September 29, 2005

Guest-Worker Plan to Reduce Illegal Immigration

The White House has indicated that it plans to augment its January 2004 Immigration Principles and present a more detailed immigration-reform plan to the Congress sometime this Fall. Greenberg Traurig attorney, Laura Reiff, the co-chair of the Essential Worker Immigration Coalition (www.ewic.org) has been meeting with White House and congressional leaders on behalf of the business community to work out a solution to the Immigration policy breakdown in the U.S. Sources indicate that the plan will elaborate on prior proposals to allow undocumented immigrants to apply for a three-year work permit to remain in the U.S. After the expiration of the three-year work status, it is unclear as to whether an extension would be available or whether these foreign nationals would be required to leave, and apply for readmission into, the U.S. This is a positive step forward to the prospects of a comprehensive immigration reform.