Could proposed immigration reform put many on path to citizenship?

May 11, 2013

Could proposed immigration reform put many on path to citizenship?

Article provided by William A. Streppone, Attorney at Law
Visit us at http://www.immigrationlawyer-ny.com

Could proposed immigration legislation offer a chance at citizenship for some of the country's reported 11 million illegal immigrants?

It depends.

Yes, Senator Marco Rubio (R-Florida) has proposed sweeping legislation to reform the current system of handling both legal and illegal immigrantsin America that makes strides to provide a path by which many already in the country could eventually earn their citizenship. But, no, that path won't be opening any time soon. Rubio himself estimates that it will likely take 10-13 years before immigrants currently in the country illegally would be eligible to earn a green card, and only then by proving that they aren't misusing public resources like welfare, Medicaid and food stamps (since those programs are funded by taxpayer money and reserved for people in the country legally), will pay taxes and will be law-abiding citizens.

Any sort of citizenship path for currently illegal immigrants proposed in the bipartisan reform bill will be on hold until the other provisions have been put into place, including measures to:
-Develop and implement a "entry/exit" system to ensure that people entering the country legally on a student or business visa leave in a timely manner once the visa has expired
-Shore up the country's borders, including the repair or construction of enhanced fencing and checkpoints
-Implement an "E-Verify" system that would check the immigration status of prospective employees, and ensure penalties for employers who knowingly hire undocumented laborers

Revamping visa use

Proposals introduced by Rubio and other federal politicians would also increase the number of visas available for specialized workers like those in the scientific, technological, engineering and medical fields. Years of limiting the number of visas in those fields have left a wide swath of American companies dealing with worker shortages. The goal behind those reforms is not only to staff preexisting companies with positions to fill (and not enough qualified applicants available through a traditional job posting), but also to lure in talented foreign-born entrepreneurs who could create jobs for domestic workers.

Seeing results

Seeing as the reforms proposed by the so-called "Gang of Eight" (the name given to the bipartisan group who have collaborated to craft this particular immigration reform bill) have not even been voted on by a full Senate (or by the House of Representatives), only time will tell if any of its provisions will effect change. In the meantime, though, if you or a loved one is dealing with an immigration-related issue, an experienced immigration attorney in your area can answer your questions, explain your rights and give you options to address your concerns.