My op-ed in the Salt Lake Tribune can be found here:
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/opinion/51917989-82/469-immigration-116-federal.html.csp
The Op-ed is worth reading, however I do have the following additional clarifications:
To be considered for approval as a resident immigrant for purposes of the program, a foreign national shall: at the time of filing the application be living outside of the United States
HB 469 only allows the the person or family sponsoring, to sponsor 2 people or a family.
We need to remove and not create any rewards and incentives for immigrants to come here and be here illegally.
Immigrants that are here illegally should not have the ability to become United States Citizens prior to those outside the U.S. applying to come legally. Citizenship/Naturalization is clearly an enumerated federal power. Immigration is not.
One of the reasons people are here without permission is that our current legal immigration system takes too long and in many cases doesn't work.
One of the 4 bills passed is a migrant worker bill. This one is different. It gives citizens the ability to sponsor 2 people or a family to come to this county with permission.
People that can be sponsored do NOT include individuals who are in the United States, but who are not lawfully present in any of the states of the United States.
If they are here illegally, they have to go home to be sponsored.
It will take longer than a day, as the application must be made from outside the US.
1) To be considered for approval as a resident immigrant for purposes of the program, a foreign national shall:
(a) file an application with the department;
(b) at the time of filing the application be living outside of the United States;
(c) pass a health and background screening;
(d) provide evidence that the foreign national has not been convicted of, pled guilty to, pled no contest to, pled guilty in a similar manner to, or resolved by diversion or its equivalent to a felony or class A misdemeanor;
(e) file proof of sponsorship by a sponsor who meets the requirements of Section 63G-12-203; and
(f) pay a fee established by the department in accordance with Section 63J-1-504.
(2) A foreign national is ineligible for the program if the individual:
(a) is in the United States at the time of application for the program; or
(b) is a citizen of a country:
(i) designated by the United States State Department as a state sponsor of terrorism in accordance with section 6(j) of the Export Administration Act, section 40 of the Arms Export Control Act, and section 620A of the Foreign Assistance Act;
(ii) against which the United States has declared war; or
(iii) against which the United States has imposed sanctions as listed under a sanctions program of the Office of Foreign Assets Control within the United States Department of Treasury.
To see who voted for this bill, see:
http://le.utah.gov/~2011/status/hbillsta/hb0469.002h.txt
http://le.utah.gov/~2011/status/hbillsta/hb0469.001s.txt
