Today, the U.S. House of Representatives approved H.R. 1044, the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act of 2019, that eliminates per-country quotas for all employment-based immigrant visa petitions by a wide, bipartisan vote of 365-65.
The bill includes language helpful to the EB-5 program relating to a transition period for implementation, as explained –
Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act of 2019
This bill increases the per-country cap on family-based immigrant visas from 7% of the total number of such visas available that year to 15%, and eliminates the 7% cap for employment-based immigrant visas. It also removes an offset that reduced the number of visas for individuals from China.
The bill also establishes transition rules for employment-based visas from FY2020-FY2022, by reserving a percentage of EB-2 (workers with advanced degrees or exceptional ability), EB-3 (skilled and other workers), and EB-5 (investors) visas for individuals not from the two countries with the largest number of recipients of such visas. Of the unreserved visas, not more than 85% shall be allotted to immigrants from any single country.
A companion bill, S. 386 (Sen. Lee, R-UT) was being discussed for Senate floor consideration last month. The bill drew H-1B compliance provisions that slowed momentum and interested Senators continue negotiations.
Please contact your GT attorney for specific questions. We will update this matter as information becomes available.
For more on Employment Visas, click here.
Source: https://www.eb5insights.com
