Not so 'grand' a bargain

Immigration reform that may help undocumented workers could punish highly skilled foreigners who entered the country legally. And with attention focused on the plight of illegals, what’s a legal to do? | Mark Bergin

Neha Shah has little time for self-pity—and not the patience to indulge in it. The 38-year-old software analyst immigrated to the United States from India in 1998 and worked her way into a well-paid position with a real estate data company in Fremont, Calif. Shah's salary and benefits package help mitigate the high medical costs needed to keep her 4-year-old son Ritvik alive, allowing the boy's father Jatin to remain at home and provide round-the-clock care.

But current U.S. immigration policy will soon disrupt this family's delicate balance. A corporate acquisition of Shah's company requires that she relocate to Boston next month, uprooting the family from established connections with local doctors and treatment centers for Ritvik's numerous ailments. Shah would like nothing more than to switch employers and continue living in Fremont, but such a change would threaten her family's right to remain in the country.