Immigration Amnesty What has Changed?

Undocumented Workers Currently in the United States:

They could come forward immediately and receive probationary legal status.

The Bill creates a four-year, renewable Z visa for those present within the U.S. unlawfully before January 1, 2007.

Undocumented immigrants may adjust status to lawful permanent residence once they pay $5,000 in fees and fines and their head of household returns to their home country.

People under age 30 who were brought to the U.S. as minors could receive their green cards after three years, rather than eight.

Undocumented farm workers who can demonstrate they have worked 150 hours or three years in agriculture can apply for green cards.

No green cards for Z visa holders can be processed until “triggers” for border security and workplace enforcement have been met, which is estimated to take 18 months.

Processing of green cards for holders of Z visas would begin after clearing an existing backlog, which is expected to take 8 to 13 years.

Border Security:

Hire 18,000 new border patrol agents.

Erect 200 miles of vehicle barriers and 370 miles of fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Erect 70 ground-based radar and camera towers along the southern border.

Deploy four unmanned aerial vehicles and supporting systems.
End the program in which illegal immigrants are released upon apprehension (commonly know as catch and release).

Provide for detaining up to 27,500 aliens per day on an annual basis.

Use secure and effective identification tools to prevent unauthorized work.

Employment Verification:

Require employers to electronically verify new employees to prove identity and work eligibility.

Increase penalties for unlawful hiring, employment and record keeping violations.

Guest Worker Program (requires border security measures to be in place first):

Create a new temporary guest worker program with two-year “Y visas,” initially capped at 400,000 per year with annual adjustments based on market fluctuations.

Workers could renew the Y visa up to three times, but would be required to return home for a year in between each time. Those bringing dependents could obtain only one, nonrenewable two-year visa.

Families could accompany guest workers only if they could show proof of medical insurance and demonstrate that their wages were 150 percent above the poverty level.

Permanent Residence (Green Card) through the Point System:
380,000 visas a year would be awarded based on a point system, with about 50 percent based on employment criteria, 25 percent based on education, 15 percent on English proficiency and 10 percent on family connections.

Other Changes to the Immigration System:

Spouses and minor children of U.S. citizens and permanent residents would be eligible for green cards based purely on their family connections, but other relatives such as adult children and siblings would not.

Apply new limits to U.S. citizens seeking to bring foreign-born parents into the country.

Visas for parents of U.S. citizens would be capped annually at 40,000 and those for spouses and children at 87,000.