With the immigration reform just around the corner, any news we can get is valuable to the millions of people this will effect. In recent news, ABC reports on some leaked details of the new bill. After months of negotiations, a group of Democrats and Republicans in the Senate are poised to release a broad immigration reform bill within the next few days. The bill would create a pathway to citizenship for some of the country’s 11 million undocumented immigrants and earmark billions for border security. Although senators working on the bill have stressed that the document still isn’t finalized, some important details have leaked in the past week. 

1. The Border Security “Trigger” The bill creates a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who meet certain qualifications, but applicants would need to undergo a 10-year probationary period before being eligible for a green card. The decade-long wait comes with another caveat: The federal government will need to meet certain border security benchmarks before any undocumented immigrants can receive a green card. The border security plan would require surveillance of 100 percent of the U.S.-Mexico border and 90 percent effectiveness in border enforcement, The New York Times reported. If those goals are met, immigrants who completed the 10-year waiting period would be eligible to apply for a green card.

 2. The Cut-Off Date Of the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S., hundreds of thousands may not be eligible for the path to citizenship being offered by the Senate, the AP reported on Friday. The bill requires that applicants prove they were in the country before December 31, 2011, the AP reported. That means anyone who arrived after that date would be excluded. There will be other requirements, too, like proving you have a clean criminal record and that you have enough job stability to stay off welfare. How the bill defines those things — criminality and financial stability — could decide the fate of thousands. 

3. More Visas for Workers The majority of immigrants who receive legal permanent residence in the U.S. get their visas because of family ties. But the Senate bill will add a major new “merit-based” program, The New York Times reported on Thursday. To read the full article: 3 Leaked Immigration Reform Details