This is an amnesty: A Z visa will allow people who sneaked into the country illegally before Jan. 1, 2007, to "live, work and travel freely." White House Offers Details of Immigration Bill By Susan Jones CNSNews.com Senior Editor May 18, 2007
(CNSNews.com) - The Bush administration insists that the Senate immigration bill does not include "amnesty" for illegal aliens. The White House uses the term "probationary status" instead. But many conservatives aren't buying it, and the amnesty/probationary provision is shaping up as a major sticking point. Illegal aliens who "come out of the shadows" by applying for a Z visa would have to pass a background check, remain employed, and avoid criminal behavior, the White House said in a lengthy summary of the legislation released on Thursday. A Z visa will allow people who sneaked into the country illegally before Jan. 1, 2007, to "live, work and travel freely." But to get a Z visa, illegal aliens will be required to pay a $1,000 fine, "meet accelerated English and civics requirements," stay employed, and renew their visa every four years. Z card holders who want to apply for a green card (permanent residency) would have to pay an additional $4,000 fine; go to the back of the immigration line; return to their home country to file their green card application; and "demonstrate merit." Workers with skills would have an advantage over others. English speaking encouraged The White House said the Senate immigration bill "declares that English is the language of the United States," and the bill enacts accelerated English requirements for "some immigrants." To encourage foreigners to learn English, "the Secretary of Education is directed to make an English instruction program freely available over the Internet," the White House said. Future immigrants The bill says future immigrants will be selected based on the "skills and attributes" they bring to the United States," including their educational background, their ability to speak English, their job skills, and family ties to the United States. The bill also ends "chain migration," in which a majority of green cards go to relatives of U.S. citizens. Future family immigration will focus on the nuclear family and parents. For example, visas for parents of U.S. citizens will be capped, while green cards for the siblings and adult children of U.S. citizens and green card holders are eliminated, the White House said. Border security In its summary of the immigration bill, the White House stressed that border security and enforcement come first. "Border security and worksite-enforcement benchmarks must be met before other elements of the proposal are implemented," the summary said. Those benchmarks include the construction of additional border fencing; the number of Border Patrol agents hired; the continuation of "catch and return" at the border; and worker verification system that is ready to "process" all new hires. The White House said the bill requires employers to verify the work eligibility of all employees, while all workers will be required to present "stronger and more verifiable identification documents." Stiff penalties will be imposed on employers who break the law, the White House said. Guest workers "To relieve pressure on the border and provide a lawful way to meet the needs of our economy, the proposal creates a temporary worker program to fill jobs Americans are not doing," the White House said. "Guest workers" would be limited to three two-year terms, and they'd have to spend at least a year outside the United States between each term. "Temporary workers will be allowed to bring immediate family members only if they have the financial ability to support them and they are covered by health insurance," the White House said. The bill caps the temporary workers program at 400,000 people, and it establishes a separate "seasonal agriculture component" to meet the demand of growers. http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?Page=/Nation/archive/200705/NAT2007051 8b.html [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: osint@yahoogroups.com Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. 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