> Skip to content
FEATURED:
  • Student Success Resource Center
Sign In
  • News
  • Advice
  • The Review
  • Data
  • Current Issue
  • Virtual Events
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
Sign In
  • News
  • Advice
  • The Review
  • Data
  • Current Issue
  • Virtual Events
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
  • News
  • Advice
  • The Review
  • Data
  • Current Issue
  • Virtual Events
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
Sign In
ADVERTISEMENT
Government
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Show more sharing options
Share
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Email
  • Copy Link URLCopied!
  • Print

Immigration Bill Would Ease Path to Citizenship and to Jobs for Immigrant Students

By  Kelly Field
April 17, 2013
Washington

A bipartisan group of eight U.S. senators unveiled the outlines of a comprehensive immigration-reform bill on Tuesday that would speed the path to citizenship for students who are in the United States illegally and would make it easier for some foreign graduates of American universities to remain in the country to work.

The “Gang of Eight” plan, which would tackle border security as well as legalization, would grant provisional legal status to such immigrants who paid a $500 fine and back taxes, allowing them to work in the United States and travel outside the country. After 10 years, the plan says, they could apply for a green card.

We’re sorry. Something went wrong.

We are unable to fully display the content of this page.

The most likely cause of this is a content blocker on your computer or network. Please make sure your computer, VPN, or network allows javascript and allows content to be delivered from c950.chronicle.com and chronicle.blueconic.net.

Once javascript and access to those URLs are allowed, please refresh this page. You may then be asked to log in, create an account if you don't already have one, or subscribe.

If you continue to experience issues, contact us at 202-466-1032 or help@chronicle.com

A bipartisan group of eight U.S. senators unveiled the outlines of a comprehensive immigration-reform bill on Tuesday that would speed the path to citizenship for students who are in the United States illegally and would make it easier for some foreign graduates of American universities to remain in the country to work.

The “Gang of Eight” plan, which would tackle border security as well as legalization, would grant provisional legal status to such immigrants who paid a $500 fine and back taxes, allowing them to work in the United States and travel outside the country. After 10 years, the plan says, they could apply for a green card.

College students who were brought to the country illegally as children, a group known as “Dreamers,” would not have to pay the fine and could apply for a green card after only five years. Once they received a green card, they would be immediately eligible for citizenship, along with federal student aid.

They would also be exempt from the bill’s requirement that no immigrants be granted provisional status until four criteria for securing the U.S.-Mexico border were met. Dreamers who have been deported would be allowed to re-enter the country in provisional status.

Cesar Vargas, a spokesman for the Dream Act Coalition, welcomed the plan, but said his group would push lawmakers to eliminate the five-year waiting period for Dreamers.

ADVERTISEMENT

Ending a ‘Self-Defeating Policy’

The senators’ plan would also drop limits on the number of employment-based green cards granted to individuals with doctoral degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields, as well as “outstanding professors and researchers” and “aliens of extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, professions, or business.”

The plan would raise the cap on H-1B temporary work visas, from 65,000 to 110,000, and set aside 40 percent of that total for workers with advanced degrees and individuals who had earned advanced degrees in STEM fields from American institutions within the previous five years. An additional 25,000 visas would go to individuals with advanced degrees in the STEM fields—an increase from the current 20,000 exemption for all advanced-degree holders.

Under the plan, students applying for visas to attend an American institution would no longer have to prove that they would leave the country after graduation—a concept known as “intent to return.” Instead, all foreign students would be granted “dual intent” visas.

M. Peter McPherson, president of the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities, said in a written statement that the changes would “end the national self-defeating policy of training some of the best and brightest students at U.S. universities in critical STEM fields to then only watch them leave the U.S. and apply their skills in competition with us.” The plan, he said, would also help colleges “hire and retain the most talented researchers and educators throughout the world.”

The compromise has the support of members of both parties, but border security remains a thorny issue, and it’s unclear if the plan has the votes to pass Congress. President Obama hailed the plan on Tuesday and said he would work to ensure its passage.

ADVERTISEMENT

We welcome your thoughts and questions about this article. Please email the editors or submit a letter for publication.
Law & PolicyPolitical Influence & Activism
Kelly Field
Kelly Field joined The Chronicle of Higher Education in 2004 and covered federal higher-education policy. She continues to write for The Chronicle on a freelance basis.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
  • Explore
    • Get Newsletters
    • Letters
    • Free Reports and Guides
    • Professional Development
    • Virtual Events
    • Chronicle Store
    • Find a Job
    Explore
    • Get Newsletters
    • Letters
    • Free Reports and Guides
    • Professional Development
    • Virtual Events
    • Chronicle Store
    • Find a Job
  • The Chronicle
    • About Us
    • DEI Commitment Statement
    • Write for Us
    • Talk to Us
    • Work at The Chronicle
    • User Agreement
    • Privacy Policy
    • California Privacy Policy
    • Site Map
    • Accessibility Statement
    The Chronicle
    • About Us
    • DEI Commitment Statement
    • Write for Us
    • Talk to Us
    • Work at The Chronicle
    • User Agreement
    • Privacy Policy
    • California Privacy Policy
    • Site Map
    • Accessibility Statement
  • Customer Assistance
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise With Us
    • Post a Job
    • Advertising Terms and Conditions
    • Reprints & Permissions
    • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
    Customer Assistance
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise With Us
    • Post a Job
    • Advertising Terms and Conditions
    • Reprints & Permissions
    • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
  • Subscribe
    • Individual Subscriptions
    • Institutional Subscriptions
    • Subscription & Account FAQ
    • Manage Newsletters
    • Manage Your Account
    Subscribe
    • Individual Subscriptions
    • Institutional Subscriptions
    • Subscription & Account FAQ
    • Manage Newsletters
    • Manage Your Account
1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037
© 2023 The Chronicle of Higher Education
  • twitter
  • instagram
  • youtube
  • facebook
  • linkedin