NOSTOPS Timeline – Journey of a Decade (2004 – 2014)

The post NOSTOPS Timeline – Journey of a Decade (2004 – 2014) appeared first on National Organization for Software and Technology Professionals.

• NOSTOPS founded in April of 2004.
• Joined forces with Rediff and started the American work visa related open Q& A series that continued to operate till 2007: http://www.nostops.org/media-2/
• Answered queries from ‘stranded’ individuals and victims of abuse (employer issues, immigration / visa issues.
• Published  book “American Work Permit – Official Rules & Regulations of American work visas”
• Liaison with Department of Labor, and Department of Justice Officials to provide evidence of visa misuse.
• Testified against work visa program abuse and met with the Senator’s and policy makers at Capitol Hill, Washington DC to show evidence of how there was large-scale recruitment fraud.
• Initiated regular updates on the website (www.nostops.org/) about fraudulent activities to alert Indian workers seeking foreign employment.

• Collected employment contracts from existing & new members to verify labor law compliance,
• Vetted these employment offers & employment contracts for labor/immigration law compliance,
• Identified fraudulent terms and conditions,
• Reported these violations with the DOL and DOJ officials.

• Joined hands with Bright Future Jobs as an American lobbying partner to end the xenophobic anti-guest worker sentiments.
• Brought the concept of ‘dual employment’ in focus
• Provided evidence of worker abuse
• Recieved media coverage on, ‘The H-1B Equation,’ in the Computer World Magazine in Washington DC: http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/100059/The_H_1B_Equation?pageNumber=2

• NOSTOPS members participated in media interviews to bring forth instances of abuse and involuntary servitude amongst guest workers.
• Financial Express – Indian techies in US plan for sick-in strike http://www.financialexpress.com/news/indian-techies-in-us-plan-for-sickin-strike/92968/0
• American Renaissance – Are South Asians Missing in the Immigration Fight? http://www.amren.com/news/2006/07/are_south_asian/
• Featured on CNBC’s ‘Uncovered’ program for a sting operation on bogus recruitment agents in Indian metros.
• H 1B visa racket busted in US, 11 Indians arrested https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uaofpy3D-oE
• Visa Consultants selling H-1b visas https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOqOxYr4F18
• Initiated closure & arrest of fraudulent companies after inspecting employment contracts received from NOSTOPS members.
• Partnered and promoted www.goolti.com to provide instances of victimization for the Dept. of labor field officers to further investigate.

• Exposed employer contractual bondage and the related visa  scamming abuse
• Procured employment contract of Vision Systems Group leading to a federal lawsuit and closing of the company: http://www.uscis.gov/archive/archive-news/11-arrested-indicted-multi-state-operation-targeting-visa-and-mail-fraud
• Media coverage:
• Black Alliance for Just Immigration – http://www.blackalliance.org/baji-in-the-news/
• Interview with 94.1 FM on the impact of the U.S. government’s H1B visas for temporary immigrant workers, June 6, 2007. http://www.kpfa.org/archives/index.php?arch=20600
• Provided evidence of staffing only (visa sponsoring companies) bypassing local talent and hiring fresh graduates off campus from India and paying them low salaries as compared to American workers.

• Evidenced the loophole where the petitioning employers could legally circumvent not paying the promised wage level as mandated by the Dept of Labor and getting a petition approved for a citizen from overseas.
• Justified how companies could bypass available local talent and source fresh new hires off campus from India.
• Media coverage:
• Senators Target Visa ‘Loopholes’ – Business Week – http://www.businessweek.com/stories/2008-04-01/senators-target-visa-loopholesbusinessweek-business-news-stock-market-and-financial-advice
• America’s High Tech Sweatshops
• http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/09_41/b4150034732629.htm
• Visa Abuse and Fraud Prevention Act of 2007 – https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/110/s1035

• Inspected NOSTOPS members’ employment contracts from American staffing agencies willing to sponsor a work visa irrespective of a job.
• Shared these contracts internally with American partner organizations and vetted for correctness.
• Fraud was identified and employment contracts leading to labor bondage and promissory sums upwards of lakhs of rupees were documented.

• Commissioned a ‘Migration Studies” program in in partnership with a leading Law School at Pune, India.
• Monitored online job posts seeking H-1B applicants only bypassing local talent as well as existing unemployed H-1B workers. Found out that American employers were posting job ads in Indian career portals targeting Indian workers, excluding American workers as well as the benched existing H-1b visa holders present in America to even apply for these jobs in America.
• Documented and communicated the findings with American tech worker partner organizations and a series of media stories were commissioned to bring awareness to these issues of bypassing local talent and creating segregation of workers both foreign guest workers as well as local citizens.
• Media coverage:
• Rediff -  Want a job Overseas? Beware Of Fraud – http://www.rediff.com/getahead/2009/aug/28career-overseas-job-beware-of-fraud.htm

• Worked with the State Dept & Homeland Agency Officials to monitor and report fraudulent activities on job portals.
• Media coverage:
• Huffington Post – Going Political, not Postal – http://www.huffingtonpost.com/donna-conroy/going-political–-not-pos_b_511585.html
• Explained to the work visa policy stakeholders that include legislative aides of senators and other subject matter experts on migration policy and the State dept officials at DHS and DOJ as well as to the journalists and reports, the ease in sponsoring and pushing fraudulent workers from India using the H1B and L1 visa programs

• Initiated a series of interviews to publish views and opinions of the workers on the 20th Anniversary of the H-1B program – http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9196620/H_1B_The_voices_behind_the_visa
• Highlighted the growing unemployment amongst experienced H1-B visa holders through interviews.
• H-1B at 20: How the ‘tech worker visa’ is remaking IT in America http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9196738/H_1B_at_20_How_the_tech_worker_visa_is_remaking_IT_in_America
• H_1B visa data Visual and interactive tools http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9196283/H_1B_visa_data_Visual_and_interactive_tools
• Media coverage:
• Misuse of Visas might be widespread – Live Mint – http://www.livemint.com/Home-Page/P6Sg9jfxydefuIscgp6k6H/Misuse-of-US-visas-may-be-widespread.html

• Monitored fraudulent online job postings by American employers targeting Indian job seekers on Indian job boards and excluding American workers and the benched existing H-1b visa holders present in America
• Communicated the findings with American tech worker partner organizations and a series of media stories were commissioned to bring awareness to these issues of bypassing local talent and creating segregation of workers both foreign guest workers as well as local citizens.

• Initiated a partnership with Shine.com, a Hindustan Times Initiative, to promote its job fair in the United States with jobs in India for the returning workers.
• Promoted the HT initiative open job fair for American as well as the returning Indian workers to send a message of “circular migration’ instead of the typical “reverse brain drain” of its knowledge capital between US and India.
• Media coverage:
• Blog on Times Of India – Titled “Green Carrot” – http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/green-carrot-americas-work-visa-crisis/
• HT initiative – http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9221756/Looking_for_work_Here_s_a_job_fair_touting_tech_openings_in_India?taxonomyId=10

• Feb 2014, awarded the Karmaveer Chakra Puraskar for Social Justice by International Confederation Of NGOs.
• Partnerships with Programmers Guild and Washington Tech Alliance over a professional labor boycott against Manpower, IBM and Infosys
• Hidden Abroad: Manpower’s Want Ads Reveal ‘No Americans Need Apply’ For Upcoming Jobs In Fiscal Year 2015,” – http://www.nostops.org/HiddenAbroad.pdf
• Released a joint Press Release to boycott employers against wage discrimination
• Media coverage:
• Blog on Times Of India – Titled “Green Carrot” – http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/green-carrot-americas-work-visa-crisis/
• Indian Hustle: How Fraudsters Prey on Would-be US Tech Workers – CNN Report , Global Post and 40 other media -  http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-1095562
• U.S tech worker groups boycott Infosys, IBM and Manpower – Business Standard, India Abroad, The Hindu, Computer World and 74 other news channels – http://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/us-tech-worker-groups-boycott-infosys-ibm-manpower-114060300681_1.html
• From techies in India to software slaves in US

The post NOSTOPS Timeline – Journey of a Decade (2004 – 2014) appeared first on National Organization for Software and Technology Professionals.