Some type of amnesty for illegal immigrants is inevitable - most likely the recently introduced bills for amnesty of illegal teenagers and the bills for giving three year working status for seasonal workers. These will probably go through the legislation system in the next 6 months, just in time for the elections.
These will appeal to the latino vote and will not harden the anti-immigrant sentiment of the American public, as they will be marketed as humanitarian additions to the Immigration Laws and would not threaten the well-being of the suburban middle class.
For employment based legal immigrants the key is the economy. If the labor market improves rapidly and big businesses start experiencing shortage of locally based professionals, EB immigrants will be given priority. However with the productivity going through the roof and the Fortune 100 outsourcing "drive" in full force the above situation is unlikely to happen. Accordingly next year we might get caught between the USCIS prioritizing the amnesty of the illegals and the strengthening anti-H1B moods of the american workforce.
Without significant political and economic leverage the professional EB immigration is going to stay on the back burner and we will need even more patience and perseverance.
Good luck to us all!
