2013 is the year of Immigration Reform, or so we have been told by Politicians from both sides of the aisle. The chart below will show that in big picture ideas and words, the republicans and the democrats are not too far apart. But as the old saying goes, “the devil is in the details.” Meaning, its not uncommon for politicians to throw out ideas that sound logical and make their constituents happy. But at the end of the day, all that really matters is what the law says. In any event, below are some of the main issues that are being discussed regarding immigration reform. You will see that there is a lot of common ground between both parties and really no reason a deal should not be reached.

President Obama & Democrats Senator Rubio & Republicans Dream Act Children Supports work permits for Dreamers with pathway to Citizenship Supports work permits for Dreamers with pathway to Citizenship, with emphasis on expediting or putting Dreamers at the front of the line Undocumented workers with pathway to Naturalization Supports guest worker program with pathway to Naturalization Supports guest worker program with pathway to Naturalization, but the pathway may be much longer with more requirements such as Community Service. STEM Workers, Skilled Worker & Investor visas and Green Cards Most Democrats seem to support increasing numbers for STEM workers (Science, Technology, Engineering & Management) but it seems to be a lower priority compared to other categories A priority for most Republicans to increase the amount of skilled worker visas and employment based green cards, including for STEM workers and investors. Family Based Immigration Backlog Supports reducing the backlog and increasing the amount of visas and green cards for family based A lower priority for Republicans, appear to be leaning more towards a merit based Family Based Immigration Backlog Supports reducing the backlog and increasing the amount of visas and green cards for family based immigration A lower priority for Republicans, appear to be leaning more towards a merit based immigration system to attract more skilled workers and investors to the US. Secure Border Support secure border Priority for Republicans E-Verify System Support e-verify system for employers Priority for Republicans Diversity Lottery Green Card System Support Diversity Program, late in 2012 it was a sticking point for Democrats as Republicans wanted to eliminate the program and allocate the green cards to STEM workers. Democrats struck down the bill to keep the Diversity Program Republicans believe in a merit based immigration system and would allocate green cards to skilled workers eliminating the Diversity Program Comprehensive Immigration Overhaul or Fixing Small Pieces Democrats and President Obama would like a comprehensive overhaul Marco Rubio and other Republican leaders propose small bills by issue

The above chart is a big picture view of Democrat and Republican positions on some of the larger Immigration Reform issues. As mentioned above, the devil is in the details, let’s wait for a proposed bill and see what the actual text says. We should hopefully have a better sense of which direction Republicans and Democrats are leaning after the State of the Union speech on February 12, 2012. If you have any questions regarding your immigration rights and is looking for a good immigration lawyer in Chicago, please contact the Cipolla Law Group for a consultation.