Many people in Michigan and across the U.S. seeking an H-1B or L-1 employment-based immigrant visa have been waiting a long time for approval. They are still waiting. As it stands, the demand for highly skilled employees who would qualify for such a visa is much greater than the number of employment-based visas congress has authorized to be issued. However, one bill developed by the Biden administration aims to end this backlog.
The current backlog
Under current immigration law, it would take 195 years for the backlog in employment-based visas to be resolved. Since 1990, Congress limited the number of immigrants who can receive an employment-based visa to 140,000. This has created a significant backlog in those seeking employment-based visas; as of March 2020 this backlog has ballooned to 915,497 individuals waiting to be granted an employment-based visa. This backlog is estimated to double by fiscal year 2030.
The U.S. Citizenship Act
A bill developed by the Biden administration aims to end this backlog. The bill, known as The U.S. Citizenship Act would eliminate the backlog within one decade. One provision in the bill would make it so that spouses and children will not be counted toward the annual limit. A second provision of the bill would increase the annual limit for family-sponsored immigrants, and if there is a surplus in these visas, the extra would go to employment-based visa categories. A third provision of the bill would do away with the current per-country limit. A fourth provision of the bill would permit the redirection of unused green cards from previous years to reduce the current backlog in family and employment visas.
Learn more about employment-based visas
As it currently stands, this bill is just that – a bill. Current immigration laws on employment-based visas still stands. This post is for informational purposes only and does not contain legal advice. Those who want to learn more about employment-based visas are encouraged to visit our firm’s website for further information.