News of the Day

Good news for IT professionals, US House removes country-cap on Green Cards

The US lawmakers Wednesday passed a Bill aimed at lifting the current seven percent country-cap on issuing Green Cards, a development which would benefit thousands of highly-skilled Indian IT professionals.

A Green Card allows a person to live and work permanently in the US.

Passed by the US House of Representatives, the Bill, on being signed into law, would considerably reduce the agonising wait for talented professionals from countries like India seeking permanent work and residency permits in the United States.

Titled the Fairness of High-Skilled Immigrants Act, 2019 or HR 1044, the Bill was passed by the 435-member House by an overwhelming majority of 365-65 votes. As per the present system, out of the total number of family-based immigrant visas to be given by the US in a particular year, the people of a country can be given a maximum of seven percent of such visas. The new Bill seeks to increase this seven percent per-country limit to 15 percent.

Similarly, it also seeks to eliminate the seven percent per-country cap on employment-based immigrant visas. Additionally, it removes an offset that reduced the number of visas for individuals from China.

The bill also establishes transition rules for employment-based visas from FY 2020-22 by reserving a percentage of EB-2 (workers with advanced degrees or exceptional ability), EB-3 (skilled and other workers) and EB-5 (investors) visas for individuals from other than the two countries that get the largest number of such visas.

As per another provision of the Bill, not more than 85 percent of the unreserved visas, would be allotted to immigrants from any single country.

Before it can be signed into law by the US president, the Bill, however, has to be passed by the Senate, wherein the Republicans enjoy a majority.

An identical bill sponsored by Senators Kamala Harris and Mike Lee are likely to be taken up soon. The Senate bill S386 currently has 34 co-sponsors. Congressman John Curtis, speaking on the floor of the House, said the Bill will create a first-come, first-served system providing certainty to workers and families and enabling the US companies to flourish and compete in a global economy as they hire the brightest people to create products, services, and jobs, regardless of where they were born.

If President Donald Trump “is serious about merit-based legal immigration, he should help usher this bill into law,” said Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren.

The passage of the Bill was hailed by Indian professionals from across the US, particularly those from the Silicon Valley in California, Seattle area in Washington state, the Greater Washington DC area and the tri-state area of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

The Department of Homeland Security, however, has said it does not support the Bill. “This bill would do nothing to move the current employment-sponsored system toward a more merit-based system,” said Joseph S Joh, Assistant Director and Senior Advisor in the Office of Legislative Affairs, Department of Homeland Security.

Top American IT companies welcomed the passage of the bill and urged the Senate to pass it at the earliest.

“Today the US House passed the legislation to ensure people from all countries are treated alike in the Green Card process. This promotes a fair high-skilled immigration system that’s good for the business and our economy,” said Microsoft president Brad Smith.

“This bill will help ensure those seeking permanent residency don’t have to wait for extraordinary long periods, — projected at 50 years or more for people from countries like India and China — simply because of their country of origin,” said FWD.US president Todd Schulte, hailing the passage of the FHSI Act.

FWD.US is an advocacy organization representing top Silicon Valley firms including Facebook, Google, Microsoft and DropBox.

“Eliminating ‘per-country’ caps for employment-based Green Cards and raising caps for family-based green cards will make the system fairer for immigrant families and strengthen the United States’ ability to recruit and retain top global talent by establishing a fair and predictable path to permanent legal status,” he said.

Hindu American Foundation too welcomed the passage of the Bill.

“It is now up to the Senate to ensure that fairness is delivered to high-skilled immigrants who have been stuck in a decades-long backlog waiting for their chance to become full-fledged contributors to the American economy. The time to act is now,” said Jay Kansara of the Hindu American Foundation.

India vs New Zealand, semi-final World Cup 2019: Ravindra Jadeja heroics in vain as India suffer heartbreak against New Zealand

Long after the dust had settled, a smattering of men and women in blue jerseys could be seen in the different corners of Old Trafford, staring vacantly into space, surrounded by a sea of empty bucket seats.

The other Old Trafford — the football stadium next door — is often referred to as the “theatre of dreams”, but for the many thousand travelling Indian fans from across the world, this stadium was the setting of a two-day nightmare. There were brief moments when it seemed their side might tide over, but in the end, there was heartbreak.

India’s stirring World Cup campaign eventually ended in the final over of the semi-final against New Zealand – kept alive by the innings of his life from Ravindra Jadeja and sheet-anchor MS Dhoni. But, in reality, the show was over a whole lot earlier, when India’s heavy-scoring top order of Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and captain Virat Kohli returned to the pavilion, each for a personal score of 1, leaving the team reeling at 5 for 3 in the fourth over.

By the time it was 24 for four in the 10th, what had appeared to be an eminently gettable target of 240, even in overcast conditions, was a bridge too far. The table-topping Indians were all but grounded; the stuttering Kiwis destined to fly into Sunday’s final at Lord’s.

“We’re all feeling dejected because we played well in this tournament – even in the first half of this match. But we experienced 45 minutes of bad cricket, and that put us out of the World Cup,” Kohli said later, underscoring the many inglorious uncertainties of the glorious game.

But there was more to the Indian defeat than a wicked twist of fate. Questions were asked even when the squad was first announced about whether a side that had traded pedigreed batsmen for utility players would be able to survive the English summer. There was one scare when the top-order collapsed against Afghanistan midway through the tournament. On Wednesday, on a lively track, fiery opening spells by Trent Boult and Matt Henry made those fears a brutal reality.

Since persistent rain on Tuesday pushed the semi-final into its reserve day, New Zealand resumed at an overnight score of 211 for five. Thanks to Jadeja’s heroics on the field – a direct-hit run-out and a soaring catch on the ropes – they added only 28 runs from the remaining 23 balls in their innings, setting the stage for India’s chase.

Sharma, with 647 runs in the tournament when he stepped in to bat, was the first to go, fiddling with a Matt Henry delivery that straightened so very late. Next over, Trent Boult set up danger man Kohli with a delivery that came in from outside off-stump and then trapped him LBW with one that pitched in line. A disbelieving Kohli threw his bat in the air as he walked back, only to be followed soon after by Rahul, who nicked Henry three deliveries later.

After a few starts and stops, Dhoni and Jadeja came together at 92-6 for what could’ve already been considered a lost cause. There were pokes and blocks at Dhoni’s end, and cuts and drives at Jadeja’s in the course of a 116-run stand that settled nerves before reviving hopes. At 203-6 after 47 overs, with 37 needed of 18 balls, it suddenly seemed as if the unthinkable might happen.

“We all felt in the change room that Jadeja could close this match out,” said Kohli at the press conference, speaking about an innings studded with four sixes and as many fours.

But it was all over in a blur of hands and legs. Jadeja mistimed a hoick off Boult; and Dhoni, just as he was changing gears, fell millimetres short of a direct hit by Martin Guptill.

India were done. “Difficult to take it,” Kohli admitted later, “but New Zealand deserve it,” he added graciously.

Source – Hindustan Times

shivam