Obama’s plan sees 8-year wait for illegal immigrants
President Obama
A plan by President Obama for an overhaul of the immigration system
would put illegal immigrants on a path to citizenship that could begin
after about eight years and would require them to go to the back of the
line behind legal applicants, according to a draft of the legislation
that the White House has circulated in the administration.
The draft plan says none of the 11 million illegal immigrants currently in the country would be granted permanent resident status and given a document known as a green card until the earlier of two dates: either eight years after the bill is enacted or 30 days after visas have been given to everyone who applied legally.
The plan includes a shortened path to citizenship for young illegal immigrants who came to the United States as children, said an administration official who agreed to discuss the details only on the condition of anonymity. In many cases, those young people could apply for green cards as soon as two years after the law was passed.
After receiving a green card, immigrants are generally eligible to become naturalized citizens after five years.
The plan contemplates measures that could speed up the long lines in the legal system, opening the door to a faster path. But administration officials have said it is highly unlikely that the lines would be eliminated before eight years. About six million people who have followed the rules and have been approved are waiting for green cards to be issued. Most Mexicans, for example, must wait at least 16 years to receive their green cards after they are approved.
Obama proposes to reduce the backlog by temporarily adding to the number of visas available and by reconfiguring some visa categories to remove them from numerical caps. Once those lines were eliminated, illegal immigrants who would be given provisional legal status under Obama's draft plan could apply for green cards.
The draft plan says none of the 11 million illegal immigrants currently in the country would be granted permanent resident status and given a document known as a green card until the earlier of two dates: either eight years after the bill is enacted or 30 days after visas have been given to everyone who applied legally.
The plan includes a shortened path to citizenship for young illegal immigrants who came to the United States as children, said an administration official who agreed to discuss the details only on the condition of anonymity. In many cases, those young people could apply for green cards as soon as two years after the law was passed.
After receiving a green card, immigrants are generally eligible to become naturalized citizens after five years.
The plan contemplates measures that could speed up the long lines in the legal system, opening the door to a faster path. But administration officials have said it is highly unlikely that the lines would be eliminated before eight years. About six million people who have followed the rules and have been approved are waiting for green cards to be issued. Most Mexicans, for example, must wait at least 16 years to receive their green cards after they are approved.
Obama proposes to reduce the backlog by temporarily adding to the number of visas available and by reconfiguring some visa categories to remove them from numerical caps. Once those lines were eliminated, illegal immigrants who would be given provisional legal status under Obama's draft plan could apply for green cards.
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