02/09/2017
By Henderson Le, Prime Group.
Sens. Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Sens. David Perdue of Georgia proposed to reduce legal immigration from 1 million to 500,000 green cards per year.
The bill, “Reforming American Immigration for Strong Employment Act” (RAISE Act), aims to limit the number of family-based visas so that only spouses and unmarried minor children of citizens and permanent residents can get green cards. The bill will not allow children to apply green card for their parents, as well brothers and sisters. This will stop the “maternity green card trip” which arranges for the foreign mother to bear children in the US. The children will grant green card for the parents when they are 18.
Nevertheless, if the elderly parents require special assistant from the children due to health issues, a renewable visa can be granted to parents. This visa does not grant them the permission to work, nor can they receive public benefits. The parents have to show guaranteed support of health insurance by the sponsoring children. There is no path to citizenship for the parents.
The two Senators also eliminate the diversity visa lottery that doles out 50,000 green cards a year and set a 50,000 cap on green cards for refugees.
There is no mention about EB-5 investors program in this bill. The administration is strangely mum on words about investor visa, as opposed to every other visa programs.
Unlike the past eight years, when debate centered on legalizing illegal immigrants and drawing in more legal migrants, the conversation under President Trump is likely to focus more on imposing limits.
The bill is expected to be passed by the majority of Republicans on the Senate floor.
Source: U.S.News, CNBC