pointlesswait
01-21 11:22 AM
it sounds like it came right out of his a$$
:p
This rumour sounds like its straight out of timesofindia :p;)
:p
This rumour sounds like its straight out of timesofindia :p;)
dtekkedil
07-05 02:21 PM
by now everybody might have heard stories about how USCIS pulled staff and worked overtime and weekends to utilize the 60k visas in one month to prevent the july 485 filings.
What I am wondering is why did they do it. One obvious reason is the incresed fee comming into effect from July 30 2007. In addition to it what are the other reasons.
Is there any agenda within USCIS to prevent people from getting EAD and ac21 benefits?
Is USCIS filled with anti immgrant mentality who have takem upon themselves to make our lives difficult?
My guess is that this was done by the Bush Govt! So that there would be an outcry and he can get his CIR bill back into the senate. I hope it works!
What I am wondering is why did they do it. One obvious reason is the incresed fee comming into effect from July 30 2007. In addition to it what are the other reasons.
Is there any agenda within USCIS to prevent people from getting EAD and ac21 benefits?
Is USCIS filled with anti immgrant mentality who have takem upon themselves to make our lives difficult?
My guess is that this was done by the Bush Govt! So that there would be an outcry and he can get his CIR bill back into the senate. I hope it works!
desixp
08-31 11:36 PM
Intresting topic in NYTimes.com
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/31/us/31elder.html?_r=1&em
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/31/us/31elder.html?_r=1&em
![album linkin park minutes to midnight. [Album] Linkin Park - Minutes](http://i805.photobucket.com/albums/yy336/torai/NMN/Linkin%2520Park/CD-LinkinPark-MinutesToMidnightB-2.jpg "[Album] Linkin Park - Minutes")
fromnaija
09-26 01:32 PM
Hi All,
My visa will expire (6 yrs completion) in the month of October 2007. What can I do next. Will I get an years extension based on the Green card filing. What is the standard procedure ?
CCC2006
Fiirst, I think you should have started a new thread with your question and not bury it under this discussion. Having said that, to get an extension after the six year H limit, you need to have labor certification application filed at least 365 days prior to your expiry date or alternatively have an immigrant petition approved on your behalf by that date.
My visa will expire (6 yrs completion) in the month of October 2007. What can I do next. Will I get an years extension based on the Green card filing. What is the standard procedure ?
CCC2006
Fiirst, I think you should have started a new thread with your question and not bury it under this discussion. Having said that, to get an extension after the six year H limit, you need to have labor certification application filed at least 365 days prior to your expiry date or alternatively have an immigrant petition approved on your behalf by that date.
more...
satyasaich
07-21 09:14 AM
When i was in a fortune 5 earlier in my career, Fragomen & Assc were my attorneys as well. Never had such thing in the past nor heard of it. By the way, thousands of people work from home in a company where i was also working from home till yesterday. ( today 7/21 i don't have a job due to EAD processing delays )
it's just their inability to explain the business model. For example, if you are in IBM, they have only few offices in midwest and most of the people work from home & travel to client site based on necessity. Some of the positions ( suchas DBA / Unix Admin/ Web Admin etc;)doesn't even require presence at client location not even once in an year.
That's how the business model is existing. just because some officers / clerks in USCIS doesn't understand / nor interpret properly the vebiage or context of law, it's their traning issue. worst case scenario, that's why we pay hefty amounts to so called 'immigration attorneys' to 'explain' the law & to work with USCIS officials to do the 'CORRECT' thing
Normally my wife is the one who is used to post or follow up on the latest here.
This came up a week ago. I have been working from home in a different state and we do not have any company office near my home. Nearest office location is about 3 hours. I had to move this far away due to personal reasons.
Now after working from home for 3 years (extending EAD, H1Bs etc) Fragomen (most of you know who they are) says I cannot do work from home anymore due to this conflict with uscis. it seems USCIS doesnt recognize your home as a Govt recognized work location. Hence I cannot work from home.
Now my manager wants me to only work from the office since folks reporting to me are also in that state. Now he is using Fragomen and HR emails as a reason for me to move back.
Anythoughts ? I am sure you all will agree that is the law. but why all this now ? even after working for 12 years.
One other point the fragomen lawyer said is - this is going to be the case for all thier clients.
it's just their inability to explain the business model. For example, if you are in IBM, they have only few offices in midwest and most of the people work from home & travel to client site based on necessity. Some of the positions ( suchas DBA / Unix Admin/ Web Admin etc;)doesn't even require presence at client location not even once in an year.
That's how the business model is existing. just because some officers / clerks in USCIS doesn't understand / nor interpret properly the vebiage or context of law, it's their traning issue. worst case scenario, that's why we pay hefty amounts to so called 'immigration attorneys' to 'explain' the law & to work with USCIS officials to do the 'CORRECT' thing
Normally my wife is the one who is used to post or follow up on the latest here.
This came up a week ago. I have been working from home in a different state and we do not have any company office near my home. Nearest office location is about 3 hours. I had to move this far away due to personal reasons.
Now after working from home for 3 years (extending EAD, H1Bs etc) Fragomen (most of you know who they are) says I cannot do work from home anymore due to this conflict with uscis. it seems USCIS doesnt recognize your home as a Govt recognized work location. Hence I cannot work from home.
Now my manager wants me to only work from the office since folks reporting to me are also in that state. Now he is using Fragomen and HR emails as a reason for me to move back.
Anythoughts ? I am sure you all will agree that is the law. but why all this now ? even after working for 12 years.
One other point the fragomen lawyer said is - this is going to be the case for all thier clients.
nitkad
03-20 05:07 PM
Thanks, according to your reply, it seems it will be good if I leave the company before the I140 gets revoked. Also, what happens if it gets revoked after I leave the company?
more...
satyasaich
05-01 02:05 PM
Yes. Please see
the web site
Does - Emergency Appoinment include - people already
working in US ? are you sure ?
the web site
Does - Emergency Appoinment include - people already
working in US ? are you sure ?
pnjbindia
10-08 03:46 PM
There is no way to delay it. The only thing you could have done was, NOT send a document like employment letter, or didnt complete all vaccinations for medical. This wd generate an RFE, but at least wdnt catch you by surprise....
No. Is there any way to get it delayed till my marriage ?
No. Is there any way to get it delayed till my marriage ?
more...
purgan
08-15 03:17 PM
congrats grupak. enjoy the freedom
Thanks for your contributions to IV.
Thanks for your contributions to IV.
Dustinthewind
01-05 12:48 AM
@sanju_dba - Sorry to disappoint you. We did think about making a documentary, but in the end we all figured that a lot more people might be interested in a narrative feature film. Perhaps we are wrong, but it was just a decision that our team collectively made.
@waitingnwaiting - Thanks for your honest feedback. You are right about a lot of things. All I can say is, I've been in this country for over 10 years still waiting for a green card like a lot of people. I just wanted to do something to make more people aware of the issues. I'm passionate about film making so I figured way I can do it is to make a film about stories based on my personal experience. Now, I don't know how the audience will perceive the film or if it will change their mind. But one thing's for sure, we all have given our best to this film and attempted to tell stories that have affected our lives.
Thanks again for the comments.
@waitingnwaiting - Thanks for your honest feedback. You are right about a lot of things. All I can say is, I've been in this country for over 10 years still waiting for a green card like a lot of people. I just wanted to do something to make more people aware of the issues. I'm passionate about film making so I figured way I can do it is to make a film about stories based on my personal experience. Now, I don't know how the audience will perceive the film or if it will change their mind. But one thing's for sure, we all have given our best to this film and attempted to tell stories that have affected our lives.
Thanks again for the comments.
more...
UniGum
09-21 02:45 PM
let us hope and pray bec will do something to finish this ASAP.... it's too much depressing....
GCard_Dream
07-10 02:48 PM
I found the answer from the I-693 form. X-ray is only needed in the following situation:
Chest X-Ray - Required ONLY for TST reactions of > 5mm or if specific TST exception criteria met, or for an applicant with TB symptoms or immunosuppression (e.g., HIV). Attach copy of X-Ray Report.
Here is the detailed explanation from USCIS on the the new TB test requirements:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dq/pdf/civil_surgeons_ti.pdf
Chest X-Ray - Required ONLY for TST reactions of > 5mm or if specific TST exception criteria met, or for an applicant with TB symptoms or immunosuppression (e.g., HIV). Attach copy of X-Ray Report.
Here is the detailed explanation from USCIS on the the new TB test requirements:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dq/pdf/civil_surgeons_ti.pdf
more...
InTheMoment
04-22 11:47 AM
There is absolutely nothing strange in the RFE that you got, it is as vanilla a RFE as it can get.
Just mention the duties and the title as they are in your Labor Cert. do not mix the H1-B title/duties with this one.
That said, there are several resources within the forums where you can get specific info on how to answer these !
Good luck :)
Just mention the duties and the title as they are in your Labor Cert. do not mix the H1-B title/duties with this one.
That said, there are several resources within the forums where you can get specific info on how to answer these !
Good luck :)
Munna Bhai
01-09 01:44 PM
NSC is processing 140's filed on or before Apr 6,2007 - Once the processing dates shows your filing date, on 31st day, you can ask your employer to open a service request. NSC respond to your SR within 45 days. Hope this helps.
any more inputs??
any more inputs??
more...
walking_dude
03-17 03:28 PM
By contributing monetarily to IVs lobbying efforts.
IV keeps monitoring the newly presented bills in both houses of Congress through its lobbysists and attempts to attach increase to EB quotas to such bills. These efforts require lobbying the US Congressmen and lobbying requires money.
Since IV has limited number of recurring contributors and one-time contributors it has a limited budget. Also, this being an election year chance of any major immigration-related bill passing is remote (immigration being a politically sensitive subject ). Hence IV has been lobbying for Administrative fixes, in the interim, which are more achievable.
If all the IV members become regular contributors, IV will have surplus funds so that it can lobby hard and with more lawmakers to include EB GC increase in all possible legislations.
I checked the full text of this bill, it does not have anything else besides temporary quota increase for H-1B.
How can we actively participate in this process? How can we find out about such bills when they are still in the works and make suggestions to the lawmakers to include relief for EB issues?
IV keeps monitoring the newly presented bills in both houses of Congress through its lobbysists and attempts to attach increase to EB quotas to such bills. These efforts require lobbying the US Congressmen and lobbying requires money.
Since IV has limited number of recurring contributors and one-time contributors it has a limited budget. Also, this being an election year chance of any major immigration-related bill passing is remote (immigration being a politically sensitive subject ). Hence IV has been lobbying for Administrative fixes, in the interim, which are more achievable.
If all the IV members become regular contributors, IV will have surplus funds so that it can lobby hard and with more lawmakers to include EB GC increase in all possible legislations.
I checked the full text of this bill, it does not have anything else besides temporary quota increase for H-1B.
How can we actively participate in this process? How can we find out about such bills when they are still in the works and make suggestions to the lawmakers to include relief for EB issues?
desi3933
03-04 11:58 AM
>> Do you have a Green Card?
This is not a legal question. If question is posted on web-site, that can be reported.
The questions should be
1. Do you have the legal right (i.e. appropriate documentation/work permit) to work in this job position?
2. Can you (the applicant), within 3 business days of employment, submit verification of both your identity and your authorization to work in the U.S. pursuant to the U.S. Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986?
________________________
Not a legal advice.
US citizen of Indian origin
This is not a legal question. If question is posted on web-site, that can be reported.
The questions should be
1. Do you have the legal right (i.e. appropriate documentation/work permit) to work in this job position?
2. Can you (the applicant), within 3 business days of employment, submit verification of both your identity and your authorization to work in the U.S. pursuant to the U.S. Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986?
________________________
Not a legal advice.
US citizen of Indian origin
more...
mambarg
08-05 11:44 PM
I took some time to compile the list of INDIA only EB3 and EB2 categories for past 2 years and from the trend, it is very easy to predict the Oct bulletin.
It does not need a attorney or spies. You just need to work up the numbers.
I did this only for INDIA. Any chinese can complile it for China.
MONTH EB2 EB3
Aug 05 C 01APR01
Sep 05 C U
Oct 05 01NOV99 01JAN98
Nov 05 01NOV99 01JAN98
Dec 05 01JUL00 1-Jan-99
Jan 06 01JAN01 01JUN99
Feb 06 01AUG01 01JAN00
Mar 06 01JAN02 01JAN01
Apr 06 01JUL02 01FEB01
May 06 01JAN03 01MAR01
Jun 06 01JAN03 08APR01
Jul 06 01JAN03 15APR01
Aug 06 U 01APR01
Sep 06 U 15APR01
Oct 06 15JUN02 22-Apr-01
Nov 06 01JAN03 APRIL01
Dec 06 08JAN03
Jan 07 Jan03 May01
Feb 07 Jan03 May01
Mar 07 Jan03 May01
Apr 07 Jan03 May01
May 07 Jan03 May01
Jun 07 Apr04 Jun03
Jul 07 C C
Aug 07 U U
Sep 07 Jan03 May01
Oct 07 Jan03 May01
Nov 07 Jul03 June02
Dec 07 Jul03 Jun02
Jan 08 Jan04 Jun02
Feb 08 Jan04 Jun02
Here is my analysis.
Bulletin dates moves by six months as max jump for EB2 and 1 month for EB3.
Begining of New year in Oct, they conservatively pull back the numbers so as to flush out pending apps.
Now since they have already flushed apps in June/July, in Nov they will move EB2 by six months and possibly either stop there or make it one full year by moving it by another six months.
For EB3, they like to get it stuck at mid year so Jun02.
Guys, give a thought to this trend and see if you can guess more accurately.
It does not need a attorney or spies. You just need to work up the numbers.
I did this only for INDIA. Any chinese can complile it for China.
MONTH EB2 EB3
Aug 05 C 01APR01
Sep 05 C U
Oct 05 01NOV99 01JAN98
Nov 05 01NOV99 01JAN98
Dec 05 01JUL00 1-Jan-99
Jan 06 01JAN01 01JUN99
Feb 06 01AUG01 01JAN00
Mar 06 01JAN02 01JAN01
Apr 06 01JUL02 01FEB01
May 06 01JAN03 01MAR01
Jun 06 01JAN03 08APR01
Jul 06 01JAN03 15APR01
Aug 06 U 01APR01
Sep 06 U 15APR01
Oct 06 15JUN02 22-Apr-01
Nov 06 01JAN03 APRIL01
Dec 06 08JAN03
Jan 07 Jan03 May01
Feb 07 Jan03 May01
Mar 07 Jan03 May01
Apr 07 Jan03 May01
May 07 Jan03 May01
Jun 07 Apr04 Jun03
Jul 07 C C
Aug 07 U U
Sep 07 Jan03 May01
Oct 07 Jan03 May01
Nov 07 Jul03 June02
Dec 07 Jul03 Jun02
Jan 08 Jan04 Jun02
Feb 08 Jan04 Jun02
Here is my analysis.
Bulletin dates moves by six months as max jump for EB2 and 1 month for EB3.
Begining of New year in Oct, they conservatively pull back the numbers so as to flush out pending apps.
Now since they have already flushed apps in June/July, in Nov they will move EB2 by six months and possibly either stop there or make it one full year by moving it by another six months.
For EB3, they like to get it stuck at mid year so Jun02.
Guys, give a thought to this trend and see if you can guess more accurately.
namm80
01-10 04:42 PM
So, this would mean anyone stuck in name check should never receive FP--correct? I don't think that's the case...i know of a lot of people who get FP notices every 15 (or is it 18?) months or so and are stuck in name checks forever.
The two processes Name check & FP are parallel, not sequential.
I have myself not rcvd FP - July 2nd filer NSC-CSC-NSC transfer victim :-). My way of looking at things is that CSC transferred I-485 to NSC in late September. So my I-485 is queued after an August 17th filer. August 17th filers have rcvd their FPs recently (Bay Area, CA), so it should not be that far away. (BTW, I am not dying to get FP done, i just want to shorten my stay-alert-for-FP window and get it over with it)
USCIS works in strange ways...i may be using logic that's beyond their IQ :)
Take it easy...
Applied July 23rd NSC. Receipt notice July 23rd and again another receipt September once my case went to CSC and back to NSC.
Got AP and EAD issued from CA (laguna Niguel USCIS) though not without headaches (RFE on AP)
took infopass appointment last week and officer said FPs havent been issued because Background check still not cleared for me (wife cleared but she will not get FP notice until mine is cleared). This is possibly the same reason you have not received yours. looks like i am stuck for the long haul in name check clearance.
good luck to you!
The two processes Name check & FP are parallel, not sequential.
I have myself not rcvd FP - July 2nd filer NSC-CSC-NSC transfer victim :-). My way of looking at things is that CSC transferred I-485 to NSC in late September. So my I-485 is queued after an August 17th filer. August 17th filers have rcvd their FPs recently (Bay Area, CA), so it should not be that far away. (BTW, I am not dying to get FP done, i just want to shorten my stay-alert-for-FP window and get it over with it)
USCIS works in strange ways...i may be using logic that's beyond their IQ :)
Take it easy...
Applied July 23rd NSC. Receipt notice July 23rd and again another receipt September once my case went to CSC and back to NSC.
Got AP and EAD issued from CA (laguna Niguel USCIS) though not without headaches (RFE on AP)
took infopass appointment last week and officer said FPs havent been issued because Background check still not cleared for me (wife cleared but she will not get FP notice until mine is cleared). This is possibly the same reason you have not received yours. looks like i am stuck for the long haul in name check clearance.
good luck to you!
purgan
01-22 11:35 AM
http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/5585.html
The Immigrant Technologist:
Studying Technology Transfer with China
Q&A with: William Kerr and Michael Roberts
Published: January 22, 2007
Author: Michael Roberts
Executive Summary:
Immigrants account for almost half of Ph.D.-level scientists and engineers in the U.S., and are prime drivers of technology development. Increasingly, however, Chinese technologists and entrepreneurs are staying home to pursue opportunities. Is this a brain drain? Professor William Kerr discusses the phenomena of technology transfer and implications for U.S.-based businesses and policymakers.
The trend of Chinese technologists and entrepreneurs staying home rather than moving to the United States is a trend that potentially offers both harm and opportunity to U.S.-based interests.
Immigrants account for almost half of Ph.D.-level scientists and engineers in the U.S. and are strong contributors to American technology development. It is in the United States' interest to attract and retain this highly skilled group.
U.S. multinationals are placing larger shares of their R&D into foreign countries, around 15 percent today. U.S.-based ethnic scientists within multinationals help facilitate the operation of these foreign direct investment facilities in their home countries.
Immigrants account for almost half of Ph.D.-level scientists and engineers in the U.S., and are prime drivers of technology development. Increasingly, however, Chinese technologists and entrepreneurs are staying home to pursue opportunities. Is this a brain drain?
Q: Describe your research and how it relates to what you observed in China.
A: My research focuses on technology transfer through ethnic scientific and entrepreneurial networks. Traditional models of technology diffusion suggest that if you have a great idea, people who are ten feet away from you will learn about that idea first, followed by people who are 100 miles away, and so forth in concentric circles. My research on ethnic networks suggests this channel facilitates faster knowledge transfer and faster adoption of foreign technologies. For example, if the Chinese have a strong presence in the U.S. computer industry, relative to other ethnic groups, then computer technologies diffuse faster to China than elsewhere. This is true even for computer advances made by Americans, as the U.S.-based Chinese increase awareness and tacit knowledge development regarding these advances in their home country.
Q: Is your research relevant to other countries as well?
China is at a tipping point for entrepreneurship on an international scale.A: Yes, I have extended my empirical work to include over thirty industries and nine ethnicities, including Indian, Japanese, Korean, and Hispanic. It is very important to develop a broad sample to quantify correctly the overall importance of these networks. The Silicon Valley Chinese are a very special case, and my work seeks to understand the larger benefit these networks provide throughout the global economy. These macroeconomic findings are important inputs to business and policy circles.
Q: What makes technology transfer happen? Is it entrepreneurial opportunity in the home country, a loyalty to the home country, or government policies that encourage or require people to come home?
A: It's all of those. Surveys of these diasporic communities suggest they aid their home countries through both formal business relationships and informal contacts. Formal mechanisms run the spectrum from direct financial investment in overseas businesses that pursue technology opportunities to facilitating contracts and market awareness. Informal contacts are more frequent�the evidence we have suggests they are at least twice as common�and even more diverse in nature. Ongoing research will allow us to better distinguish these channels. A Beijing scholar we met on the trip, Henry Wang, and I are currently surveying a large population of Chinese entrepreneurs to paint a more comprehensive picture of the micro-underpinnings of this phenomena.
Q: What about multinational corporations? How do they fit into this scenario?
A: One of the strongest trends of globalization is that U.S. multinationals are placing larger shares of their R&D into foreign countries. About 5 percent of U.S.-sponsored R&D was done in foreign countries in the 1980s, and that number is around 15 percent today. We visited Microsoft's R&D center in Beijing to learn more about its R&D efforts and interactions with the U.S. parent. This facility was founded in the late 1990s, and it has already grown to house a third of Microsoft's basic-science R&D researchers. More broadly, HBS assistant professor Fritz Foley and I are working on a research project that has found that U.S.-based ethnic scientists within multinationals like Microsoft help facilitate the operation of these foreign direct investment facilities in their home countries.
Q: Does your research have implications for U.S. policy?
A: One implication concerns immigration levels. It is interesting to note that while immigrants account for about 15 percent of the U.S. working population, they account for almost half of our Ph.D.-level scientists and engineers. Even within the Ph.D. ranks, foreign-born individuals have a disproportionate number of Nobel Prizes, elections to the National Academy of Sciences, patent citations, and so forth. They are a very strong contributor to U.S. technology development, so it is in the United States' interest to attract and retain this highly skilled group. It is one of the easiest policy levers we have to influence our nation's rate of innovation.
Q: Are countries that send their scholars to the United States losing their best and brightest?
A: My research shows that having these immigrant scientists, entrepreneurs, and engineers in the United States helps facilitate faster technology transfer from the United States, which in turn aids economic growth and development. This is certainly a positive benefit diasporas bring to their home countries. It is important to note, however, that a number of factors should be considered in the "brain drain" versus "brain gain" debate, for which I do not think there is a clear answer today.
Q: Where does China stand in relation to some of the classic tiger economies that we've seen in the past in terms of technology transfer?
A: Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, and similar smaller economies have achieved a full transition from agriculture-based economies to industrialized economies. In those situations, technology transfer increases labor productivity and wages directly. The interesting thing about China and also India is that about half of their populations are still employed in the agricultural sector. In this scenario, technology transfer may lead to faster sector reallocation�workers moving from agriculture to industry�which can weaken wage growth compared with the classic tiger economy example. This is an interesting dynamic we see in China today.
Q: The export growth that technology may engender is only one prong of the mechanism that helps economic development. Does technology also make purely domestic industries more productive?
A: Absolutely. My research shows that countries do increase their exports in industries that receive large technology infusions, but non-exporting industries also benefit from technology gains. Moreover, the technology transfer can raise wages in sectors that do not rely on technology to the extent there is labor mobility across sectors. A hairdresser in the United States, for example, makes more money than a hairdresser in China, and that is due in large part to the wage equilibrium that occurs across occupations and skill categories within an economy. Technology transfer may alter the wage premiums assigned to certain skill sets, for example, increasing the wage gaps between skilled and unskilled workers, but the wage shifts can feed across sectors through labor mobility.
Q: What are the implications for the future?
A: Historically, the United States has been very successful at the retention of foreign-born, Ph.D.-level scientists, inventors, and entrepreneurs. As China and India continue to develop, they will become more attractive places to live and to start companies. The returnee pattern may accelerate as foreign infrastructures become more developed for entrepreneurship. This is not going to happen over the next three years, but it is quite likely over the next thirty to fifty years. My current research is exploring how this reverse migration would impact the United States' rate of progress.
About the author
Michael Roberts is a senior lecturer in the Entrepreneurial Management unit at Harvard Business School.
The Immigrant Technologist:
Studying Technology Transfer with China
Q&A with: William Kerr and Michael Roberts
Published: January 22, 2007
Author: Michael Roberts
Executive Summary:
Immigrants account for almost half of Ph.D.-level scientists and engineers in the U.S., and are prime drivers of technology development. Increasingly, however, Chinese technologists and entrepreneurs are staying home to pursue opportunities. Is this a brain drain? Professor William Kerr discusses the phenomena of technology transfer and implications for U.S.-based businesses and policymakers.
The trend of Chinese technologists and entrepreneurs staying home rather than moving to the United States is a trend that potentially offers both harm and opportunity to U.S.-based interests.
Immigrants account for almost half of Ph.D.-level scientists and engineers in the U.S. and are strong contributors to American technology development. It is in the United States' interest to attract and retain this highly skilled group.
U.S. multinationals are placing larger shares of their R&D into foreign countries, around 15 percent today. U.S.-based ethnic scientists within multinationals help facilitate the operation of these foreign direct investment facilities in their home countries.
Immigrants account for almost half of Ph.D.-level scientists and engineers in the U.S., and are prime drivers of technology development. Increasingly, however, Chinese technologists and entrepreneurs are staying home to pursue opportunities. Is this a brain drain?
Q: Describe your research and how it relates to what you observed in China.
A: My research focuses on technology transfer through ethnic scientific and entrepreneurial networks. Traditional models of technology diffusion suggest that if you have a great idea, people who are ten feet away from you will learn about that idea first, followed by people who are 100 miles away, and so forth in concentric circles. My research on ethnic networks suggests this channel facilitates faster knowledge transfer and faster adoption of foreign technologies. For example, if the Chinese have a strong presence in the U.S. computer industry, relative to other ethnic groups, then computer technologies diffuse faster to China than elsewhere. This is true even for computer advances made by Americans, as the U.S.-based Chinese increase awareness and tacit knowledge development regarding these advances in their home country.
Q: Is your research relevant to other countries as well?
China is at a tipping point for entrepreneurship on an international scale.A: Yes, I have extended my empirical work to include over thirty industries and nine ethnicities, including Indian, Japanese, Korean, and Hispanic. It is very important to develop a broad sample to quantify correctly the overall importance of these networks. The Silicon Valley Chinese are a very special case, and my work seeks to understand the larger benefit these networks provide throughout the global economy. These macroeconomic findings are important inputs to business and policy circles.
Q: What makes technology transfer happen? Is it entrepreneurial opportunity in the home country, a loyalty to the home country, or government policies that encourage or require people to come home?
A: It's all of those. Surveys of these diasporic communities suggest they aid their home countries through both formal business relationships and informal contacts. Formal mechanisms run the spectrum from direct financial investment in overseas businesses that pursue technology opportunities to facilitating contracts and market awareness. Informal contacts are more frequent�the evidence we have suggests they are at least twice as common�and even more diverse in nature. Ongoing research will allow us to better distinguish these channels. A Beijing scholar we met on the trip, Henry Wang, and I are currently surveying a large population of Chinese entrepreneurs to paint a more comprehensive picture of the micro-underpinnings of this phenomena.
Q: What about multinational corporations? How do they fit into this scenario?
A: One of the strongest trends of globalization is that U.S. multinationals are placing larger shares of their R&D into foreign countries. About 5 percent of U.S.-sponsored R&D was done in foreign countries in the 1980s, and that number is around 15 percent today. We visited Microsoft's R&D center in Beijing to learn more about its R&D efforts and interactions with the U.S. parent. This facility was founded in the late 1990s, and it has already grown to house a third of Microsoft's basic-science R&D researchers. More broadly, HBS assistant professor Fritz Foley and I are working on a research project that has found that U.S.-based ethnic scientists within multinationals like Microsoft help facilitate the operation of these foreign direct investment facilities in their home countries.
Q: Does your research have implications for U.S. policy?
A: One implication concerns immigration levels. It is interesting to note that while immigrants account for about 15 percent of the U.S. working population, they account for almost half of our Ph.D.-level scientists and engineers. Even within the Ph.D. ranks, foreign-born individuals have a disproportionate number of Nobel Prizes, elections to the National Academy of Sciences, patent citations, and so forth. They are a very strong contributor to U.S. technology development, so it is in the United States' interest to attract and retain this highly skilled group. It is one of the easiest policy levers we have to influence our nation's rate of innovation.
Q: Are countries that send their scholars to the United States losing their best and brightest?
A: My research shows that having these immigrant scientists, entrepreneurs, and engineers in the United States helps facilitate faster technology transfer from the United States, which in turn aids economic growth and development. This is certainly a positive benefit diasporas bring to their home countries. It is important to note, however, that a number of factors should be considered in the "brain drain" versus "brain gain" debate, for which I do not think there is a clear answer today.
Q: Where does China stand in relation to some of the classic tiger economies that we've seen in the past in terms of technology transfer?
A: Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, and similar smaller economies have achieved a full transition from agriculture-based economies to industrialized economies. In those situations, technology transfer increases labor productivity and wages directly. The interesting thing about China and also India is that about half of their populations are still employed in the agricultural sector. In this scenario, technology transfer may lead to faster sector reallocation�workers moving from agriculture to industry�which can weaken wage growth compared with the classic tiger economy example. This is an interesting dynamic we see in China today.
Q: The export growth that technology may engender is only one prong of the mechanism that helps economic development. Does technology also make purely domestic industries more productive?
A: Absolutely. My research shows that countries do increase their exports in industries that receive large technology infusions, but non-exporting industries also benefit from technology gains. Moreover, the technology transfer can raise wages in sectors that do not rely on technology to the extent there is labor mobility across sectors. A hairdresser in the United States, for example, makes more money than a hairdresser in China, and that is due in large part to the wage equilibrium that occurs across occupations and skill categories within an economy. Technology transfer may alter the wage premiums assigned to certain skill sets, for example, increasing the wage gaps between skilled and unskilled workers, but the wage shifts can feed across sectors through labor mobility.
Q: What are the implications for the future?
A: Historically, the United States has been very successful at the retention of foreign-born, Ph.D.-level scientists, inventors, and entrepreneurs. As China and India continue to develop, they will become more attractive places to live and to start companies. The returnee pattern may accelerate as foreign infrastructures become more developed for entrepreneurship. This is not going to happen over the next three years, but it is quite likely over the next thirty to fifty years. My current research is exploring how this reverse migration would impact the United States' rate of progress.
About the author
Michael Roberts is a senior lecturer in the Entrepreneurial Management unit at Harvard Business School.
sundarpn
04-16 06:40 PM
I have still not converted my I-140 to premium with my current employer, though I intend to right away. But, that will take a month (upto 15 bus. days) and then say 2 weeks to try to get the copy of I-140.
Till then I cannot hold the other job offer.
Till then I cannot hold the other job offer.
DSLStart
07-28 09:53 PM
Application Type: I140 , IMMIGRANT PETITION FOR ALIEN WORKER
Current Status: This case has been sent to another office for processing because it has jurisdiction over the case.
On July 23, 2009, we transferred this I140 IMMIGRANT PETITION FOR ALIEN WORKER to our TEXAS SERVICE CENTER location for processing because they now have jurisdiction over the case. We sent you a notice of this transfer. Please follow any instructions on this notice. You will be notified by mail when a decision is made, or if the office needs something from you. If you move while this case is pending, call customer service. We process cases in the order we receive them. You can use our processing dates to estimate when this case will be done. This case has been sent to our TEXAS SERVICE CENTER location. Follow the link below to check processing dates. You can also receive automatic e-mail updates as we process your case. Just follow the link below to register.
[
QUOTE=seeking_GC;560723]This is the content of the email I received.
Receipt Number: WACXXXXXXXXXXX
Application Type: I140 , IMMIGRANT PETITION FOR ALIEN WORKER
Current Status: Case Transfered to Another Office for Processing
On July 28, 2009, we transferred this case I140 IMMIGRANT PETITION FOR ALIEN WORKER to our LINCOLN, NE location for processing and sent you a notice explaining this action. Please follow the instructions provided on the notice. We will notify you by mail when a decision is made. If you move while this case is pending, call customer service at 1-800-375-5283 to update your address. You can use our processing dates to estimate when your case may be processed by following the link below. You can also receive automatic e-mail updates as we process your case by registering in the link below.
If you have questions or concerns about your application or the case status results listed above, or if you have not received a decision from USCIS within the current processing time listed*, please contact USCIS Customer Service at (800) 375-5283.
*Current processing times can be found on the USCIS website at USCIS Home Page (http://www.uscis.gov) under Case Status and Processing Dates.
*** Please do not respond to this e-mail message.
=========================
DSLStart can you please post the contents of the email you received?[/QUOTE]
Current Status: This case has been sent to another office for processing because it has jurisdiction over the case.
On July 23, 2009, we transferred this I140 IMMIGRANT PETITION FOR ALIEN WORKER to our TEXAS SERVICE CENTER location for processing because they now have jurisdiction over the case. We sent you a notice of this transfer. Please follow any instructions on this notice. You will be notified by mail when a decision is made, or if the office needs something from you. If you move while this case is pending, call customer service. We process cases in the order we receive them. You can use our processing dates to estimate when this case will be done. This case has been sent to our TEXAS SERVICE CENTER location. Follow the link below to check processing dates. You can also receive automatic e-mail updates as we process your case. Just follow the link below to register.
[
QUOTE=seeking_GC;560723]This is the content of the email I received.
Receipt Number: WACXXXXXXXXXXX
Application Type: I140 , IMMIGRANT PETITION FOR ALIEN WORKER
Current Status: Case Transfered to Another Office for Processing
On July 28, 2009, we transferred this case I140 IMMIGRANT PETITION FOR ALIEN WORKER to our LINCOLN, NE location for processing and sent you a notice explaining this action. Please follow the instructions provided on the notice. We will notify you by mail when a decision is made. If you move while this case is pending, call customer service at 1-800-375-5283 to update your address. You can use our processing dates to estimate when your case may be processed by following the link below. You can also receive automatic e-mail updates as we process your case by registering in the link below.
If you have questions or concerns about your application or the case status results listed above, or if you have not received a decision from USCIS within the current processing time listed*, please contact USCIS Customer Service at (800) 375-5283.
*Current processing times can be found on the USCIS website at USCIS Home Page (http://www.uscis.gov) under Case Status and Processing Dates.
*** Please do not respond to this e-mail message.
=========================
DSLStart can you please post the contents of the email you received?[/QUOTE]
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