News
Senator spies immigration change on horizon
Democrat Senator for New York, Chuck Schumer, said earlier this month that the long-awaited US immigration reform bill will be ready by Labour Day (the first Monday of September).
Schumer announced: "I think the fundamental building blocks are in place to do comprehensive US immigration reform."
This should delight long-suffering Brits who have seen their American dreams dashed against the rocks of the unyielding US immigration system.
Schumer went on to say that the impending bill should reflect his pro-immigration view and help to encourage legal immigrants to emigrate stateside. Schumer's view is that more visas should be made available for highly skilled immigrants to work in the States within certain 'in demand' industries such as engineering, and he says the upcoming bill should reflect this. This is an encouraging sign as the often repeated suggestions have been that the bill will focus on opening a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants; talk of legal permanent residents and potential skilled migrants benefiting has been less prevalent.
Schumer added that US visa policies may have to differ depending on shortages in the labour market for different industries. He concluded: "I think one of the ways to bridge it is to look at the different areas of labour and where there are shortages and where there are not… I think if you look at each broad field you can see that one size does not fit all."
For further updates on the latest gossip on the US immigration front keep an eye out for the latest issue of Emigrate magazine.
15 September 2009