A Delicate Move Forward on Immigration

April 19 (Bloomberg) -- It’s no wonder it took so long. Thebipartisan immigration bill introduced this week in the U.S.Senate is a hefty, voluminous achievement. It weighs in atalmost 900 pages; given its complex political calibrations, itwill need a strong binding to withstand the onslaught to come.

The bill lays out a rough, but realistic, road tocitizenship for the approximately 11 million undocumentedimmigrants in the U.S. They will have to pay a series of phased-in fines adding up to $2,000, demonstrate a knowledge of U.S.civics and English, and meet other requirements before obtainingLawful Permanent Resident Status after 10 years. Citizenshipwill then be three more years away. The good news, however, isthat if the law is enacted, these immigrants would soon be ableto obtain a provisional status allowing them to work legally inthe U.S. while they begin their long wait. Meanwhile, the billpromises to eliminate the lengthy backlog of immigrants awaitingentry on employment or family-based visas.