I read an article called U.S. Military Will Offer Path to Citizenship on the New York Times Website. This article explains how the American Military will soon be offering citizenship to skilled immaigrants who have been living in the United States on temporary visas in as little as 6 months, by recruiting them into military possitions.

This article grabbed my attention because of the constant debate over laboring immigrants, (especailly for the area which we live in.) I think that this program will greatly enhance our already excellently skilled military by offering native knowlegde of cultures and languages that our goverment considers straigically pertinent. (Spanish will not be a language of interest). To enlist, temporary imigrants must meet specific criteria; they will be expected to prove that they have lived in the United States for a minimum of 2 years and have not left the country for more than 90 days. Prospectives will also have to pass an english exam.

Language experts will be mandated to serve in active duty for four years, and professionals in the health care career will be served three years of active duty or six years in the reserves.

Only 82 percent of the 80,000 Army recruits last year had high school diploma, so obviously the need for specialized skilled professionals is at large. This program is an excellent way to attract the skill needed and provide the dream of citizenship and a potentially life long career to those who truly want them.