| The Making of Modern Immigration: An Introduction xxii new hires, which is to be rolled out in phases. Third, the bill addresses the need to reduce the long backlog in family and employment immigrant and nonimmigrant visa processing. In the process, it will promote family reunification and prevent future illegal immigration. Fourth, the bill would create a legalization program for qualified undocumented immigrants, including their spouses and children. The program would permit qualified applicants to receive a conditional nonimmigrant visa good for six years by proving they were illegally resident in the United States prior to December 15, 2009 attest to having made some contribution to the nation through employment, education, military service, or volunteer service and pay an application fee and fine of $500. Portions of these fees would be deposited into a new Security and Prosperity Account that would assist state-based worker training programs, fund an electronic employment verification system and the Commission on Immigration and Labor Markets, the latter of which is detailed in the fifth pro- vision of the bill, which turns toward strengthening the U.S. workforce. The newly created federal Commission on Immigration and Labor Markets would promote economic growth and provide Congress with recommendations for setting caps on immigrant worker flows. Sixth, and finally, the bill seeks to integrate new U.S. citizens into the wider society, first by promoting a fairer fee structure and stream- lining the naturalization process. To be sure, the presence of each of these elements within the bill has a history that is splayed out in the following pages. These introductory comments have no pretense toward giving a comprehensive overview of the current historical picture of immigration studies. The real architecture for such a suggestion is to be found in the pages of the encyclopedia itself. The au- thors assembled in the present volumes have unique expertise on their respective top- ics. We have an eye to the past, but we try to make that past intelligible and interesting to those who are searching for fresh insight and accurate information on the assem- bled subjects. Further suggestions for reading—whether in print or electronically or through other media—may be found in the notes and bibliography of each article. It is hoped that by exploring the issues and personalities who have brought us to this point in history, we will give contemporary readers the tools they need to form their views as informed citizens and interested students of the making of modern immigration. Some useful websites for further consultation include: http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis http://www.ice.gov http://www.cusmia.org http://www.irle.berkeley.edu/immigration/teachers/films.html http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/immigration.html http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/modules/immigration/index.cfm http://www.ailf.org http://www.visalaw.com
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