US Immigration Reform 2010 - Predictions and Expectations

This is supposedly going to be a big year for US Immigration Reform with the Healthcare Reform debate almost at a conclusion.Legislation like the Dream Act and Senators Grassley and Durbin's H1B Visa and L1 Visa Reform bills are already being debated a little and in the case of the latter bill already introduced into Congress. Suffice it to say this is going to be one crazy year for US Immigration.

Now in terms of specifics now that January has progressed a little things are looking less hopeful in some ways than they did on January 1, 2010. At that point there was a general expectation that the Healthcare reform bill which in 2 different forms had passed the House and Senate in Congress was going to be reconciled relatively speedily given the length of the process thus far.

Then President Obama, at least according to his and the Democrats ideal timetable would have been able to sign the bill into law in advance of his State of the Union address to the US Congress and the country.

So given this and the extended and controversial nature of the Healthcare debate, one of two things are probably going to happen. Either the debate is going to continue as Obama indicated he would like this week but will be a more bipartisan bill and thus far more limited in its scope. Or Healthcare reform in its current state is going to cease which of course will mean more of the status quo for all Americans.

Now what does this all mean for US Immigration reform. Well even Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, one of the major driving forces of Healthcare Reform and the Liberal agenda of the Democratic Party has which includes more open Immigration policy, recently made some cautious statements. She said given the nature and nastiness of the fight and the political fallout already following the Massachusetts Senate race, that she does not want the House to debate anything additional controversial in 2010 until the Senate passes many of the bills they have already sent there.

Immigration Reform even in better economic times as it was in 2007 still was a heated and polarizing debate and eventually failed to pass both Houses of Congress and thus was defeated. And that was a bipartisan bill. So the chances of particularly the Democrats going out on a limb with reforms to help the following would seem to me remote as these are controversial issues that will probably illicit even more demonization in the media and from politicians that was seen in the Healthcare Debate.;

• legal and application costs
• ease and simplicity of process
• abuse in workplace by unscrupulous employers trying to threaten foreign workers
• green card delays and processing and lack of visa numbers particularly for citizens of China and India  who are looking at delays of over 10 years
• increase in arbitrary quotas like the H1B visa quota etc.

All in at this point in time, it looks largely bleak for any meaningful reform or even US Immigration reform at all in 2010 given the Healthcare issue.

CJ makes US Immigration easy to understand so foreigners can live in America successfully. We show you all the steps from finding a job, getting a US visa and then how to adjust to life easily in the US.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_Jacob