Although it has awarded a certain number of points for language ability, it will now require that immigrants wishing to work in the professions demonstrate "fluency" on standardised tests.
Others were refugees or immigrants wishing to help their communities and build their skills for later employment in the community.
Despite fears of "open borders" propagated by the fiercest critics of undocumented immigrants, most supporters of a path to citizenship or legal status for undocumented immigrants simply wish to treat those immigrants who are here already with respect and do not deny the need for reasonable measures to be taken to further reduce the volume of illegal immigration.
But unlike some on the right who would preclude the possibility that illegal immigrants could ever attain citizenship, Mr. Bush would offer them an option: "However, illegal immigrants who wish to become citizens should have the choice of returning to their native countries and applying through normal immigration processes that now would be much more open than before".
Illegal immigrants who wish to remain in this country would have to admit they had broken the law, pay back taxes and fees, and pass a criminal background check to qualify for legal residency after eight years.
Under their plan, illegal immigrants who wish to remain in the country would be required to admit they broke the law and pay fines and back taxes, pass background checks and prove that they can speak English before going to the back of the line of those seeking permanent legal residency.
What about immigrants who wish to harm us?
Mainly envisioning themselves as economic immigrants, they wish to maintain ties with and help family they left behind.
Immigrants who wish to naturalize, and become a person with a citizenship, should pass the language and integration requirement by successfully completing a formalized naturalization test (introduced in 2003), and should meet other conditions, such as not having a criminal record.
So what does this mean for the status of immigrants who wish to marry, or are already married to, American citizens of the same sex?
