Immigration Bill Gets A Push

05 Feb 2013

President Barack Obama is all set to get a bipartisan bill on immigration reforms passed in 2013. A White House spokesman confirmed: “Tomorrow, the President will hold meetings at the White House with labor leaders and progressive leaders, as well as a number of CEOs from across industries, to discuss his commitment to getting a bipartisan bill passed in 2013, and how immigration reform fits within his broader agenda for economic growth and competitiveness.”

Despite back-biting the proposed bill as `general amnesty’ to law breakers, the bipartisan bill is expected to give near citizenship rights to 11 million illegal immigrants who are there in the country.  Most of them are Hispanics, whose compatriot votes are believed to have given Obama the edge in his re-election.  Even the opposition Republicans are not averse to granting citizenship on the ground that they (illegal immigrants) `mow our lawns, serve us food and watch our children.’

While this is what has been expected, what is of interest is Obama’s `broader agenda for economic growth and competitiveness.” This is where Indians might prominently figure along with Chinese and others. Highly-skilled Indians in their thousands are already in the US either doing their Masters or working on H1B, with no clear signal as to their Permanent Residence. If the veil over `the best and brightest’ clears, many Indians might stand a chance to get Green Card.