Immigration Bills

H.R. 714, the Startup Act 3.0, would establish 125,000 new conditional permanent resident visas: 50,000 for graduates in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), and 75,000 for qualified immigrant entrepreneurs. STEM graduates must remain “actively engaged” in a STEM field for 5 years in order to retain the visa, which includes a year of diligently searching for employment and the remaining years employed in the U.S. in a STEM field.

H.R. 6412, the Attracting the Best and Brightest Act, would add 50,000 new visas to a new employment-based priority category for aliens who have a master’s degree or higher in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM), from a U.S. institution of higher education. Visas that are unused by the end of each financial year continue past the end of the year. The Department of Homeland Security has to publicly release a monthly report with details regarding the visas awarded under the new category.

S. 3192, the SMART Jobs Act, would allow foreign nationals to study for master's degrees and Ph.Ds. at American colleges and universities in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields on non-immigrant visas. However, once these individuals graduate, they are free to compete against American workers for jobs and will receive a work permit once they find a job. The bill also creates a new class of visa, the F-4 visa.

S. 2005, the Irish Immigration Recognition and Encouragement Act, would expand the E-3 visa category to include up to 10,500 Irish nationals each year. As the Obama administration has a stated policy of waiving inadmissibility requirements for illegal aliens, and because this bill does not prevent the administration from doing so, this bill acts as a de facto amnesty for illegal Irish aliens in the United States.

S. 1965, the Startup Act of 2011, would create 50,000 new STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) visas for foreign students who graduate from a U.S. college with a master's degree or a Ph.D. The bill also creates a new visa program for 75,000 new immigrant "entrepreneurs" -- individuals who already hold an H-1B visa and would be allowed 3 extra years to remain in the U.S. and operate a new business.