polapragada
09-13 09:42 PM
I want everybody to get their GCs. but now interfiling/porting is hurting out position in the queue.
If you are not aware, a good bunch of EB3s are now trying to interfile & port their PDs which are between 2001 - 2005 to EB2.
This will potentially put tens of thousands of people in the EB2 queue before most people in EB2 who are waiting.
These people were not eligible for EB2 when they filed their own labor.. so they should NOT BE ALLOWED TO PORT THEIR OLD PDs. Sure EB3 can Interfile .. but you will get a new PD ... the date you interfile.
If we just keep looking... there will be a huge retrogression in EB2. And its not like these EB3 people will get through with the interfiling/porting. Most of them will be issued RFEs. Their labor apps will be audited and their primary EB3 apps will be cancelled. Infact, 85% of interfiling will never successfully make it through. And its not like it will help the EB3 brothers. That queue will still be long... because they are not going to withdraw their EB3 apps.
Also, while they will not succeed in interfiling/porting, they still will have their apps with USCIS and USCIS will sit on them before eventually issuing NOID. Sad part is they will count these when giving numbers to DOS for setting visa bulletins.
This PD porting is the last "not so ethical & legal" thing after labor substitution.. that we need to Put a cork on.
If we don't act now... then we can all expect to stay in AOS for the next 5 years. This holds for both EB2 and EB3.
I want everybody to get their GCs. I also am OK with the wait.
But anything that threatens my position in the queue is not acceptable.
I completly agree with you.... and others supported the similar thoughts in the thread gave the gree from you all
If they want to jump to EB2 they should not not be allowed to port the PD.
If you are not aware, a good bunch of EB3s are now trying to interfile & port their PDs which are between 2001 - 2005 to EB2.
This will potentially put tens of thousands of people in the EB2 queue before most people in EB2 who are waiting.
These people were not eligible for EB2 when they filed their own labor.. so they should NOT BE ALLOWED TO PORT THEIR OLD PDs. Sure EB3 can Interfile .. but you will get a new PD ... the date you interfile.
If we just keep looking... there will be a huge retrogression in EB2. And its not like these EB3 people will get through with the interfiling/porting. Most of them will be issued RFEs. Their labor apps will be audited and their primary EB3 apps will be cancelled. Infact, 85% of interfiling will never successfully make it through. And its not like it will help the EB3 brothers. That queue will still be long... because they are not going to withdraw their EB3 apps.
Also, while they will not succeed in interfiling/porting, they still will have their apps with USCIS and USCIS will sit on them before eventually issuing NOID. Sad part is they will count these when giving numbers to DOS for setting visa bulletins.
This PD porting is the last "not so ethical & legal" thing after labor substitution.. that we need to Put a cork on.
If we don't act now... then we can all expect to stay in AOS for the next 5 years. This holds for both EB2 and EB3.
I want everybody to get their GCs. I also am OK with the wait.
But anything that threatens my position in the queue is not acceptable.
I completly agree with you.... and others supported the similar thoughts in the thread gave the gree from you all
If they want to jump to EB2 they should not not be allowed to port the PD.
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Totoro
05-02 09:41 AM
Good job Admin2.
Folks with ITINs,
Please file for SSNs quoting this stimulus package and get the refund. If someone tries and SSA refuses, we can take it up with legislators or even pursue litigation.
I am the person who originally compiled the information. I am in the process of appealing the first SSA denial and I am in touch with my local congresswoman about this. If you want to get involved, please let me know. Also, I recommend that everyone contacts his or her congressman/congresswoman even if you are not directly affected. Most legislators are not even aware of how this rule affects people. We need to stop groups like FAIR from pushing through more legislation that discriminates against immigrants.
Finally, if the SSA denies my appeal, I am planning to file with the federal appeals court. Any ideas on how to go about this are appreciated.
Folks with ITINs,
Please file for SSNs quoting this stimulus package and get the refund. If someone tries and SSA refuses, we can take it up with legislators or even pursue litigation.
I am the person who originally compiled the information. I am in the process of appealing the first SSA denial and I am in touch with my local congresswoman about this. If you want to get involved, please let me know. Also, I recommend that everyone contacts his or her congressman/congresswoman even if you are not directly affected. Most legislators are not even aware of how this rule affects people. We need to stop groups like FAIR from pushing through more legislation that discriminates against immigrants.
Finally, if the SSA denies my appeal, I am planning to file with the federal appeals court. Any ideas on how to go about this are appreciated.
indio0617
03-09 11:03 AM
sen feinstein above amendment passes
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lonedesi
08-04 04:15 PM
Letter to be sent for an I-140 petition pending at NSC:
From,
First Name, Last Name
Address,
To,
Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman
Department of Homeland Security
Attention: Case Problems
Mail Stop 1225
Washington, D.C. 20528-1225
Dear Mr. Ombudsman:
Re: I-140 processing delays at NSC for June - August 2007 non-concurrent petitioners
I submitted an I-140 petition for an employment based green card to NSC during the July 07. I have been waiting for little more than a year now and still there have been no updates on my case. While the processing times on USCIS website shows that NSC is processing cases filed around August 3 2007, we have been consistently observing (on multiple tracker websites online and from friends who recently received their approvals) that NSC has been processing & approving cases filed post August 2007 and some as recent as this year. While people like us are still waiting, people who applied recently are getting approval notices. This fact can be confirmed by Ombudsman's office requesting NSC to provide with the receipt dates for all the I-140 cases approved in the last few months. It's only fair that people who filed earlier are given preference following the FIFO policy of USCIS.
This delay in processing and ignoring our cases at the expense of recently filed cases is causing us undue hardship. Some of members who are in similar situation who contacted NSC have received responses that our cases will not be picked for processing until our priority dates are current. But there are several hundred cases like mine, who have an earlier approved I-140 and have filed a new I-140 petition(based on a new PERM labor) after we joined a new employer and were intending to port our old priority date which is current per the latest visa bulletin. At the same time, NSC has been approving I-140 petitions and whose PD's are not current.
Also some of the members, who contacted NSC, have received responses like "We are waiting for FBI name check to clear before we can process I-140 petition". It is clearly known that there is no need for FBI name check for processing I-140 petitions. Also, now that there is a new memo stating that if FBI name check has been pending over 180 days, then I-485 can be conditionally approved without having to wait for clearance from FBI. In spite of this memo, NSC has been consistently ignoring our petitions.
Some of members who have contacted USCIS Ombudsman regarding this delay have received responses from the Ombudsman's office stating that they are aware of the delays in processing I-140 petitions. But till date, we have not seen any action on part of USCIS to address this issue in-spite of many members raising this issue during Ombudsman's conference calls and sending letters to your office.
Lack of I-140 processing for non-concurrent filers has prevented us from receiving some of the interim benefits (EAD/AP valid for 2 years, possibility of using AC21 in these uncertain economic conditions) that come with an I-140 approval. This has resulted in us applying for EAD/AP's multiple times and paying for expenses associated with it.
I seek your assistance in investigating in this matter with NSC and impress upon the center to complete processing I-140 petitions for the non-concurrently filed cases during July 2007. I also urge you to request USCIS to re-instate the premium processing service for all categories of I-140 petitions with no pre-conditions to qualify.
Please feel free to contact me if you need additional information. I would appreciate your response and assistance in this matter.
Sincerely,
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Please post a comment on this thread so that we can track how many members actually participated in this campaign.
From,
First Name, Last Name
Address,
To,
Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman
Department of Homeland Security
Attention: Case Problems
Mail Stop 1225
Washington, D.C. 20528-1225
Dear Mr. Ombudsman:
Re: I-140 processing delays at NSC for June - August 2007 non-concurrent petitioners
I submitted an I-140 petition for an employment based green card to NSC during the July 07. I have been waiting for little more than a year now and still there have been no updates on my case. While the processing times on USCIS website shows that NSC is processing cases filed around August 3 2007, we have been consistently observing (on multiple tracker websites online and from friends who recently received their approvals) that NSC has been processing & approving cases filed post August 2007 and some as recent as this year. While people like us are still waiting, people who applied recently are getting approval notices. This fact can be confirmed by Ombudsman's office requesting NSC to provide with the receipt dates for all the I-140 cases approved in the last few months. It's only fair that people who filed earlier are given preference following the FIFO policy of USCIS.
This delay in processing and ignoring our cases at the expense of recently filed cases is causing us undue hardship. Some of members who are in similar situation who contacted NSC have received responses that our cases will not be picked for processing until our priority dates are current. But there are several hundred cases like mine, who have an earlier approved I-140 and have filed a new I-140 petition(based on a new PERM labor) after we joined a new employer and were intending to port our old priority date which is current per the latest visa bulletin. At the same time, NSC has been approving I-140 petitions and whose PD's are not current.
Also some of the members, who contacted NSC, have received responses like "We are waiting for FBI name check to clear before we can process I-140 petition". It is clearly known that there is no need for FBI name check for processing I-140 petitions. Also, now that there is a new memo stating that if FBI name check has been pending over 180 days, then I-485 can be conditionally approved without having to wait for clearance from FBI. In spite of this memo, NSC has been consistently ignoring our petitions.
Some of members who have contacted USCIS Ombudsman regarding this delay have received responses from the Ombudsman's office stating that they are aware of the delays in processing I-140 petitions. But till date, we have not seen any action on part of USCIS to address this issue in-spite of many members raising this issue during Ombudsman's conference calls and sending letters to your office.
Lack of I-140 processing for non-concurrent filers has prevented us from receiving some of the interim benefits (EAD/AP valid for 2 years, possibility of using AC21 in these uncertain economic conditions) that come with an I-140 approval. This has resulted in us applying for EAD/AP's multiple times and paying for expenses associated with it.
I seek your assistance in investigating in this matter with NSC and impress upon the center to complete processing I-140 petitions for the non-concurrently filed cases during July 2007. I also urge you to request USCIS to re-instate the premium processing service for all categories of I-140 petitions with no pre-conditions to qualify.
Please feel free to contact me if you need additional information. I would appreciate your response and assistance in this matter.
Sincerely,
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Please post a comment on this thread so that we can track how many members actually participated in this campaign.
more...
vram
08-26 02:49 PM
I am not sure thats correct.
Per IRS regulation Section 163 (C), as well as Publication 936, interest paid on primary and secondary residences up to an aggregate one million dollars in loan amount is tax deductible. The IRS regulation does not specify that the home must be located in the United States, and thus it seems logical that interest paid on a home loan on property in India is in fact deductible
(please consult your tax advisor for applicability to your specific tax situation).
You can quote any IRS publication/regulation, which is issued bt IRS with the assumption that the Lender issues a 1040 to you and simultaneously notifies the IRS the intrerst earned by the Lender from your Mortgage .
And the point is how do you show the intrest paid on the Mortgage if the International Lender does not issue a 1040. Any attachment/print out you provide showing the intrest you paid is not suffice as long as the IRS does not know that intrest was not accrued in their File. Since International Banks dont register their intrest earned with IRS.
All I mean to say is, it is a Closed loop sytem where the Lender registers his intrest earned with IRS and sends a 1040 to you so that you can claim the tax exemption based on your intrest paid
I am 100% confident that.
Per IRS regulation Section 163 (C), as well as Publication 936, interest paid on primary and secondary residences up to an aggregate one million dollars in loan amount is tax deductible. The IRS regulation does not specify that the home must be located in the United States, and thus it seems logical that interest paid on a home loan on property in India is in fact deductible
(please consult your tax advisor for applicability to your specific tax situation).
You can quote any IRS publication/regulation, which is issued bt IRS with the assumption that the Lender issues a 1040 to you and simultaneously notifies the IRS the intrerst earned by the Lender from your Mortgage .
And the point is how do you show the intrest paid on the Mortgage if the International Lender does not issue a 1040. Any attachment/print out you provide showing the intrest you paid is not suffice as long as the IRS does not know that intrest was not accrued in their File. Since International Banks dont register their intrest earned with IRS.
All I mean to say is, it is a Closed loop sytem where the Lender registers his intrest earned with IRS and sends a 1040 to you so that you can claim the tax exemption based on your intrest paid
I am 100% confident that.
kumhyd2
07-10 01:21 AM
Is there a SoCal IV member list? Any one from San diego?
more...
ras
10-17 04:23 PM
I have got a PM from another IV member whose 485 got denied yesterday because of 140 revocation. He switched the job after 180 days and sent AC21 docs as well. He is willing to share his ordeal with us.
Are we sending personal exp of the ppl affected along with the letter ? I guess, it makes perfect sense to send some real 485 denial examples.
I mentioned in this thread about the response that I got from ombudsman. So they would love to hear about the specific cases. In fact they would be more than willing to look into the specific cases. because that gives the strength to question USCIS.
Are we sending personal exp of the ppl affected along with the letter ? I guess, it makes perfect sense to send some real 485 denial examples.
I mentioned in this thread about the response that I got from ombudsman. So they would love to hear about the specific cases. In fact they would be more than willing to look into the specific cases. because that gives the strength to question USCIS.
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onemay
04-27 10:42 AM
In California they don't accept any other document for the renewal of your DL other than the new I94- I think someone said I 907 and they are right because I 94 is olnly a portion of the whole page.
We filed premium for the extension and the company is paying for it, but it still takes 3-4 weeks until the lawyer is gonna prepare the package and send it to us. Unfortunately, I don't have a home country DL that I could use between the gaps and this is a great burden for my husband who has to deal with a very demanding job and take the kids everywhere.
I feel imprisoned for just wanting a better life for my family and my kids and I don't think the treatment that the legal immigrants get in US is fair. I was a legal immigrant in 2 diffrent countries in Europe and although you might not be able to get blended in the crowd as easy as here, you will be treated with more regard for human rights( like the right to work or to drive).-this is our 7th year here and I can't work.
Before belonging to a cultlure or a country, we all belong to the humankind, whith the same needs and dreams and people should remember that first - they are not talking about immigrants or legals or illegals or numbers EB3, H1B and other labels, but people whose time is ticking and gets away from them with every second that passes. We are here because this country was build by people like us and we belong here, so please, if someone who was lucky enough to be born here reads this message, consider our situation and let our voice reach the people who need to hear it.
We filed premium for the extension and the company is paying for it, but it still takes 3-4 weeks until the lawyer is gonna prepare the package and send it to us. Unfortunately, I don't have a home country DL that I could use between the gaps and this is a great burden for my husband who has to deal with a very demanding job and take the kids everywhere.
I feel imprisoned for just wanting a better life for my family and my kids and I don't think the treatment that the legal immigrants get in US is fair. I was a legal immigrant in 2 diffrent countries in Europe and although you might not be able to get blended in the crowd as easy as here, you will be treated with more regard for human rights( like the right to work or to drive).-this is our 7th year here and I can't work.
Before belonging to a cultlure or a country, we all belong to the humankind, whith the same needs and dreams and people should remember that first - they are not talking about immigrants or legals or illegals or numbers EB3, H1B and other labels, but people whose time is ticking and gets away from them with every second that passes. We are here because this country was build by people like us and we belong here, so please, if someone who was lucky enough to be born here reads this message, consider our situation and let our voice reach the people who need to hear it.
more...
theonlyron
07-24 05:44 PM
My husbands DL expires on Oct 1st, 2007. The North Carolina DMV insists that he should have a valid H1B visa stamp in his PP in order to renew the license. He does have a valid H1B extension with I-94 at the bottom till Oct.2009. We dont want to leave the country as we are filing for our I-485's.
Any one in NC have any suggestions?
Any one in NC have any suggestions?
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flipflop
10-03 05:10 PM
Every year congress mandates that 140k immigrant visas may be issued. Lets say, in a particular year 200k applications were sent in, but only half of them could reach a stage where they could be approved (rest half are stuck in name check et al). Now you can approve only 100k which means that 40k visas which could have been used will go wasted for that year.
more...
s_r_e_e
08-10 12:32 PM
I am sorry for posting in here, but I was wondering if someone actually went in person to the Houston Consulate to get their passport renewed. Also, do we need to have any reason to attend in person at the Consulate such as emergency, etc.
I am from India and my passport is expiring on Aug 17. I read before in the forum that it is better to go in person to renew the passport. Any experiences please let me know.
Thanks a bunch
If you are around houston, it would be better to go in person. I think they accept the applications only until noon. They would tell u a Pickup date or u have an option to get it mailed. The passport is ready for pickup in 10 working days or so.
I am from India and my passport is expiring on Aug 17. I read before in the forum that it is better to go in person to renew the passport. Any experiences please let me know.
Thanks a bunch
If you are around houston, it would be better to go in person. I think they accept the applications only until noon. They would tell u a Pickup date or u have an option to get it mailed. The passport is ready for pickup in 10 working days or so.
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singhsa3
09-11 05:18 PM
What about the issues like not following RD or PD?
What about being rude on the call?
What about the wild fluctuation in the bulletein?
Should we let these thing to continue?
What we are expecting after this calc. camp ? I dont think so they will revise bulletin nor they will give single extra visa above 140k. I think we should focus on HR 5882 .. We should send something to lawmakers.
Just a thought.
What about being rude on the call?
What about the wild fluctuation in the bulletein?
Should we let these thing to continue?
What we are expecting after this calc. camp ? I dont think so they will revise bulletin nor they will give single extra visa above 140k. I think we should focus on HR 5882 .. We should send something to lawmakers.
Just a thought.
more...
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indio0617
03-09 10:08 AM
another senator suggesting: institute a training fee for nurses like the H-1b training fee...
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geesee
08-26 12:23 PM
I have home loan with Standard Chartered. Got the variable interest loan from them in 2004. One thing I liked is I did not have to goto India for the loan processing!
My brother sent related documents here in US and I signed, got few of those notarised and sent them back. It took about a month for the complete process.
They do charge about Rs. 350 for prepayment though. Otherwise overall I am happy with the service they provided.
My brother sent related documents here in US and I signed, got few of those notarised and sent them back. It took about a month for the complete process.
They do charge about Rs. 350 for prepayment though. Otherwise overall I am happy with the service they provided.
more...
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gc_on_demand
06-11 08:33 AM
Folks
July bulletin is OUT and NO more significant movement. Donot hope for future bulletin . Please call Lawmakers ASAP. Unless we take action USCIS is not going to do anything. Situation can be worse once we head towards election season. Still we have 1-2 months to get things done or we will be waiting for years to get green card OR EAD ( For some folks ).
It is just 10-15 minutes need to spend to call. Let them know WHO WE ARE AND WHAT ARE OUR ISSUES .
I request all of you to call , if you have called then ask your friends and family members to call.
Now its time to act. If we dont take action CHC will not allow to move ahead our 3 bills.
CALL NOW .... and Spread this message to everyone.
July bulletin is OUT and NO more significant movement. Donot hope for future bulletin . Please call Lawmakers ASAP. Unless we take action USCIS is not going to do anything. Situation can be worse once we head towards election season. Still we have 1-2 months to get things done or we will be waiting for years to get green card OR EAD ( For some folks ).
It is just 10-15 minutes need to spend to call. Let them know WHO WE ARE AND WHAT ARE OUR ISSUES .
I request all of you to call , if you have called then ask your friends and family members to call.
Now its time to act. If we dont take action CHC will not allow to move ahead our 3 bills.
CALL NOW .... and Spread this message to everyone.
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immm
07-19 02:07 PM
Since both A and B were current at the time of AOS approval. Person with earlier RD will take precedence. however if the cut off date were April 2003, person B will get the visa.
Not necessarily. Here is a hypothetical scenario:
PersonA = PD of May 30th, 2003 and RD of June 15th, 2007.
Assume that an additional 150,000 I-485 applications were filed petween PersonA and PersonB
PersonB = PD of May 15, 2002 and RD of July 15th 2007.
USCIS starts pre-adjudicating cases based on Receipt date. Assume that by October 1, 2007, they have pre-adjudicated PersonA plus 9,000 of the 150,000 applications and haven't reached PersonB's application yet (they go by RD).
Assuming that the visa cutoff date in Oct, 2007 bulletin is June, 2003 making both PersonA and personB current:
PersonA (PD of 2003) will get a visa number and get the case approved while PersonB (PD of 2002) with an older priority date will have to wait a while because his case hasn't been touched by USCIS yet due to the additional 150,000 filings in between that have to be pre-adjudicated first based on RD even if they have 2004/2005/2006/2007 priority dates!!
You forgot that there were another 150,000 applications in this example with RD prior to PersonB and it is very likely that many of them could have the PD of April, 2003. Therefore, PersonB will still not get it even though he/she has an older Priority date!!
I think that after this stampede of application filings in June/July/August, USCIS needs to sort them by PD first otherwise people with older priority dates will suffer simply due to the volume of applications filed!!
Not necessarily. Here is a hypothetical scenario:
PersonA = PD of May 30th, 2003 and RD of June 15th, 2007.
Assume that an additional 150,000 I-485 applications were filed petween PersonA and PersonB
PersonB = PD of May 15, 2002 and RD of July 15th 2007.
USCIS starts pre-adjudicating cases based on Receipt date. Assume that by October 1, 2007, they have pre-adjudicated PersonA plus 9,000 of the 150,000 applications and haven't reached PersonB's application yet (they go by RD).
Assuming that the visa cutoff date in Oct, 2007 bulletin is June, 2003 making both PersonA and personB current:
PersonA (PD of 2003) will get a visa number and get the case approved while PersonB (PD of 2002) with an older priority date will have to wait a while because his case hasn't been touched by USCIS yet due to the additional 150,000 filings in between that have to be pre-adjudicated first based on RD even if they have 2004/2005/2006/2007 priority dates!!
You forgot that there were another 150,000 applications in this example with RD prior to PersonB and it is very likely that many of them could have the PD of April, 2003. Therefore, PersonB will still not get it even though he/she has an older Priority date!!
I think that after this stampede of application filings in June/July/August, USCIS needs to sort them by PD first otherwise people with older priority dates will suffer simply due to the volume of applications filed!!
more...
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acecupid
09-13 01:16 PM
Hi All,
My Eb2 Perm Labor Approved. It took 2 months to get approved. It was filed on 07/09/2010 and approved on (email received by HR dept) 09/10/2010. This is just to share with all of you.
Thank you.
Wow!! Congratulations.... That was very fast indeed. Good luck with the rest of the process.
My Eb2 Perm Labor Approved. It took 2 months to get approved. It was filed on 07/09/2010 and approved on (email received by HR dept) 09/10/2010. This is just to share with all of you.
Thank you.
Wow!! Congratulations.... That was very fast indeed. Good luck with the rest of the process.
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kumhyd2
07-13 02:50 PM
Count me in for san diego. Is a meeting already planned should we have one. How about a meeting near the beach/mission
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natrajs
09-09 10:30 AM
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pkv
05-07 10:09 PM
http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_9186416
Congress penalizes U.S. troops, legal U.S. residents in attempt to punish illegal immigrants
By Ken McLaughlin
Mercury News
Article Launched: 05/07/2008 06:51:18 PM PDT
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When Congress passed an economic-stimulus package giving hefty rebates to most taxpayers, it tried to make sure that illegal immigrants didn't get any of the cash.
But in doing so lawmakers inadvertently penalized hundreds of thousands of legal U.S. residents - and tens of thousands of U.S. troops stationed overseas - simply because their spouses lack a Social Security number.
"Imagine an American soldier in Iraq whose foreign-born wife is waiting for an immigration petition to be approved and doesn't have a Social Security card. Now the couple can't even get a rebate," said Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-San Jose. "That is really stupid."
Others in the predicament include about a million legal residents whose spouses are still overseas because of long immigration queues and hundreds of thousands of H-1B work visa holders in Silicon Valley and elsewhere.
The scope of the problem is only now becoming clear as the government begins mailing out rebate checks. The first checks were electronically deposited in bank accounts last week.
Because illegal immigrants don't have Social Security numbers and instead routinely use "tax identification numbers," Congress banned rebates for taxpayers who use the IRS-issued numbers.
If a married couple files jointly and one spouse doesn't have a Social Security number, the couple won't get the $1,200 checks that other couples will receive. They're also ineligible for the $300 rebate per child. Many Armed Forces members stationed overseas have foreign spouses who can't get Social Security numbers.
William Luong, stationed at a U.S. naval base in Yokosuka, Japan, said his fellow seamen resent that they've landed in the same category as illegal immigrants.
"They understand the reason they're getting the shaft," said Luong, 21, who is from the Los Angeles area. "but a lot are frustrated or angry about it."
More than 288,000 troops are stationed overseas, according to the Pentagon - not counting those in Iraq and Afghanistan. Many live in places - Korea, Japan and Germany - where extended stays often result in marriages to locals.
The unintended situation developed after the House in late January passed the economic-stimulus legislation at the urging of President Bush. But anti-illegal immigration groups then lobbied the Senate to add the Social Security requirement, fearing that illegal immigrants would get their hands on the checks.
The Federation for American Immigrant Reform - whose members went on radio talk shows to bash the House version of the stimulus bill - has no apologies.
"No law was ever written that doesn't find someone falling through the cracks," said Ira Mehlman, a FAIR spokesman, who said he hoped government officials will come up with some way to help Armed Forces members.
But H-1B visa holders and legal immigrants who are being denied rebates say they want some justice, too.
"If the government collects taxes from us, we should be able to get rebates given to other legal residents, it should be a level-playing field," said Parveen Kumar, an H-1B visa holder who lives in Sunnyvale.
Kumar moved to Silicon Valley from India with his wife three years ago. He now works as an engineer at Intelliswift Software in Fremont. But his wife, Anu, is on a H-4 "dependency visa" that doesn't allow her to work.
After he found out about the rebate law, he went to the Mountain View office of the Social Security Administration and asked if he could get a number for his wife. He was told no.
John Johnston, a spokesman for the Social Security Administration, confirmed on Wednesday that the agency's policy is not to issue Social Security cards simply for the purpose of issuing tax rebates.
According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, there are now between 600,000 and 800,000 H-1B visa holders in the United States. Exactly how many are married to spouses ineligible to work in this country is unclear.
Another group of immigrants - about a million nationwide - are non-citizen green-card holders who are already facing seven-year waits to get permission for their spouses to immigrate to their country.
"I've been in America for well over 20 years, and I consider myself an American," said Amir Nikpouri of Orland Park, a suburb of Chicago. "All I'm trying to do is obey the laws, but this one seems really unfair."
Nikpouri, 31, was married three years ago, but his wife won't be eligible to immigrate from Iran for a few more years.
"We are here legally and paying taxes and enjoying what a married family should be enjoying," said Aung Moe of San Jose, 33, a Burmese political refugee who works as an engineer at Applied Materials. His wife, Mon, is an electrical engineer who is forced to live separately from her husband in Singapore.
"Already we cannot be together, and now she cannot get a Social Security number," he said. "This needs to be fixed."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Congress penalizes U.S. troops, legal U.S. residents in attempt to punish illegal immigrants
By Ken McLaughlin
Mercury News
Article Launched: 05/07/2008 06:51:18 PM PDT
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When Congress passed an economic-stimulus package giving hefty rebates to most taxpayers, it tried to make sure that illegal immigrants didn't get any of the cash.
But in doing so lawmakers inadvertently penalized hundreds of thousands of legal U.S. residents - and tens of thousands of U.S. troops stationed overseas - simply because their spouses lack a Social Security number.
"Imagine an American soldier in Iraq whose foreign-born wife is waiting for an immigration petition to be approved and doesn't have a Social Security card. Now the couple can't even get a rebate," said Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-San Jose. "That is really stupid."
Others in the predicament include about a million legal residents whose spouses are still overseas because of long immigration queues and hundreds of thousands of H-1B work visa holders in Silicon Valley and elsewhere.
The scope of the problem is only now becoming clear as the government begins mailing out rebate checks. The first checks were electronically deposited in bank accounts last week.
Because illegal immigrants don't have Social Security numbers and instead routinely use "tax identification numbers," Congress banned rebates for taxpayers who use the IRS-issued numbers.
If a married couple files jointly and one spouse doesn't have a Social Security number, the couple won't get the $1,200 checks that other couples will receive. They're also ineligible for the $300 rebate per child. Many Armed Forces members stationed overseas have foreign spouses who can't get Social Security numbers.
William Luong, stationed at a U.S. naval base in Yokosuka, Japan, said his fellow seamen resent that they've landed in the same category as illegal immigrants.
"They understand the reason they're getting the shaft," said Luong, 21, who is from the Los Angeles area. "but a lot are frustrated or angry about it."
More than 288,000 troops are stationed overseas, according to the Pentagon - not counting those in Iraq and Afghanistan. Many live in places - Korea, Japan and Germany - where extended stays often result in marriages to locals.
The unintended situation developed after the House in late January passed the economic-stimulus legislation at the urging of President Bush. But anti-illegal immigration groups then lobbied the Senate to add the Social Security requirement, fearing that illegal immigrants would get their hands on the checks.
The Federation for American Immigrant Reform - whose members went on radio talk shows to bash the House version of the stimulus bill - has no apologies.
"No law was ever written that doesn't find someone falling through the cracks," said Ira Mehlman, a FAIR spokesman, who said he hoped government officials will come up with some way to help Armed Forces members.
But H-1B visa holders and legal immigrants who are being denied rebates say they want some justice, too.
"If the government collects taxes from us, we should be able to get rebates given to other legal residents, it should be a level-playing field," said Parveen Kumar, an H-1B visa holder who lives in Sunnyvale.
Kumar moved to Silicon Valley from India with his wife three years ago. He now works as an engineer at Intelliswift Software in Fremont. But his wife, Anu, is on a H-4 "dependency visa" that doesn't allow her to work.
After he found out about the rebate law, he went to the Mountain View office of the Social Security Administration and asked if he could get a number for his wife. He was told no.
John Johnston, a spokesman for the Social Security Administration, confirmed on Wednesday that the agency's policy is not to issue Social Security cards simply for the purpose of issuing tax rebates.
According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, there are now between 600,000 and 800,000 H-1B visa holders in the United States. Exactly how many are married to spouses ineligible to work in this country is unclear.
Another group of immigrants - about a million nationwide - are non-citizen green-card holders who are already facing seven-year waits to get permission for their spouses to immigrate to their country.
"I've been in America for well over 20 years, and I consider myself an American," said Amir Nikpouri of Orland Park, a suburb of Chicago. "All I'm trying to do is obey the laws, but this one seems really unfair."
Nikpouri, 31, was married three years ago, but his wife won't be eligible to immigrate from Iran for a few more years.
"We are here legally and paying taxes and enjoying what a married family should be enjoying," said Aung Moe of San Jose, 33, a Burmese political refugee who works as an engineer at Applied Materials. His wife, Mon, is an electrical engineer who is forced to live separately from her husband in Singapore.
"Already we cannot be together, and now she cannot get a Social Security number," he said. "This needs to be fixed."
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