On Wednesday, July 11, 2019, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act of 2019 with a vote of 365 to 65. The Bill was introduced by Representative Zoe Lofgren, Representative Ken Buck and 112 other House sponsors and seeks to eliminate per-country numerical limitations for employment-based immigrants and to increase the per-country numerical limitation for family-sponsored immigrants from 7% to 15%.

Currently, the wait for an employment-based green card and a family-based green card for non-immediate family members depends on an individual’s country of birth. This has resulted in significant backlogs for countries with higher numbers of employment-based green card applicants, including India and China, and for countries with higher numbers of family-based green card applicants, including the Philippines and Mexico.

Proponents of the Bill believe that reducing the green card backlog will ensure that the U.S. continues to attract the world’s top talent and will allow close relatives of U.S. citizens from oversubscribed countries to emigrate to the U.S. a lot sooner.

Senator Rand Paul introduced the Backlog Elimination, Legal Immigration, and Employment Visa Enhancement (BELIEVE) Act on the same day that the House passed the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act. Senator Paul’s proposal will, among other things, eliminate the per-country numerical limitations for employment-based immigrants, increase the number of employment-based green cards available each year, and grant spouses and children of E, H, and L visa holders work authorization. Senator Paul’s Act does not contain any family-based immigration provisions.

We will continue to monitor developments and share updates as more information becomes available.