On February 7, two Republican senators, Tom Cotton of Arkansas and David Perdue of Georgia, introduced an immigration reform bill titled the "Reforming American Immigration for Strong Employment Act," which proposes significant cuts to family-based immigration and the elimination of the Green Card Lottery.
This proposal has sent shockwaves through the U.S. political landscape and the public. While the executive order signed by President Trump on January 27 was a temporary ban targeting seven Muslim-majority countries, the Cotton proposal targets the relatives of U.S. citizens and permanent residents.
Over the past 25 years, the United States has accepted an average of one million immigrants annually. However, the Cotton proposal would eliminate several pathways for U.S. citizens and permanent residents to sponsor family members for green cards. If passed, it would reduce the total number of immigrants to the U.S. by 50% annually.
39-year-old Senator Cotton, known for his support of major immigration policy reform, is considered a potential successor to Attorney General nominee Jeff Sessions. Cotton stated that he discussed the bill with President Trump and White House officials before introducing it. A White House spokesperson indicated that the administration is currently reviewing the bill.
The specific measures and goals of the Cotton proposal are as follows:
1) Prioritizing Immediate Family Immigration
The bill would retain immigration pathways for spouses and minor children of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents, while eliminating immigration for non-immediate relatives and adult family members of U.S. citizens, including parents, adult siblings, unmarried adult children, married adult children, and unmarried adult children of lawful permanent residents.
2) Establishing a New Temporary Visa for Elderly Parents
If U.S. citizens wish to care for their elderly parents, this bill would allow for a temporary visa, provided that the parents are not permitted to work in the U.S., cannot access public benefits, and the U.S. citizen child must sponsor and provide health insurance for the parents.
3) Eliminating the Outdated Green Card Lottery
The Diversity Immigration Visa Lottery (DV) should be eliminated due to issues with fraud and its failure to meet economic or humanitarian objectives, which would reduce immigration by 50,000 people.
4) Limiting Refugee Green Cards to 50,000, Consistent with the 13-Year Average.
5) The Bill is Projected to Reduce Immigration by 50% Over the Next 10 Years.
According to immigration projection models from professors at Princeton University and Harvard University, after the implementation of this bill, the total number of immigrants would drop to 637,960 in the first year and to 539,958 by the tenth year, a reduction of approximately 50% compared to the 1,051,031 immigrants in 2015.
Worldway Group immigration experts remind you: Immigration should be pursued early. 2017 is a critical time for U.S. investment immigration. In the face of potential EB-5 price increases, termination proposals, the upcoming April 28 expiration of the current bill, and the July 1 implementation of Chinese foreign exchange controls, investors interested in U.S. investment immigration should take action to lock in projects that have already received exemplar approval and complete their investments as soon as possible to race against time. With a precise grasp of the trends in U.S. investment immigration policy changes, Worldway Group has carefully selected three high-quality projects that have already been approved and enjoy grandfathered status, allowing investors to obtain U.S. green cards for their entire families while investing. For more information on immigrating to the U.S., please call: 400-138-2929.
