US: House Vote Lift Country Restrictions but No Hike in Quantum of Visas
by Vinita Amrit - November 30, 2011
New US Immigration law lift restrictions on the number of Visas can increase waiting time for Asians.
In a move aimed to end immigration woes and allowing more highly skilled workers to stay in the United States, the house has passes a resolution Tuesday to end per-country caps on immigration visas. Although the new law would eliminate the current law disallows more than 7% employment-based visas to any country, immigration experts have expressed disappointment as no changes have been made to the number of visas to be issued.
The Obama administration has been under severe criticism for failing to amend the country’s immigration policies and even though the current move is a step forward but a half baked law would not help workers in getting Visas any quicker in the long run.
Currently, the US State Department issues nearly 140,000 green cards annually to foreign nationals working in the country but with no hike in the new law being introduced, immigration experts are of the view that the amendment would simply increase the processing time for Asian workers to get visas and green cards.
The Chaffetz Bill: A Half Baked Law: The legislation known as the Chaffetz bill passed 389-15 is one the rare bills being passed under the Obama administration to end immigration woes. Although most immigration experts have applauded the Congress for bringing in some positive changes on the issue, the bill is half-baked, as it does nothing to hike the number of visas.
Making no changes to the number of Visas would simply mean a longer waiting period especially for Asians. Even as the government has announced that applications for visa would be considered on a first cum first basis, there are fears that skilled workers from countries like South Korea would have to wait an additional two years in their immigration process to get green cards while an Indian could be on the waiting list for decades.
Long waiting Periods A Turn Off: Immigration experts and corporations have been pushing for massive structural change in the country’s immigration laws to speed up the process. The longer waiting periods they claim are contributing to a reverse brain drain as applicants move back to their respective nations rather than wait for decades for a green card.
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