Article in Sentinel

[Mike Peach]

Don't know if this was already posted but

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/community/news/clermont/orl-malsowait2707jun27,0,5635313.story?track=rss

[SHEILA 13]

:tu: Well done,I have just read this and I think you got the point across.

[kirtida8]

Just seen it myself - a bit disappointed that they did not mention the request for the compassionate visa, or Heather Wilson's legisaltion both of which I mentioned. Expatsvoice and the petition also did not get a mention, but atleast I had on the t-shirt lol God I look awful.

[Kriz1]

I always look like America's most wanted Kay......
I put a link on my blog....traffic to my pages have been a bit slow so I may have to add more naked women......:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[peter gold]

You did a great job well done Kay

[kirtida8]

Do you think it would be OK to email the link to Senators and media? or do you need permission from the Sentinel?

[SHEILA 13]

I think it may be best to get the Papers authorisation first.

[Doreen]

Just seen video, you did a great job.

[chris]

I think the article was as good as we can usually hope for here. It had some omissions which should have been in there, like the fact that type of visa Kay is on is geared to job creation for US citizens. That to me is an essential element in our argument for LPR opportunity.
Anyway, as they say there is no such thing as bad publicity and we take advantage of everything thats put in front of us.
When Kriz appears on America's most wanted I hope she will emphasis our plight to John Walters!!!;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;)
Oh and by the way Kay, don't start putting 9 'x's at the end of your postings, we all know what controversy putting 'O' & 'X''s caused last time. Dee would be very miffed as she only gets to put 3 'X''s on hers!

[DEE F]

I think the article was as good as we can usually hope for here. It had some omissions which should have been in there, like the fact that type of visa Kay is on is geared to job creation for US citizens. That to me is an essential element in our argument for LPR opportunity.
Anyway, as they say there is no such thing as bad publicity and we take advantage of everything thats put in front of us.
When Kriz appears on America's most wanted I hope she will emphasis our plight to John Walters!!!;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;)
Oh and by the way Kay, don't start putting 9 'x's at the end of your postings, we all know what controversy putting 'O' & 'X''s caused last time. Dee would be very miffed as she only gets to put 3 'X''s on hers!What you like,but true all true:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

Dee xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

[pat]

Great Kay, Wonderful presentation, you said everything in the correct manner and text, hopefully they will now get the message. Keep up the good work your a good spokesperson for our organization.

Pat

[anniefromessex]

Well done Kay. Don't know whether any of you have read the comments re the article. A lot of people are for us, but some of them, omg!!! I have had to put one of them straight - as I normally do!!!! Why don't you all add your comments - you never know it might help because we all have different ideas on things, ie Chris with regard to us having to employ Americans which is a good point and something I forgot to add. I mentioned Expats Voice, as did somebody else on there.

Love Anniexxx

[Jax]

Well done

[chris]

I've just added my 5 cents worth as Kissimmee of Kissimmee. Mentioned the employing bit of US citizens.
The replies just go to show how insular many of the home grown. They are angry because their little life in a bubble is changing. You ain't going to change the hang em/shoot em mentality which some clearly are, but all we can do is present the facts in a very s..i..m..p..l..e way for the average Joe to understand. The latter could be an impossible task!!!

[kirtida8]

Just received a call from Victor Ramos, who wrote the article. He apologised for not letting me know earlier that it was being printed today, and also for some of the comments by the readers. He agreed that our plight unfortunately gets blurred with illegals in the minds of some, but hopes that more will become enlightened as a result. He is going to follow up with me in the next week or so to do the article on you know who.
Fingers crossed that other media outlets pick up on the story.

[chris]

Good for that. Remember there is no such thing as bad publicity. Paris Hilton would be a no-mark if there were!:fit: :fit: :fit:

[kirtida8]

Well I've had a lot of customers come in and congratulate me on the story and sign the petition. Only one said I had done it purely to publicize the business - but she still signed the petition so go figure?

[Kriz1]

Just added my 2 cents...can't believe some people...

[Munish]

Lovely job! I think the article did enough to make people think. The extremists are always going to post, but the general public, I feel, would be sympathetic to your plight. It may not be written with all the points effectively made, but this might be a good thing otherwise it might soung like an opinion for a particular situation and less like an "objective" article.

Good job kay. Love the Expat's t-shirts.

[Sab]

Kay, well done. We have to expect to expect some negative comments . At least you have triggered a debate on the subject.


Sab

[Susie]

Well done Kay,

Must admit I am a little disappointed that there was no mention of the compassionate visa or our efforts for an amendment to the CSP to protect children and E dependants from aging out or having no staus upon reaching 21 years old.


I cannot get the video to play, has anyone seen it?

Thanks to Peachy for posting this thread



http://www.orlandosentinel.com/community/news/clermont/orl-malsowait2707jun27,0,5635313.story?page=1&track=rss



June 27, 2007

Kirtida Patel did everything by the book.

She waited for an investor's visa before coming to the U.S. in hopes of securing a better life for herself and her two children. She invested her savings and borrowed money to open a Clermont dry-cleaning business, where she employs two Americans.

She bought a house in Celebration. She pays taxes.
But Patel, who is 44 and divorced, is not welcome to stay in the United States permanently. Neither are her teenagers.

She is among thousands stuck in immigration limbo.

Technically known as "nonimmigrants," many are professionals on temporary visas. Some are investors granted entry for a couple of years to see whether they can make their businesses worth more than $1 million, which would enable them to apply for permanent residency. Others are international students.

They face stiff competition for a limited pool of "green cards" -- the document that ensures permanent U.S. residency and places immigrants on a citizenship track.

And some of them resent what's happening in Congress, where much of the focus and debate regarding immigration reform centers on the estimated 12 million people who live and work in the United States illegally.

Patel and others who are in the country legally are asking, simply: What about us?

Patel, for example, has injected nearly half a million dollars into businesses here since she arrived from London in 2002. But that has not been enough to meet the investment threshold. If her children turn 21 before they get green cards, they will have to leave.

"All we would ask is: You have a huge illegal immigration here, but don't forget the legal immigrants," Patel said. "Don't give me citizenship. But give me the right to permanent residency and the chance to work hard to earn my citizenship."

The proposal currently being hashed out in the Senate -- a result of bipartisan compromise -- largely addresses illegal immigration.

It increases border security through electronic surveillance. It establishes a merit-point system to admit future immigrants. And it creates a legalization path for illegal immigrants who pay fines and taxes, learn English and clear security checks.

That leaves folks such as Patel, who follows immigration's complicated legal channels, feeling left out.

Sen. Mel Martinez, an Orlando Republican and one of the chief architects of the Senate bill, said through a spokesman that the compromise proposal accounts for the concerns of temporary-visa holders. "Legal non-immigrants would have the advantage that they could apply for a green card now," the spokesman, Ken Lundberg, said in a written statement. "Illegal immigrants will not be able to jump the line in front of legal non-immigrants."

But that doesn't mean people in Patel's situation would be granted green cards anytime soon.

And high-skilled immigrants such as engineers, doctors and other academics fear that the bill's provisions would hurt them by increasing competition for the limited number of green cards available.

They say visa limits for large countries such as India and China create unmanageable backlogs for experts whom the U.S. needs in science, computers and other academic fields. It would be hard, they say, even for a Nobel Prize-winning scientist to stand above the crowd and get permanent residency.

"Much of the discussion is about illegal immigration," said Aman Kapoor, a Tallahassee-based software analyst from India who leads the group Immigration Voice. "There are more than a million people who are legally here, and none of their issues are addressed, even though we are talking about highly skilled engineers, doctors, computer programmers and others who are waiting their turns."

Their voices add to the chorus of discontent over the reforms being argued and tweaked by Martinez and his colleagues in the Senate. The Senate voted Tuesday to revive the bill, in a 64-35 vote that was seen as a procedural test of support before the full debate expected later this week.


"If you are in the country illegally, this bill might work for you, but if you are looking to come here legally, it's not clear this bill is good for you at all," said Stuart Anderson, executive director of the National Foundation for American Policy, a nonpartisan research group in Arlington, Va.

Reform proponents say illegal immigrants will not receive only blanket amnesty, but rather an opportunity to show whether they deserve to get in the back of the line.

Some of the legal immigrants who are already waiting think they should get special consideration before Congress considers any benefits for those who broke the law to come here.


In their own words: A legal immigrant explains her fight to stay in the U.S.
"We are sick and tired of hearing about illegal immigrants. There have been two amnesties before and, if they don't secure the borders, we'll be at it again soon," said Sue Ward, a British investor in Davenport who leads The Expats Voice, an advocacy group for visa holders doing their best to comply with what she describes as the country's Byzantine immigration laws.

Back in Clermont, Patel is working hard to grow her Nine-X cleaners to the point at which it is worth $1 million before her time runs out.

Business is going well, but she worries her children will reach age 21 before they qualify to stay. Her son, Tyssul, is turning 17 in August. Her daughter, Anisha, is turning 15 next month.

Patel rises at 3 a.m. on workdays and toils until evening, taking care of most of the washing and pressing at the cleaners. The back room was hotter and steamier than the humid Florida summer outside.

A couple of times during the day, she will walk outside for a few minutes, take a breath and then think to herself, "OK, let's go back in there and face the world again."

And she wonders whether someday it will all be worth it.

Victor Manuel Ramos can be reached at vramos@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-6186.

[Susie]

Hi

This comment interests me


"Legal non-immigrants would have the advantage that they could apply for a green card now,"



I will be following up on this quote!!! and report back

[Munish]

Hi

This comment interests me

"Legal non-immigrants would have the advantage that they could apply for a green card now,"

I will be following up on this quote!!! and report back

Unless there is something in the bill we are not aware of, don't be fooled by the trickery of the language in politics. They're most likely referring to the points system. For example, H1-Bs in most likelihood would have a direct path to citizenship. As for E2s you won't get any points for investing so don't get fooled.

[kirtida8]

Hi

This comment interests me


"Legal non-immigrants would have the advantage that they could apply for a green card now,"



I will be following up on this quote!!! and report back

Yes I agree - it needs to be clarified as it does give the impression that E-2's could somehow get a green card - and not just those on H1-b's.

[InnVic]

I always look like America's most wanted Kay......
I put a link on my blog....traffic to my pages have been a bit slow so I may have to add more naked women......:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

just got my traffic stats through - I got 168 unique visitors from your blog Kriz - thanks!

[InnVic]

Kay you looked great - and you were VERY eloquent. A worthy spokeswoman for the cause :-) Well done!

[Munish]

Yes I agree - it needs to be clarified as it does give the impression that E-2's could somehow get a green card - and not just those on H1-b's.

Yes it gives the impression that all legal non-immigrants would benefit, but the language used in this statement is still techically correct even if it applies to only two legal nonimmigrants in the whole of the USA.

[kirtida8]

Just in case anyone was interested - one of the signatories on the petition is non other than XXXXXXX (edit Susie)

[Sharon]

Kay,

I am horrified at Dragonfly, saying your a doctor, did she even read the story? er?? You did a fabulos job on video, well done

Have just posted my 2 cents worth too!

[kirtida8]

Thanks for the support Sharon - I think that Dragonfly has got huge portions of the article mixed up and so confused me with being illegal at the end. The post that got my back up the most was from "enough" who said temporary visas. Time to leave and then later said the Government can at any time for any reason cancel any of the 3 visas and they or us could be kicked out the country . Great system , Our country our system. It was made for us not for you. Don't come here and expect us to change our way to fit your needs. Stay home or take what you get when you get here. Nice person I'm sure:fit:

[SHEILA 13]

Kay,Just ignore people like that they are not worth a mention.
We all know you did your best and that is good enough for us.

[anniefromessex]

I couldn't believe the posting re them giving us Grants and not paying taxes for 5 years!!! Most people though as I have found out lately just do not know what goes on in their own country, let alone any other country in the world. America is the key as far as they are concerned!!!

Love Anniexxx

[Kriz1]

just got my traffic stats through - I got 168 unique visitors from your blog Kriz - thanks!

I'll put it back on my front page...along with the link to this site...and Kays interview...

[britcan]

check this out

http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1018721067785

looks like if you went tot he UK as an investor you can get permanent residency after 5 years

[Sharon]

Kay, take no notice of people that cannot even read the article never mind understand the story.

[Susie]

Kay.

Just managed to see the video you did us all proud , thank you so much. I have posted my comments, it is a shame people just do not understand what we are trying to educate them about

Under the video clip it says e-mail video so can only assue we can up load it

[Munish]

check this out

http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1018721067785

looks like if you went tot he UK as an investor you can get permanent residency after 5 years

True, but look at the rest of the criteria. It seems even more difficult than the USA, considering £1 is now more than $2.

Can I apply for permanent residence?
You will be able to apply to the Border and Immigration Agency (part of the Home Office) for permanent residence if the following apply.


You have made the UK your main home for the last five years.
You have been in the UK as an investor for five years without a break. You can spend a short time outside the United Kingdom but you should keep absences to a minimum. If you spend more time away from the UK than in it, you will not qualify for permanent residence.
You have kept a capital sum of £1 million in the UK for those five years and you have invested £750,000 of your capital as necessary
You have supported yourself and your dependants without needing help from public funds or working as an employee.

[Carol]

True, but look at the rest of the criteria. It seems even more difficult than the USA, considering £1 is now more than $2.

Yes but considering that what tends to cost a dollar here costs a pound in the UK I would say "Why is it more difficult ?"

[DebbieM]

Well said Carol, also as we all know the exchange rate goes down as well as up!

Debbie

[chris]

The supposed treaty between the US and the UK should IMHO allow a level playing field for E and L visas folks to become LPR and citizens on BOTH sides of the pond. At present the UK allow the US Visa holders of equivalent E to become LPR after 3 years and UK citizens after a further one year. The US don't offer that same route.
Whilst the investment level is higher going to the UK than going to the US (and John Caulfield at the Embassy keeps trotting this out as a sort of get out excuse), the simple fact is that the CoL in the UK is and will always be higher than in the US. It follows that US folks will alwasy need more than us going in the opposite direction to achieve the same thing.
Until that b****y filled is levelled we are going nowhere fast.
I note that the new Home Secretary is a woman. Perhaps a few good letters from the E/L mothers out here in the US pointing out the unfairness may prompt a review in the UK.

[britcan]

Yes so who can we lobby in the UK to shout back at the Americans on our behalf? What about the Economic Development Department if there is one? Or the Trade Minister?

[anniefromessex]

We are hoping to be back in the UK September time and even though it will take a while for us to get settled and get internet and the whole 9 yards, please believe me when I tell you I am not going to let this go. At my age my life should be settled, I should be happy and content and know just where I am in life, unfortunately that is not the case and I am still fighting the powers that be!!! I received a reply from Weldon's office today, they had been in touch with the Embassy in London who did their usual waffle re it is up to the applicant to prove non immigrant intent, the final paragraph being that it is not down to me to fight my d.i.l's case, basically I should butt out!!! Do they not know that as a mother I will protect my kids at whatever age they are and do my best for them - well they will find out cos I am not taking this lying down. I was asking them as a mother to show some compassion and common sense, plus the fact that it should not be down to Ted and I to pack up their home - we could be in our 70's for all they know, but as usual they have their brains up their ar.. and see only black and white!!!

Love Anniexxx

[britcan]

Good for you Annie.... they need to know whats going on over here and how their citizens are being treated...

[anniefromessex]

Hi Britcan,

It is not easy for me cos I hate the thought of leaving but the more I hear the more determined I am that we should not take things lying down. It brought it home to me when I read some of the comments on Kirtida's story - my God these people don't know what is going on in their own back yards!!! And thick!!!! Having said that there were a few people on there who saw the truth, one of the things I liked about it was someone actually said that Americans were lazy - omg how true is that - not talking about all of them because I know many who aren't but especially in the maintenance game they just want to scam you - their workmanship is shoddy, my husband actually had to put a very serious electrical fault right that happened in my sons home - new construction, but these guys were meant to be licensed whereas he is not meant to touch electrical stuff!! He finds so many electrical faults on homes he goes into because these people are lazy and can't be bothered, luckily enough the Companies that he works for know he is good and trust him to put stuff right, good luck America is all I can say cos without the likes of him who knows what could happen and will one of these days because of their incompetence and couldn't care less attitude.

Love Anniexxx

[britcan]

Hi Annie

Its true- I call the American race the "Borg" cos they are powerful as one force but individually they are as thick as 2 short planks, most of them that is.

We are opening a new franchise in Rhode Island- a National Handyman franchise, so we are going to be upping the anti as far as customer service and the quality of workmanship delivered.

My husband won't stand for any CR*P!!!!

Also we will not be employing anyone who cannot speak English or who has shoddy workmanship..

[anniefromessex]

Good for you Britcan - we have found that by using subbies you can at least not use them again but because you have to employ people (Christ you are anyway but this way they don't get all they want from you ie all the tax paying thingies). The work ethic down here is absolutely appalling, anything will do and we were hoping we could make a difference, alas they didn't know that really so the rest is history as they say. Hope things are better in Rhode Island - my neighbour comes from up that way, he is a real sweetie. Good luck with your venture.

Love Anniexxx

[Susie]

The writing under the video say we can e-mail so I have sent to Dave Weldons office and had a reply. I will be forwarding to the Judiciary commitee and others I have been in contact with over the the past year.

In some ways I am glad the immigration reforms for illegals has been thrown out as this gives us the chance to let legislators know they should deal with the issues legals face first and that they should secure the boards first and foremost before passing any bills to document the illegals

[Susie]

Please feel free to e-mail this video to as many senators as possible with your own comments even if we duplicate it will be a good thing to let them know we all mean business

[Munish]

Chris, you made the point I was trying to make much better in your post on the previous page much better than I did. Thanks.

Annie, Marvellous! Keep up the ruckus!

Britcan, good luck to you.

[Grumpy]

Well said Kay,

Just put my two cents worth too, just cannot beleive some people

[Sharon]

Now I am really annoyed at some of the comments. Kay have you read or replied to them?