Posted on 05/20/2008 1:24:52 PM PDT by Delacon
Good Question! Actually, it does not have to say "permanent resident." The difference is the program they are proposing is a five year visa. That puts the visa holder into a status above "conditional resident" which has a maximum term of two years.
CONDITIONAL RESIDENTS. This page applies equally to you while you are in conditional resident status. The difference between you and an unconditioned permanent resident is that your permanent resident status will expire in two years from when it was given, unless you successfully petition to have the condition removed. Those of you with conditional permanent residence either received your residence through a marriage relationship where the marriage was less than two years old at the time you became a Permanent Resident, or you received that status through an investment as an employment creation immigrant (EB-5). If you successfully petition for removal of the condition on your immigration status, this page will still apply to you as a Permanent Resident.
I do not see any other distinction or "ranking." Either you are "conditional" (two year max) or "permanent" (more than two year term) and then if you are in-country for five years you can apply for citizenship.
USCIS (second paragraph)
I suppose the five year term is the loophole. I see this in every "immigration reform" bill the commies put forth, either five years or an "automatic renewal" clause that totals to five or more years.
Those of you with conditional permanent residence either received your residence through a marriage relationship where the marriage was less than two years old at the time you became a Permanent Resident, or you received that status through an investment as an employment creation immigrant (EB-5).
The EB-5 program already exists, so it's not clear to me exactly what it has to do with AGJOBS. Maybe AGJOBS raises the EB-5 quotas or relaxes some of the requirements?
Anyway, I think you were correct that it provides a "path" to permanent status and citizenship, and my initial guess was wrong.
Facts You Should Know Before You Vote on AgJOBS (S. 359)
AgJOBS permits illegal aliens working in agriculture to apply first for “temporary resident status” and then for permanent residence. Not only does this two-step process pardon illegal aliens for violating the law (the definition of amnesty), it rewards them with a work permit and puts them on the path to citizenship.
Experts estimate that about 860,000 of the 1.2 million illegal aliens working in agriculture will qualify for amnesty under AgJOBS. Because the spouses and children of these aliens also are eligible for amnesty under AgJOBS, the total number could reach three million. workers, along with periodic amnesties like AgJOBS, remove the incentives to improve wages and working conditions that the market otherwise would bring to bear on growers, thus ensuring the long-term impoverishment of U.S. agricultural workers.workers, along with periodic amnesties like AgJOBS, remove the incentives to improve wages and working conditions that the market otherwise would bring to bear on growers, thus ensuring the long-term impoverishment of U.S. agricultural workers.
Many of the illegal aliens amnestied under AgJOBS will leave agricultural work as soon as the get their green cards, just as many of those granted amnesty in 1986 did. This is precisely why AgJOBS establishes a two-step process that requires illegal aliens to perform a certain amount of agricultural work before they can qualify for permanent residence. But even indenturing these workers only delays the inevitable—they will leave agricultural work to make room for the next group of illegal workers, and the cycle will begin again. Continued flows of legal and illegal foreign workers, along with periodic amnesties like AgJOBS, remove the incentives to improve wages and working conditions that the market otherwise would bring to bear on growers, thus ensuring the long-term impoverishment of U.S. agricultural workers.
Hey, it was Feinstine. Ya just had to know she was up to somthing...
Thanks for your update. I appreciate your attention to this matter.
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