IMMIGRATION VOICE ALERT: 5/23/2007.
Dear Member:
The US senate has taken up the immigration bill S 1348 for comprehensive immigration reform. The bill reduces the number of green cards for EB1, EB2 and EB3 categories from 140,000 to 90,000 for the first 5 years and introduces a new points based merit system.
This bill in its current form would not provide any relief to our members stuck in retrogression and labor backlogs. It would also make H1 renewals difficult, especially if your labor certification is either pending or not filed yet. Please click here to see the adverse effects of this bill analyzed by Immigration Voice. For complete analysis of all sections of this bill regarding skilled immigration, click here.
Immigration Voice opposes this bill in its current form. We would like to have every member follow the below and make phone calls to the Senators listed below. It’s very important that everyone call – and everyone means everyone.
If we fail to amend this bill and if it becomes a law, then retrogression will increase, dates on visa bulletin would move in reverse direction and H1B renewals will face newer challenges.
ACTION ITEMS FOR ALL MEMBERS:
1. Phone Campaign:
Who to call:
First, call 2 senators from your state. (Find out the phone numbers of the US senator representing your state at www.senate.gov)
Then, call these senators.
Patrick J. Leahy - 202-224-4242
Arlen Specter - 202-224-4254
Chuck Hagel - 202-224-4224
Joseph Lieberman - 202-224-4041
John Cornyn - 202-224-2934
Harry Reid - 202-224-3542
Mitch McConnell - 202-224-2541
Mel Martinez - 202-224-3041
Trent Lott - 202-224-6253
Lindsey Graham - 202-224-5972
Message:
My name is ____ and I am calling from [city], [State]. I am a member of Immigration Voice – a group that represents legal skilled immigrants.
We oppose the senate’s immigration bill in its current form. The bill reduces the number of green cards for legal skilled immigrants and diverts those green cards to future guest workers program and to untested merits based system. We request senate to increase the number of green cards for legal skilled immigrants in the current backlogs and fix the backlogs first before starting a new merits based system.
We urge the Senator to amend the section 501(b) and increase the number of green cards for legal skilled immigrants from 140,000 to a higher number to eliminate the current backlogs the same way the bill reduces backlogs for family-based immigrants in section 501(a).
2. Contributions:
Please contribute funds so that we can finance the lobbying and advocacy efforts to the fullest extent both in the Senate now and in the House of Representatives in July when House takes up its own reform. This is the last time congress would act on immigration before 2009.
3. E-Mails to Senators:
Please make phone calls before you send emails as phone calls have greater impact. After that, please email your Senators (2 senators from your state) and the list of 10 other important key players mentioned above in the phone campaign. For detailed steps to send emails click here.
4. Gathering in Washington DC:
We are planning to lead a large number of members, hundreds of Immigration Voice members in Washington DC to the Senate offices on 5th June (Tuesday). This would help us penetrate our message to the Senators in a forceful and profound manner when hundreds, possibly thousands of skilled immigrants are at their doorstep. It would display the seriousness of our concerns and the injustice and unfair treatment rendered by the current bill. Please standby for more details and instructions/confirmations as we try to secure permits and paperwork for such gathering. Please secure day-off for Tuesday 5th June, but don’t book travel arrangements for now. We will send another email in next 2 days confirming this event. We want EVERYONE to come. If you hesitate now, you will miss a chance to stand up for yourself and fight the biggest hurdle in your career – retrogression.
Every action item, every contribution is important and this bill has a very good chance of passing the Senate and without amendments to this bill we would be in worse shape. Call up your friends who are waiting for green cards or who plan to apply for green cards to participate actively.
Thanks,
Immigration Voice.
www.immigrationvoice.org