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House approves H.R. 3012; will impact visa backlogs if passed by Congress |
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The House of Representatives recently passed H.R. 3012, with a sweeping vote of 389-15. H.R. 3012, the Fairness for Highly Skilled Immigrants Act, is a bill that proposes to phase out the long visa backlogs from India and China, as well as increase the per-country numerical limitation for family-sponsored immigrants. The bill now must pass the Senate before being sent to the President for final approval. Further information about H.R. 3012, including current text of the proposed legislation, is available here . The intent of this legislation would be to level the playing field by decreasing the waiting periods for professionals from India and China, while increasing the waiting periods for professionals from all other countries. No additional visas will be issued. This legislation is now being debated in the Senate, where amendments are likely to be attached. It is still unclear how long the legislation will be delayed in the Senate, and what changes will be implemented. If the legislation is passed with only minor changes and signed by the President, we can expect decreased waiting times in the India/China EB2 and EB3 categories. Please keep in mind that, because of the complexities of visa demand and allocation, it will continue to be impossible to predict with certainty when visas will be issued.
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