Vivvo CMS 4.1 http://www.pri.org/ ©2010 Spoonlabs d.o.o. http://www.pri.org/files.php?file=rss_682409203.gif http://www.pri.org/ http://www.pri.org/stories/politics-society/as-immigration-reform-talk-boils-immigrants-wait-in-lines-that-may-only-get-longer-12961.html Politics and Society Tue, 12 Feb 2013 13:49:00 -0600 There are thousands, perhaps millions of immigrants waiting in line, legally, to become U.S. citizens. Politicians agree that those who may be put on a path to legalization by immigration reform should wind up "behind" those already in line. What that means, though, is ill-defined. And if the line doesn't speed up, folks may die in line. Politics and Society Tue, 12 Feb 2013 19:10:25 -0600 Things are even worse for people waiting under employment based green card quota. These are people who've been working legally for years, paying taxes and doing everything right. The whole green card process needs to be overhauled and need to ensure that people who have been here legally don't fall behind those who are here illegally Politics and Society Fri, 15 Feb 2013 15:07:29 -0600 Under the current immigration system, there is no waiting period for the immediate relatives of American citizens, which includes parents, spouses and single children under the age of 21, hence there is no "line" for these categories of visas, just whatever time it takes to process the petitions and visas, typically 6-9 months currently. Other non-immediate family members are subject to an overall quota, and hence there can be a long waiting period, depending on the nationality (because, per the Immigration and Nationality Act, no more than 7% of all immigrant visas can go to any one country). These relatives include married children, single children over 21, and siblings. Legal permanent residents (aka "green card holders") may also sponsor certain close relatives for immigrant visas, but these too are subject to numerical limits. I propose that we reduce family-based visas to immediate relatives only for citizens, eliminating siblings, married chidren, single children over 21, etc., and to eliminate all family-sponsored visa for green card holders. (They would still be able to sponsor immediate family members after becoming citizens). This would eliminate the huge backlog for immigrant visas. Those extra visa numbers should then be made available for employment-based visas or for independent immigrants who can demonstrate that they bring needed skills and/or investment to the United States. Let's bring people to the United States based on the skills and talents they can contribute and not simply because they are related to someone who is already here. PRI: Public Radio International