The U.S. Senate voted to start work on legislation that would offer legal status to most of the nation's 12 million illegal immigrants. As reported by The New York Times, the bill received a 69 to 23 vote (only 60 "yes" votes were required).

Although the first round has been won, there are many steps that must be taken before this bill can become law. "To pass the bill itself, the authors — a dozen senators, some from each party — need to hold the political center together against attacks from the left and the right. But business leaders and advocates for immigrants, two important constituencies that have lobbied hard for a revised immigration policy, are not happy with the proposal that negotiators offered last week."

Experts predict that even if the Senate passes the bill, there will be hurdles when dealing with the U.S. House of Representatives. The House has shown little excitement about immigration, but is more supportive of the border security push piggybacking on the bill.

To read details about the progress, click here.