The Immigrant Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986 provided a one-time opportunity for people who had been living in the United States illegally to obtain legal resident status and eventually qualify for citizenship. In order to go from temporary to permanent status, applicants were now required to demonstrate a minimal understanding of English…

Literacy education for non-English-speaking adults is taxing the fragile adult education system in the United States. Despite federal limitations, a million immigrants enter the country each year. In contrast with the past, the non-English-speaking need more education to compete in more sophisticated workplaces. The nation's largest cities are…

This document focuses on the requirements of the immigrant amnesty process, which were established by the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986. Sections focus on the following questions: (1) How can eligible legalized aliens (ELA) fulfill the IRCA educational requirements? (2) What issues are considered in designing and offering an…

This report presents the findings of a California study on the demographic and educational characteristics and pre-enrollment language skills of over 265,000 newly legalized persons beginning legalization education programs. Data summarized about this population include immigration history, nationality, language background, age, distribution of…

The handbook is intended to help programs assist legalized aliens eligible for amnesty meet the education requirements for permanent residency. These requirements include minimal understanding of English and a knowledge and understanding of the history and government of the United States, or pursuit of a course leading to that knowledge. Three…

An analysis of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA), which requires basic English language proficiency and knowledge of United States history and civics of illegal aliens seeking permanent residency status, suggests that the Act is an example of poor language planning. The analysis has three components. First, the legalization…

This guide to the evaluation of immigrant legalization education programs in agencies approved for State Legalization Impact Assistance Grants (SLIAG) is divided into two parts. The first part describes how an agency's staff members can review their program in terms of quality criteria. Rating criteria and forms are provided for assessing overall…

This special issue of the newsletter of the Adult Education Interest Section (AEIS) of the Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), prepared in cooperation with TESOL's refugee concerns interest section, concerns the response of the English-as-a-Second-Language teaching profession to Immigration and Naturalization Service…

This handbook provides information and ideas to be considered in the formation of the kinds of partnerships among service providers (i.e., advocacy groups, coalitions, educational agencies, churches, community-based organizations, etc.) that will be needed to enable both documented and undocumented immigrants to meet the Phase 2 legalization…

This memorandum discusses the need for civics and English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) instruction as a result of the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986. IRCA provides an opportunity for illegal aliens to obtain legal resident status by successfully completing a test of English proficiency and a test of U.S. history and government, or…

Information concerning the federal regulations governing the basic citizenship skills requirement for immigrant legalization, as amended, is presented. Materials include: (1) a sample memorandum to educational service providers relaying information concerning the requirement; (2) revised requirements and guidelines for courses of study recognized…

This guide is designed to promote and assist in the integration of the civics curriculum, required for immigrant legalization, into the English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) curriculum through both curriculum development and program planning. The guide has two major parts. The first part is a listing, in a suggested sequence, of civics/ESL…

Data on the status of education for immigrant amnesty applicants in California under the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA) are summarized. The amnesty applicants fall into two categories: immigrants who can prove continuous U.S. residency before 1982, and "special agricultural workers" who qualify if they worked in…

The second step of implementation of the legalization program of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA) began on November 7, 1988. This second step is the process by which undocumented immigrants, initially granted temporary residence, may adjust to their status change to permanent resident. Certain aspects of the adjustment are…

A survey was conducted to learn more about the population of immigrant amnesty applicants in California, which comprises 55% of the population nationwide applying for legalization through the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. Findings are reported separately, in most cases, for immigrants who have resided in the United States since…