WASHINGTON (AP) — A key Republican House chairman said Wednesday he sees the need to bring illegal immigrants already in this country into legal status, and perhaps allow some of them to eventually obtain citizenship — suggesting new potential common ground with a bipartisan group seeking to overhaul the nation's immigration policy.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte has said in the past that he opposes a pathway to citizenship for the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the U.S.

But at a Christian Science Monitor breakfast with media, Goodlatte expanded on that, saying that once legalized, immigrants could potentially avail themselves of the existing ways to attain citizenship — either through family or employer sponsorship. The approach could leave illegal immigrants facing a lengthy and difficult process before citizenship becomes a possibility.