Visa Lottery May Soon Stop
- By Williams Ekanem
- Published August 23rd, 2011
- News
- Unrated
If the sponsors of a bill meant to end the United States visa lottery programme succeed with their intention, then, the doors may soon be shut against thousands of foreigners seeking easy passage into the country. A bill to abolish the yearly lottery has moved from the Judiciary Committee to the full House for consideration. The bill sponsored by Virginia Republican Bob Goodlattea and widely supported by Republicans postulates that the lottery has encouraged the problem of fraud, adding that it can be potentially exploited by terrorists to perpetrate their act.
“It’s an open invitation for fraud and a jackpot for terrorists,” said Judiciary committee chairman, Lamar Smith, a Republican from Texas. Smith argued that the goal of the programme to increase the diversity of immigrants coming into the country is already achieved since 785,000 visas have been issued from 1995 to date. About 15 million people applied last year for the annually-issued 55,000 visas, which automatically grants green cards to citizens of selected countries whose names are randomly picked through a computer selection process.
Freshmen Republicans, Nan Hayworth (R-N.Y.), Rich Nugent (R-Fla.), and Dennis Ross (R-Fla.) have co-sponsored the bi-partisan SAFE for America Act of 2011 that would end the Visa Lottery. The Visa Lottery issues 50,000 green cards based on “random selection” instead of humanitarian need, family connection, or other economic or cultural value to the United States.
Rep. Goodlatte’s bill is one of our top legislative priorities for the 112th Congress and currently has 33 co-sponsors. Rep. Hayworth represents New York’s 19th Congressional District. She is currently serving her first term in Congress. Rep. Ross represents Florida’s 12the Congressional District.
He is currently serving his first term in Congress and was identified as a “True Reformer” during the mid-term elections. Rep. Ross has already earned an A- grade.
BusinessWorld gathered that due to the Great Recession in the U.S, combined with rise of fringe elements within all sides of the US political spectrum, the pressure on programmes like this and the H1B visa have intensified.
Despite numerous studies showing that strong U.S immigration creates jobs and grows the economy, not to mention that it has and is still is the genesis of the American DNA which has made it the world’s largest economy and only superpower.
The combined factors of short-sighted and opportunistic politicians, ignorant constituents and a complicit media has meant that negative pressure on foreigners in the last four years in the U-S has grown exceedingly worse, according to reports.
In addition to this, a major stuff up by the U-S State Department in announcing the Green Card Lottery winners in May 2011, forced a recall 12 days later and a redraw and subsequent announcement of winners on July 15, 2011. This gave a window for many of the anti-lottery proponents to pounce due to the increased media attention as the whole lottery is largely unknown to the American people.
Interestingly, and unlikely ally has emerged in Foreign Immigrants (or more accurately what the US government calls non-immigrants) who are currently in the U.S on work visas or studying at U.S academic institutions particularly at the Graduate and Ph.D level.
Apart from the Green Card Lottery and direct Family sponsorship, the major avenue to a Green Card is sponsorship via an Employer under the EB2 and EB3 visa categories.
“It’s an open invitation for fraud and a jackpot for terrorists,” said Judiciary committee chairman, Lamar Smith, a Republican from Texas. Smith argued that the goal of the programme to increase the diversity of immigrants coming into the country is already achieved since 785,000 visas have been issued from 1995 to date. About 15 million people applied last year for the annually-issued 55,000 visas, which automatically grants green cards to citizens of selected countries whose names are randomly picked through a computer selection process.
Freshmen Republicans, Nan Hayworth (R-N.Y.), Rich Nugent (R-Fla.), and Dennis Ross (R-Fla.) have co-sponsored the bi-partisan SAFE for America Act of 2011 that would end the Visa Lottery. The Visa Lottery issues 50,000 green cards based on “random selection” instead of humanitarian need, family connection, or other economic or cultural value to the United States.
Rep. Goodlatte’s bill is one of our top legislative priorities for the 112th Congress and currently has 33 co-sponsors. Rep. Hayworth represents New York’s 19th Congressional District. She is currently serving her first term in Congress. Rep. Ross represents Florida’s 12the Congressional District.
He is currently serving his first term in Congress and was identified as a “True Reformer” during the mid-term elections. Rep. Ross has already earned an A- grade.
BusinessWorld gathered that due to the Great Recession in the U.S, combined with rise of fringe elements within all sides of the US political spectrum, the pressure on programmes like this and the H1B visa have intensified.
Despite numerous studies showing that strong U.S immigration creates jobs and grows the economy, not to mention that it has and is still is the genesis of the American DNA which has made it the world’s largest economy and only superpower.
The combined factors of short-sighted and opportunistic politicians, ignorant constituents and a complicit media has meant that negative pressure on foreigners in the last four years in the U-S has grown exceedingly worse, according to reports.
In addition to this, a major stuff up by the U-S State Department in announcing the Green Card Lottery winners in May 2011, forced a recall 12 days later and a redraw and subsequent announcement of winners on July 15, 2011. This gave a window for many of the anti-lottery proponents to pounce due to the increased media attention as the whole lottery is largely unknown to the American people.
Interestingly, and unlikely ally has emerged in Foreign Immigrants (or more accurately what the US government calls non-immigrants) who are currently in the U.S on work visas or studying at U.S academic institutions particularly at the Graduate and Ph.D level.
Apart from the Green Card Lottery and direct Family sponsorship, the major avenue to a Green Card is sponsorship via an Employer under the EB2 and EB3 visa categories.
