Hundreds of thousands miss out on tax rebates because of foreign spouses

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24567987/

SAN FRANCISCO - When Maulit Shelat heard about the Bush administration's plan to pump up the economy by sending out stimulus checks, he sat down with his wife and drew up a list of priorities: first up, remodeling the bathroom.

But Shelat is married to a foreigner who still hasn't completed the often years-long process that allows her to apply for a Social Security number. Her not having that number makes even him ineligible for the tax rebate checks that started going out last week because they filed jointly.

He is among an estimated hundreds of thousands of taxpayers — from legal immigrants to soldiers based abroad — who won't be getting a share of the stimulus package because of a provision aimed at preventing illegal immigrants from getting rebates.

"I would have fed this economy as well," said Shelat, an Indian chemical engineer living with his wife and two children in the Buffalo, N.Y.-area. "We live within this economy, work, pay taxes, do everything by the book. Whatever the reasons for giving this economic stimulus package, they apply to us as well."

clause to put in the rebate language.

The poorest of the poor... but we don't need it.

:cry: :mad:

Marriage is not a revolving door to get into this country. Every year, thousands of people run scams to marry people and let them get citizenship anyway. They bilk immigrants out of thousands of dollars per person.

Then again, DU has never shown support for any kind of regulation of immigration. It's as if they don't like citizenship.

And anyway, by the time your heroes are done with it, people won't be wanting to come to this country anymore. Guess that will make you happy...

is guilty of this?

And why should they be discriminated against? In this country, you should be free to marry whoever you please.

DU is usually for fairness, not discriminating against people just because they were born in another country or chose to marry a person born in another country.

One has to wonder just how much he expected that stimulus check to be.

And what was on the rest of the list...

2. Buy a new car.
3. Send the kids to college.
4. Vacation in RIO.