11-12 July 2005
Well, well, well. Here I am again, trying to connect with everybody, not exactly having a huge audience. One interesting blog I am wanting to connect and exchange links with, a neat one connected with a website dealing with science and Christian faith called Answers in Genesis.org
had over 1 million hits to the blog during the first week alone...I am impressed! Who knows what the future may hold for little 'ol me?
In the meantime, Answers in Genesis has a pretty impressive webpage dealing with a lot of questions that non-religious people and believers with doubts have about the question of God's existence and objections to the same. The one thread of links from AIG's page, Creation Question and Answers, that really impressed me was the list of articles dealing with natural selection. The issue of the selection of certain colors and character traits of finches in the Galapagos Islands and elsewhere strongly influenced Charles Darwin. It was nice to see articles from AIG that takes that issue head-on.
Well, one thing that is going on that may effect people that you know, is the changes going on in the law for those who have distinguished graduate or professional degrees who are seeking to come to the USA, especially those who will be sponsored by a new employer. Those affected kinds of visas are called EB-2 and EB-3 employment immigrant visas (permanent resident green cards). On the first of July, the number of places allotted to those applying for EB-3 visas (for highly-specialized professionals like doctors) were completely used up. That meant that noone in those categories could have their applications reviewed until October 1st.
There are still places available for those who are applying for EB-2 visas (not as elite but still for jobs requiring at least a Bachelor's degree, or higher), but for how long, who knows? In the past there were excess numbers of places for such green cards, left over from years where the number of allotted places went unfilled--about 249,000 this fiscal year (Oct. 1st 2004-Sept. 30th 2005), but they have been depleted. Only 140,000 places will be available for employment-based green cards, along with 50,000 places that were made available for doctors, nurses, and physical therapists from other countries. The U.S. Congress needs to get on to raising the number of places available, if we don't want to surrender our status as 'land of opportunity' to countries like Australia. That particular story has more to it, to learn about it, click here. But while it makes those wanting to stay here who are wanting to "adjust status" encounter a more complex situation than before, it doesn't make it impossible by any means, and there are resources to help one get through them. To learn more, click here, or e-mail us at FJ.Fernandez@gmail.com.
There is a hope for good news, however. India has been anxious to get the USA to raise its number of H-1B nonimmigrant work visas (allowing for temporary residency for up to 6 years) from 85,000 visas (including 20,000 specialty visas) to the 195,000 that was available prior to October 2003 to incoming foreign workers, especially in the high technology industry from India and China. Much of the growth of our high tech economy here in California, the center of the world for that kind of thing, is thanks to work visa-carrying H-1B employees have done (ask Oracle, Apple, Google, Yahoo, Hewlett-Packard, Intel, etc.). We have truly engaged in one silly move after another in the immigration realm after 9/11/01, and the cutback here is at the top of the stack. Well, India has gotten help from the World Trade Organization, and they have formally petitioned the Bush administration through the State Department to revert to the old pre-2004 numbers. We can stay tuned, and hope. There are proposed changes going through Congress now, it may make such changes possible. Again, stay tuned.
Well, I'll be back later with more to tell you. Adios, and God bless.
Regards,
The Old Alcalde
had over 1 million hits to the blog during the first week alone...I am impressed! Who knows what the future may hold for little 'ol me?
In the meantime, Answers in Genesis has a pretty impressive webpage dealing with a lot of questions that non-religious people and believers with doubts have about the question of God's existence and objections to the same. The one thread of links from AIG's page, Creation Question and Answers, that really impressed me was the list of articles dealing with natural selection. The issue of the selection of certain colors and character traits of finches in the Galapagos Islands and elsewhere strongly influenced Charles Darwin. It was nice to see articles from AIG that takes that issue head-on.
Well, one thing that is going on that may effect people that you know, is the changes going on in the law for those who have distinguished graduate or professional degrees who are seeking to come to the USA, especially those who will be sponsored by a new employer. Those affected kinds of visas are called EB-2 and EB-3 employment immigrant visas (permanent resident green cards). On the first of July, the number of places allotted to those applying for EB-3 visas (for highly-specialized professionals like doctors) were completely used up. That meant that noone in those categories could have their applications reviewed until October 1st.
There are still places available for those who are applying for EB-2 visas (not as elite but still for jobs requiring at least a Bachelor's degree, or higher), but for how long, who knows? In the past there were excess numbers of places for such green cards, left over from years where the number of allotted places went unfilled--about 249,000 this fiscal year (Oct. 1st 2004-Sept. 30th 2005), but they have been depleted. Only 140,000 places will be available for employment-based green cards, along with 50,000 places that were made available for doctors, nurses, and physical therapists from other countries. The U.S. Congress needs to get on to raising the number of places available, if we don't want to surrender our status as 'land of opportunity' to countries like Australia. That particular story has more to it, to learn about it, click here. But while it makes those wanting to stay here who are wanting to "adjust status" encounter a more complex situation than before, it doesn't make it impossible by any means, and there are resources to help one get through them. To learn more, click here, or e-mail us at FJ.Fernandez@gmail.com.
There is a hope for good news, however. India has been anxious to get the USA to raise its number of H-1B nonimmigrant work visas (allowing for temporary residency for up to 6 years) from 85,000 visas (including 20,000 specialty visas) to the 195,000 that was available prior to October 2003 to incoming foreign workers, especially in the high technology industry from India and China. Much of the growth of our high tech economy here in California, the center of the world for that kind of thing, is thanks to work visa-carrying H-1B employees have done (ask Oracle, Apple, Google, Yahoo, Hewlett-Packard, Intel, etc.). We have truly engaged in one silly move after another in the immigration realm after 9/11/01, and the cutback here is at the top of the stack. Well, India has gotten help from the World Trade Organization, and they have formally petitioned the Bush administration through the State Department to revert to the old pre-2004 numbers. We can stay tuned, and hope. There are proposed changes going through Congress now, it may make such changes possible. Again, stay tuned.
Well, I'll be back later with more to tell you. Adios, and God bless.
Regards,
The Old Alcalde
