A decade into a project to digitize U.S. immigration forms, just one is online
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Re: A decade into a project to digitize U.S. immigration forms, just one is online
#2I would love it if there was even a single link to the actual report in the article.
Re: A decade into a project to digitize U.S. immigration forms, just one is online
#3I went through the green card process last year. From my experience, it is nearly impossible without a lawyer.
I wonder how much of the delay can be attributed to lobbying from the immigration lawyers that profit from the complicated, paper based process.
Re: A decade into a project to digitize U.S. immigration forms, just one is online
#4It seems to me the the same effort that was applied to the HealthCare.gov should be applied here.[1]
It is beyond...well I don't know...beyond something that our federal government proves itself time and time again so incompetent at this sort of thing.
Yes, I understand in Washington that the political process drives everything and that contractors have turned milking-the-cow into an art form, but certain important issues, such as immigration reform, should (pardon me) trump this stasis.
[1] http://qz.com/182303/these-three-management-rules-helped-fix...
Re: A decade into a project to digitize U.S. immigration forms, just one is online
#5The amount of repetitive paperwork and needless bureaucratic steps for immigration-related matters is utterly ridiculous. The closest approximation I can make to dealing with immigration-related paperwork is filing taxes without the aid of software and being forced to complete and mail in one section (and have it approved) before moving onto the next.
Re: A decade into a project to digitize U.S. immigration forms, just one is online
#6I went through the green card process last year. From my experience, it is nearly impossible without a lawyer. I wonder how much of the delay can be attributed to lobbying from the immigration lawyers that profit from the complicated, paper based process.
I remember taking my wife for her medical exam as part of her green card process. What a joke! The doctor--who he has to select as someone on a small approved list--was basically retired and using his position on that list as a way to make extra money. I don't think he did a thing to examine her. He just chatted and told us stories about when he was fighting in Korea and accidentally stepped in a kimchi pot. Very nice fellow, but clearly just milking the process.
Re: A decade into a project to digitize U.S. immigration forms, just one is online
#7The amount of repetitive paperwork and needless bureaucratic steps for immigration-related matters is utterly ridiculous. The closest approximation I can make to dealing with immigration-related paperwork is filing taxes without the aid of software and being forced to complete and mail in one section (and have it approved) before moving onto the next.
"The bureaucracy is expanding to meet the needs of the expanding bureaucracy." -- Oscar Wilde
Re: A decade into a project to digitize U.S. immigration forms, just one is online
#8I spoke with some USDS/18F folks a few months back, and I know they're working with USCIS to try and remedy the failures of contracting this all out to IBM. I'm hopeful things will get better in the next few years.
Re: A decade into a project to digitize U.S. immigration forms, just one is online
#9I went through the green card process last year. From my experience, it is nearly impossible without a lawyer. I wonder how much of the delay can be attributed to lobbying from the immigration lawyers that profit from the complicated, paper based process.
Care to elaborate? Family-based immigration (the overwhelming majority of cases) only requires 3 to 5 forms and a lawyer can't help much as you have to provide all the infos and documents yourself. And for employment-based immigration, most of the burden is on the employer.
Re: A decade into a project to digitize U.S. immigration forms, just one is online
#10I went through the green card process last year. From my experience, it is nearly impossible without a lawyer. I wonder how much of the delay can be attributed to lobbying from the immigration lawyers that profit from the complicated, paper based process.
Care to elaborate? Family-based immigration (the overwhelming majority of cases) only requires 3 to 5 forms and a lawyer can't help much as you have to provide all the infos and documents yourself. And for employment-based immigration, most of the burden is on the employer.
I finished the EB-1 process this year. As thankful as I may be for how it worked out eventually (and knowing that most employment based petitions do not fall in this category), I still regularly show people the picture I snapped of the 6 pounds of documentation I had to prepare and send to support my case. Maybe they just did a good job convincing me of their worth, but I can't imagine doing this without lawyers.