Monday, December 08, 2008

Armed Forces to Recruit More Legal Immigrants

From Washington Post, Around the Nation

Struggling to find enough doctors, nurses and linguists for wars, the Pentagon will temporarily recruit foreigners who have been living in the United States on student and work visas, or with refugee or political asylum status.

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has authorized the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps to recruit legal residents whose critical medical and language skills are "vital to the national interest," officials said, using for the first time a law passed three years ago.

Though the military previously has taken recruits with green cards seeking permanent residency, Gates's action allows the services to start a one-year pilot program to find as many as 1,000 foreigners who have lived in the States legally for at least two years on certain types of temporary visas.

The new recruits into the military would get accelerated treatment toward becoming citizens.

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