New Immigration Bill Filed

The new immigration bill was formally filed today by a bipartisan group of senators. The 844-page bill provides a path to legal status (referred to as "registered provisional immigrant status") for many immigrants who have been residing in the U.S. before December 31, 2011. It would eventually lead to permanent residence after a person was in provisional status for 10 years, paid fees, filed taxes and otherwise complied with the requirements of the bill.

There are many other amendments in the new bill, including reclassification of spouses and minor children of permanent residents as "immediate relatives" which would greatly expedite unification of these families. Other provisions include blue cards for agricultural workers, changes to H-1B visa cap, making Conrad 30 program for foreign physicians permanent, etc.

There is still a long way to go before the bill becomes final. But it is a step in the right direction.

We will keep you posted on any new developments.

Those interested to read the bill can access it at:http://www.schumer.senate.gov/forms/immigration.pdf