HR1044 has nothing to do with fair. United we can stop it.
Don’t know what is HR 1044?
Here are the facts you need to know about HR1044/S386… and HOW TO STOP IT!
— Oscar Wilde.
What is it?
The HR1044/S386 is a bill on immigration/green card that recently passed the House. It plans to lift the per-country limit on green cards.
As a result, the backlog of some countries (namely, India) will flood into everyone else’s pool, and all new green card applicants on EB2/3 need to wait 6+ years, until the backlog disappears.
Background
If a foreigner doesn’t have a family here, the primary way to get a green card is through employment (EB2 or EB3). They prove they have a skill that a US company needs, get a work visa (H-1b), and after some years they can apply for a green card and wait in the queue.
There has been a lot of H-1b abuse in the past years. Many puppet IT consulting companies did H-1b fraud by claiming that they “hired” some foreigners, so that they could obtain a work visa and file green card applications. Those people are the main source of current green card backlogs.
What consequences will it bring?
For the next 6+ years, in the professional/skilled category, only people in the backlog can ever get a new green card. Those people are primarily from the same country (Indian) and in the same industry (IT tech consultants). This means:
- Other industries will not be able to find any foreign skilled workers. For example, some states will see a shortage of nurses.
- Senator Rand Paul has an amendment bill for this.
- People of all races will be discouraged to come to the US if they know their wait will increase by at least 6 years.
- America is partly built on talents from all over the world, because they are attracted by this “American Dream”.
- Universities, for one, will lose a lot of talents who are currently pursuing high degree and will definitely miss the 3-year transition period.
- H-1b abuse will happen more often than ever, because this bill fixes nothing of it.
- Many of the abusers currently in queue doesn’t even have a US college degree and have never received US education.
How to stop it
The bill has already passed the House, and will proceed to the Senate. Possible ways to help:
- Contact the local senators through emails and talks;
- Contact the media;
- Spread the news to other immigrants and concerned groups, so that more people can join.
