USA TODAY International Edition
Immigration bill holds deals
Groups and industries rack up perks in the Senate version
Foreign retirees could live in the United States for longer periods each year if they agree to make hefty cash investments in real estate. Overseas snowboard instructors could stay in the USA for a decade under visas now reserved for athletes, and beach resorts could hire more lifeguards and groundskeepers from abroad.
The massive immigration overhaul working its way through the Senate is peppered with benefits like these for specific industries and immigrant groups — even as it aims to tackle three core policy objectives: creating a path to citizenship for 11 million immigrants in this country illegally, strengthening border security and increasing enforcement of laws that guard against the employment of undocumented workers.
“This is one of the primary reasons that our immigration laws, like our tax code, are so complicated,” said Rosemary Jenks of Numbers USA, which opposes increased immigration. “Congress treats it like a Christmas tree.”
“Each time a new special interest comes through the door, they just stick on a new ornament for the special interest,” she said.
Proponents of the bill, however, say the measures reflect the need to fix parts of a broken immigration system Congress last overhauled in 1986. “This bill is the best chance for a lot of people to have a lot of their specific issues addressed,” Bob Sakaniwa of the American Immigration Lawyers Association said.
Even before debate began on the Senate floor last week, the overhaul included provisions that were long the focus of intense lobbying by an array of interest groups. For instance, the technology industry lobbied successfully to secure more visas for its high- skilled workers, while the bill sets aside 10,500 visas each year for Irish immigrants. Other measures include:
A provision that would grant foreign retirees 55 and older threeyear, renewable visas if they invest $ 500,000 in U. S. real estate. A separate measure would let older Canadians remain in the United States for up to eight months each year — up from six months under current law — if they own a home here or have a long- term rental agreement.
The 70,000- member Canadian Snowbird Association lobbied Congress for years to extend the time limit. New York Sen. Charles Schumer, a Democrat and one of the socalled Gang of Eight senators who crafted the bill, backed the measure.
Both measures were supported by the National Association of Realtors, which spent about $ 41.5 million in federal lobbying last year. Foreigners bought $ 82.5 billion in real estate between March 2011 and March 2012, or nearly 5% of all sales, according to an industry study.
“The real estate industry has been through a really difficult patch,” said Marcia Salkin of the National Association of Realtors. “This makes it easier for foreign investors to purchase property in the U. S. and have enough
“Congress treats it ( immigration law) like a Christmas tree.”
Rosemary Jenks, Numbers USA, which opposes increased immigration
time here to use that property.”
A measure that would make it easier for resorts to hire foreign ski instructors by allowing them to work in the USA under the same program used by professional athletes and entertainers. Industry officials say they’ve had a hard time finding certified instructors with the language skills to serve growing numbers of foreign visitors. The 2012- 13 ski season drew about 3.5 million foreigners to U. S. slopes, up from 3.15 million the previous year, said Dave Byrd, of the National Ski Areas Association.
The measure was advanced by Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet, a Democrat. His spokesman Adam Bozzi said it’s wrong to characterize the measure as a home- state carveout, given the benefits it will bring to a ski industry coast- to- coast. “We don’t look at this as a state- specific issue,” Bozzi said. “It’s an issue we may be more in tune to because it’s an industry that’s larger in our state.”
A provision to increase the number of foreigners who can fill seasonal jobs in a wide range of industries — from seafood- processing plants to hotels. Currently, no more than 66,000 of these visas can be granted each year. The bill would not count returning foreign workers toward the annual cap.