Immigration discussions are primarily focused on giving undocumented people in the United States citizenship, but there are also negotiations, among politicians, to bring more skilled workers from other countries to work in the U.S. Each year, the nation issues visas to executives, laborers, technicians, educators, and others in order to fill gaps within U.S. industries. Many people in Miami are unaware of the importance that employment immigration plays in building up our nation’s economy.
Eight senators, including Senator Mark Rubio, are working together in a bipartisan relationship to introduce an immigration bill that promotes employment-based immigration while also providing a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants already living on U.S. soil. In exchange for the expansion of visas for technical employees, it is said that the bill will limit the number of family members of American citizens who can immigrate each year.
The bill proposes that undocumented immigrants be given a provisional legal status which would eventually open the path to receiving a green card and applying for citizenship. While the legislative document proposes giving immigrants with a green card a shorter amount of time to wait before they can become citizens, those without a green card would have to wait at least 10 years in order to receive one.
It is clear that there are still many issues relating to immigration that need to be ironed out before the piece of legislation is ready to present to the rest of Congress. If passed, immigrants will at last have an opportunity to gain citizenship but they will have to wait at least a minimum of 13 years to receive it. For people who are trying to help family members immigrate to the U.S., they may find it beneficial to speak with an attorney.
Source: Cleveland, “Bipartisan immigration bill could be unveiled soon that includes a path to citizenship,” March 21, 2013
