US Senator Alex Padilla has introduced a bill aimed at expanding a pathway to lawful permanent residency for millions of long-term immigrants, calling it a “commonsense fix” to America’s immigration system. Announcing the legislation in Los Angeles, Padilla said immigrants who have lived in the United States continuously for at least seven years, paid taxes, contributed to their communities and have no criminal record should have an opportunity to obtain a green card. “It’s common sense that immigrants who pose no safety threat and contribute to our country should be able to call America home with certainty” said US Senate Democratic Whip Durbin, Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Us bill proposes new pathway to green cards
The proposal would update a decades-old provision of U.S. immigration law that has not been revised since 1986, replacing the current eligibility cutoff date with a rolling seven-year requirement. Alex Padilla’s Renewing Immigration Provisions of the Immigration Act of 1929 would amend the Registry provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act.Under the proposal, immigrants would be eligible to apply for lawful permanent resident status if they have continuously lived in the U.S. for at least seven years before applying, have no criminal record, and meet all other existing eligibility requirements for a green card.The bill would also replace the fixed eligibility date with a rolling cutoff, removing the need for Congress to update the law periodically.
US Senator Alex Padilla calls proposal a ‘commonsense fix’
Padilla said the legislation would provide a pathway to legal permanent residency for more than 8 million people, including Dreamers, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders, children of long-term visa holders, essential workers and some highly skilled workers waiting for employment-based green cards.“We believe that if you’ve lived here for over seven years, paid taxes for years, contributed to your community for years, and you don’t have a criminal record, then you deserve a pathway to legalization,” Padilla said.He added, “My bill is a commonsense fix to our outdated immigration system” and said it would update an existing legal pathway rather than create a new government programme.