Are You Ready For Another Round Of Comprehensive Immigration Reform?

That's right, campers, it looks like one of our wishy washiest flip floppery Senators, Lindsey Graham, might give the whole shamnesty thing yet another try: Senators look for immigration deal

Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) have rekindled their alliance on immigration reform, taking some early steps to test the political will for addressing the contentious issue this year.

Their call list hasn’t focused so much on House and Senate members who’ve been reliable pro-immigration votes in the past. Instead, they’re looking to a strange-bedfellows mix of conservative and liberal constituencies that can provide a “safety net” of support, as Graham put it, once the issue heats up.

“It’s in the infant stage,” Graham told POLITICO. “I don’t know what the political appetite is to do something.”

Oh, we have a political appetite to do something, Lindsey, just not what you want to do. We aren't interested in discussing anything sort of pathway to citizenship until the borders are secured. Period. And, as we saw with the Arizona illegal immigration issue, most Americans prefer cracking down on illegals, not giving them a pathway to citizenship.

But, even if they could manage to get something passed in the Senate (remember, the DREAM Act failed by 5 votes), it will never make it through the GOP controlled house.

Democrats believe the November elections put a bit of a scare into Republicans, who failed to capture the Senate in part because of strong Latino turnout in California, Nevada, Colorado and Washington. If the GOP hopes to win the White House in 2012, it will need to reverse that trend.

Really? The GOP had a bit of a scare? Seriously? Any Republican who goes on to push "Comprehensive Immigration Reform" should be the one who is scared about being promoted to "unemployed political hack."

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Migration ban on welders and hair stylists in bid to protect British workers

Migrants will be refused visas to work as hair salon managers, estate agents and shop managers under proposals to protect British workers.

Government advisers have suggested cutting by a third the number of occupations which qualify as ‘skilled’ under immigration rules. If accepted by ministers, the number of visas issued to non-EU workers would drop by around 10,000.

Other occupations which could go from the list include beauty salon managers, laboratory technicians, florists, pipe fitters, steel erectors and welders. However, midwives, chartered surveyors and management accountants would remain, along with dancers, entertainers and environmental protection officers.

In its report, the Migration Advisory Committee proposed cutting the number of jobs eligible for so-called Tier 2 visas from 192 to 121.

But campaigners for tougher migration controls called for ministers to go further to protect British jobs. Sir Andrew Green, chairman of the MigrationWatch think-tank said: ‘The definition of graduate has been set rather low in these recommendations. ‘Given the extent of unemployment we now face, ministers should set the bar at university level. ‘Doing so would reduce the list of jobs that qualified from 121 to 87 to ensure migrants are genuinely highly skilled.’

Committee chairman Professor David Metcalf insisted the proposals would ‘ratchet up’ the required skill levels. He said: ‘Skilled foreign workers make a valuable contribution to the British economy but, in the context of limits on migration, it is essential that the immigration system is designed to select those migrants we need the most. ‘We have recognised this by ensuring our recommendations will allow the most skilled to continue to come and work here.’

It is part of Home Office efforts to slash net migration – the number arriving minus those leaving – from more than 200,000 last year to ‘tens of thousands’ by 2015. A cap will placed on all non-EU workers from April.

Immigration Minister Damian Green said: ‘This is a valuable contribution to ensuring the immigration system allows firms to bring in people with necessary skills without immigration becoming the first resort to fill a wide range of jobs.

‘As part of our package for limiting non-EU economic migration we are raising the minimum skill level at which people can come to work in the UK under Tier Two. ‘We asked the Migration Advisory Committee to advise the Government on graduate level occupations to ensure that only those who are able to fill skilled jobs can come to the UK.’

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