1. Openers

Dear Readers:

This week officially marks the kick off of the immigration reform debate in Congress. Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer, the Immigration Subcommittee Chair and South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham co-wrote an opinion piece that will appear in the March 19^th Washington Post that introduces the major concepts in a comprehensive immigration reform bill they will shortly introduce:

According to the Senators:

Our plan has four pillars: requiring biometric Social Security cards to ensure that illegal workers cannot get jobs; fulfilling and strengthening our commitments on border security and interior enforcement; creating a process for admitting temporary workers; and implementing a tough but fair path to legalization for those already here.( http://tinyurl.com/y8cmzxe)

Next up will be the release of a summary document going through the bill’s major provisions. And then we should see the actual bill document.

The bill will look similar to previous bills, but we now learn that it will have some new features. They include the introduction of the controversial new national identification card (a biometric social security card). The legalization program will now include community service in additional to other penalties. And those receiving advanced degrees from US universities will be exempt from green card caps. 

There WILL be a guest worker program in the bill, though it is hard to tell exactly how it will work with this limited description:

Our blueprint also creates a rational system for admitting lower-skilled workers. Our current system prohibits lower-skilled immigrants from coming here to earn money and then returning home. Our framework would facilitate this desired circular migration by allowing employers to hire immigrants if they can show they were unsuccessful in recruiting an American to fill an open position; allowing more lower-skilled immigrants to come here when our economy is creating jobs and fewer in a recession; and permitting workers who have succeeded in the workplace, and contributed to their communities over many years, the chance to earn a green card.

As soon as we get the bill summary, I’ll post it on my blog at http;//blogs.ilw.com/gregsiskind.

In the mean time, many are predicting that health care reform will be finished in the next few days which would take a major item off the legislative table and hopefully open the door for immigration reform. That’s not just a matter of opening up room on the calendar. It also means that the White House will be coming off a major victory and may feel more empowered to take on other issues. Of course, some argue that a loss on health care will increase pressure on Congress to pass immigration so there is at least one legislative success to run on in November. And then there are others saying that immigration is still too controversial to pass in a recession. So it’s anyone’s guess at this point what will happen.

Finally, we would invite readers interested in becoming Siskind Susser clients to contact us. My email is gsiskind@visalaw.com and my phone number is 901-682-6455 . Our firm assists clients locating anywhere in the US and we have attorneys with expertise in most areas of immigration law. You can also request an appointment by filling out a request form at http://www.visalaw.com/intake.html.

Regards,

Greg Siskind