News
US Congress considering immigration reform
This summer may see big changes to the US immigration system, with reform being considered by the US legislature in the form of the Reuniting Families Act, writes Matt French.
Towards the end of May, the US Senate caught its first sight of the Reuniting Families Act. If passed, the Act would aid persons waiting for visas in the employment and family-based categories. Under any new legislation, the number of visas available in certain categories may increase with the 'recapture' of 400,000 visa numbers that were unused between 1992 and 2007.
There could also be a reduction of the extended visa waiting periods (around five years) faced by spouses and minor children of US legal permanent residents. This would occur through the reclassifying of these family members as 'immediate relatives'. Furthermore, the definition of stepchildren could be revised to include children whose parent and step-parent married prior to their 21st birthday.
In addition to the Reuniting Families legislation, the well-documented DREAM Act was also put before Congress recently, along with the following legislation: the AgJobs Act; the Emergency Nursing Relief Act; and the Conrad State 30 Improvement Act. US lawmakers will consider these bills - along with the move to legalise 12 million illegal aliens currently living in the US - this summer.
For more on American immigration, look out for the latest issue of Emigrate magazine.
12 August 2009