Immigration Reform ASAP Introduced

Representative Luis Gutierrez introduced on December 15 the Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America’s Security and Prosperity Act of 2009 (CIR ASAP).

The bill contains the core principles that Representative Gutierrez outlined earlier. It seeks to reduce the long backlogs in family and employment-based immigrant visas, promote family unity, legalize undocumented immigrants, enhance border security and achieve effective immigration enforcement.

The bill according to the sponsors is the product of collaboration with many human rights advocates, labor organizations and members of Congress. It has already been endorsed by members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and the Congressional Black Caucus.

The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) immediately hailed the bill as a “sensible and realistic solution to our longstanding immigration problems, one that promises to restore order and end worker exploitation and create a fair, workable immigration system.”

With President Obama’s pledge to push for immigration reform early next year and the strong support voiced by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, both Democrats, observers on Capitol Hill have given the bill a strong chance to pass next year.

“We have waited patiently for a workable solution to our immigration crisis¦ The time for waiting is over.” Rep. Gutierrez declared.

In seeking to reduce the backlog of family visas and promote family unity, the bill will allow the recapture of unused family visas from fiscal years 1992-2008 and will provide for the future unused visa numbers to roll over to the next fiscal year.

It will also reclassify spouses and children of permanent residents as immediate relatives, thus making visa numbers immediately available to them. Immediate relatives are exempted from the annual cap. The number of visas issued per country per year will also be increased.

Sons and daughters of Filipino World War II veterans will no longer have to wait for visa numbers because they will be exempted from the numerical limitations.

Employment-based immigrants will benefit because unused employment based visas will also be recaptured. Highly skilled workers will be exempted from the annual cap. Beneficiaries of employment-based petitions and their dependents will be allowed to file for adjustment of status and receive work authorization even if visa numbers will not be immediately available.

To ease the nursing shortage, nurses will be exempt from the current numerical limitation and a new program to train domestic health care professionals will be provided.

A legalization program for undocumented immigrants and their spouses and children will be created. Applicants must prove that they have been in the U.S. illegally before December 15, 2009, have contributed to the U.S. through employment, education, military service or other volunteer work, pay an application fee and a $500 fine and must not have any conviction for a felony or for three misdemeanors.

Qualified legalization applicants will receive a conditional nonimmigrant visa valid for six (6) years and will be allowed to work and travel. They will be able to apply for permanent resident status and eventual citizenship.