Legis Daily

RAISE Act

USA116th CongressS-1103| Senate 
| Updated: 4/10/2019
Tom Cotton

Tom Cotton

Republican Senator

Arkansas

Cosponsors (4)
David Perdue (Republican)Marsha Blackburn (Republican)Kelly Loeffler (Republican)Josh Hawley (Republican)

Judiciary Committee

  • Introduced
  • In Committee
  • On Floor
  • Passed Chamber
  • Enacted
Reforming American Immigration for a Strong Economy Act or the RAISE Act This bill eliminates the diversity visa program, replaces employment-based immigration programs with a points-based system, and imposes various limits on various types of immigration. Aliens that reach the minimum number of points may apply for a points-based visa. Points are awarded for various characteristics including age, English language proficiency, education level, and investments made in the United States. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services shall periodically invite the highest scoring applicants to petition for visas. The bill limits eliminates various preference allocations (visa categories subject to various annual caps) for family-sponsored immigrant visas, such as those for the adult children of U.S. citizens. Only the spouses and children of U.S. citizens shall qualify as immediate relatives , whereas currently parents also qualify (visas for immediate relatives are not subject to direct numerical caps). The bill creates a nonimmigrant visa for such alien parents. The bill reduces the baseline annual cap for family-sponsored visas from 480,000 to 88,000 and revises the methods for calculating the cap. It also imposes a limit of 50,000 refugees admitted in any fiscal year. An alien who received needs-based public benefits shall not be naturalized as a U.S. citizen until the individual who signed the affidavit of support for the alien has reimbursed the federal government for such benefits. The bill imposes various reporting requirements related to the points-based system.
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Timeline
Apr 10, 2019
Introduced in Senate
Apr 10, 2019
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Sep 4, 2020

Latest Companion Bill Action

HR 116-8177
Introduced in House
  • April 10, 2019
    Introduced in Senate


  • April 10, 2019
    Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.


  • September 4, 2020

    Latest Companion Bill Action

    HR 116-8177
    Introduced in House

Immigration

Related Bills

  • HR 116-2278: RAISE Act
Administrative remediesAthletesBusiness investment and capitalCitizenship and naturalizationCongressional oversightDebt collectionDepartment of Homeland SecurityFamily relationshipsForeign laborImmigration status and proceduresOlympic gamesRefugees, asylum, displaced personsResearch and developmentU.S. and foreign investmentsVisas and passportsWages and earnings

RAISE Act

USA116th CongressS-1103| Senate 
| Updated: 4/10/2019
Reforming American Immigration for a Strong Economy Act or the RAISE Act This bill eliminates the diversity visa program, replaces employment-based immigration programs with a points-based system, and imposes various limits on various types of immigration. Aliens that reach the minimum number of points may apply for a points-based visa. Points are awarded for various characteristics including age, English language proficiency, education level, and investments made in the United States. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services shall periodically invite the highest scoring applicants to petition for visas. The bill limits eliminates various preference allocations (visa categories subject to various annual caps) for family-sponsored immigrant visas, such as those for the adult children of U.S. citizens. Only the spouses and children of U.S. citizens shall qualify as immediate relatives , whereas currently parents also qualify (visas for immediate relatives are not subject to direct numerical caps). The bill creates a nonimmigrant visa for such alien parents. The bill reduces the baseline annual cap for family-sponsored visas from 480,000 to 88,000 and revises the methods for calculating the cap. It also imposes a limit of 50,000 refugees admitted in any fiscal year. An alien who received needs-based public benefits shall not be naturalized as a U.S. citizen until the individual who signed the affidavit of support for the alien has reimbursed the federal government for such benefits. The bill imposes various reporting requirements related to the points-based system.
View Full Text

Suggested Questions

Get AI-generated questions to help you understand this bill better

Timeline
Apr 10, 2019
Introduced in Senate
Apr 10, 2019
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Sep 4, 2020

Latest Companion Bill Action

HR 116-8177
Introduced in House
  • April 10, 2019
    Introduced in Senate


  • April 10, 2019
    Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.


  • September 4, 2020

    Latest Companion Bill Action

    HR 116-8177
    Introduced in House
Tom Cotton

Tom Cotton

Republican Senator

Arkansas

Cosponsors (4)
David Perdue (Republican)Marsha Blackburn (Republican)Kelly Loeffler (Republican)Josh Hawley (Republican)

Judiciary Committee

Immigration

Related Bills

  • HR 116-2278: RAISE Act
  • Introduced
  • In Committee
  • On Floor
  • Passed Chamber
  • Enacted
Administrative remediesAthletesBusiness investment and capitalCitizenship and naturalizationCongressional oversightDebt collectionDepartment of Homeland SecurityFamily relationshipsForeign laborImmigration status and proceduresOlympic gamesRefugees, asylum, displaced personsResearch and developmentU.S. and foreign investmentsVisas and passportsWages and earnings