Eight year path to green cards for illegals in White House proposal
Plan leaked to USA Today calls for ‘lawful prospective immigrant visa’
By: NIALL O'DOWD | Published Sunday, February 17, 2013, 7:41 AM | Updated Sunday, February 17, 2013, 7:47 AM
Undocumented immigrants will be able to receive a green card after eight years of provisional status, according to the leaked White House document on President Obama’s immigration bill. There are an estimated 50,000 undocumented Irish in the U.S. The document was leaked to USA Today.
- The new visa status would be called a “lawful prospective immigrant visa” which would be granted and would allow the person to work in the country and make brief visits out of the country until they gained a regular green card after eight years.
- The Obama bill version leaked to USA Today does not have a cut off date by which the undocumented immigrant had to be in the country, a major factor for more recent Irish immigrants hoping to take advantage of the proposed bill.
- Undocumented immigrants must come forward and register, submit biometric data, pass criminal background and national security checks, and pay taxes and penalties before they will be eligible for a provisional legal status. Agricultural workers and those who entered the United States as children would be eligible for the same program.
- Individuals must wait until the existing legal immigration backlogs are cleared before getting in line to apply for lawful permanent residency (i.e. a “green card”), and ultimately United States citizenship. Consistent with current law, people with provisional legal status will not be eligible for welfare or other federal benefits, including subsidies or tax credits under the new health care law.
- Those applying for green cards must pay their taxes, pass additional criminal background and national security checks, register for Selective Service (where applicable), pay additional fees and penalties, and learn English and U.S. civics. As under current law, five years after receiving a green card, individuals will be eligible to apply for U.S. citizenship like every other legal permanent resident.
- Earned citizenship for DREAMers. Children brought here illegally through no fault of their own by their parents will be eligible for earned citizenship. By going to college or serving honorably in the Armed Forces for at least two years, these children should be given an expedited opportunity to earn their citizenship. The President’s proposal brings these undocumented immigrants out of the shadows.
- Create administrative and judicial review. An individual whose provisional lawful status has been revoked or denied, or whose application for adjustment has been denied, will have the opportunity to seek administrative and judicial review of those decisions.
- Keep Families Together. The proposal seeks to eliminate existing backlogs in the family-sponsored immigration system by recapturing unused visas and temporarily increasing annual visa numbers. The proposal also raises existing annual country caps from 7 percent to 15 percent for the family-sponsored immigration system. It also treats same-sex families as families by giving U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents the ability to seek a visa on the basis of a permanent relationship with a same-sex partner. The proposal also revises current unlawful presence bars and provides broader discretion to waive bars in cases of hardship.
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.Gary R. Grella | Feb 18, 2013, 11:11 AM EST
The story "Eight year path to green cards for illegals in White House proposal" by Naill O'Dowd is most welcome news. Cooincidently, i have started a petition on WhiteHouse.gov to ask President Obama to consider letting the time spent here illegally to be counted as "time served" as is the case with those charged with a crime and who have been held pending sentencing. Illegal immigrants are, in my opinion, in internal exile. They can't contract, buy insurance, buy homes or apartments, vote, or do such ordinary things that citizens can do. They are here but not here at the same time. I beleive immigrants who struggle to get here and who have struggled to stay here just simply want to be Americans. I also beleive these immigrants have benefited the American economy and would do more so after legalization. Please visit the WhiteHouse.gov web site or just click this link :https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/immigration-out-shadows/ZS09GFs4 , or : http://wh.gov/dG8l . If clicking on either of these two links, just copy and paste one of them to your browser. Please also copy these two links to your e-mail and pass them around to as many as you can. The petition needs 150 signers before the WhiteHouse will publish the petition. But using these two links will get you directly to the petition. Also, if you wish, i can e-mail the links directly. My e-mail is allerggatmsndotcom.
Seanmor | Feb 18, 2013, 07:17 AM EST
Nicomax: Very few Irish ever enter the U.S. illegally - and we all speak English. You seem to suggest that all Irish immigrants should be "shipped back to Ireland". Do you include those of us who have acquired U.S. citizenship after HONORABLY serving uin the U.S. military among those you want"shipped back"? During my 4 years in the Marine Corps I only met one marine who was Mexican and NONE from India.
outofmoney | Feb 17, 2013, 06:44 PM EST
We do not have enough jobs for our own citizens! How would you feel if immigrants sneaked into your country and took what jobs are left? Steal a Social Security # and used it to get on government perks, that are for poor citizens? I have read that many countries have this same problem, so why is the USA the country people bad mouth, when their citizens do not want amnesty?
Nicomax | Feb 17, 2013, 05:34 PM EST
No amnesty at all for illegals? Then why do we every now and then offer amnesty to tax evaders so they can pay just some of what they owe? If amnesty is bad then it should apply to all law breakers- thus for the off-shore money folks- JAIL, JAIL, JAIL!
anglo-norman | Feb 17, 2013, 05:20 PM EST
illegals OUT OUT OUT
Nicomax | Feb 17, 2013, 02:42 PM EST
The underlying fact of the immigration issue, but seldom mentioned, is it's not the illegals people are concerned about, but the legals. Just note Rand Paul's diatribe this week about shipping "them back to Mexico"- no mention of Ireland, India, etc.
Portia_O'Neill | Feb 17, 2013, 01:20 PM EST
I've never heard of any Americans sneaking into Ireland to take jobs away from the ROI.
EphraimKibbey | Feb 17, 2013, 01:08 PM EST
John McCain was asked if ANY bill that the President submitted would have a chance of passing regardless of what it contained. His answer was a simple NO!
wjb1tex | Feb 17, 2013, 12:22 PM EST
I am afraid that immigration reform and gun control will have similar results. We will legalize the ones here now but others will continue to flow in. We will have restrictions on guns that will affect law abiding citizens but criminals will still have guns. Well intended laws that don't solve the problem.
gobdawpaddy | Feb 17, 2013, 11:48 AM EST
Steven, reading of yet another highly publicized incident in Perth, I am not so sure the welcome mat will be out for Irish people planning on relocating there.
Seanmor | Feb 17, 2013, 10:01 AM EST
The above article does not memtion a word about sealing the Southern border through which the masjority of the 12 million 'indocumented' aliens ILLEGALLY entered.I don't clearly understand the meaning of "family-sponsored immigration system", but same-sex partners will benefit from the proposed reform. We know that the R.C. Church strongly supports amnesty for all ILLEGALS who crossed the Southern border, but will it now accord same-sex families the same recognization as it does to couples with their own bioligical children? Does this bill still allow future ILLEGALS to find safe havens in Sanctuary Cities?
89west | Feb 17, 2013, 09:57 AM EST
There would be no illegal Irish in the USA, had it not been for your beloved Kennedys!
STEVENSTAR | Feb 17, 2013, 08:31 AM EST
50,000 ILLIGAL IRISH IN AMERICA.. MY HEART GOES OUT TO YOU... IM SURE MOST WOULD LOVE TO GET OUT OF TERE COME AND AND MAYBE MOVE TO CANADA, ENGLAND OR AUSTRALIA AS YOU'LL BE MORE WELCOME THERE.. AND THATS WHY IN 2013 NO IRISH REALLY MOVE TO AMERICA ANYMORE..AND WHO CAN BLAME THEM.. !