>> >>AMITA: BOTH THE SENATE AND PRESIDENT OBAMA'S PROPOSAL FOR IMMIGRATION REFORM BELIEVES
THE PATH BEGINS IN THE BACK OF THE LINE.
THERE TURNS OUT THERE ARE MEBY LINESSISM JOINING ME TO TALK ABOUT THE LONG LINE TO CITIZENSHIP
IS JOHN ROSSMAN, SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR FOR KPBS DESK FRONTERAS DESK.
JOHN, BREEIVE LEAF BRIEFLY TELL ME HOW DOES SOMEONE GET IN H INTO THE PATH FOR CITIZENSHIP.
>> >>JOHN ROSSMAN: AS YOU PROBABLY KNOW, THERE'S DIFFERENT TYPES OF VISAS PT YOU CAN GET AN
EMPLOYMENT BASED VISA AND THERE'S ALSO A FAMILY BASED VISA.
FAMILY BASED VISAS ARE THE BIGGEST NUMBER OF PEOPLE APPLY FOR FAMILY BASE VISAS.
YOU WANT TO BRING YOUR WIFE OR CHILD OVER.
SO INSIDE THIS FAMILY BASED VISA SYSTEM, THERE ARE KIND OF TWO DIFFERENT CATEGORIES.
SOMEONE THAT HAD A WIFE FROM CANADA, BRINGING HER OVER OR BRING PIE SON OVER FROM CANADA,
I FALL INTO THE FIRST CATEGORY, AND THERE'S UNLIMITED VISAS.
FOR OTHER KIND OF MORE DISTANT RELATIONSHIPS IS WHAT KIND OF THE GOVERNMENT CALLS IT, THERE'S
A DIFFERENT CATEGORY AND IT'S ARRANGED BY PREFERENCES, AND THERE'S A CAP ON VISAS.
THAT'S KIND OF WHERE SOME OF THE PROBLEMS KIND OF ARISE.
>> >>AMITA: WHO FALLS INTO THAT CATEGORY?
>> >>JOHN ROSSMAN: SO, LET'S SAY I'M A U.S. CITIZEN, MY SON OR DAUGHTER WHO LIVES IN ANOTHER
COUNTRY WHO'S OVER 21 YEARS OLDÊ THEY'RE KIND OF LIKE AN ADULTÊ MY SIBLINGS, MY SISTER
OR BROTHER LIVES IN ANOTHER COUNTRY AND THEIR KIDS IF.
I AM A LEGAL RESIDENT, I HAVE A GREEN CARD, MY SPOUSE OR CHILD.
>> >>AMITA: YOU SPOKE TO ONE MAN IN PARTICULAR WHO FALLS IF N THAT CATEGORY.
>> >>JOHN ROSSMAN: HE FALLS INTO THE F1 CATEGORY, HIS FATHER IS A U.S. CITIZEN AND HE IS FROM
MEXICO.
DIFFERENT COUNTRIES HAVE DIFFERENT WAIT TIMES BECAUSE OF THE DEMAND ON VISAS ARE A LOT HIGHER
IN MEXICO.
HE FALLS INTO THAT CATEGORYÊ >> >>AMITA: HOW OLD IS HE?
>> >>JOHN ROSSMAN: I'M NOT SURE.
HE'S BEEN WAITING IN THE SLIDE FOR 18 YEARS.
SO HE'S DEFINITELY OLDER THAN 21 AND HE'S OLDER THAN, YOU KNOW, 18.
>> >>AMITA: SO WHAT IS HE DOING IN THE MEAN TIME?
WHAT IS HE DOING IN THE MEAN TIME?
WHERE IS HE LIVING?
>> >>JOHN ROSSMAN: HE LIVES IN HIS FATHER'S HOME AND HE HAS A WORK PERMIT.
SO HE'S ABLE TO LIVE THERE, AND SO WHAT HE'S KIND OF WAITING FOR IS PATHWAY TO CITIZENSHIP
TOO, EVENTUAL CITIZENSHIP.
HE WENT TO SCHOOL HERE, HAS A WORK PERMIT HERE, HE HAS A LOT TO BE PROUD OF AND YOU
KNOW HE HAS AN AMERICAN EXPERIENCE.
BUT THERE'S A PART THAT'S MISSING AND PART OF THAT CITIZENSHIP AND PART OF THAT IS WHILE
HE'S WAITING THESE 18 YEARS YOU KNOW HE'S PUT OFF OTHER THINGS IN HIS LIFE LIKE GETTING
MARRIED.
IF HE WERE TO FALL IN LOVE WITH SOMEONE WHO'S NOT A DOCUMENTED CITIZEN HE WOULD HAVE TO
GO INTO A WHOLE OTHER CATEGORY.
LET ME BACK TRACK.
HE'S BEEN WAITING FOR 18 YEARS.
IF YOU LOOK AT THIS CATEGORY KIND OF THE GOVERNMENT ISSUES KIND OF VISAÊ THERE'S A VISA BULLETIN
WHERE ONCE YOU ENTER THE LINE YOU'RE GIVEN YOUR DATE AS A TIME STAMP.
I ENTERED THIS LINE JUNEÊ1994, ON THE 15TH, I HAVE THAT CARD, I CAN LOOK ALONG AND SEE
HOW FAR ALONG I AM.
I CAN GAUGE WHEN I'M COMING.
RIGHT NOW THE VISA WAIT TIME IS JULYÊ1993 FOR THIS CATEGORY.
THE PROBLEM IS IF YOU LOOK BACK 10 YEARS AT THE VISA BULLETIN, IT'S MOVED BACKWARDS AROUND
18 MONTHS.
IN 10 YEARS BETWEEN POINT A AND POINT B IT'S MOVED BACKWARDS.
BECAUSE THE DEMAND IS SO HIGH.
HE'S IN THIS LINE WAITING, AND I TALKED TO HIS LAWYER AND SHE ESTIMATES THIS LINE IS
GOING TO BE AS MANY AS A HUNDRED YEARS LONG.
IT'S NOT 20 YEARS LIKE THE VISA BULLETIN SAYS, IT'S A LOT LONGER.
>> >>AMITA: HOW DOES THIS AFFECT THE 11ÊMILLION PEOPLE WHO ARE UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS WHO
MIGHT WANT TO GET ON THAT PATH TO CITIZENSHIP.
>> >>JOHN ROSSMAN: YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT'S THE QUESTION.
WHEN WE TALK ABOUT IMMIGRATION REFORM, IT'S JUST SO COMPLEX, AND THERE'S SO MANY DIFFERENT
FACETS AND AVENUES.
I THINK ONE OF MYÊ I THINK MOST INTERESTING PARTS OF THE STORY, THIS WAIT TIME IS SO HORRENDOUSLY
LONG, BUT THE PROBLEM IS, YOU KNOW, MEXICO, FOR EXAMPLE, OR IN ANOTHER PLACE LIKE THE
PHILIPPINES THE REASON TO WAIT SO LONG IS THEY'RE BENEFITING THE MOST FROM LEGAL IMMIGRATION.
THEY ARE GOING THROUGH THE PROCESS AT SUCH RAPID NUMBERS THEY'RE USING UP THEIR CAP ON
LIMITED VISAS.
THEY'RE ACTUALLY BENEFITING A LOT, AND WE HAVE A LOT F MEXICANS COMING OVER LEGALLY.
SO IT'S JUST SO COMPLEX.
WHAT DOES THIS MEANÊ >> >>AMITA: BUT WILL IMMIGRATION REFORMÊ
WILL IT FIX THE BACK LOG IN ANY WAY?
DOES IT ADDRESS IT?
>> >>JOHN ROSSMAN: IT DOES.
THE PRESIDENT AND SENATE'S PROPOSALS BOTH ADDRESSED THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE BACK
LOG.
THE PRESIDENT'S PROPOSAL IS GOING TO BE IN THAT GOOD OF CONGRESS CAN'T COME UP WITH A
SOLUTION.
SUGGESTS RAISING THE COUNTRY CAPS FROM I THINK IT'S LIKE 7% TO 15%.
>> >>AMITA: WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO RAP IT THERE, JOHN ROSSMAN.
I'M SURE THIS IS A TOPIC THAT'S GOING TO BE DISCUSSED MORE IN THE FUTURE.
>> >>JOHN ROSSMAN: DEFINITELY, YEAH, THANK YOU.