WASHINGTON, May 5: US immigration authorities would give preference to better-educated and trained visa-seekers who can contribute to the American economy under a less-noticed provision of the immigration bill in the US Congress.
The bi-partisan bill in the US Senate would rewrite the half-century-old standards that control legal immigration to favor skills over family ties.
The winners of this proposed “merit-based” system, experts say, would be primarily from Asia, particularly from India, China and the Philippines, whose citizens are more likely to have attended college or have on-the-job training in skilled occupations such as engineering and technology. The losers are likely to be Mexicans and Central Americans.
The new system, long advocated by economists and politicians who believe the main purpose of immigration laws should be to serve economic growth, would replace one geared mainly to reuniting families.
As an example, an engineering graduate from India would have a better chance of immigrating to the United States than the grandmother of a naturalized U.S. Citizen who does not speak English.
The best known provisions of the Senate bill would provide a path to legal status for roughly 11 million undocumented immigrants currently living in the United States, reinforce U.S. Borders to control the flow of future illegal immigrants, and establish a new system for temporary “guest workers” to meet the needs of employers seeking lower-skilled workers.
(AGENCIES)
Trending Now
E-Paper
Follow our WhatsApp channel