On Wednesday, June 2, Representatives Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) and John Curtis (R-UT) introduced H.R. 3648, the Equal Access to Green Cards for Legal Employment (EAGLE) Act of 2021. The EAGLE Act phases out the 7% per-country limit on employment-based immigrant visas and raises the 7% per-country limit on family-sponsored visas to 15%.
The EAGLE Act addresses decades-long — and in the case of Indian immigrants, centuries-long — wait times for applicants from places like China, India, and the Philippines by eliminating caps for employment-based visas. Many immigrants impacted by the EAGLE Act already live and work in America; many impacted immigrants work in STEM fields with degrees earned from American universities.
- Nearly 80 percent of Indian immigrants have bachelor’s degrees, and more than 27 percent of Chinese immigrants have advanced degrees.
- Those immigrants already living in the U.S. contribute billions in taxes each year:
- Indian immigrant households ($50.0 billion)
- Chinese immigrant households ($34.9 billion)
- Filipino immigrant households ($20.5 billion)
- Vietnamese immigrant households ($11.9 billion).
For a section-by-section analysis of the EAGLE Act, see here.
Immigration Advocacy Updates | Support for the EAGLE Act
Immigration advocacy group New American Economy is running a campaign asking the public to contact their Congressional representatives in support of the EAGLE Act. The newly announced bill would address decades-long wait times for visa applicants from places like China, India, and the Philippines by eliminating caps for employment-based visas and raising the family visa cap from 7 percent to 15 percent.
Background
The EAGLE Act’s predecessor, the Fairness for High Skilled Immigrants Act, passed the House in the 116th Congress with a resounding bipartisan vote of 365 to 65.
Erickson Immigration Group will continue to send updates as more news is available. If you have questions about anything we’re reporting above or case-specific questions, please contact your employer or EIG attorney.