Immigration Bills

A bill to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to establish a skills-based immigration points system, to focus on family-sponsored immigration on spouses and minor children, to eliminate the Diversity Visa Program, to set a limit on the number of refugees admitted annually to the United States, and for other purposes.

S. 744, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act, was a massive immigration reform bill, introduced by the 'Gang of 8' that would result in approximately 30 million new permanent work permits issued in the first 10 years if passed. The bill would grant legal status and worker permits to an estimated 11 million illegal aliens with an opportunity for green cards after 10 years and replace some family-based immigration categories with a merit-based points system.

S. 671, Filipino Veterans Family Reunification Act, would exempt children of Filipino World War II veterans naturalized by the Immigration Act of 1990 from numerical limits on worldwide immigration.

S. 2454, the Securing America’s Borders Act, would increase chain migration through a one-time increase of 105,660 visas for exempt families of "unused" employment-based visa holders, plus a one-time increase of 115,000visas for "unused" family-preference holders, plus a permanent increase of 254,000 per year in the family-preference categories. The bill would also increase worker visas by a one-time increase of 90,000 for "unused" employment-based visas, plus a permanent increase of 754,000 employment-based visas per year, plus a permanent 100,000 increase in H-1B visas.

S. 1033, the Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act, would: 1) increase permanent, legal immigration by adding an extra 254,000 family-based visas annually; 2) reward virtually all illegal aliens (except those with criminal records or terrorist connections) with amnesty, potentially rewarding 9 million illegal aliens; and 3) create a brand new guest worker program that would bring in 400,000 unskilled workers the first year, potentially allowing for a total increase of anywhere from 10 to 20 percent each year thereafter.