By Debbie McGoldrick

Bush on Immigration

For those of you who may have missed President Bush’s State of the Union remarks on immigration, here they are in full:

“Extending hope and opportunity in our country requires an immigration system worthy of America, with laws that are fair and borders that are secure. When laws and borders are routinely violated, this harms the interests of our country. To secure our border, we’re doubling the size of the Border Patrol, and funding new infrastructure and technology.

“Yet even with all these steps, we cannot fully secure the border unless we take pressure off the border — and that requires a temporary worker program. We should establish a legal and orderly path for foreign workers to enter our country to work on a temporary basis. As a result, they won’t have to try to sneak in, and that will leave border agents free to chase down drug smugglers and criminals and terrorists. We’ll enforce our immigration laws at the work site and give employers the tools to verify the legal status of their workers, so there’s no excuse left for violating the law.

“We need to uphold the great tradition of the melting pot that welcomes and assimilates new arrivals. We need to resolve the status of the illegal immigrants who are already in our country without animosity and without amnesty. Convictions run deep in this Capitol when it comes to immigration. Let us have a serious, civil, and conclusive debate, so that you can pass, and I can sign, comprehensive immigration reform into law.”

Sponsoring Mother

“I am writing from a Chicago suburb. I am married to an American citizen for almost three years, and plan on applying for U.S. citizenship as soon as I can next year. My mother is 69 years old, back in Ireland and in good health. She is there on her own pretty much, and loves the U.S. Can my husband act as a green card sponsor for her, as I won’t be able to sponsor her until I’m a citizen? We have heard this won’t be possible, but is there anything he can do in the meantime for her?”

There really isn’t, as U.S. immigration law doesn’t provide for in-law sponsorship.

Once you become a citizen you will be able to sponsor your mother as an immediate relative, which means the processing time will be significantly shorter compared to the other family preference categories — expect the wait to be somewhere in the region of six months to a year.

You will not be able to start the sponsorship process until your citizenship case is finalized. Once that happens, you’ll notice that one of the documents you’ll need to complete is an affidavit of support, which confirms that you will assume any financial responsibilities should your mother fall into difficulties, such as medical, welfare, etc.

Your husband will be able to act as a co-sponsor of the affidavit, but that’s about all he’ll be able to do in your quest to secure status for your mother.

It’s a big move to make at the age of 69. Remember to look into such issues as health insurance — so critical in the U.S. — and the transfer of any pension money she receives at home. As far as the latter, the Irish Embassy’s website at www.irelandemb.org should provide useful assistance.