Immigration Bills

The bill would grant DHS the authority to waive the Visa Waiver Program’s (VWP) “low nonimmigrant visa refusal rate” requirements with respect to a country’s participation in the VWP (i.e., have a low nonimmigrant visa refusal rate for two years [averaging no more than two percent over both years, not exceeding 2.5 percent in any one year] or no more than a three percent refusal rate for the most recent fiscal year) if: (1) DHS determines that the country has mitigated security risks to the point that participation in the VWP would not compromise U.S.

The bill would revise provisions governing the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (a program that provides assistance to states for the incarceration of illegal aliens who commit crimes) so that states and localities may be reimbursed for the cost of incarcerating illegal aliens who are either charged with or convicted of a felony or two misdemeanors (rather than only those who are convicted of such offenses as provided by current law).

The bill as amended on the House floor, would: (1) prohibit all three mortgage lending government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) – Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Federal Home Loan Banks – from obtaining primary residential mortgages being granted to any person who does not have a valid Social Security number (amendment sponsored by Rep.

The bill would require DHS to share immigration information with the Justice Department (DOJ); would require DHS and DOJ to submit a joint report to Congress on improving the performance of Federal immigration databases to ensure the prompt entry of immigration information; would require the head of each state and local law enforcement agency to collect and report to DHS all immigration and DWI-related information collected in the course of normal duties and would condition receipt of State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (a program that provides assistance to states for the incarceration

H.R. 1358 would create a new nonimmigrant visa category (i.e., the W visa) for aliens coming to the United States to work as professional nurses; would initially cap annual issuance of W visas to 50,000, but would provide that if that cap is reached in any year, the next year’s cap would be increased by 20 percent (no reduction if the cap is not reached – just a maintenance of the current cap); would exempt from the annual cap: (1) nonimmigrants working in geographic areas designated as “health professional shortage areas”; and (2) spouses and children of W nonimmigrants.