On Day One of newly sworn in President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’ new administration, they unveiled a momentous bill that will impacts across immigration law.
Known as the US Citizenship Act of 2021, the comprehensive immigration reform bill aims to create a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants and will reprioritize “smart” border control. Notable features of the proposed bill include provisions to:
- Clear the backlogs in family-based and employment-based categories
- Increase per country quota numbers
- Work authorization for those in H-4 status
- Elimination of the 3-and 10-year bars
- Prevent the “aging out” of children
- Increase the number of immigration judges to help clear the immigration court backlogs.
It is expected that the bill will undergo changes before a final bill is voted upon by the House and Senate. VisaPro will continue to monitor the progress of this momentous bill and will provide further updates as they come.