Abstract
When bipartisan efforts to adopt comprehensive immigration reform (CIR) legislation collapsed in the U.S. Congress in June 2007, proposals for a merit-based “points system” to select prospective immigrants died with it. We explain why comprehensive reform did not pass and show that points system proposals did not enhance prospects for reform.
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Notes
- 1.
For instance, if an individual received an employment-based visa, then his or her dependents would count against the total number of employment visas. The 140,000 visas annually awarded in this category (see Table 7.2) would therefore contain many fewer actual skilled workers.
- 2.
Thomas, Library of Congress. “Bill Summary and Status, 110th Congress (2007–2008), H. R.1930.” http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:H. R.1930: (Accessed 1 June 2012).
- 3.
- 4.
This was envisioned as a two year work permit that could be renewed for an additional 2 years (although it required the individual to leave the United States in between terms). It did not contain a pathway to citizenship, however.
- 5.
As noted in Table 7.2, the first three employment-based categories are: (1) Priority workers: persons of extraordinary ability in the arts, science, education, business, or athletics; outstanding professors and researchers; and certain multinational executives and managers, (2) Members of the professions holding advanced degrees or persons of exceptional abilities in the sciences, art, or business, and (3) Skilled shortage workers with at least 2 years training or experience, professionals with baccalaureate degrees.
- 6.
See Table 7.2.
- 7.
This supplement would provide a separate merit-based system for evaluating holders of Z visas. A part of the CIR bill’s so-called “amnesty” provisions, the Z visa would have been awarded to certain unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. placed on a probationary legal status. It would then have granted them the right to remain in the U.S. and obtain a Social Security number and eventually apply for LPR status and citizenship (after paying a fine and reentering the U.S. from their country of origin). See Gaouette (2007a, b), White House (2007).
- 8.
Paid for initially by the U.S. Department of the Treasury and then later reimbursed by fees and fines imposed by the legislation.
- 9.
This rarely used tactic derives its name from skeet shooting. According to the Washington Post (Davis 2007), “Under the tentative plan, Reid as early as Friday would launch his target—an amendment encompassing all 22 proposals—and shoot it into its component pieces. The Senate would then vote on ending debate on the immigration measure, which would take 60 votes and limit discussion of the bill to 30 more hours. After that interval, all 22 amendments would have to be voted on, with little opportunity for foes to interfere”.
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Acknowledgment
The authors acknowledge the support of the Irma Rangel Public Policy Institute at the University of Texas at Austin and the research assistance of Joanne Ibarra.
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Freeman, G.P., Leal, D.L., Onyett, J. (2013). Pointless: On the Failure to Adopt an Immigration Points System in the United States. In: Triadafilopoulos, T. (eds) Wanted and Welcome?. Immigrants and Minorities, Politics and Policy. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-0082-0_7
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