Biden’s comprehensive immigration reform bill introduced in Congress

A comprehensive immigration reform bill that President Joe Biden announced and sent to Congress his first day in office has now been introduced in Congress.

Key Points:

• The bill, the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021, sets out Biden’s vision for restoring the immigration system, including broad reforms to legal immigration paths.
• Senator Bob Menendez, D-NJ, introduced the bill in the Senate, and Representative Linda Sanchez, D-Calif., introduced the bill in the House of Representatives.
• Among the employment-based immigration provisions, the bills would reduce immigrant visa backlogs, eliminate per-country green card caps, exempt STEM PhD graduates from annual limits, prevent H-1B workers’ children from “aging out” and provide a statutory basis for H-4 work authorization.
• The bill would provide a pathway to citizenship for individuals in the U.S. without lawful status, and would fast-track eligible Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) beneficiaries.

BAL Analysis: The bill and its timing is an indication that President Biden is prioritizing immigration reform as a policy goal. BAL will continue to follow legislative proposals and update clients on significant developments.

This alert has been provided by the BAL U.S. Practice group. For additional information, please contact berryapplemanleiden@bal.com.

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