Lawyer Robert Alvarez writes in El Caribe about the importance for the Dominican community of the Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act of 2005 (S. 1033/H.R. 2330) introduced on 12 May to the US Congress that opens the US to immigrant workers by creating a temporary visa. At the end of this time, temporary workers may opt for residence and five years later for citizenship. In his comments on the new bill he estimates that there are approximately 143,000 illegal Dominicans in the US who would be able to legalize their status under this bill’s provisions, and could apply for one of the 400,000 annual temporary visas that would be issued.
See http://www.mario-ramos.com/blog/archives/2005/05/the_secure_amer.html