Trump Administration Endorses RAISE Act Immigration Reform Bill

On August 2, 2017, President Trump announced his support of the proposed American Immigration for a Strong Economy (RAISE) Act. Proposed changes under the immigration reform bill include:

• Establish a skills-based immigration system. If approved by Congress, the plan would institute a merit-based system to determine who is admitted to the U.S. and granted legal residency green cards. The system would award points based on a number of factors, including age, education, English proficiency, U.S. job offers, record of achievement, and entrepreneurial potential, among others.
• Limit family-sponsored immigration. The legislation would limit the kinds of qualifying relationships eligible for family-sponsored immigrant visas. Specifically, the plan would allow American citizens and legal permanent residents to sponsor spouses and minor children for immigrant visas, but would eliminate preference categories for other relatives such as siblings, adult children, and parents.
• Limit refugees. The number of refugees admitted to the US would be capped at 50,000 per year.
• Eliminate the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program. The bill also proposes eliminating the 50,000 immigrant visas currently allotted annually in a lottery to applicants.

What Employers Can Expect
If passed, this would have a significant impact on employers who sponsor green cards for their employees by limiting ability to sponsor certain temporary workers for permanent status and increasing backlogs. This proposal faces significant opposition from both parties and it is unlikely the legislation as drafted would be passed by Congress.

Gibney will continue to monitor these developments. If you have any questions, please contact your designated Gibney representative or email info@gibney.com.