President Bush is developing a plan that would allow immigrants to cross the border legally if jobs are waiting for them.  The administration also wants to provide a way for some undocumented workers in the United States to move toward legal status.

Republican officials have said that the proposal draws on, among other sources, a bill introduced by Senator John McCain (R-AZ) that would create a web-based job registry to be run by the Labor Department.  The other half of the program would be involved in giving legal status to undocumented workers in this country.

Some conservative lawmakers remain opposed to any changes that could be portrayed as an amnesty encouraging immigration, which makes the proposal’s outlook on Capitol Hill uncertain. However, presidential advisers said they believe that Hispanic voters, one of the targets for Bush’s reelection campaign, will give him credit for pushing the changes even if nothing is enacted before the election.  The proposal is to be sent to Capitol Hill sometime this month. Democrats, however, have sharply criticized Bush for offering rhetoric on immigration with no real efforts to make progress on immigration reform.

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For the purpose of federal law, under the Defense of Marriage Act, marriage is defined as a union between a man and a woman.  Because of this, gay couples face many difficulties because one spouse cannot sponsor the other for permanent residency.  Many gay bi-national couples are forced to commute between countries or illegally live in the US.

The Permanent Partners Immigration Act is a controversial bill supported by gay couples.  The bill, which has 119 co-sponsors in Congress, would grant gay couples the same immigration benefits as married couples.

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For a review of all the immigration bills that have been recently introduced, visit our legislative chart at www.visalaw.com/advocacy.html.