US presidential panel discusses issuing work permits to those waiting for Green Card for over 5 yrs
Washington (PTI): A presidential advisory commission has discussed the possibility of issuing employment authorisation cards in the early stages of Green Card application, a move if approved by the Biden administration would end the agonising wait for the Permanent Resident Card for highly skilled foreign-born workers, including Indians.
A Green Card is a document issued to immigrants to the US as evidence that the bearer has been granted the privilege of residing permanently.
The recommendation proposes that the Department of Homeland Security's US Citizenship and Immigration Services (DHS-USCIS) grant employment authorisation documents (EADs) and travel documents to individuals who have approved I-140 employment-based visa petitions in the EB-1, EB-2, EB-3 categories.
And also who have been waiting in the visa backlog for five or more years regardless of whether they have filed applications for adjustment of status.
Members of the President's Advisory Commissioner for Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander commission on Tuesday held a detailed discussion on the proposal moved by an eminent Indian-American community leader and its member Ajay Jain Bhutoria, who in his presentation highlighted the challenges faced by H-1B visa holders in the United States.
The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise.
Technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China.
During the meeting, which was webcast live, members of the commission sought further information on this recommendation and decided to bring it up in the next full commission meeting.
Bhutoria said such a move would benefit the US by ensuring that the country can continue to attract and retain global talent in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and by improving the lives of many foreign-born scientists, engineers, and physicians.
The recommendation comes at a time when highly skilled foreign-born workers, including Indians, face long waits for their immigrant visas to be processed during which they may lose out on job opportunities or be forced to leave the country because their prior non-immigrant visas have expired.
By granting EADs to these individuals, the US can continue to benefit from their skills and expertise while the immigrant visas are being finalised, he noted.
The policy would also improve the lives of many foreign-born scientists, engineers, and physicians who often face significant uncertainty and stress as they wait for their visas to be approved.
Granting EADs would provide them and their families with greater stability and security.
The proposal would be a win-win for the United States, benefiting both the country and the talented foreign-born individuals seeking to contribute to it.
In his recommendations, Bhutoria also highlighted the challenges faced by the H-1B visa holders, including visa restrictions, limited career growth opportunities, discrimination, uncertainty, lengthy processing times, limited job and travel opportunities, and family separation.
The recommendation to grant EADs to these individuals would provide them with increased job opportunities, improved job security, the ability to start a business, flexibility on being home, invest and build a life in the US, travel freely without worry of visa stamping or appointment, mental peace, better health, and the ability to stay connected with family members.
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Jharkhand horror: Man kills live-in partner, chops body into 40 pieces
Ranchi (PTI): A 25-year-old man, who works as a butcher, allegedly strangled to death his live-in partner and chopped her body into 40 to 50 pieces in a forested area in Jharkhand’s Khunti district, police said on Wednesday.
The accused, identified as Naresh Bhengra, was arrested.
The matter came to light after around a fortnight after the killing when a stray dog was found with human body parts near Jordag village in Jariagarh police station on November 24.
Bhengra was in a live-in relationship with the deceased, a 24-year-old woman also from Khunti district, in Tamil Nadu for the past couple of years. Sometime back, he returned to Jharkhand, got married to another woman without telling his partner anything and went back to the southern state without his wife to join her.
"The brutal incident occurred on November 8 when they reached Khunti as the accused who had married another woman did not wish to take her home. Instead, he took her to a forest near his house at Jordag village in Jariagarh police station and chopped the body into pieces. The man has been arrested," Khunti Superintendent of Police Aman Kumar told PTI.
Inspector Ashok Singh who investigated the case said the man worked in a butcher shop in Tamil Nadu and was expert in slicing chicken.
“He admitted chopping the body parts of the woman into 40 to 50 pieces before leaving those in the forest for wild animals to feast on. The police recovered several parts on November 24 after a dog in the area was seen with a hand," Singh told PTI.
Singh said that the woman, who was unaware of his marriage, pressured him to return to Khunti. After reaching Ranchi, they boarded a train on November 24 and headed to the man's village.
"Under a plan, the man took her to Khunti in an autorickshaw near his home and asked her to wait. He returned with sharp weapons and strangulated her with her dupatta after raping her. He then cut the body into 40 to 50 pieces and left for his home to live with his wife," Singh said.
The woman, however, had informed her mother that she had boarded a train and would be living with her partner, the police officer said.
Following the recovery of body parts, a bag was also found in the forest with the murdered woman's belongings including her Aadhaar card. The mother of the woman was called at the spot and she identified her daughter's belongings.
"The mother suspected the man behind the crime who after being nabbed by the police admitted to chopping the woman into pieces," the official added.
The incident has sent shockwaves among people in the region, with the Shraddha Walker murder case of 2022 still fresh in their memory.
Walker was killed by her live-in partner who chopped her body into pieces before dumping them in the jungle in South Delhi’s Mehrauli.
