Job visa reversal hits immigrants |
The US State Department reversed itself on a visa bulletin it had issued earlier in the month, disappointing thousands of Indian American residents who would have been eligible to file applications for employment-based green cards and creating new hurdles in the process.In response to an executive order issued last year by President Barack Obama – which seeks to simplify and unburden a backlogged immigration system – the State Department first stated that applicants whose eligibility dates were prior to July 2011 could file applications for EB2 or EB3-based green cards. But on Sept. 25, the State Department said that only those whose eligibility dates were prior to July 2009 could apply. As a result, thousands of people were affected by the State Department`s reversal on eligibility. This is improper and unlawful as several people had already paid more than $2,000 and undergone medical examinations. U.S. immigration system is based on country quotas; each year, 366,000 family and employment-based green cards are apportioned out to countries. India receives 7 percent of these visas each year, for a total of 25,620 green cards. Two-thirds of the allocation is given to those applying through family ties. The remaining 8,250 are apportioned out to employment-based categories.
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