Are you vying to live in USA by getting green card and
believe in luck that lottery will full fill your desire then it’s not possible
in days to come.Ten criteria for immigrant applicants will be taken into
account in the system, which has a theoretical maximum of 100 points.For years,
millions of immigrant applicants hoped they would be lucky enough to win the US
Green Card lottery. Under reform being considered in Congress, they may soon be
asking: "Am I skilled enough?"
By 2017, according to a proposed revamp of laws governing
admission to the United States, permanent residency permits known as Green
Cards could be doled out not on luck but "on merit," via a points
system that would put more qualified applicants at the front of the line.
Are you a French computer scientist with a strong command of
English, already living in the United States on a visa but whose employer is
reluctant to sponsor you for permanent residency? The new system may work in
your favor.Nothing is set in stone yet, but an 844-page measure, the most
comprehensive immigration reform in a generation, is working its way through
the Senate, and members of the House say they, too, are hopeful a bill can be
signed into law this year.
Ten criteria for immigrant applicants will be taken into
account in the system, which has a theoretical maximum of 100 points.Under the
new system, a university degree will be worth five points, a master's degree 10
and a doctorate 15.
Each year of work experience will provide an applicant from
zero to three points, depending on the employment level, for a maximum of 20
points.Are you a programmer, computer scientist, or software developer? 10
points.If your job is in an occupation related to your degree: 8-10 points.A
TOEFL English language proficiency score of 80 or more? Chalk up another 10.Contractors
who employ at least two people: 10 points.Clearly, skills and experience count
under the proposed system -- but so does youth. Those age 25 and under will
receive eight points; 25-32 year old are awarded six points; and age 33-37
years, four.Those age 38 or above receive no bonus.
A sibling of a US citizen earns 10 points, as does the
married child, 31 or older, of a US citizen.
Community service will help. Those who can prove their
"civic involvement" will be allocated five points.A final clause
gives five points to those from countries with low immigration, which rules out
Mexicans, Chinese and Indians.
120,000 green cards by 2017
Unlike other countries that have adopted the points scheme,
including Britain and Canada, the exact bar for immigration admission under the
proposed US system remains a mystery: other factors are also at play. But if
your score is among the top 60,000, you will gain a green card.
Another block of 60,000 will also be awarded permanent
residency based on criteria that favor lower-skilled labor such as
construction.The merit system will come into force from October 2017, provided
that the immigration reform law passes President Barack Obama's desk this
summer. Over the years, the number of green cards could rise to 250,000."For
many at a bachelor level," or for someone whose employer doesn't want to
serve as a sponsor, "you're in a bind," immigration attorney Gregory
Siskind told AFP."So the points system will give you an alternative to
relying on your employer to get a green card," he added. "For a lot
of people, that's going to mean freedom."
Until 2013, a lottery offered 55,000 visas per year. But
Republican lawmakers have sought to end the program, which makes no distinction
between skilled and unskilled immigrants.
In addition to the points system, the Senate proposal
provides quota-free green cards for extraordinarily qualified researchers,
scientists and graduates of US universities.
"I don't think that the long waits that we've had for a
while are going to be a problem for a couple of years."
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