President Biden sends in immigration reform bill to Congress

Holding true to the promises made during elections, Joe Biden has sent in an immigration reform bill to Congress soon after taking oath as the 46th President of the United States.

The Bill, to be the US Citizenship Act of 2021 on Congress approval, modernizes the US immigration system. If passed, this will be the most sweeping reform made in the US immigration system in over 20 years.

Indian IT professionals considered to be one of the biggest beneficiaries of the proposed US immigration reform.

The US Citizenship Act of 2021 seeks to establish a new system for responsibly managing and securing the US border, keeping communities and families safe within the country, and for better managing migration.

By sending in the Bill to Congress right on Day 1 of assuming office, President Biden has come true to the commitment to restoring humanity and American values to the immigration system.

By replacing the word ‘alien’ with ‘noncitizen’, the Bill recognizes America as a nation of immigrants.

Highlights of the US Citizenship Act of 2021
Creation of an “earned roadmap to citizenship” for undocumented individuals.	Undocumented individuals can apply for temporary legal status in the US, with the ability of applying for US Green Card after 5 years, provided they pay their taxes and pass the required background checks. After 3 years, all US Green Card holders that pass additional checks and demonstrate knowledge of US Civics and English can apply for US citizenship. While generally the applicants must be physically present in the US on or before January 1, 2021, the condition might be waived by the Department of Homeland Security [DHS] under specific circumstances.
Growing the US economy	·       Clearing employment-based visa backlogs ·       Recapturing unused visas ·       Reducing lengthy wait times ·       Removing the per-country visa caps ·       Easier for US graduates [with advanced STEM degrees] to stay on in the US ·       Improves accessibility of US Green Cards for workers in the sectors considered lower-wage ·       Elimination of other unnecessary obstacles to obtaining employment-based Green Cards ·       Dependents of H-B visa holders to get work authorization ·       Children of H-1B visa holders prevented from “aging out” of the system. ·       Creation of a Pilot Program for the stimulation of regional economic development ·       DHS given authority to adjust Green Cards as per the specific macro-economic conditions ·       Encourages higher wages for non-immigrant, high skilled visas
Embracing diversity	Diversity Visas to be increased to 80,000 from the existing 55,000.
Promotion of immigrant and refugee integration and citizenship	New funding for the expansion of programs for the promotion of the inclusion and integration of newcomers to the country. Assistance will be provided to those seeking US citizenship.

The cornerstone of the US Citizenship Act of 2021 is that undocumented immigrants will now have a roadmap for obtaining legal status in the US and eventually, citizenship.

Indian IT professionals have much to gain as well. With the removal of the per-country visa caps, more Indians can hope to get their US visas. Many of whom have a current waiting period for US Green Card running into several years.

In December 2020, the US senate unanimously passed the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act, also referred to as ‘S.386’, eliminating the per-country cap on employment-based immigrant visas.

In 2020, the green card backlog for employment-based immigrants was above 1.2 million applicants. Indian applicants made up around 68% of the green card backlog.

Moreover, with the dependents of H-1B visa holders being granted work authorization, there is all the more reason for H-1B applicants to be hopeful for the future.

If you are looking to Study, Work, Visit, Invest or Migrate to the USA, talk to Y-Axis, the World’s No.1 Immigration & Visa Company.

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