Immigration Bills

The bill would authorize DHS to cancel the removal of, and adjust to conditional lawful permanent
resident (LPR) status (i.e., grant amnesty), an illegal alien who demonstrates that he:
o is no older than 29 years of age;
o has maintained continuous presence in the United States for the five years preceding
enactment;
o is of “good moral character” and is not inadmissible or deportable on certain
criminal grounds or on the basis of being a risk to national security;

The bill would require the President to submit plans to Congress to accelerate the processing of Iraqi nationals’ petitions for refugee status, as well as the operation of the special immigrant visa program for Iraqi and Afghan translators; would require the President to submit to Congress legislative proposals to facilitate greater “acceptance by,” “relocation,” or “absorption into” the United States of Iraqis seeking admission into, or resettlement in, the United States due to a well-founded fear of persecution on account of employment by, or assistance to, the United States or other coal

The bill would “expedite” the importation of H-1B high-skill nonimmigrant workers by requiring the employer to submit to the Department of Labor the requisite labor condition application at the same time as the employer submits to DHS the petition for nonimmigrant admission of the H-1B worker.

To provide job creation and assistance, and for other purposes.

S. 1397, the Skilled Worker Immigration and Fairness Act, would, among other provisions, increase the annual cap on H-1B high-skilled nonimmigrant worker visas from 65,000 to 115,000. Beginning in 2008, if the cap was met in any fiscal year, it would increase it by 20 percent, with a ceiling of 180,000 per year.

The bill would authorize the granting of “special immigrant” status to 15,000 aliens per year – plus their spouses and children – fiscal years 2008 through 2011, who: (1) are Iraqi nationals; (2) worked directly with the U.S. Government, the United Nations, a certified government or U.N.