President Obama used his executive authority to increase the availability of visas for Chinese workers and students, a move that immigration hawks regard as a signal that his promised executive orders regarding immigration are coming soon.

“Obama announced a new plan Monday to extend Chinese student visas to five years and business and tourist visas to 10 years, saying the move will boost jobs in the United States,” USA Today noted.

A Senate Republican aide suggests that policy is a warning sign that Obama will soon reveal the orders that would constitute his executive amnesty.

“Now that the election is over, President Obama is beginning his effort to unilaterally and substantially expand immigration to the United States — whether it be legal, illegal, temporary or permanent — at a time when a record 41.3 million persons in the U.S. were born outside the U.S,” the aide tells National Review Online.