Major Provisions

The following is a list of the major provisions of the bill, the compromise reached by Senate Democrats and Republicans and Bush Administration officials. The bill faces threats of a torpedo by dissident House and Senate leaders. Nonetheless, it appears that both Senate and House members are ready to craft legislation that brings an estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants out of the dark. The devil will be in the details, but after 20 years of an inflow of illegal immigration any solution won't come easily and the end results are unlikely to meet everyones expectations.

CURRENT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

Could receive probationary legal status immediately;

Four-year, renewable "Z visa" for those present in the U.S. before Jan. 1;

May adjust status to lawful permanent resident after paying $5,000 in fines and $1,500 in fees and after head of household returns to home country;

Green cards after three years, rather than eight, for those younger than 30 who were brought to U.S. as minors;

Green cards for farmworkers who have performed such work for 150 hours or three years;

No green cards until "triggers" for border security and workplace enforcement met and clearing of visa backlog, which takes eight years.

BORDER SECURITY

18,000 new Border Patrol agents;

200 miles of vehicle barriers and 370 miles of fencing on U.S.-Mexico border;

70 ground-based radar and camera towers on southern border;

Deployment of four unmanned aerial vehicles;

No more illegal immigrants released upon apprehension;

Funds for detaining up to 27,500 immigrants per day;

New identification tools to prevent unauthorized work.

WORKPLACE

Electronic verification of employees' identity and work eligibility;

Increased penalties for unlawful hiring, employment and record-keeping violations.

GUEST WORKERS*

Temporary program with two-year "Y visas," initially capped at 400,000 per year with annual adjustments based on market fluctuations;

Y visa renewable up to three times, if worker returns home for a year each time (those bringing dependents restricted to one visa);

Families allowed only if they show proof of medical insurance and demonstrate that their wages were 150 percent above poverty level.

FUTURE IMMIGRANTS

Spouses and minor children of U.S. citizens and permanent residents eligible for green cards based purely on family connections.

380,000 visas a year awarded on point system, about 50 percent based on employment criteria, 25 percent on education, 15 percent on English proficiency and 10 percent on family connections;

New limits for U.S. citizens seeking to bring foreign-born parents into the country;

Visas capped at 40,000 annually for parents of U.S. citizens and at 87,000 for spouses and children.

* after border-security measures in place.

Source: The Associated Press