neerajkandhari
10-24 09:20 PM
No Ap As Yet
wallpaper 2011 hairstyles zac efron 2011
maverick_joe
05-05 04:20 PM
when did you file your 485? I really woudnt balme you for calling multiple times..but if its been 60 days since the current processesing dates(check the processing date of the service center you filed your case at) then there is absolutely no harm calling them to check the status.
Finally, I am current now, I spoke to IO today again ( Again means I call them every month, every week atleast once & So far I got Nice IO's)
She said your case is in current processing time, has not been yet assigned to any officer. checked all the status NC/SC/FP, everything is clear, just waiting for an officer to be assigned. call back after 15-20 days If I dont get any response.
I wanted to know that what impact does one have for calling IO's multiple times.
EB3, Oct'01
485- Jun 1st 07
No LUD's since Aug ( Address change)
Applied for 2nd AP & EAD last week.
Finally, I am current now, I spoke to IO today again ( Again means I call them every month, every week atleast once & So far I got Nice IO's)
She said your case is in current processing time, has not been yet assigned to any officer. checked all the status NC/SC/FP, everything is clear, just waiting for an officer to be assigned. call back after 15-20 days If I dont get any response.
I wanted to know that what impact does one have for calling IO's multiple times.
EB3, Oct'01
485- Jun 1st 07
No LUD's since Aug ( Address change)
Applied for 2nd AP & EAD last week.
DSLStart
03-11 08:14 PM
No you don't have to walk into any bank. Just visit
https://remit.onlinesbi.com/
Everything is self explainotary.
Gurus,
Can some body advise what is the best way to send money to India using SBI online?
Do i have to have an account with SBI? NRE/NRO/Regular
I have an account with State Bank of Bikarner and Jaipur, can i send money from my US account into SBBJ and then to SBI (parents account) ONLINE?
I live in Colorado and hence do not have the luxury of walking into an SBI US branch.
Any advise is appreciated.
Thanks
https://remit.onlinesbi.com/
Everything is self explainotary.
Gurus,
Can some body advise what is the best way to send money to India using SBI online?
Do i have to have an account with SBI? NRE/NRO/Regular
I have an account with State Bank of Bikarner and Jaipur, can i send money from my US account into SBBJ and then to SBI (parents account) ONLINE?
I live in Colorado and hence do not have the luxury of walking into an SBI US branch.
Any advise is appreciated.
Thanks
2011 Taylor Swift, Garrett Hedlund
GCSOON-Ihope
12-14 02:48 PM
Hi,
I am trying to e-file AP renewals by myself instead of using my expensive Attorney. I have a question. If you have successfully e-filed, can you please clarify ?
1)My wife was originally admitted into the US as H-4. But now after entering US on H4 and staying on h-4 for about 6 months she used her EAD to work. Her H4 visa was renewed and is still valid even though our Visa stamping on the passport has expired. So what should her class of admission be ? Should I write H4 or EAD ? AP form asks for class of admission.
2)If filing for both self and wife, should this be mailed in two different packets or one packet , two different envelopes ?
______________________________
If you are e-filing, by definition you won't need to mail anything (or almost, see below)!
I applied on-line for both EAD and AP, and it's really very simple.
You certainly don't need to pay those ridiculous fees to an attorney for that!
After e-filing, I received two weeks later in the mail a request to send ID pictures. That's the only thing I had to mail.
I am trying to e-file AP renewals by myself instead of using my expensive Attorney. I have a question. If you have successfully e-filed, can you please clarify ?
1)My wife was originally admitted into the US as H-4. But now after entering US on H4 and staying on h-4 for about 6 months she used her EAD to work. Her H4 visa was renewed and is still valid even though our Visa stamping on the passport has expired. So what should her class of admission be ? Should I write H4 or EAD ? AP form asks for class of admission.
2)If filing for both self and wife, should this be mailed in two different packets or one packet , two different envelopes ?
______________________________
If you are e-filing, by definition you won't need to mail anything (or almost, see below)!
I applied on-line for both EAD and AP, and it's really very simple.
You certainly don't need to pay those ridiculous fees to an attorney for that!
After e-filing, I received two weeks later in the mail a request to send ID pictures. That's the only thing I had to mail.
more...
ReDrUmNZ
02-04 07:43 PM
I'm loving the swarm! :)
wellwishergc
07-13 10:41 AM
- Take an infopass appointment at your local immigration office to check her approval status; If it is showing approved you are fine; then you would just need to contact the customer service at USCIS service center to find out where her approval letter is.
- If her case is not approved, apply for EAD and AP if you have not done it already.
Her 485 has been filed FOUR years ago sir.
- If her case is not approved, apply for EAD and AP if you have not done it already.
Her 485 has been filed FOUR years ago sir.
more...
kaisersose
07-17 04:46 PM
Kaisersose thank you for your reply. Is their a time limit for how long I have to work for the GC filling employer? what worries me is if they fire me in lets say 1 month after hire during their probation period am I safe? Even though i was working part time some where else.
No minimum period is necessary and firing will not have any negative impact.
No minimum period is necessary and firing will not have any negative impact.
2010 TAYLOR SWIFT 2011 CALENDAR
uffyegc
10-21 02:25 PM
Hi Prashanthi,
Thank you for your reply.
As per company immigration HR, "since H1B extension was filed (Jun-06-2008) one week after GC labor filing (May-29-2008), we can apply next H1B extension based on May-01-2011 expiry".
Can you please reaffirm that we ought to file extension based on April 16, 2010 and not May-01-2011.
Thanks again for your input.
Thank you for your reply.
As per company immigration HR, "since H1B extension was filed (Jun-06-2008) one week after GC labor filing (May-29-2008), we can apply next H1B extension based on May-01-2011 expiry".
Can you please reaffirm that we ought to file extension based on April 16, 2010 and not May-01-2011.
Thanks again for your input.
more...
saravanaraj.sathya
08-13 08:52 AM
I also have LUD on my I-140 which is pending in Texas. My I-485 was sent to NSC on July 25th. I am hoping that this is something to do with the receipting of I-485.
My case EB3 PD Jan 2004
I40 approved TSC July 2007
485 filed at NSC July 2nd
LUD is 8/12/2007
Does this mean anything ?
My case EB3 PD Jan 2004
I40 approved TSC July 2007
485 filed at NSC July 2nd
LUD is 8/12/2007
Does this mean anything ?
hair Taylor Swift Pre/Post Party
uma001
06-10 05:19 PM
hdos,
Why are you worrying much, Why dont you go back to India and come back after one year. Then file for green card. When you do not have project for 6 months why are you worrying for green card?
If you are not married, go back to India find a nice girl get married, enjoy for one yr and come back again.By that time economy will improve and you get project easily.
Why are you worrying much, Why dont you go back to India and come back after one year. Then file for green card. When you do not have project for 6 months why are you worrying for green card?
If you are not married, go back to India find a nice girl get married, enjoy for one yr and come back again.By that time economy will improve and you get project easily.
more...
gc_rip
06-18 01:22 PM
If I get EAD from my current employer and join new employer on EAD before 180 days after filing I-485.
Are there risks that my EAD be canceled before it's expiration date?
Can my new employer start PERM and I140 during that year, and file H1B extn based on I-140 approval before my EAD expires? (Assuming EAD renewal may not be possible, as I left the job before 180 days, and employer never revoked I-140).
I have already completed my 6 years on H1.
Thanks.
yes you can. As per AC 21 once you have counted towards h1b number in last 6 year you are not counted again. So assuming your original h1 wasn't though non profit orgainzation, you can apply for new h1. If you have your I 140 approved you get 3 years h1. PM me if you need more info. I have done it.
and btw, h1b premium processing takes 15 days, so don't panic.
Are there risks that my EAD be canceled before it's expiration date?
Can my new employer start PERM and I140 during that year, and file H1B extn based on I-140 approval before my EAD expires? (Assuming EAD renewal may not be possible, as I left the job before 180 days, and employer never revoked I-140).
I have already completed my 6 years on H1.
Thanks.
yes you can. As per AC 21 once you have counted towards h1b number in last 6 year you are not counted again. So assuming your original h1 wasn't though non profit orgainzation, you can apply for new h1. If you have your I 140 approved you get 3 years h1. PM me if you need more info. I have done it.
and btw, h1b premium processing takes 15 days, so don't panic.
hot Taylor Swift Tickets Atlanta
saratswain
09-15 03:53 AM
My company sponsored my EB-3 with PD of Feb 2007 and the I-140 was approved in Feb 2009. Based on the pending I-140, I filed my I-485 (AOS) application in July 2007. My I-485 case is still pending.
In the meantime, my company had been kind enough to agree to re-sponsor me for EB-2 PERM which was filed in Sept 2008 and the related I-140 was approved in July 2009.
Both my pending I-1485 and recently approved EB-2 I-140 share the same A number, while the earlier approved I-140 EB-3 has a different A number.
I wrote a letter to USCIS requesting them to link my recently approved EB-2 I-140 to the pending I-485, in the place of EB-3 I-140 and also port the earlier PD.
Since there is no response for more than 2 months, I called USCIS call center today. The call center person advised me that I cannot make such a porting request unless the Visa Bulletin is current for that PD of EB-2. I was shocked to hear such message. Please advise whether the call center person is correct in her interpretation. Thanks in advance.
My case is similar. EB3 - June, 04. Applied I-485 in EB3 July-2007. Then had an EB2 from same employer PD-Aug-2006. The call center person is right, that is exactly what my lawyer advised me as well. Here is what I did
Applied I-485 in EB3 - (July - 2007)
Requested to port the I-485 to EB2 category (with I-140 approved for EB2 and EB3 in hand) in Aug-2008 (In Aug-2008) the dates were current for EB2, June-2004
Created an SR in Aug-2009 when in Sept-2009 it was again becoming current for EB2-2004
I-485 Approved on Sept, 2, 2009.
My advise would be :
Prepare the case with the lawyer on the category transfer (EB3->EB2) keeping the PD same. Wait EB2-Feb, 2007 becomes current and send the application and open an SR. People have noticed that creating the SR is helping but you must have to wait for EB2, Feb-2007 to be current for you.
Note : There is a possibility that your I-485 application is already in EB2 category. I would suggest to take an InfoPass and confirm it in Oct-Nov when there are less people enquring.
Regards
(I am not an attorney)
In the meantime, my company had been kind enough to agree to re-sponsor me for EB-2 PERM which was filed in Sept 2008 and the related I-140 was approved in July 2009.
Both my pending I-1485 and recently approved EB-2 I-140 share the same A number, while the earlier approved I-140 EB-3 has a different A number.
I wrote a letter to USCIS requesting them to link my recently approved EB-2 I-140 to the pending I-485, in the place of EB-3 I-140 and also port the earlier PD.
Since there is no response for more than 2 months, I called USCIS call center today. The call center person advised me that I cannot make such a porting request unless the Visa Bulletin is current for that PD of EB-2. I was shocked to hear such message. Please advise whether the call center person is correct in her interpretation. Thanks in advance.
My case is similar. EB3 - June, 04. Applied I-485 in EB3 July-2007. Then had an EB2 from same employer PD-Aug-2006. The call center person is right, that is exactly what my lawyer advised me as well. Here is what I did
Applied I-485 in EB3 - (July - 2007)
Requested to port the I-485 to EB2 category (with I-140 approved for EB2 and EB3 in hand) in Aug-2008 (In Aug-2008) the dates were current for EB2, June-2004
Created an SR in Aug-2009 when in Sept-2009 it was again becoming current for EB2-2004
I-485 Approved on Sept, 2, 2009.
My advise would be :
Prepare the case with the lawyer on the category transfer (EB3->EB2) keeping the PD same. Wait EB2-Feb, 2007 becomes current and send the application and open an SR. People have noticed that creating the SR is helping but you must have to wait for EB2, Feb-2007 to be current for you.
Note : There is a possibility that your I-485 application is already in EB2 category. I would suggest to take an InfoPass and confirm it in Oct-Nov when there are less people enquring.
Regards
(I am not an attorney)
more...
house taylor swift arrives at
newbie2020
07-07 01:52 PM
Generally you need not pay the taxes right upfront, However if at the end of the year when you file your taxes, if the IRS determines that you owed lot of taxes and you hadn't make any advance payment it could create lot of issues,
Also imagine getting a tax bill for $$$$$ at the end of the year and you need to shell out right huge amount instead of making a small installments (Similar to the W2 withholdings )
Better choice, Make an advance tax payment, it would reduce the tax burden at the end, You may also get a refund.....
You can make the advance payment by getting an voucher and filling the details...., It need not be in both names, it can be just in your wife's name.
Again it doesn't matter how much you want to pay up...Pay like 3-4K per quarter and you are good...At the end of the year if you owe any additional amount you will pay it else if you made any extra payments you will get refund
All of it is just one single payment, Nothing to separate
Also imagine getting a tax bill for $$$$$ at the end of the year and you need to shell out right huge amount instead of making a small installments (Similar to the W2 withholdings )
Better choice, Make an advance tax payment, it would reduce the tax burden at the end, You may also get a refund.....
You can make the advance payment by getting an voucher and filling the details...., It need not be in both names, it can be just in your wife's name.
Again it doesn't matter how much you want to pay up...Pay like 3-4K per quarter and you are good...At the end of the year if you owe any additional amount you will pay it else if you made any extra payments you will get refund
All of it is just one single payment, Nothing to separate
tattoo Taylor Swift 2011 Wall
jay75
08-07 01:34 AM
Received 2 year EAD, with pending I140(EB3 I).
more...
pictures · taylor swift yearbook
retrohatao
07-17 02:41 PM
Am I hysteric or what?
Any ways here is the flash.
My case has been approved and got the so called Magic e-mails stating that the cards have been order
for me and the spouse.
Here is the "series of unfortunate events" :
1.
EB3/TSC
PD: Sometime in 1998
Stuck at labor for three years. Finally cleared in 2000 a month after I was let go.
2. Joined different company in 2001. Encore!!!. Filed GC again in 2001. This time I chose EB2
thought I would save some time.
3. Thanks to the political gimmics, stuck at labor again for three years finally cleared in 2004
4. Elated with the good news, applied i-140 & I-485 in 2004.
5. I-140 cleared without any hitches got EAD too. Expected i-485 to clear with in reasonable
amount of time.
6. Wait!!!, there it goes... the dreaded namecheck stopped it for another two years.
Following is the chronological order:
EB2/TSC
PD : October 17, 2001
LCl : January 7, 2004
RD I140/485 : May 28, 2004
EAD : July 26, 2004
FP Notice Date : February 1, 2005
FP Done : March 22, 2005
I140l : February 11, 2005
Namecheck initiated: June 2004
Namecheck cleared: June 2006.
I-485 cleared and cards ordered: July 2006.
Here is what I did to get out of namecheck:
1. e-mail to FBI on monthly basis
2. Snail mail to FBI, OMBUDSMAN on monthly basis
3. FAX to FBI on monthly basis
3. Involved congressman. Congressman's office contacted USCIS, but did not want to get involved with
FBI directly
4. Involved Senators. Senator's office contacted USCIS, but did not want to get involved with
FBI directly. One senator never even responded
5 got FOPIA.
6. Made the attorney to contact USCIS officially
7. Started the group "namechektracker" on yahoo groups http://groups.yahoo.com/group/namechecktracker/ (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/namechecktracker/)
and almost filed WOM. Only thing left is to send the papers.
8. Tried some contacts with USCIS despite the "NO" from the attorney and the employer.
Just tried some personal mails to USCIS director FBI et all.
Not sure what really worked. Some one from DOJ took time to call me and informed that my
name check got cleared.
moral: Keep your eyes/ears open. DO NOT JUST BELIEVE the words of your attorney.
try the above steps and hope for the best.
Thanks to the forum members!!! I learnt lot from your experience.
I will still be around on this forum and will try to help as much as I can
Any ways here is the flash.
My case has been approved and got the so called Magic e-mails stating that the cards have been order
for me and the spouse.
Here is the "series of unfortunate events" :
1.
EB3/TSC
PD: Sometime in 1998
Stuck at labor for three years. Finally cleared in 2000 a month after I was let go.
2. Joined different company in 2001. Encore!!!. Filed GC again in 2001. This time I chose EB2
thought I would save some time.
3. Thanks to the political gimmics, stuck at labor again for three years finally cleared in 2004
4. Elated with the good news, applied i-140 & I-485 in 2004.
5. I-140 cleared without any hitches got EAD too. Expected i-485 to clear with in reasonable
amount of time.
6. Wait!!!, there it goes... the dreaded namecheck stopped it for another two years.
Following is the chronological order:
EB2/TSC
PD : October 17, 2001
LCl : January 7, 2004
RD I140/485 : May 28, 2004
EAD : July 26, 2004
FP Notice Date : February 1, 2005
FP Done : March 22, 2005
I140l : February 11, 2005
Namecheck initiated: June 2004
Namecheck cleared: June 2006.
I-485 cleared and cards ordered: July 2006.
Here is what I did to get out of namecheck:
1. e-mail to FBI on monthly basis
2. Snail mail to FBI, OMBUDSMAN on monthly basis
3. FAX to FBI on monthly basis
3. Involved congressman. Congressman's office contacted USCIS, but did not want to get involved with
FBI directly
4. Involved Senators. Senator's office contacted USCIS, but did not want to get involved with
FBI directly. One senator never even responded
5 got FOPIA.
6. Made the attorney to contact USCIS officially
7. Started the group "namechektracker" on yahoo groups http://groups.yahoo.com/group/namechecktracker/ (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/namechecktracker/)
and almost filed WOM. Only thing left is to send the papers.
8. Tried some contacts with USCIS despite the "NO" from the attorney and the employer.
Just tried some personal mails to USCIS director FBI et all.
Not sure what really worked. Some one from DOJ took time to call me and informed that my
name check got cleared.
moral: Keep your eyes/ears open. DO NOT JUST BELIEVE the words of your attorney.
try the above steps and hope for the best.
Thanks to the forum members!!! I learnt lot from your experience.
I will still be around on this forum and will try to help as much as I can
dresses Mine taylor swift really did
injrav
07-27 02:53 PM
1. university of illionis springfield
Department of Computer Science (http://csc.uis.edu/information/gadmissions.html)
I think TOEFL is mandatory but not sure about GRE
2. bridge water state college MASACHUESETTES
School of Graduate Studies : School of Graduate Studies : Bridgewater State College (http://www.bridgew.edu/SoGS/graduate.cfm)
mean while let me explore the colleges which you shared with me
Department of Computer Science (http://csc.uis.edu/information/gadmissions.html)
I think TOEFL is mandatory but not sure about GRE
2. bridge water state college MASACHUESETTES
School of Graduate Studies : School of Graduate Studies : Bridgewater State College (http://www.bridgew.edu/SoGS/graduate.cfm)
mean while let me explore the colleges which you shared with me
more...
makeup kelly shift calendar 2011
Lisap
08-03 12:15 PM
Thank you all this helps a lot!! Lisa
girlfriend Taylor Swift Hairstyles
mytv
09-01 09:32 PM
Thank You
hairstyles girlfriend Taylor Swift Retro
reddymjm
05-05 06:00 PM
I am sorry...I know this is irrelevent question here. I want to start new thread. How to start. I am not able find it. :(
Please help and don't give reds.
On home page clikc on forums. Then select a topic. You should see new thread there.
Please help and don't give reds.
On home page clikc on forums. Then select a topic. You should see new thread there.
h1b_forever
10-06 02:07 PM
This is great news. Hope we see some names from the Congress on the list
devang77
07-06 09:49 PM
Interesting Article....
Washington (CNN) -- We're getting to the point where even good news comes wrapped in bad news.
Good news: Despite the terrible June job numbers (125,000 jobs lost as the Census finished its work), one sector continues to gain -- manufacturing.
Factories added 9,000 workers in June, for a total of 136,000 hires since December 2009.
So that's something, yes?
Maybe not. Despite millions of unemployed, despite 2 million job losses in manufacturing between the end of 2007 and the end of 2009, factory employers apparently cannot find the workers they need. Here's what the New York Times reported Friday:
"The problem, the companies say, is a mismatch between the kind of skilled workers needed and the ranks of the unemployed.
"During the recession, domestic manufacturers appear to have accelerated the long-term move toward greater automation, laying off more of their lowest-skilled workers and replacing them with cheaper labor abroad.
"Now they are looking to hire people who can operate sophisticated computerized machinery, follow complex blueprints and demonstrate higher math proficiency than was previously required of the typical assembly line worker."
It may sound like manufacturers are being too fussy. But they face a real problem.
As manufacturing work gets more taxing, manufacturers are looking at a work force that is actually becoming less literate and less skilled.
In 2007, ETS -- the people who run the country's standardized tests -- compiled a battery of scores of basic literacy conducted over the previous 15 years and arrived at a startling warning: On present trends, the country's average score on basic literacy tests will drop by 5 percent by 2030 as compared to 1992.
That's a disturbing headline. Behind the headline is even worse news.
Not everybody's scores are dropping. In fact, ETS estimates that the percentage of Americans who can read at the very highest levels will actually rise slightly by 2030 as compared to 1992 -- a special national "thank you" to all those parents who read to their kids at bedtime!
But that small rise at the top is overbalanced by a collapse of literacy at the bottom.
In 1992, 17 percent of Americans scored at the very lowest literacy level. On present trends, 27 percent of Americans will score at the very lowest level in 2030.
What's driving the deterioration? An immigration policy that favors the unskilled. Immigrants to Canada and Australia typically arrive with very high skills, including English-language competence. But the United States has taken a different course. Since 2000, the United States has received some 10 million migrants, approximately half of them illegal.
Migrants to the United States arrive with much less formal schooling than migrants to Canada and Australia and very poor English-language skills. More than 80 percent of Hispanic adult migrants to the United States score below what ETS deems a minimum level of literacy necessary for success in the U.S. labor market.
Let's put this in concrete terms. Imagine a migrant to the United States. He's hard-working, strong, energetic, determined to get ahead. He speaks almost zero English, and can barely read or write even in Spanish. He completed his last year of formal schooling at age 13 and has been working with his hands ever since.
He's an impressive, even admirable human being. Maybe he reminds some Americans of their grandfather. And had he arrived in this country in 1920, there would have been many, many jobs for him to do that would have paid him a living wage, enabling him to better himself over time -- backbreaking jobs, but jobs that did not pay too much less than what a fully literate English-speaking worker could earn.
During the debt-happy 2000s, that same worker might earn a living assembling houses or landscaping hotels and resorts. But with the Great Recession, the bottom has fallen out of his world. And even when the recession ends, we're not going to be building houses like we used to, or spending money on vacations either.
We may hope that over time the children and grandchildren of America's immigrants of the 1990s and 2000s will do better than their parents and grandparents. For now, the indicators are not good: American-born Hispanics drop out of high school at very high rates.
Over time, yes, they'll probably catch up -- by the 2060s, they'll probably be doing fine.
But over the intervening half century, we are going to face a big problem. We talk a lot about retraining workers, but we don't really know how to do it very well -- particularly workers who cannot read fluently. Our schools are not doing a brilliant job training the native-born less advantaged: even now, a half-century into the civil rights era, still one-third of black Americans read at the lowest level of literacy.
Just as we made bad decisions about physical capital in the 2000s -- overinvesting in houses, underinvesting in airports, roads, trains, and bridges -- so we also made fateful decisions about our human capital: accepting too many unskilled workers from Latin America, too few highly skilled workers from China and India.
We have been operating a human capital policy for the world of 1910, not 2010. And now the Great Recession is exposing the true costs of this malinvestment in human capital. It has wiped away the jobs that less-skilled immigrants can do, that offered them a livelihood and a future. Who knows when or if such jobs will return? Meanwhile the immigrants fitted for success in the 21st century economy were locating in Canada and Australia.
Americans do not believe in problems that cannot be quickly or easily solved. They place their faith in education and re-education. They do not like to remember that it took two and three generations for their own families to acquire the skills necessary to succeed in a technological society. They hate to imagine that their country might be less affluent, more unequal, and less globally competitive in the future because of decisions they are making now. Yet all these things are true.
We cannot predict in advance which skills precisely will be needed by the U.S. economy of a decade hence. Nor should we try, for we'll certainly guess wrong. What we can know is this: Immigrants who arrive with language and math skills, with professional or graduate degrees, will adapt better to whatever the future economy throws at them.
Even more important, their children are much more likely to find a secure footing in the ultratechnological economy of the mid-21st century. And by reducing the flow of very unskilled foreign workers into the United States, we will tighten labor supply in ways that will induce U.S. employers to recruit, train and retain the less-skilled native born, especially African-Americans -- the group hit hardest by the Great Recession of 2008-2010.
In the short term, we need policies to fight the recession. We need monetary stimulus, a cheaper dollar, and lower taxes. But none of these policies can fix the skills mismatch that occurs when an advanced industrial economy must find work for people who cannot read very well, and whose children are not reading much better.
The United States needs a human capital policy that emphasizes skilled immigration and halts unskilled immigration. It needed that policy 15 years ago, but it's not too late to start now.
The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of David Frum.
Why good jobs are going unfilled - CNN.com (http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/07/06/frum.skills.mismatch/index.html?hpt=C2)
Washington (CNN) -- We're getting to the point where even good news comes wrapped in bad news.
Good news: Despite the terrible June job numbers (125,000 jobs lost as the Census finished its work), one sector continues to gain -- manufacturing.
Factories added 9,000 workers in June, for a total of 136,000 hires since December 2009.
So that's something, yes?
Maybe not. Despite millions of unemployed, despite 2 million job losses in manufacturing between the end of 2007 and the end of 2009, factory employers apparently cannot find the workers they need. Here's what the New York Times reported Friday:
"The problem, the companies say, is a mismatch between the kind of skilled workers needed and the ranks of the unemployed.
"During the recession, domestic manufacturers appear to have accelerated the long-term move toward greater automation, laying off more of their lowest-skilled workers and replacing them with cheaper labor abroad.
"Now they are looking to hire people who can operate sophisticated computerized machinery, follow complex blueprints and demonstrate higher math proficiency than was previously required of the typical assembly line worker."
It may sound like manufacturers are being too fussy. But they face a real problem.
As manufacturing work gets more taxing, manufacturers are looking at a work force that is actually becoming less literate and less skilled.
In 2007, ETS -- the people who run the country's standardized tests -- compiled a battery of scores of basic literacy conducted over the previous 15 years and arrived at a startling warning: On present trends, the country's average score on basic literacy tests will drop by 5 percent by 2030 as compared to 1992.
That's a disturbing headline. Behind the headline is even worse news.
Not everybody's scores are dropping. In fact, ETS estimates that the percentage of Americans who can read at the very highest levels will actually rise slightly by 2030 as compared to 1992 -- a special national "thank you" to all those parents who read to their kids at bedtime!
But that small rise at the top is overbalanced by a collapse of literacy at the bottom.
In 1992, 17 percent of Americans scored at the very lowest literacy level. On present trends, 27 percent of Americans will score at the very lowest level in 2030.
What's driving the deterioration? An immigration policy that favors the unskilled. Immigrants to Canada and Australia typically arrive with very high skills, including English-language competence. But the United States has taken a different course. Since 2000, the United States has received some 10 million migrants, approximately half of them illegal.
Migrants to the United States arrive with much less formal schooling than migrants to Canada and Australia and very poor English-language skills. More than 80 percent of Hispanic adult migrants to the United States score below what ETS deems a minimum level of literacy necessary for success in the U.S. labor market.
Let's put this in concrete terms. Imagine a migrant to the United States. He's hard-working, strong, energetic, determined to get ahead. He speaks almost zero English, and can barely read or write even in Spanish. He completed his last year of formal schooling at age 13 and has been working with his hands ever since.
He's an impressive, even admirable human being. Maybe he reminds some Americans of their grandfather. And had he arrived in this country in 1920, there would have been many, many jobs for him to do that would have paid him a living wage, enabling him to better himself over time -- backbreaking jobs, but jobs that did not pay too much less than what a fully literate English-speaking worker could earn.
During the debt-happy 2000s, that same worker might earn a living assembling houses or landscaping hotels and resorts. But with the Great Recession, the bottom has fallen out of his world. And even when the recession ends, we're not going to be building houses like we used to, or spending money on vacations either.
We may hope that over time the children and grandchildren of America's immigrants of the 1990s and 2000s will do better than their parents and grandparents. For now, the indicators are not good: American-born Hispanics drop out of high school at very high rates.
Over time, yes, they'll probably catch up -- by the 2060s, they'll probably be doing fine.
But over the intervening half century, we are going to face a big problem. We talk a lot about retraining workers, but we don't really know how to do it very well -- particularly workers who cannot read fluently. Our schools are not doing a brilliant job training the native-born less advantaged: even now, a half-century into the civil rights era, still one-third of black Americans read at the lowest level of literacy.
Just as we made bad decisions about physical capital in the 2000s -- overinvesting in houses, underinvesting in airports, roads, trains, and bridges -- so we also made fateful decisions about our human capital: accepting too many unskilled workers from Latin America, too few highly skilled workers from China and India.
We have been operating a human capital policy for the world of 1910, not 2010. And now the Great Recession is exposing the true costs of this malinvestment in human capital. It has wiped away the jobs that less-skilled immigrants can do, that offered them a livelihood and a future. Who knows when or if such jobs will return? Meanwhile the immigrants fitted for success in the 21st century economy were locating in Canada and Australia.
Americans do not believe in problems that cannot be quickly or easily solved. They place their faith in education and re-education. They do not like to remember that it took two and three generations for their own families to acquire the skills necessary to succeed in a technological society. They hate to imagine that their country might be less affluent, more unequal, and less globally competitive in the future because of decisions they are making now. Yet all these things are true.
We cannot predict in advance which skills precisely will be needed by the U.S. economy of a decade hence. Nor should we try, for we'll certainly guess wrong. What we can know is this: Immigrants who arrive with language and math skills, with professional or graduate degrees, will adapt better to whatever the future economy throws at them.
Even more important, their children are much more likely to find a secure footing in the ultratechnological economy of the mid-21st century. And by reducing the flow of very unskilled foreign workers into the United States, we will tighten labor supply in ways that will induce U.S. employers to recruit, train and retain the less-skilled native born, especially African-Americans -- the group hit hardest by the Great Recession of 2008-2010.
In the short term, we need policies to fight the recession. We need monetary stimulus, a cheaper dollar, and lower taxes. But none of these policies can fix the skills mismatch that occurs when an advanced industrial economy must find work for people who cannot read very well, and whose children are not reading much better.
The United States needs a human capital policy that emphasizes skilled immigration and halts unskilled immigration. It needed that policy 15 years ago, but it's not too late to start now.
The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of David Frum.
Why good jobs are going unfilled - CNN.com (http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/07/06/frum.skills.mismatch/index.html?hpt=C2)
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire