This article was prepared with the assistance of ABIL, the Alliance of Business Immigration Lawyers, of which Loan Huynh, Fredrikson Immigration Department Chair, is a member.
On December 2, 2020, the U.S. Senate passed its version of H.R. 1044, the "Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act of 2020." The Senate version of the bill now returns to the U.S. House of Representatives. If the Senate version passes in the House and is signed into law by the President, it would remove the per-country limits on all employment-based immigrant visa categories, among other things. Since Congress is scheduled to end its session shortly, chances for passage in the House are unclear.
The bill includes several controversial provisions, such as an annual limit on the number of immigrants who could adjust from H-1B status to that of permanent resident and a bar on those affiliated with the military forces of the People's Republic of China or the Chinese Communist Party or the Chinese military.
Details:
- R. 1044, https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/1044
- Section-by-section summary of Senate bill, https://www.visalaw.com/siskind-summary-s-386-fairness-high-skilled-immigrants-act-2020-852020/
