India-US Strategic News and Discussion

Mort Walker · Post by **Mort Walker** » 24 Jun 2011 00:10

putnanja wrote:
Mort Walker wrote: ...
What I fail to understand is why people on this forum compare the Indian consulate to the US consulates. Its a fcuking paki mentality comparing yourself to the other pigs in the gutter.
...
...
This comparision was made by some US citizen saying they got great service at US consulates in India compared to Indian consulates in US

Mort Walker wrote:I don't have clear proof, but it seems they treat the gora people better applying for visas.
...
Many goras apply through mail, and they do have all documents as you can get them easily in US. So they get visas faster.

I don't know about citizenship renunciation services, but visa and PIO services have been hassle-free. Ditto with most of my friends too

The US takes care of its citizens world wide, in most cases, but the GoI mistreats its own citizens systematically. GoI has no responsibility to non-citizens, and similarly the USG has no responsibility, but the CGIs have to realize that PIOs have a family obligation to travel as these families have mixed citizenship.

Manny · Post by **Manny** » 24 Jun 2011 00:11

rajithn wrote:
Manny wrote:I have this strange feeling that there are plenty of America haters in India either because they were treated like cattle or they were denied a Visa.

LOL
Very mature come-back!

You need to realise that there are very many Indians who have lived and still live in the U.S and other countires, who have chosen NOT to give up their Indian citizenship.

You also need to realise that the issue is not with the U.S consulate/embassies etc. Its about PIOs complaining all the time about how they are treated when they visit the Indian consulate/embassies. It is annoying, at worst, when they do this "Ooooh, I am a <insert foriegn country here> Citizen of Indian origin and I want to visit SDRE India..so everyone needs to bend over backwards to "serve" me" whinging! Period!

I would think thats a general desi thing.... Its in our nature. Nothing to do with OCI or PIO. We are like that only...even when we get a last low seating for the local Matinee we strut around like a Daadagiri! . Attitude Attitude!

Stan_Savljevic · Post by **Stan_Savljevic** » 24 Jun 2011 00:11

Manny wrote:I have this strange feeling that there are plenty of America haters in India either because they were treated like cattle or they were denied a Visa.

Why cant people hate Amrikans for who they are (at large): a set of boorish thugs who have the visceral and subconscious need to preach to all and sundry about how they are the greatest fricking oiseaules on earth and how god almighty has planted them on amrikan nightsoil to continue being the boors that they are?

Virupaksha · Post by **Virupaksha** » 24 Jun 2011 00:11

Mort Walker wrote:
Then the consulates should NOT setup visa camps in neighboring US cities and promise fast service at the counter. This too is fine with me. The reality is the Indian diaspora is world wide and it is an asset. I think people on this forum confuse this with the yahoo PIOs who come back and pretend they are higher and mightier than those who stayed back home, and see this as a way of exacting revenge.

This is NOT a MC-D outlet for speaking of ho, missed the deadline by 30 sec. Both are services doesnt mean they are the same. In one, you have consumer rights, in the other you have NO fr*king right.

It is an Indian consulate. PIO is not a consumer to the Indian consulate.

Mort Walker · Post by **Mort Walker** » 24 Jun 2011 00:14

Manny wrote: I am not sure of the PIO. I went through the OIC process and it went very smoothly and since I have a "forever" visa stamped on my US Passport, I never have to deal with the Indian embassy anymore (Unless I commit the horrible sin of losing my passport anytime).

So not exactly sure what OICs and PIOs are expecting from the Indian embassy.

For all practicable purpose once you get it, there is no need to avail their service for anything.. and hence no impetus to show any attitude... I would think.

Your "forever" visa is good for 10 years and your US passport will expire too within 10 years. You have to transfer this "forever" visa at CGI Houston, and I suspect if you go in person and slip 5-$100 bills with your application, your transfer will go smoothly.

Amber G. · Post by **Amber G.** » 24 Jun 2011 00:15

BijuShet wrote:Are PIOs and OCI's being MUTU here? These folks opted for the first world benefits of the US when they chose to give up Indian citizenship and are more accustomed to a quality of service that a developed country can afford. <snip>.

From what I know, the brunt goes more to ordinary Indian citizens.. (PIO/OCI , need not deal with Indian Consulates on regular basis)...For example when I was student. we reached for help after an Indian student's accidental death.. (Yeah.. Yeah as Stanji would jump in to say its' dead person's fault... but let us leave that aside ..)... this is the kind of help a consulate should provide instead of giving excuses that they have to deal with rude people...

... I have skimmed through some of the posts here... unwarranted hostility as an excuse is unbelievable.

Manny · Post by **Manny** » 24 Jun 2011 00:17

Stan_Savljevic wrote:
Manny wrote:I have this strange feeling that there are plenty of America haters in India either because they were treated like cattle or they were denied a Visa.
Why cant people hate Amrikans for who they are (at large): a set of boorish thugs who have the visceral and subconscious need to preach to all and sundry about how they are the greatest fricking oiseaules on earth and how god almighty has planted them on amrikan nightsoil to continue being the boors that they are?

Actually most Americans don't care for the rest of the world enough to lecture others in general. They don't vest too much mindshare on foreign countries unless it concerns them

BijuShet · Post by **BijuShet** » 24 Jun 2011 00:18

Mort Walker wrote: Then the consulates should NOT setup visa camps in neighboring US cities and promise fast service at the counter. This too is fine with me. The reality is the Indian diaspora is world wide and it is an asset. I think people on this forum confuse this with the yahoo PIOs who come back and pretend they are higher and mightier than those who stayed back home, and see this as a way of exacting revenge.

I request you to expand on the bolded portion as I am not sure I follow what you are saying? Do you think consulate officers are exacting revenge against a nameless PIO out of spite or do you mean Indians in India are behaving badly against PIOs. PIOs on visits to India do not hold their tongue and pass opinion on all things bad in India like a know it all. It rubs people the wrong way.

Saar the visa camp is a courtesy extended for Indian folks who are not ITvity professionals (i.e. well versed in filling out forms properly with proper supporting documentation) but for those who work in groceries/motels etc who may not have the time/money to make a trip to the consulate. They are also used by ITvity Indians as it is convinent to go to the next town's school gym on a saturday than make a trip to NYC etc. The Pravasi Bharat initiative by GoI is meant to appreciate the India Diaspora asset.

Mort Walker · Post by **Mort Walker** » 24 Jun 2011 00:22

ravi_ku wrote:
Mort Walker wrote:
Then the consulates should NOT setup visa camps in neighboring US cities and promise fast service at the counter. This too is fine with me. The reality is the Indian diaspora is world wide and it is an asset. I think people on this forum confuse this with the yahoo PIOs who come back and pretend they are higher and mightier than those who stayed back home, and see this as a way of exacting revenge.
This is NOT a MC-D outlet for speaking of ho, missed the deadline by 30 sec. Both are services doesnt mean they are the same. In one, you have consumer rights, in the other you have NO fr*king right.

It is an Indian consulate. PIO is not a consumer to the Indian consulate.

Thank you. That describes it exactly and the reason the consulate staff are assholes. Which is why I advise everyone not to interact with consulate staff and submit applications exactly as required through Travisa Outsourcing. If they loose your Indian passport, you're SOL, if they loose your US passport, call the FBI and report a missing passport since its not your property anyway.

Virupaksha · Post by **Virupaksha** » 24 Jun 2011 00:23

Manny wrote: Actually most Americans don't care for the rest of the world enough to lecture others in general. They don't vest too much mindshare on foreign countries unless it concerns them

Ever read ANY half decent American daily news paper sir??

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 24 Jun 2011 00:23

OK. Enough bakwas. Stick to the topic.
Thanks. ramana

rajithn · Post by **rajithn** » 24 Jun 2011 00:24

Amber G. wrote:
BijuShet wrote:Are PIOs and OCI's being MUTU here? These folks opted for the first world benefits of the US when they chose to give up Indian citizenship and are more accustomed to a quality of service that a developed country can afford. <snip>.
From what I know, the brunt goes more to ordinary Indian citizens.. (PIO/OCI , need not deal with Indian Consulates on regular basis)...For example when I was student. we reached for help after an Indian student's accidental death.. (Yeah.. Yeah as Stanji would jump in to say its' dead person's fault... but let us leave that aside ..)... this is the kind of help a consulate should provide instead of giving excuses that they have to deal with rude people...

... I have skimmed through some of the posts here... unwarranted hostility as an excuse is unbelievable.

Amber, I am one of those oridinary Indian citizens. And so is my family. And I can claim that we have never been given the run-around ever in all our dealings with Indian consulates/embassies. At best, they have been extremely helpful. At worst, a shade inefficient at times. Thats it. And I have never been asked nor has it been suggested (as Mort suspects) to include a few dollar bills in my application.

As for the Indian consulates/embassies being helpful in times of need...I ask you to direct this question to Shyamd..considering that he is an expert in the Middle East..on how the consulates/embassies have been helpful/proactive with needy Indians..and I am talking about less than literate, blue-collared workers.

Or I can provide more anecdotal evidence of how Indian consulates/embassies have been helpful to Indian citizens on holidays, when they were stuck in jail due to traffic accidents etc etc

Fact is, they do a pretty decent job. And as I have said before..Is there scope to improve...if course, yes.

I better stop before some of the more mature posters here accuse me of being in the employ of the MEA!

Mort Walker · Post by **Mort Walker** » 24 Jun 2011 00:26

BijuShet wrote:
Mort Walker wrote: Then the consulates should NOT setup visa camps in neighboring US cities and promise fast service at the counter. This too is fine with me. The reality is the Indian diaspora is world wide and it is an asset. I think people on this forum confuse this with the yahoo PIOs who come back and pretend they are higher and mightier than those who stayed back home, and see this as a way of exacting revenge.
I request you to expand on the bolded portion as I am not sure I follow what you are saying? Do you think consulate officers are exacting revenge against a nameless PIO out of spite or do you mean Indians in India are behaving badly against PIOs. PIOs on visits to India do not hold their tongue and pass opinion on all things bad in India like a know it all. It rubs people the wrong way.

Saar the visa camp is a courtesy extended for Indian folks who are not ITvity professionals (i.e. well versed in filling out forms properly with proper supporting documentation) but for those who work in groceries/motels etc who may not have the time/money to make a trip to the consulate. They are also used by ITvity Indians as it is convinent to go to the next town's school gym on a saturday than make a trip to NYC etc. The Pravasi Bharat initiative by GoI is meant to appreciate the India Diaspora asset.

It means PIOs who behave badly in India and have a sense of entitlement. Years ago, I met a PIO who on a flight from London to Delhi put on a cowboy hat, boots, country-western shirt and jeans. He was an SDRE asshole with a US passport and behaved like an rudely to officials when entering. Sure enough he got a hard time.

The Pravasi Bharat was a NDA initiative and Kangress has effectively dumped it.

archan · Post by **archan** » 24 Jun 2011 00:26

A moderator has already requested that this thread be kept on topic, that is, Indo US Strategic News and Discussion. I don't see how the behaviour of Indian or US consulates towards Indian/US citizens, or the sense of entitlement of any individual/group of individuals yada yada is of significance to Indo US Strategic news and discussion.
I also note that because the said moderator chooses to be mild in his approach, the request has not been given heed to. I will issue a formal warning to every user who has posted after ramana's request to refrain. Hope this will help in future.

UBanerjee · Post by **UBanerjee** » 24 Jun 2011 00:39

Getting back on track....

India, US agree to fast-track investment deal

The two countries also decided to re-invigorate the trade policy forum and make it more robust and effective in resolving bilateral commercial issues, said a statement issued by the commerce ministry.

"The booming bilateral trade and investment flows between the United States and India support tens of thousands of critical jobs in both countries, and we know that will only grow significantly in the coming years," Kirk said in a statement issued by the USTR.

BijuShet · Post by **BijuShet** » 24 Jun 2011 00:44

Amber G. wrote:
BijuShet wrote:Are PIOs and OCI's being MUTU here? These folks opted for the first world benefits of the US when they chose to give up Indian citizenship and are more accustomed to a quality of service that a developed country can afford. <snip>.
From what I know, the brunt goes more to ordinary Indian citizens.. (PIO/OCI , need not deal with Indian Consulates on regular basis)...For example when I was student. we reached for help after an Indian student's accidental death.. (Yeah.. Yeah as Stanji would jump in to say its' dead person's fault... but let us leave that aside ..)... this is the kind of help a consulate should provide instead of giving excuses that they have to deal with rude people...

... I have skimmed through some of the posts here... unwarranted hostility as an excuse is unbelievable.

Please complete the anedotal experience. What happened when you reached out the consulate?

You are complaining of hostility while taking a cheap shot at Stan all in the same post? Admire your chutzpah saar.

The ordinary Indian is used to dealing with hostility and piss poor quality from GoI employees and finds the consulate employees better than most other GoI servants. The consulates have gotten better in the last 1 decade and they will only improve as the demand from NRIs, PIOs and OCIs increase. Just a little patience adviced when dealing with any GoI body.

UBanerjee · Post by **UBanerjee** » 24 Jun 2011 00:50

India to issue another warning to US on hike of professional visa fees

Manny · Post by **Manny** » 24 Jun 2011 01:06

UBanerjee wrote:India to issue another warning to US on hike of professional visa fees

I liked this comment at the end of that article

hexazebra (USA)
22 Jun, 2011 02:13 AM
Some of the facts about the operation of Indian IT companies in USA: 1. The Top Indian IT companies get 60% of their revenue from US. (ref. dqindia) 2. They have only 0.5% US permanent Residents/Citizens in their pay roll. back to basics: Treat others the way you want to be treated. Suggestion: Send less people on visas and increase local hires in US until the unemployment in US comes back to normal levels rather than issuing warnings.

abhishek_sharma · Post by **abhishek_sharma** » 24 Jun 2011 12:04

Obama's Foreign Policy and the End of the American Era (video)

What would happen if Americans drastically shrunk the U.S. military’s overseas footprint? (Audio)

A discussion about Obama's Afghanistan troop withdrawal (Video)

abhishek_sharma · Post by **abhishek_sharma** » 24 Jun 2011 12:45

Is the enrichment debate reaching critical mass?

abhishek_sharma · Post by **abhishek_sharma** » 24 Jun 2011 16:20

Commitment to U.S.-India Civilian Nuclear Cooperation

abhishek_sharma · Post by **abhishek_sharma** » 25 Jun 2011 08:27

We are on the cusp of genuine sea-change in world affairs

Jack Keane & Vali Nasr on Obama's Afghanistan troop withdrawal plans (Video)

CRamS · Post by **CRamS** » 25 Jun 2011 11:31

Manny wrote: hexazebra (USA)
22 Jun, 2011 02:13 AM
Some of the facts about the operation of Indian IT companies in USA: 1. The Top Indian IT companies get 60% of their revenue from US. (ref. dqindia) 2. They have only 0.5% US permanent Residents/Citizens in their pay roll. back to basics: Treat others the way you want to be treated. Suggestion: Send less people on visas and increase local hires in US until the unemployment in US comes back to normal levels rather than issuing warnings.

Do you think before you write? You really think that US citizens, and I mean whites, and that too talented whites, would want to work in a lowly SDRE company doing menial back office crap, except probably at super high management positions with huge compensation and SDREs guboing before them at the drop of a hat? And how many such high level positions can there be in a company? I am willing to bet that many of the white employees of Indian IT companies like Infosys and Wipro don't do back office crap, they sit in plush offices, fly first class, and make PR and other management decisions. And so your suggestion is already being implemented, I can assure you of that. If anything, all these issues with IT companies arise because some white guy/gal is jealous of another white guy/gal at missing out on a kushy plump position at Infosys/Wipro and turned a whistle blower.

UBanerjee · Post by **UBanerjee** » 25 Jun 2011 12:59

CRamS wrote:
Manny wrote: hexazebra (USA)
22 Jun, 2011 02:13 AM
Some of the facts about the operation of Indian IT companies in USA: 1. The Top Indian IT companies get 60% of their revenue from US. (ref. dqindia) 2. They have only 0.5% US permanent Residents/Citizens in their pay roll. back to basics: Treat others the way you want to be treated. Suggestion: Send less people on visas and increase local hires in US until the unemployment in US comes back to normal levels rather than issuing warnings.
Do you think before you write? You really think that US citizens, and I mean whites, and that too talented whites, would want to work in a lowly SDRE company doing menial back office crap, except probably at super high management positions with huge compensation and SDREs guboing before them at the drop of a hat? And how many such high level positions can there be in a company? I am willing to bet that many of the white employees of Indian IT companies like Infosys and Wipro don't do back office crap, they sit in plush offices, fly first class, and make PR and other management decisions. And so your suggestion is already being implemented, I can assure you of that. If anything, all these issues with IT companies arise because some white guy/gal is jealous of another white guy/gal at missing out on a kushy plump position at Infosys/Wipro and turned a whistle blower.

You act like white people don't do all sorts of incredibly menial work in the US including "back-office jobs" (or for that matter, garbage collector, janitor and the like- or if you want white collar jobs, code monkeys and secretaries) and the country is full of white people all working as upper management while brown people gubo before them! Sure race is an issue but dang, you have a big and fairly inaccurate chip on your shoulder about it.

People want work. The only things which are really at the bottom of the totem pole are things like seasonal fruit pickers and the like- certainly not "lowly back-office jobs".

Fact of the matter is- if you are flying in talent from Yindia to gain arbitrage value by navigating visa loopholes- and this at a time of 9-16% unemployment depending on how you measure it- there will be a political backlash. Yes you will have to pay more to get that talent in the US itself, but that's part of the cost of doing business, or else risk getting shut out period.

CRamS · Post by **CRamS** » 25 Jun 2011 13:15

UBanerjee wrote: You act like white people don't do all sorts of incredibly menial work in the US including "back-office jobs" (or for that matter, garbage collector, janitor and the like- or if you want white collar jobs, code monkeys and secretaries) and the country is full of white people all working as upper management while brown people gubo before them! Sure race is an issue but dang, you have a big and fairly inaccurate chip on your shoulder about it.

People want work, period. The only things which are really at the bottom of the totem pole are things like seasonal fruit pickers and the like- certainly not "lowly back-office jobs".

I am not acting, I am for real. Most US toilets and bathrooms won't be spotless clean if not cleant by Hispanic labourers; talk about whites BSing about caste system in India and "lower castes" doing menial jobs.

My point was in response to Manny's asssertion that Infosys/Wipro open their doors to US citizens (read whites). The jobless situation in US is bad, but not so bad that educated, talented whites will jump on a back office IT job at Infosys/Wipro. Now offer them a position as high-flying manager, to hold meetings with clients on golf courses, you bet they will grab it. And as often is the case when dealing with 3rd world govts and companies, corruption and mal-practice become an issue when one set of whites decide to blow the cover after they could not have fun but some of their compatriots cashed in. Based on some conversations with SDRE employees at Indian IT companies, that is in fact the situation, give or take a few cents.

UBanerjee · Post by **UBanerjee** » 25 Jun 2011 13:27

CRamS wrote:
UBanerjee wrote: You act like white people don't do all sorts of incredibly menial work in the US including "back-office jobs" (or for that matter, garbage collector, janitor and the like- or if you want white collar jobs, code monkeys and secretaries) and the country is full of white people all working as upper management while brown people gubo before them! Sure race is an issue but dang, you have a big and fairly inaccurate chip on your shoulder about it.

People want work, period. The only things which are really at the bottom of the totem pole are things like seasonal fruit pickers and the like- certainly not "lowly back-office jobs".
I am not acting, I am for real. Most US toilets and bathrooms won't be spotless clean if not cleant by Hispanic labourers

Perhaps you'd like to back that up with actual data, not racial ramblings. This is a blatantly silly generalization from my personal experience. When I need my septic tank cleaned- I call a white dude. It was the same when I needed fencing, or cleaning of air ducts, or redoing of carpets. To be sure some Hispanic handymen as well. Not to mention what you see in the offices, schools and so on, or the people collecting your garbage everyday.

CRamS wrote: ; talk about whites BSing about caste system in India and "lower castes" doing menial jobs.

Frankly, the stigma associated with manual work in the US is much lower than in India. Things like plumbling, mechanical work, working in scrapyards are held up as work of sons of the soil- working with the hands. It is in fact part of the nation's mythology.

CRamS wrote: My point was in response to Manny's asssertion that Infosys/Wipro open their doors to US citizens (read whites). The jobless situation in US is bad, but not so bad that educated, talented whites will jump on a back office IT job at Infosys/Wipro. Now offer them a position as high-flying manager, to hold meetings with clients on golf courses, you bet they will grab it. And as often is the case when dealing with 3rd world govts and companies, corruption and mal-practice become an issue when one set of whites decide to blow the cover after they could have fun but some of their compatriots cashed in. Based on some conversations with SDRE employees at Indian IT companies, that is in fact the situation, give or take a few cents.

You will have to pay more for the talent if the position requires it- sure- that may include perks. Your persistent harping of the racial angle sounds more to me like your own personal hobbyhorse than anything else. There are plenty of Americanized SDRE/Chini/miscellanious IT workers in the US who should be doing these then, after all it seems only white boys in the US need perks!

Regardless, the simple situation is the visa abuse and flying in of Yindian talent is just completely politically non-viable, whatever reasons we may come up with as dressing for this. It's just a non-starter, they'll have to work on an alternative business model or work in another market. So I don't really get where you're going with this, other than flogging that hobbyhorse.

Arjun · Post by **Arjun** » 25 Jun 2011 13:32

CRamS wrote:The jobless situation in US is bad, but not so bad that educated, talented whites will jump on a back office IT job at Infosys/Wipro.

CRamns, looks like you have no clue about the IT services industry....

Infosys, Wipro are competing with and are in exactly the same business as an Accenture or EDS. There are enough and more 'whites' doing non-sales, non-client facing work at Accenture and EDS, and to imply that they will not be willing to do the same at an Infosys or Wipro is totally inaccurate. If anything, your post was far more racist in your attitude towards these Indian firms, than I have seen from most white Americans.

Infosys, Wipro, TCS all have what are called near-shore development centers in the US and Canada...that recruit from some of the best US institutes - and a majority of these entry-level positions are for non-client interfacing software development work and the pay obviously has to be attractive enough to attract from these premier institutes.

What is true however is that the headcount at these near-shore development centers will reach into the hundreds but never into the tens of thousands like they do in India. Fundamentally changing this ratio of India:US headcount will change the entire cost structure and business model for these firms which is why the numbers will never go beyond a few hundred or maximum upto a thousand or so.

vera_k · Post by **vera_k** » 25 Jun 2011 19:52

Manny wrote:Suggestion: Send less people on visas and increase local hires in US until the unemployment in US comes back to normal levels rather than issuing warnings.

Unfortunately, this is easier said than done because the US unemployed lack the skills to work in technology occupations. Despite what the headline unemployment number suggests, tech employees are in great demand and are getting significant raises as a result.

Google gives all employees surprise $1000 bonus, 10% raise

Microsoft plans sweeping pay raises

There might be a win-win solution if the Indian MNCs can propose to train some of this unemployed workforce in their big training centers in India using proceeds from the H1B training fee.

Cosmo_R · Post by **Cosmo_R** » 25 Jun 2011 22:30

"Right now, Pangea3 is “getting more résumés from United States lawyers than we know what to do with,” said Greg McPolin, managing director of the company’s litigation services group, who divides his time between India and New York. "

I assume CRS will say these are Hispanic/African American types who are desperate for a job.

UMich Law School's biggest recruiter last year was Pangea3

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/05/busin ... legal.html

krisna · Post by **krisna** » 26 Jun 2011 06:42

It's in US interest to support India's rise: Cong committee

The powerful Senate Armed Services Committee said it believes that a deepening global strategic partnership between the US and India will be critical to the maintenance and expansion of a rules-based international system that promotes freedom, democracy, security, prosperity and the rule of law in the 21st century.

It is in the national interest of the United States, through military-to-military relations, arms sales, bilateral and multilateral joint exercises and other means, to support India's rise and build a strategic and military culture of cooperation and interoperability between our two countries, in particular with regard to the Indo-Pacific region," said the India section of the committee's latest 343-page report.

Read it as china. Hoping to play off between the two.
India should be careful, play for its interests. If the interests converge it is good.

Manny · Post by **Manny** » 26 Jun 2011 08:14

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/22/us/22 ... ml?_r=2&hp

Indian Company Under Scrutiny Over U.S. Visas

A giant Indian outsourcing company with thousands of employees in the United States is facing an expanding federal investigation prompted by claims from an American whistle-blower that it misused short-term visitors’ visas to bring in low-cost workers from India.

Accusations that the company, Infosys Technologies, repeatedly violated the terms of business visitor visas were first raised in a lawsuit filed in February in Alabama by Jack Palmer, an Infosys project manager. Aside from Mr. Palmer, at least two other Infosys managers in the United States have submitted internal whistle-blower reports pointing to Indians on business visitor visas who were performing longer-term work not authorized under those visas, according to internal documents and current Infosys managers.

Mr. Palmer said his supervisors asked him to write letters inviting workers to come from India for sales and training meetings, letters he believed were false. “I refused to write the letters,” he said.

After word got out of his refusal, Mr. Palmer said, he was chastised by his managers and began to receive threats by e-mail and telephone. In October, Infosys has confirmed, Mr. Palmer filed a whistle-blower report about B-1 visa holders from India assigned to projects he or others managed. His report said the B-1 visa holders were doing the same tasks as workers on H-1B visas, including writing and testing software code. Mr. Palmer said he personally knew of at least 60 Indian workers doing contract work on B-1 visas.

“It appears the B-1 visa program has become a subterfuge for companies wanting to avoid the cap and wage requirements of the H-1B visa,” Mr. Grassley said.

vera_k · Post by **vera_k** » 26 Jun 2011 09:21

Manny wrote:“It appears the B-1 visa program has become a subterfuge for companies wanting to avoid the cap and wage requirements of the H-1B visa,” Mr. Grassley said.

Why is it a subterfuge when using B-1 for H is official USG policy? Note the explicit requirement that such workers must not be paid a US salary.

B1 in lieu of H1B

abhishek_sharma · Post by **abhishek_sharma** » 26 Jun 2011 09:24

Jim Steinberg, US Deputy Secretary of State (Video)

UBanerjee · Post by **UBanerjee** » 26 Jun 2011 10:44

vera_k wrote:
Manny wrote:“It appears the B-1 visa program has become a subterfuge for companies wanting to avoid the cap and wage requirements of the H-1B visa,” Mr. Grassley said.
Why is it a subterfuge when using B-1 for H is official USG policy? Note the explicit requirement that such workers must not be paid a US salary.

B1 in lieu of H1B

The task can be accomplished in a short period of time.

Probably that.

jiteshn · Post by **jiteshn** » 26 Jun 2011 11:44

Peter Burleigh is the rumoured to be the next US ambassador to India but pending Senate confirmation

He is the first US Ambassador to be fluent in Hindi

He is also one of the first open gay members of the US diplomatic corps

CRamS · Post by **CRamS** » 26 Jun 2011 12:16

jiteshn wrote:
He is also one of the first open gay members of the US diplomatic corps

Get ready for sermons on how gays are being discriminated against a a result of Hindu caste system. Using this Gay business to put govts on notice is the next wave of human rights noses from state dept. The other night I saw Rachel maddow on MSNBC take to task some Uganadan minister for some comment on Gays he made. So much importance for this gay business when there are more pressing priorities.

Victor · Post by **Victor** » 26 Jun 2011 12:20

Mort Walker wrote: Your "forever" visa is good for 10 years and your US passport will expire too within 10 years. You have to transfer this "forever" visa at CGI Houston,

Sorry for the OT but this is wrong. The "lifelong" in the OCI is indeed valid for the life of the holder even if the passport has expired. OCI can enter India with:

1. Original OCI visa (if expired passport, so bit it)
2. Valid passport
3. OCI booklet/passport.

If you choose, you can transfer the visa to the new passport and then have to carry "only" 2 documents. Unless "lifelong" now has a different meaning, this should still be true.

Neshant · Post by **Neshant** » 26 Jun 2011 12:31

Victor wrote:Sorry for the OT but this is wrong. The "lifelong" in the OCI is indeed valid for the life of the holder even if the passport has expired. OCI can enter India with:

1. Original OCI visa (if expired passport, so bit it)
2. Valid passport
3. OCI booklet/passport.

If you choose, you can transfer the visa to the new passport and then have to carry "only" 2 documents. Unless "lifelong" now has a different meaning, this should still be true.

I believe the above is accurate.

If your passport is expired you can do an OCI visa transfer. If not, you should take the expired passport in which the OCI visa is stamped with you along with the OCI booklet. If you don't have BOTH a passport with the OCI visa AND the little OCI booklet, you will not be let in.

This OCI system is designed to confuse like all Indian procedures. Its so stupid that we have to carry expired passports. Just imagine if a family of 5 is travelling. They`d have to carry their valid pasport with the OCi stamp (5) plus their expired passport (5) plus the little OCI booklet (5).

15 documents in all ! Couldn`t these fools have made a biometric ID to match up the data with your valid passport.

JE Menon · Post by **JE Menon** » 26 Jun 2011 17:17

Viktor is right. Only hassle is that you have to carry the old passport with the stamp with you; but it's only a hassle if you travel to India often. Otherwise, no headaches whatsoever.

chetak · Post by **chetak** » 26 Jun 2011 17:28

jiteshn wrote:Peter Burleigh is the rumoured to be the next US ambassador to India but pending Senate confirmation
He is the first US Ambassador to be fluent in Hindi

He is also one of the first open gay members of the US diplomatic corps

Why not, why not!!

We already have plenty in our government circles in Delhi to keep him company, since our entire political circles run on the bum chum principle.

Being fluent in hindi, he will already know the colloquical term for it then.

Would they have dared to do this to any islamic country??