More green cards for Indians, but none for siblings, children
20 April 2013 1:14 AM GMT
The proposed changes to the US immigration law submitted on Wednesday by the ‘gang of eight’, the bi-partisan group in the US Senate, would increase the number of employment based green cards, directly benefitting applicants from India and China.
The largest beneficiaries of the work visas currently hail from these two countries. Many Indians and Chinese immigrants now have to wait indefinitely for permanent residence, because of a per country cap of seven per cent of the 140,000 employer sponsored green cards every year. The new legislation would get rid of this cap, freeing up more visas for immigrants.
However, it appears the increased work visas come at a cost, according to a report in Hi India, the Chicago-based South Asian newspaper.
Immigrant advocates have pointed out that the increase in employment visas are at the expense of family visas, according to the newspaper. Quoting officials from immigrant advocacy organisations, the paper noted that two family groups would be immediately affected. The proposed law eliminates the ‘F4’ visa category so that US citizens will no longer be able to sponsor their brothers and sisters. It also places an age cap on the ‘F3’ visa category so that US citizens can only sponsor their adult children if they are not more than 30 years old.
The proposed legislation is considered the most radical change to American immigration law in quarter of a century. Lawmakers have said that the focus on skill based visas is to ensure that the United States regains its status as a magnet for talent from around the world.
While several Asian American immigrant advocacy groups have welcomed the efforts in bringing immigration reform to the forefront, they have noted that the family immigration overhaul proposes changes that will dramatically restrict families from reuniting with certain loved ones. Family reunification is an issue considered especially important to Asian Americans.
According to data collected by the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans, in 2012, 86 percent of visas issued for Asian countries were family-based. Asian American citizens sponsor nearly one-third of all family-based visas annually and in 2012, 48 percent of Asian immigrants granted legal permanent status did so through family visas.
‘We applaud the bi-partisan Senate leadership for putting forth a proposal that is a substantial step in the right direction toward fixing our broken immigration system and a solid starting point for addressing the current backlogs,’ said Mee Moua, president and executive director of Asian American Justice Center. (IANS)
The largest beneficiaries of the work visas currently hail from these two countries. Many Indians and Chinese immigrants now have to wait indefinitely for permanent residence, because of a per country cap of seven per cent of the 140,000 employer sponsored green cards every year. The new legislation would get rid of this cap, freeing up more visas for immigrants.
However, it appears the increased work visas come at a cost, according to a report in Hi India, the Chicago-based South Asian newspaper.
Immigrant advocates have pointed out that the increase in employment visas are at the expense of family visas, according to the newspaper. Quoting officials from immigrant advocacy organisations, the paper noted that two family groups would be immediately affected. The proposed law eliminates the ‘F4’ visa category so that US citizens will no longer be able to sponsor their brothers and sisters. It also places an age cap on the ‘F3’ visa category so that US citizens can only sponsor their adult children if they are not more than 30 years old.
The proposed legislation is considered the most radical change to American immigration law in quarter of a century. Lawmakers have said that the focus on skill based visas is to ensure that the United States regains its status as a magnet for talent from around the world.
While several Asian American immigrant advocacy groups have welcomed the efforts in bringing immigration reform to the forefront, they have noted that the family immigration overhaul proposes changes that will dramatically restrict families from reuniting with certain loved ones. Family reunification is an issue considered especially important to Asian Americans.
According to data collected by the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans, in 2012, 86 percent of visas issued for Asian countries were family-based. Asian American citizens sponsor nearly one-third of all family-based visas annually and in 2012, 48 percent of Asian immigrants granted legal permanent status did so through family visas.
‘We applaud the bi-partisan Senate leadership for putting forth a proposal that is a substantial step in the right direction toward fixing our broken immigration system and a solid starting point for addressing the current backlogs,’ said Mee Moua, president and executive director of Asian American Justice Center. (IANS)
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