, is not as important to atlease some of the members in the community. But still they will do what ever they can for the community with out any "inconveniene". That does not make then in admisible in this community. Does it? If yes, then thats the number 1 block to cross towards unity

    Why do we always want others to do it for us? is it because if there is any opposition the active ones will be affected and we can escape? is it cowardice that stops us from being united? Not necessarly. No one wants others to do anything for them. (Not the people who start new thread with action items for others and pop under the hood). I believe majority of the people are brave enough to take courageous actions when issues are important for them.

    I do admire the leaders in this community. We feel its cowardice because the importance with which the people who take lead on the issue expects others to take the issue at same level of importance. In order to be able to unite people on issues we will have to atleast "Convince" them that this is as important for them. I would suggest a poll to see how many are very serious about GC? Must to have, Nice to have, do not care. I am sure majority will be later 2 categories.

    What is success? How can we achieve success? The word success is "relative". Success for one may not be a success for other."
    Why are we finding excuses for not doing our part? "The reality is people do not think this is as important as going to work tomorrow".
    Why do we always want to praise others but not do something? "No Inspiration". Inspire them and see they will turn the mountian around.



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  • redcard
    09-04 11:13 AM
    Wow!!! this is just crazy>>>

    Over 100 die after YSR's death, son appeals for calm- Hindustan Times (http://www.hindustantimes.com/Over-100-die-after-YSR-s-death-son-appeals-for-calm/H1-Article3-450319.aspx)


    As many as 122 people across Andhra Pradesh reportedly died of shock or committed suicide after the death of their chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy, prompting his MP son YS Jaganmohan Reddy to appeal to the people to be stoic and brave.

    "I appeal to all of you to be stoic and brave in this hour of tragedy. He (YSR) wanted to see a smile on the faces of all and if you resort to such things (suicide) this will hurt him," said Jaganmohan, trying hard to control his tears.

    "He used to smile even in difficult times and I am sure he is still smiling. I request you to follow his principle and not to commit suicide as this will not give him peace," said Jaganmohan, who was elected to the Lok Sabha from Kadapa in the April-May elections and is being seen by many as the next chief minister.

    The appeal before the camera was telecast on all Telugu television channels.

    Television channels estimated that 122 people died of shock on hearing the news of their leader's death in a horrific air crash on Thursday, or committed suicide unable to bear the loss. Most of those who died of shock were keenly following TV news channels ever since his chopper went missing early on Wednesday and then received the news of his death on Thursday.

    NTV, a Telugu channel, reported that 122 people have died since Thursday morning when YSR's body was found. It said 99 people died of shock while 23 committed suicide.

    However, there was no independent confirmation of this. The police here said they did not have any figures to confirm this report.

    This is the first time in the state's history that such a large number of people have died over the death of any political leader.

    YSR, as the late leader was popularly known, has surpassed in death the popularity of actor and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) founder NT Rama Rao who died in 1996.

    A large number of those who died of shock included young supporters of YSR and the beneficiaries of the various welfare schemes launched by him in the last five years.

    The deaths were reported from 19 out of 23 districts in the state.

    In the coastal district of West Godavari, six people died of shock and four committed suicide.

    "YSR dedicated his life to people, I am dedicating my life to him," a youth wrote in his suicide note before consuming pesticide.

    A physically handicapped couple, who were getting monthly pension under a welfare scheme, attempted suicide by jumping into the Godavari river but were saved by fishermen.

    In Hyderabad, 42-year-old Yadgiri died of shock while watching news of YSR's death on television. M Srinivas, 30, another admirer of the chief minister suffered a cardiac arrest.

    The charred bodies of YSR and four others were found on Thursday morning in the Nallamala forest in Kurnool district, almost 24 hours after their helicopter went missing.





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  • jackrabbit
    03-26 04:37 PM
    Has it passed? I cant wait for it to happen. Once it does, I will feel more confident leaving my employer knowing....



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  • drirshad
    07-03 06:27 PM
    Wish the Senators a Happy Independence Day in the mail ....

    Lets go guys its time to fill up those emails and fax machines .....





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  • Macaca
    01-28 07:35 AM
    http://classifieds.sulekha.com/clad.aspx?cid=1493579&nma=BOM


    I did not understand the meaning of this add. Please explain. Thanks!



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  • Lasantha
    02-15 03:08 PM
    Excellent point brother!

    Human nature is what tends to create the monopoly. That's the reason for having laws, we know favorism will always exist but a law would prevent it from going over the limit. The way you want it we'll have whites-only-business, asians-only-business and so on..
    When you are tired of this discussion you should ask to stop the ones who started it saying their people are better and brighter than others and hence deserve larger immigration volume, before you ask to stop the people who answer them.





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  • gjoe
    02-13 04:46 PM
    I agree to a lot of your points - the community has to evolve and not be pushed. All I say is for those who talk the talk, if they walk the talk - they become a good example and the community will grow.

    Please do not take this as criticism. I respect everyone's space - come on folks we can collectively do it - why do we want to resist unity? It does no damage to us but only helps us for whatever cause we want to achieve, otherwise we will always be under the radar of people like Lou Dobbs and his likes - just because we are not vocal.

    I am sure, one day the community will rise :)


    There is moment in history when everything starts falling in place, until then nothing will seem like working right.
    But when we reach the critical mass you will see this thing take off, until then buckel up your seat belts and expect the tide to set in soon.



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  • jsb
    06-08 10:59 AM
    :) I thought it was understood by now, that without changes in law, there is no "speedup" (for 485 approvals). USCIS has been super efficient recently, what is missing is the "visa number".

    Trying to change laws sensitive to long term residents and citizens, by those wanting to be residents is a tough task. What is possible, which we should keep trying for, is to make suitable interpretive changes, in the form of clarifications, which do not appear to be a major shift to what have been US long term policies.

    For example, trying to do away with country quota would be very hard, as it is so sensitive for the main stream residents. Making it apply in overall immigration from a country rather than I-485 cases might work. Strong argument could be that EB I-485 candidates are highly qualified and are living in the US anyway. Therefore, applying any diversity rule on them does not make sense. However, country quota may continue to be applied for those who are not yet in the US, i.e. family based cases, or those EB candidates applying from their home countries with appropriate prioritization (for example, spouse joining may get highest priority).





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  • desi3933
    07-27 02:23 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.

    It is correct that Amway doesn't offer employment, but the Amway activities are self-employment activities and therefore are under review for valid and authorized employment.

    Only US residents, who are authorized for self-employment, can run their business or home based business activities.

    Can someone on H-4 visa status can run Amway baed home business? Yes/No. I know you will say "check with your accountant/lawyer" line knowing well H-4 can not be self-employed.

    ______________________
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    US citizen of Indian origin



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  • immigrationvoice1
    02-13 12:17 PM
    That is absolutely not true. Unused visas from under subscribed countries are made available to over subscribed countries.

    And how do you support that argument please ?





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  • samay
    07-14 07:05 AM
    My question: I came to us on F1 Visa. I do not have my last name in my passport. Yes it is true ..stupid passport department missed it as they write names with hand ... passport was made when I was in high school�9th grade to be precise. I never got it corrected and came to us �visa was issued to me using FNU firstname format. When I applied for I-20 SSN, and everything in US after that I added my last name (my actual family name which got missed in passport) as us system does not allow blank last name. Note that my passport last page correctly shows my fathers and mothers last name which I have added on all my us documents like SSN, DL, � now I have been in us from past 5 years with all ( and I actually mean all) my us docs like H1, SSN, I-20, License, 495 application etc in firstname lastname format. �.. the only 2 things which are not in my first name last name format is
    1) visa which is FNU Firstname ( FNU = First name used)
    2) My passport which has just my first name and no last name

    one of my good friend got a 485 query as his first, middle and last name are mixed up with respect to his passport and 485 application. Which I feel is a much simpler case as compared to mine.

    Now my question is should I go ahead and change my name in my passport which is nothing but add my last name and get a new passport preemptively�or I should wait for USCIS decision .. Usually RFE is given 30 � 40 days to reply and I don�t think I will have time to get my passport fixed if and when RFE comes on my 485 .. the only issue I have with preemptive fixing name is sometime it is just better not to add complication to a case when it comes to USCIS �. A lawyer�s opinion is much needed and appreciated.

    Thanks for your help
    -M

    PS: my priority is Feb 2007 EB3

    Please do get your passport in order. You should have got it done a long time back. I think it is fairly straightforward procedure. You can make an appointment with the Indian Consulate and take it from there.
    Please do not wait for a RFE to do that.



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  • nozerd
    05-11 10:13 AM
    Just an FYI , I recently read in an article that Australia is changing its rules to require 4 yrs residency instead of 2 for citizenship.
    In Canada you apply after 3 yrs but it takes nearly a yr to get it so defacto its 4 yrs. There was a lot of controversy in both Australia and Canada recently because they had to evcate thousands of Australian/Canadians of Lebanese origion from Lebanon during the recent Hezbollah/Israel standoff there.They were questioning if it was worthwhile giving citizenship to ppl who would never work or pay taxes in Oz/Can.


    The company I work for has an office in Sydney, Australia and recently opened one in Toronto but it is not fully operational. In such a case E3 might work better than Canada PR since it takes 3 years to get Canadian citizenship and 2 years to get Australian citizenship and one could potentially retain the US job if one manages to strike an arrangement with their employer. Also this option might work better for those whose home country is close to Australia (eg Indonesia, Singapore, New Zealand etc). Also note the benefit of the E-3 is that one's spouse can work without restrictions and it is indefinitely renewable while the TN's spouse is not allowed to work. They both have pros and cons. Geographically and culture wise (ie way of life) Canada makes for an easier transition back to the US. Personally I have applied for the Canadian PR for the reasons you cite.





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  • vdlrao
    07-18 08:19 PM
    this is not correct. ROW continues to get preference.
    what has changed is that for a while USCIS chose to interpret the law in a way that gave EB2 GC numbers (the law mandated 28.6%) to EB3 ROW rather than spill them over the EB2 I/C. now they have corrected that and EB2 numbers (which include any spillover from EB1) are first used in EB2 ie category numbers are given priority.

    so the bonus advantage that EB3 ROW got for 1-2 years has been withdrawn. however with EB3 retrogressed and with EB2 I/C retrogressed, EB3 ROW continues to get all EB3 numbers except the 7% each for the retrogressed nation states.

    i would also like to know where the 20K number is coming from if anyone has a source please share it.

    Hi Paskal,

    We dont have any official source of available visas for EB2 India as of now.
    But based on the information availale it seems there would be about 30k visas, which are about 10 times more than what its been now (3,267 VISAS for EB2 India), available for EB2 India. Even though China shares with us for these visas, it would be minimal for china sharing as because china had already a cutoff date of Jan 2006 by Jul 2007. EB2 India has to be current pretty soon as of the increase in visa numbers allotment to almost about 10 times due to the horizontal fallout.

    We need your inputs as well, on this calculation of estimated visas for EB2 India.



    .................................................. ...

    Originally Posted by sumagiri :

    There are some significant flaws in your analysis. If you correct them, the number comes to around 25K.

    First. The family spill over has to be applied to all categories. So the total number is 140,000 + 19,000.
    Second. You calculated EB1/2/3 gets 1/3 which is not correct. They use only 28.6% not 33.3% This makes difference.
    Third. The EB1+EB2 combined 70K already counted 9,800 visas for India. We should not add them again.

    According to USCIS/DOS testimonies they will usually end up using only 95% of total quota. They go conservatively because they must ensure that they won't use up even a single visa more than what law allows.So total available is approximately 159000*.95 = 151050
    Third. EB1, EB2, EB3 each will get 28.6%. Not one third (33.3%). That makes lot of difference. So each category will get around 43,200.
    EB4 and EB5 combined will get around 21,449

    Now again, going by statistics and your assumptions that EB1 and EB2 takes up 70K and EB4, EB5 takes up around 10K. The unused visas are

    ((43,200*2)+21,449) - (70,000+10000) = 27849.

    So the total EB2 visa usage will be around 70K + 25K =95K.


    http://immigrationvoice.org/forum/showthread.php?t=20167&highlight=vdlrao&page=7





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  • chi_shark
    09-23 09:00 PM
    have you ever considered that you may be too dumb to comprehend it? you can be classified in the same people who called gandhi's idea foolish or idea of a personal computer outlandish etc... if you cannot believe just sit back, relax and enjoy the flight.

    i cant believe ppl think this is a brilliant idea..
    economy is screwed for a while..citizens are on life support..and you want immigrants to be welcomed with open arms..





    dvb123
    02-15 02:46 PM
    Dvb, did you read the ruling? It denies relief and says that:

    "We therefore join the Seventh and Eleventh Circuits in concluding that, in the current circumstances, the language Congress used precludes the INS from issuing a visa pursuant to the DV Program for a given fiscal year upon the expiration of that fiscal year. See Nyaga, 323 F.3d at 914; Iddir v. INS, 301 F.3d 492, 501 (7th Cir. 2002).8
    8. Had Coraggioso sought relief prior to the expiration of the 1998 fiscal
    year, our analysis may have been different."

    So this case is not helpful to us, though it is good for us to be aware of its existence.

    I read the end and it was unfortunate. I was talking about visa number reservation where they can reserve visa numbers for us in the future years based on the previous mistake they did. The court can compel USCIS to give visa numbers but maybe not in the same year but in a period of several years where there can put the newly applied i-485's on hold.





    jonty_11
    07-13 01:21 PM
    mind u with bigots like tancredo winning their district every election, US is not far beind when it comes to RACISM

    Here's an article that appeared in Outlook (India) magazine 8 years ago. Apparently, the situation hasn't changed much since then:

    http://outlookindia.com/full.asp?fname=international1&fodname=19990125&sid=1

    Canada...The Grass Isn't Greener
    Outlook: Jan 25, 1999

    It's a dream gone sour. Thousands of Indian immigrants who land up in Canada are, more often than not, greeted with unemployment, racism, culture shocks...

    SOHAILA CHARNALIA

    "I didn't come here to be a chowkidar. I came here believing it to be a land of opportunity; a country that has never known the nepotism, the corruption, the shortages of India. I find I have only substituted one country for another... certainly not one set of values for another, as I hoped. " For Dr Gurdial Singh Dhillon, who was made to believe his qualifications would land him a good job fast, Canada was a real disappointment. When he did find work, it was that of a security guard. This, when the United Nations has declared Canada the best country to live in.

    Some 200,000 people migrate to Canada every year, a majority from Asia. Hong Kong heads the list, followed by India, China, Taiwan and the Philippines. According to the Citizenship & Immigration Canada report, 21,249 Indians migrated to Canada in 1996 alone. (The high commission in Delhi, however, put the figure at 17,682). For many of them, especially those who are qualified professionals, dreams die fast. The life they face is never quite as rosy as made out by money-raking immigration lawyers.

    Is the UN report the only reason for the increase in Indian applications for immigration? That, and the fact that it is easier to get entry into Canada than any other western country, says a Delhi-based immigration lawyer. Also, the fastest way of getting immigration to the US is through Canada.

    Dhillon's disappointment is echoed by others. "I should have done my own homework before I applied", rues Aparna Shirodhkar, an architect from Mumbai, working as a saleswoman in a department store. "My husband is unemployed. I am the sole earner for a family of four. Sometimes I feel like running back". For Raheela Wasim, who's gone from being a schoolteacher in India to a telemarketer here, the experience was very discouraging, very disheartening. "I started losing confidence in myself. I felt I was not capable of the job market here".

    Jobs are the sore point with Indian immigrants. The irony is, they are often more qualified than their Canadian peers, yet they end up with either no work, or with entry-level jobs that have no future. "I was not told that you require a Canadian degree to get a job here", says Paramjeet Parmar, a postgraduate in biochemistry from Bombay University. Parmar works as a telemarketer, which has turned her from an elite professional to an unskilled, daily wage labourer.
    Ditto Opinder Khosla, a mechanical engineer from India, who has ended up as a salesman. "I found it difficult to even get an interview call", he says. The Canadian authorities are non-committal about the social and economic devaluation that the country imposes on immigrants.

    "You can't come thinking you can just walk in and get a job in your profession", says Isabel Basset, minister of citizenship, culture and recreation, responsible for handling immigrants' woes in Canada's largest province, Ontario. But she admits that the licensing bodies regulating the professions need to be more accepting of people trained elsewhere.

    That effort could only come from the government, argues Demetrius Oriopolis, co-author of Access, a government-commissioned report on assessing qualifications of newcomers, a 10-year-old report whose recommendations have still to be implemented. The report suggests certain rules of equivalence should be made binding on the regulatory bodies, which are exclusionist by nature.

    But Basset won't even hear of making the regulatory bodies accountable: "We believe in private enterprise with a minimum of government checks. Besides, she argues, the exercise would cost millions of dollars".

    Needless to say, the organisations are gleeful. Only professional bodies have the ability to determine what constitutes competence in a particular profession, was the cold response of the spokesperson for the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants, an institution that's responsible for the unemployment as well as under-employment of hundreds of qualified chartered accountants from India. They do not grant licences for professional practice, because Indian qualifications are not acceptable.

    "What kind of society are we creating? Is it a new form of slavery?" asks an irate Bhausaheb Ubale, Canada's former human rights commissioner. Qualified immigrants work as drivers, guards. If this isn't job discrimination, what is? Dr Ubale lobbied intensely before Indians were accepted in the media. They now hold jobs as reporters and anchors, he says, but a lot more has to be done.
    While skilled men may not be able to find jobs, their less qualified wives find it easier because they accept whatever comes their way. In several cases, the wives earn and support their husbands who are busy upgrading themselves, by studying for a Canadian degree. The working wife sometimes slogs away at three jobs. Sumitra starts at 7 am at her first job, teaching immigrants English; her second job as telemarketer starts at 4 pm. She gets back home around 8 pm, after which she begins selling cosmetics and household goods door to door. Till midnight. Sumitra supports three students, her husband and two school-going children.

    The other problems Indians face here are the high taxes, high mortgage payments for new homes and the sort of hidebound laws that the benign anarchy back home hardly prepares them for. "You can't run a red light, you can't escape from a hit-and-run site even if you are just the witness, you can't smoke in public. Too many rules, so different from home", says Harminder Singh.

    Two 'Indian' practices that do exist here, however, cause immigrants the maximum trouble. They are sifarish baazi (nepotism) and mufat ka kaam (free work). The Canadians, of course, have given them sophisticated terminologies, the former is referred to as 'networking' and the latter, 'volunteerism'. In a country where you are never encouraged to 'drop in' to meet someone, where the fax, the computer or the phone is used to complete most transactions, a job-seeking immigrant often has the phone put down on him. Polite but firm secretaries block access, unless the caller can drop a magic name that can help him gain entry. It takes at least a year for even the most enterprising immigrant to get to know somebody who can help him, before he can get a job at all.

    'Networking' goes hand in hand with 'volunteerism'. Many immigrants put in a year of free service before they are given the job. Most writers and anchors of Asian origin are given only part-time jobs, paid by assignment and with no fringe benefits. The company insists on the word 'freelance' on their business cards, to make it clear they have not been hired by the company, and hence can't demand higher pay or any benefits. They can, and often are, fired at will.

    Perhaps the greatest problem in Canada is the one that is least articulated--racism. According to a diversity report on Toronto (said to be the most ethnically diverse city in the world), the year 2000 will see its minority becoming its majority that is, 54 per cent of Toronto's population by the end of the millennium will be non-Whites. Keeping that in mind, it warned, if the discrimination against them in education, employment, income and housing, or incidents of hate are not addressed, it will lead to a growing sense of frustration.

    "All our problems exist because of racism", sums up Anita Ferrao, who works in a firm. Anita has worked for them for three years and has got neither promotion nor raise. "As an Indian immigrant, you can never reach the top. They'll see to that. It's better to bring in some money here and start a business. It's the only way you'll do well here and be respected. "
    But then if life is so tough here, why do people give up everything back home and come? The answer is the rosy picture of North America, inculcated right from childhood. Everything 'American' is considered superior. Better food, better homes, better life.



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