Update to Visa Caps and Foreign Worker Program Proposed

A bill will be introduced to the U.S. House of Representatives that includes material updates to the immigration system. Included in the bill are updates to visa caps and a trial program promoting foreign workers to understaffed areas.

In order to pass the Senate, the proposed bill requires the support of all Democrats and a minimum of 10 Republicans to pass.

The bill provides more details from the US Citizenship Act of 2021, originally announced on President Biden’s first day in office.

The annual cap on the number of immigrants that come from any one country would move from 7% to 20%. This move gives more flexibility to countries with larger populations. Both employment-based visas and the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program are currently limited to the 7% country cap.

Additionally, the White House proposed the creation of a program where foreign workers are matched to areas with labor shortages. The potential 5-year program allows any county to petition for more immigrant visas in order to support their local economic development. Employers in the county must verify there are available jobs an no available workers.

The bill proposes to increase the total number of diversity visas to 80,000 per year and exempts families of permanent lawful residents from annual visa caps. Eligible family members include spouses, “permanent partners”, and children. The exemption is currently limited to solely immigrants related to U.S. citizens. This will help with clearing some of the current backlog that can keep families apart as they wait for visas.

Additional funding for technology to fight trafficking through US ports of entry is included. Increased infrastructure to support asylum cases is also also included. The focus is on the root cause of immigration and working with local authorities in those countries, in a partnership, to invest up to $4 Billion to address those issues.

If you have questions about the US Citizenship Act of 2021, contact us at ILBSG. Our attorneys are deeply experienced in all this immigration and work with you to ensure you get the right advice for you situation.