India fights back!

Assuming you read my last blog of the big goof-up that USCIS commited harrassing the thousands of desis in this country. Well, the loss was tremendous. People cancelling their holidays, paying those exhorbitant cancelation charges, cutting short their trips and heading home to prepare the papers. And with the sudden revokal by the govt, Indians were furious. And guess what the desis did this time, they fought back. And this time, they adopted the Gandhi approach. Inspired by the recent movie, Lage Raho Munnabhai, they sent flowers to the USCIS office. Everyone knew this would not change the decision, but atleast it would catch the attention of the powerful media. And did this Gandhigiri pay off?

 

IT DID. Yes, there were rallies too, and other protests, and the Gandhigiri. The other lawyer foundations were ready with their lawsuit. What really worked we don't know. But, the govt took back its suspension, and opened up the doors once again to the ever-so-green card. I am just glad that this time, we just didn't sit idle, as is the underlying nature of Indians. We fought back and we got results.  

Popat banaya

USCIS ne popat banaya. They literally took millions of GC-aspiring immigrants for a ride. To spare you the details and give you just a gist, there are three stages in the Greencard process. We have finished two. They had stopped accepting the applications for the third due to their backlog. In June, they announced they are opening all of it up from July. Chinkus, desis, makkus, all made a beeline at the doctors' to get their medical clearance, spent precious dollars on getting vaccinations, fedexing documents overnite, getting birth certificates in order, etc etc.  And comes July 2nd, (1st being a sunday), they issue a bulletin announcing they have temporarily suspended accepting applications for watever BS reasons they give.

 

Sometimes, we really feel, damn this US govt, who is keeping us legal tax-paying immigrants submerged in their bureaucratic paperwork, while legalizing all those who have just run across borders. What if the entire H1B community just left this country at one time? That would really shake them off their BIG ass (sorry for the language but you can judge our frustration). Well, obviously you would question me, then why are you staying here? Why don't you go back? It is way too complicated to just leave and go back. Maybe i could explain this in another blog.

 

Well, as of now, everyone is disappointed on all the time and money wasted. A lawsuit has to be on its way. And our freedom, freedom from the paperwork, restrictions, portability, layers of bloodsucking middleman is again a distant dream away.