November 15, 2004

With the whole world watching, the re-election of George Bush marked the beginning of a new era - good or bad is yet to be determined. The hopes of many is to strike a balance between domestic and international issues and to unite a divided nation.

President Bush's re-election comes at a critical time - as the war on terror continues and as the global economy becomes ever fragile, it is likely that several political and social groups will influence the administration to focus on immigration issues such as creating legalisation programmes, increasing H-1 visa quotas , and creating more free trade policies.

The administration cannot afford to ignore the undocumented workers and the contribution they make to the US economy, nor can it afford to ignore the contributions foreign labour makes to the US economy. Pro-immigrant policies are long overdue with this administration and if it is truly listening to the electoral college, immigration reform has a future.

There is a dire need for policy makers who are favourably disposed to immigration reform and committed to the future of this country.

Immigration practitioners are anxious to see a reduction in backlogs of processing family and employment based petitions, the resurrection of 245(I), which will allow numerous tax-paying undocumented foreigners to legalise themselves, and an increase in H-1B visa number availability .

With Attorney General John Ashcroft's announcement of his upcoming retirement, and Chief Justice William Rehnquist's recent illness that will most likely cause him to leave the bench, and the possible departure or changes of position of Secretary of State Colin Powell, National Security Advisor Condolezza Rice and Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, it is clear that the political canvas is changing. With that change, lies an extraordinary potential to end the dissatisfaction of current immigration policies.

Source : http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/