Senator Patrick Leahy’s amendment that would make the EB-5 program permanent, was adopted by the Judiciary Committee on Thursday. This amendment would also make the program more efficient and attractive. Few other amendments that were adopted, deal with the E-Verify and the W non-immigrant visa programs. An E-Verify amendment that was filed by Senator Al Franken would require the US Department of Homeland Security to improve the E-Verify system. Another amendment filed by Senator Al Franken would create an office the would assist the small businesses and employers and provide them information about the E-Verify system. Senator Schumer’s amendment would modify the W visa program, that the Senate immigration bill would create.

At the same time, the members of the House have also come up with an immigration reform legislation. Members of the House who crafted the bill hope that their bill would pass the House and the Senate. Their plan includes a 15 year path to US citizenship for the undocumented immigrants. Nevertheless, the Senate immigration reform bill would permit undocumented immigrants to obtain US citizenship in 13 years. This plan has also been backed by President Obama. Their bill is similar to the Senate immigration reform bill. Their plan also calls for border security and focuses on workplace enforcement. The immigration reform bill crafted by the members of the House would create guest worker programs and permit foreign nationals to legally work in the country. Likewise, their bill would legalize undocumented immigrants and grant them US citizenship.

The bill would implement border security measures similar to that of Australia’s. The passports of people traveling to and from Australia are being scanned and the Senate immigration bill would require the US immigration officers to scan the passports of people traveling to America. If the immigration reform bill is passed, entry and exit systems similar to that of Australia’s would be implemented, at US ports of entry. Out of the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the country, more than 4 million of them have lost their legal status as they have overstayed their non-immigrant visas. US immigration officers and the country are unable to deal with those undocumented immigrants. Most of them have been living in the country for several years and they want the country to legalize them. Likewise, the officials are unable to identify immigrants who have overstayed their US visas as there is no exit control at US airports.

Some willfully overstay their visas but there are certain circumstances that prevent few others from returning to their home countries. However, they are all in violation of the country’s immigration laws. Immigrants who hold expired visas, lead their lives in the United States just like the US citizens and the legal residents. They go to schools and work in the country but they do this illegally. The aim of the immigration reform bill is to secure the borders of the country and to fix the visa overstay problem. Likewise, there are loopholes in the student visa program. The Senators have adopted an amendment that would close all those loopholes and prevent the foreign students and US institutions from involving in visa fraud. The Senate Judiciary Committee has also adopted few other amendments and it will continue considering all the other amendments.

However, the lawmakers do not how to determine who owes what, as the stories of all the undocumented immigrants may not be the same. Most of the undocumented immigrants do not have immigration papers and documentation of work history and so it may be difficult to find out how much they owe. Nevertheless, reports state that many immigrants give up US citizenship as they do not want to pay their taxes that are high. Internal Revenue Service (IRS), states that 679 immigrants have abandoned US citizenship just because they do not want pay taxes. Eduardo Saverin, co-founder of Facebook, has also abandoned US citizenship.

According to the Senate immigration reform bill, it is the responsibility of the IRS to collect taxes from the undocumented immigrants who apply for legal status. But there are no specific instructions on how the IRS must collect taxes from them. As the undocumented immigrants have been working off the books all these years, they may not be required to pay their back taxes. Undocumented immigrants would be required to pay taxes before they apply for legal status, only if the IRS audits and requires them to pay taxes. Moreover, the bill would also not require the US employers who hired undocumented immigrants, to pay taxes for the years they paid undocumented immigrants. 

Another amendment filed by Cruz, would prevent undocumented immigrants from applying for legal status until the US Department of Homeland Security secures the borders of the country. Likewise, he also wants the country to triple the number of border security agents, implement a biometric screening system at US ports of entry and achieve 100 percent effectiveness within three years. According to an amendment filed by Sen. Orrin Hatch (R) of Utah, undocumented immigrants would be required to submit DNA samples and offer genetic signature before applying for the temporary “Registered Provisional Immigrant” status that the Senate immigration reform bill would create.

An amendment from Sen. Mike Lee (R) of Utah, states that the country must only legalize the undocumented immigrants who entered into America before 2010. According to the Senate immigration reform bill, undocumented immigrants who entered into America before 31st December, 2011, would be permitted to apply for lawful status. Nevertheless, immigration activists, want a legislation that would legalize all the undocumented immigrants as the people who entered into the country after the above mentioned date, would continue to live in shadows and create problems. Senator Lee also wants the country to issue more visas to guest workers.

Sen. Jeff Sessions (R) of Alabama has filed an amendment that would not issue visas to guest workers if the national unemployment rate is above 5 percent. The Senate immigration reform bill states that the undocumented immigrants who apply for provisional legal status would not be deported. But the amendment field by Sessions would deport undocumented immigrants who have filed applications for legal status. His amendment would also prevent the people who have been deported from applying for legal status. The amendment filed by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R) of South Carolina, would grant the Secretary of Homeland Security, authority to cancel the visas of people who have been granted asylum or refugee status in the United States, if they travel the countries from which they fled.

Immigration plan a good start, Rubio says. Senator Marco Rubio, stated that he will work on issues related to immigration reform, irrespective of any political differences. According to him, the immigration reform bill, is a starting point for solving the problems related to illegal immigration. Rubio wants to mend the US economy and stiffen border security and he is one of the Republican party’s top negotiators.

Filipinos favored by new immigration bill. The immigration reform bill of the senators would give preferential treatment to the visa applicants who are well educated and who would be able to contribute to the country’s economy. The bill would eliminate F-4 family preference category and grant visas to skilled individuals. Experts say that more people from China, India and the Philippines would become eligible for visas and people from these countries are likely to be well educated and well trained.

Democrats try to back same sex immigration amendment. The immigration reform bill that was introduced by the senators would offer more visas to farm workers and high tech workers. It would legalize undocumented immigrants but it would not benefit same sex couples. Spouses of US citizens and Green Card holders would be granted Green Cards but the US citizens cannot bring their same sex partners to the United States. However, the Democrats believe that an amendment would change this and help the same sex couples.

US immigration fight begins in Congress. Last week, the US Congress opened the first debate on the immigration reform bill of the senators. This Senate bill would benefit undocumented immigrants and help them to live in the country freely without fear of deportation. The bill aims at strengthening the US border and the bill would also put an end to illegal immigration. The Senate Judiciary committee will meet again on Tuesday and debate on few other amendments.

Plenty of hurdles left for immigration reform. The lawmakers will have to face a lot of hurdles to successfully reform the country’s immigration laws and to fix the broken immigration system. They are likely to be confronted by the same challenges that killed immigration reform in 2007. Supporters of immigration reform worked hard to come up with new strategies and to avoid the errors of 2007.

Time to deal with gay immigrants. Patrick Leahy, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, stated that the immigration reform bill could be defeated if provisions for same sex couples are included in it. He stated that they are going to face the issue related to gay immigrants and that they would decide when that must be done.

Celebrities line up to support immigration reform. More than 100 celebrities have signed and send a letter to President Obama, urging him to pass the Senate immigration reform bill into law. Many high profile actors, producers and musicians, have signed the letter and they want the US Congress to pass the immigration reform bill and legalize undocumented immigrants.

Republicans try to delay immigration bill. Though the Republican party now supports immigration reform, few of the party’s members are against this issue and they are trying to delay immigration reform. Iowa Republican Chuck Grassley, filed an amendment that would require the government to permit undocumented immigrants to apply for legal status after the US Department of State proves that the border with Mexico has been fully secured. Though this amendment was defeated, it was supported by five other Republicans.

Social security would be helped by immigration reform. The 844 page immigration reform bill, is likely to reduce the strain on the Social Security retirement program. Social Security Administration experts, in a letter to Senator Marco Rubio, stated that the effects of immigration reform on social security would be positive. They say that the bill is likely to create around 3.22 million new jobs and that it would boost the country’s GDP.

Though few amendments have been adopted, key provisions in the Senate immigration reform bill have not been changed. The immigration reform bill of the gang of 8 will not only legalize undocumented immigrants but will also stiffen border security. Likewise, it will also bring a dramatic change to the labor policy and will create new guest workers programs. There are a few critics who are planning to kill the immigration reform bill. They say that the Senate immigration reform bill would grant amnesty to the violators and encourage illegal immigration. However, the proponents say that it is mandatory to legalize the undocumented immigrants and resolve their status.

Most of the amendments dealt with border security and the senators stated that the most important thing that the immigration reform bill must do is to secure the borders of the country. Most of the senators, including Senator Chuck Grassley, agreed that the borders must first be secured and that if border security is not stiffened, the population of undocumented immigrants will grow. Moreover, Grassley’s amendment that has been adopted, states that the entire border of the country must be secured.

All the amendments that called for border security were not adopted and some amendments were rejected. 21 amendments were adopted and 8 of the amendments that were adopted were from the Republicans. The Judiciary Committee will meet again on Tuesday and continue its consideration and the Senate bill is likely to offer a long term solution to the immigration problems. This landmark immigration reform bill was backed by President Barack Obama and the Senate Judiciary Committee is likely to complete the work on the bill by the end of this month.

Registered Provisional Immigrant (RPI) Status

To qualify for this status, an undocumented immigrant must have illegally crossed the border or must have overstayed his non-immigrant visa. Moreover, he must have maintained clean criminal records and must have been present in the country on 31st December, 2011. People who are willing to undergo background checks and people who do not have a criminal background alone would be permitted to apply for this status. Undocumented immigrants must pay all their back taxes and fines. Eligible undocumented immigrants would be granted RPI status and this status would be valid for a six year period. They can apply for renewal by the end of the six year period. The spouses and children of the individuals in RPI status would also be benefited and they would be permitted to stay in America. This status would enable the undocumented immigrants to work legally in the United States and to travel abroad.

Permanent Resident Status

After living in the United States as Registered Provisional Immigrants, they can apply for adjustment of status and obtain Green Cards, after ten years. They would be required to pay the form filing fees and the fines. Immigrants would be permitted to adjust status to permanent resident status after the Department of Homeland Security, strengthens the borders of the country and until then they would be permitted to remain in America as temporary residents.

US Citizenship

The final step is US citizenship and after becoming permanent residents, they can apply for US citizenship but they need to wait for three more years to obtain US citizenship. The DREAMers could apply for US citizenship within five years. To qualify, the DREAMers must have entered into America before their 16th birthday and must hold high school degrees or must be veterans. These DREAMers could apply for RPI status and for Green Cards after living in the country as Registered Provisional Immigrants for five years. Soon after they get their Green Cards they could file applications to become citizens of the country.

Patrick Leahy, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman, submitted two amendments that would permit same-sex couples to sponsor their partners. He stated that the gay and lesbian couples must not be discriminated and that comprehensive immigration reform must include all families. There are many from the tech community including Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer of Microsoft, Eric Schmidt of Google and Zuckberg of Facebook, who want the country to treat the same sex couples equally. But few Evangelical groups and the Catholic bishops are against this. According to Senator Patrick Leahy, LGBT protections would not imperil immigration reform.

Around 54 senators have endorsed marriage equality and want to include provisions for LGBT couples in the comprehensive immigration reform bill and there seems to be a bipartisan support for equal rights for same sex couples. However, Rubio does not want to include LGBT protections in the immigration reform bill. Senator Patrick’s Leahy’s amendments would permit the US citizens to sponsor their foreign born same sex couples for US Green Cards. However, to do so they need to prove that a legal relationship exists between them and the beneficiaries.

According to the immigration bill of the Senators, undocumented immigrants will have to wait for thirteen years to become US citizens and the bill includes border security goals. Only after the meeting the border security triggers, undocumented immigrants would be granted authorization to apply for legal status. Under Leahy’s plan, US citizens would be allowed to sponsor their same sex partners if the states in which they live recognize same sex marriages and if their states do not recognize such marriages, they would be required to meet a variety of requirements.

Rubio stated that the House controlled by the Republicans will not support an immigration reform bill that includes amendments that would permit same sex couples to sponsor their partners. Nevertheless, the members of the House will introduce their immigration reform bills sooner.

Mexicans say that this day means a lot to them and that is because this day marks the Battle of Puebla and it is the first battle that the Mexicans had won against the French. President Obama while stressing the importance of this day, pushed for immigration reform. President Obama also wanted the people to recognize America’s strength and diversity and he stated that he wants to pass a commonsense immigration reform, that would address the needs of everyone in the country. Immigration reform is President Obama’s top priority and he wants to sign an immigration reform bill sooner. He is also happy about the immigration reform bill that was recently unveiled by the senators.

President Obama, during his trip to Mexico stated that he is looking forward to expand trade between Mexico and the United States and he stated that this would lead to economic and job growth in both the countries. The Senators are working on the immigration reform bill and they are likely to finalize the bill that they unveiled in April, sooner. If the undocumented immigrants are legalized, all the undocumented immigrants would come out of the shadows and take part in the country’s democracy and economy. Immigration reform would definitely boost the economy of the country.

Senate cracks down on exploitation of H-1B visas. The Senate bill would expand the H-1B visa program and would outsource technology jobs with new rules. However, outsourcing expert, Ron Hira says that the Senate bill may not get rid of outsourcing but would help the US employers to change the hiring process and bring foreign workers to the country.

Boston hysteria fails to derail immigration reform. Some politicians who are against immigration reform were trying to link the Boston bombings to immigration reform and were trying to prevent the immigration reform bill from progressing. The attack on Boston took place after the immigration reform bill was unveiled and some politicians were calling for reconsideration of immigration reform, due to that incident. Senator Patrick Leahy, accused the Senators who were trying to derail immigration reform and he was also supported by some Republicans.

Piecemeal immigration plan debuted by House Republicans. Republicans announced that they wish to change the US immigration system and they said that they would introduce smaller immigration reform bills. They prefer a piecemeal process whereas the Democrats want a broader legislation.

Immigration reform to attract brightest and best. According to President Obama, immigration reform must attract the best and the brightest people from foreign countries and such people must be permitted to legally work in the country. President Obama is also happy about the Senate immigration reform bill and he stated that the immigration reform bill must include a pathway to US citizenship.

Alabama immigration appeal rejected by Supreme Court. The Supreme court rejected the appeal by the American state, Alabama and stated that it is the responsibility of the federal government to enforce immigration laws and that the states do not have the authority to enforce immigration laws. The Alabama law, one of the toughest laws that was enacted in 2011 includes various aspects and according to that law, people who encourage immigrants to stay in America or help immigrants to enter the United States against the country’s immigration laws would be considered as criminals.

Americans don’t see Boston bombing as immigration issue. The Boston bombing incident is not related to immigration, according to the Americans and most of the Americans consider it to be an entirely different issue. The Republicans tried to exploit the Boston bombings as the bombers are immigrants. The Senate bill has divided respondents and the bill would help workers, bolster border security and would help the undocumented immigrants to obtain US citizenship.

Clinton says immigration reform will happen. Former President Bill Clinton believes that the Senate immigration reform bill would pass through the Senate controlled by the Democrats but may not easily pass through the House led by the Republicans. He stated that the Republican party may not continue to be a national party if it loses the Latino community vote and he also believes that the immigration reform bill would be passed by the US Congress.

Annual US rallies given life by immigration reform debate. Several people in America joined in the May Day rallies and Governor John Kitzhaber, in Salem in Oregon signed a bill into law, that would permit the undocumented immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses, in the presence of more than 2,000 people. However, the immigration activists are now using social media to create awareness.

Immigrant kids entitled to legal representation. A federal judge in California, ordered immigration courts in few American states to give legal representation to undocumented immigrants who are in immigration detention and who are mentally disabled. This would protect the people who are most vulnerable and who do not have lawyers and people to support them. Immigration advocates want the government to offer such protection to minors as the children who do not have parents and guardians are currently required to go through the immigration detention process by themselves.