Legal Immigration Laws Sidelined in US
09/05/2008 by Tamar Blieden
As the American presidential race reaches a climax, issues around immigration come to the fore. Bills, amendments and propositions are on the cards in the debate over the millions of illegal citizens in the US; however the difficulties around legal immigration go almost unheard.
The US needs highly skilled workers in order to deal with shortages in markets from IT to engineering. Each year thousand of skilled foreigners apply to get the opportunity to work and live in the US, however the restriction on the numbers allowed in a year cause these skills to be lost to other countries that have easier entry laws.
"Skilled immigrants can enter the US via the H-1B visa, which allows employers to hire foreign nationals, however this visa has a strict limit of just 85 000," says Nora Ali of www.globalvisas.com. This year's limit has already been reached; therefore those wanting to move to the US can only apply next year again.
These restrictions have been highly criticised as the need for a global economy is essential in today's world. Those intelligent skilled workers should be allowed easy access into the US via lenient immigration routes.
There are 1 100 bills that are being considered that deal with immigration in the US. Legal status identification documents needed to receive public benefits is recommended however many of these bills highlight issues around illegal immigrants such as receiving a driving licence if you are not a legal citizen and limits on grants and scholarships to those without status.
The debate over illegal immigration rages, while the essential need for attainable passages for skilled legal immigrants is not such a hot topic. There are believed to be as many as 12 million illegal immigrants residing in the US. President George Bush has proposed a fine of $10 000 as a way for illegals to get legal status.
The press is constantly flooded with reports on illegal immigration and marches and demonstrations over the rights of illegal migrants in the US. This is not the case for those struggling to legally enter the US.
Nevertheless moving to the US remains a dream for so many around the world.
