Side-by-Side Comparison of 2013 Senate Immigration Bill with 2006 and 2007 Senate Legislation

This fact sheet offers a chart comparing the key components of comprehensive immigration reform outlined in the 2013 Senate immigration bill against provisions included in bills considered by the Senate in 2006 and 2007. The easy-to-reference side-by-side format of the chart highlights comparisons in six areas of reform: border security, detention, and enforcement; worksite enforcement; visa reforms; earned legalization of unauthorized immigrants; strengthening the U.S. economy and workforce; and integration of new Americans. The analysis is based on the bipartisan Senate bill S.744.

The chart reveals that the 2013 Senate bill departs from previous versions in a number of ways. Most markedly, the new proposal offers a gradual path to legal status for unauthorized immigrants through an earned legalization program instead of a sweeping one-off legalization. Other notable elements of the current proposal include: specific border security goals and benchmarks measures for success; mandatory E-Verify participation for employers; biometric green cards and work authorization cards for noncitizens; a new merit-based visa program and a W visa program for low-skilled jobs; the elimination of the diversity visa and sibling preference category; and a significant expansion of employment-based visa programs.  

Similar to past proposals, the 2013 bill also seeks to enhance border infrastructure, reduce visa backlogs, encourage high-skilled immigration, and establish an independent advisory body tasked with recommending future admission levels.