Immigration reform
Jan 29th 2013, 6:31 pm
#16
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Location: UK
Posts: 143
Re: Immigration reform
The bill proposed yesterday appears to simply be a consolidation of every half-baked idea that has been floating around Congress for the past ten years, here are the highlights:
- full labour certification for H-1B "to stop foreign workers undercutting Americans", blah blah;
- an "enhanced" E-verify system, which I assume means Schumer's utterly bonkers biometric social security card system;
- reallocation of per country immigrant visa numbers to make it fairer (by screwing over some nationalities to favour others);
- reform of family-based immigation, wasn't quite following that one but seeing as McCain helped write it, I assume it means scrapping third and fourth preference and assigning them to employment-based, but there was some guff about "reunifying" families, which I assume means deported people will be able to get waivers even though they're banned from entry;
- scrapping the diversity lottery;
- assigning more immigrant visas to people with STEM qualifications who have job offers, so I assume that means EB-3 Skilled Worker will have some subcategory;
- "guest worker program" which sounded word-for-word like the current H-2A system, no clue what that was about really, some sort of minor reform of H-2A at the end of the day. H-2A already allows agricultural workers to come in and there is no quota. Maybe they're talking about scrapping the visa and granting it at the POE, but I think it is just a limited expansion to some other types of work;
- some sort of way of people in the US illegally being able to stay, this seems to be the toughest bit of it, people who have been granted deferred action who pay all their taxes, pass an English language test etc. get LPR status and then they can get citizenship.
The last bit is the most contentious, I have a feeling it won't pass the House if it includes citizenship, could be some form of conditional LPR status, i.e. you're allowed to stay but the condition will be you can't get citizenship unless you get a waiver and go through the legal route everyone else goes through (which means they won't be able to get it in many cases which is why they entered illegally to begin with).
More info from Obama possibly in half an hour, but I suspect that speech will be style rather than substance.
If you're in the US illegally this might be a big deal for you but if you want to come to the US legally you could be arguably worse off, or only slightly better off.
Oh yeah and if you work in the "building fences, digging trenches" industry have I got good news for you...
- full labour certification for H-1B "to stop foreign workers undercutting Americans", blah blah;
- an "enhanced" E-verify system, which I assume means Schumer's utterly bonkers biometric social security card system;
- reallocation of per country immigrant visa numbers to make it fairer (by screwing over some nationalities to favour others);
- reform of family-based immigation, wasn't quite following that one but seeing as McCain helped write it, I assume it means scrapping third and fourth preference and assigning them to employment-based, but there was some guff about "reunifying" families, which I assume means deported people will be able to get waivers even though they're banned from entry;
- scrapping the diversity lottery;
- assigning more immigrant visas to people with STEM qualifications who have job offers, so I assume that means EB-3 Skilled Worker will have some subcategory;
- "guest worker program" which sounded word-for-word like the current H-2A system, no clue what that was about really, some sort of minor reform of H-2A at the end of the day. H-2A already allows agricultural workers to come in and there is no quota. Maybe they're talking about scrapping the visa and granting it at the POE, but I think it is just a limited expansion to some other types of work;
- some sort of way of people in the US illegally being able to stay, this seems to be the toughest bit of it, people who have been granted deferred action who pay all their taxes, pass an English language test etc. get LPR status and then they can get citizenship.
The last bit is the most contentious, I have a feeling it won't pass the House if it includes citizenship, could be some form of conditional LPR status, i.e. you're allowed to stay but the condition will be you can't get citizenship unless you get a waiver and go through the legal route everyone else goes through (which means they won't be able to get it in many cases which is why they entered illegally to begin with).
More info from Obama possibly in half an hour, but I suspect that speech will be style rather than substance.
If you're in the US illegally this might be a big deal for you but if you want to come to the US legally you could be arguably worse off, or only slightly better off.
Oh yeah and if you work in the "building fences, digging trenches" industry have I got good news for you...
Obama is about to make an input in the immigration debate in the next hour.
Jan 30th 2013, 12:38 am
#17
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Joined: Jul 2010
Location: Calgary, Alberta
Posts: 8,928
Re: Immigration reform
What they ARE going to do though is crack down on illegal employment, e.g. with Schumer's biometric social security cards, thereby forcing people to use H-2A (supposedly).
Jan 30th 2013, 12:44 am
#18
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Joined: Jul 2010
Location: Calgary, Alberta
Posts: 8,928
Re: Immigration reform
I don't know if it will be the same as the bill that passed the house though, ditching the DV lottery and putting 50,000 visas on STEM seemed excessive to me. Are there 50,000 people on F-1 studying for a master's in a STEM field who would want to become LPRs? Are there enough employers willing to file I-140s for them? That bill said if they weren't all used they could then be used by people with STEM qualifications no longer in university.
Anyway so far that appears to be the only real benefit for skilled workers from developed countries like the UK. Other things like full labour certification for H-1B will make it harder, plus reallocating the per country limitations will also make it harder.
Depends what they do with family reunification and whether more visa numbers are moved to employment-based immigration.
Jan 30th 2013, 12:51 am
#19
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Joined: Jan 2013
Location: UK
Posts: 143
Re: Immigration reform
Yeah but they've got to fit the STEM visas under some sort of EB category, it will either be a new one or some modification of EB-3 most likely, e.g. EB-3 STEM skilled worker.
I don't know if it will be the same as the bill that passed the house though, ditching the DV lottery and putting 50,000 visas on STEM seemed excessive to me. Are there 50,000 people on F-1 studying for a master's in a STEM field who would want to become LPRs? Are there enough employers willing to file I-140s for them? That bill said if they weren't all used they could then be used by people with STEM qualifications no longer in university.
Anyway so far that appears to be the only real benefit for skilled workers from developed countries like the UK. Other things like full labour certification for H-1B will make it harder, plus reallocating the per country limitations will also make it harder.
Depends what they do with family reunification and whether more visa numbers are moved to employment-based immigration.
I don't know if it will be the same as the bill that passed the house though, ditching the DV lottery and putting 50,000 visas on STEM seemed excessive to me. Are there 50,000 people on F-1 studying for a master's in a STEM field who would want to become LPRs? Are there enough employers willing to file I-140s for them? That bill said if they weren't all used they could then be used by people with STEM qualifications no longer in university.
Anyway so far that appears to be the only real benefit for skilled workers from developed countries like the UK. Other things like full labour certification for H-1B will make it harder, plus reallocating the per country limitations will also make it harder.
Depends what they do with family reunification and whether more visa numbers are moved to employment-based immigration.
It seems the only difference would be instead of getting sponsored for a H1-B, students would be sponsored for a green card...
Jan 30th 2013, 5:08 pm
#20
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Joined: Jul 2010
Location: Calgary, Alberta
Posts: 8,928
Re: Immigration reform
There are only approximately 150,000 people per year granted LPR status in employment-based categories, period, so to assume that there are employers out there willing to file 50,000 I-140s purely for STEM graduates is unlikely, imo. I have a feeling the total number of visas made available will be less than that and they'll use the remaining number for something else. Very momentarily speeding up immigration visas for a few Mexicans, maybe, although I think that is more likely to be a case of changing the per country limitations which will make an even more marginal difference.
I cannot see Congress increasing the overall number of immigrant visas in the current economic climate.
I never understand why people think Congress is crap and then all of a sudden, hey they're going to do something not crap. No Congress is crap and everything they do is largely crap, just accept it. This immigration reform bill sounds like a big deal but I seriously doubt it will be.
I cannot see Congress increasing the overall number of immigrant visas in the current economic climate.
I never understand why people think Congress is crap and then all of a sudden, hey they're going to do something not crap. No Congress is crap and everything they do is largely crap, just accept it. This immigration reform bill sounds like a big deal but I seriously doubt it will be.
Feb 5th 2013, 5:27 pm
#21
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Joined: Jul 2010
Location: Calgary, Alberta
Posts: 8,928
Re: Immigration reform
Still waiting on the bill...
Feb 5th 2013, 6:05 pm
#23
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Location: Calgary, Alberta
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Re: Immigration reform
Still no bill for that either, Schumer is supposed to introduce a bill for the background checks, hasn't done it.
It's going to be endless arguments about "sequestration."
It's going to be endless arguments about "sequestration."
Feb 5th 2013, 6:30 pm
#24
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Joined: Mar 2010
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Posts: 8,106
Re: Immigration reform
I see that marriage equality has just been passed the UK parliament by a significant margin (400-175). No idea if that will help any same sex couple immigrants in the UK.
It does give me hope that there is a rising tide for such reforms though. In the US I'm not so sure.
It does give me hope that there is a rising tide for such reforms though. In the US I'm not so sure.
Feb 5th 2013, 7:16 pm
#25
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Joined: Nov 2011
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Posts: 2,333
Re: Immigration reform
I think the US will get there eventually, it just takes such a long time to build up consensus across enough states to get social justice laws enacted at Federal level.
Feb 6th 2013, 6:03 pm
#26
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Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 37
Re: Immigration reform
Spineless politicians are only interested in potential voters just as is the case with the shirtlifters.
Feb 6th 2013, 7:44 pm
#28
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Re: Immigration reform
"People regurgitating somebody else's poorly thought out sound bites are clearly idiots and should be treated as such..."
Mar 9th 2013, 10:44 pm
#29
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Re: Immigration reform
The 'gang of eight' currently crafting an immigration bill are expected to have an agreement and announce a bill when they return from their break in early April.
Obama has said he wants a bill from Congress within 60 days. Will be interesting to see whether this gets shot down, or has a chance.
Obama has said he wants a bill from Congress within 60 days. Will be interesting to see whether this gets shot down, or has a chance.
Mar 10th 2013, 6:00 am
#30
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Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 2
Re: Immigration reform
The smart money seems to be on Obama playing games and wanting to use it as a stick for the next elections.