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EAGLE Act of 2023
12/18/2023, 4:00 PM
Summary of Bill S 3291
One of the key provisions of the EAGLE Act is the establishment of a new visa program that would allow for increased immigration from certain countries in Southeast Asia. This program is designed to attract skilled workers and entrepreneurs to the United States, with the goal of boosting economic growth and innovation.
In addition to the visa program, the EAGLE Act also includes measures to strengthen security cooperation with countries in the Indo-Pacific region. This includes increased support for maritime security initiatives and efforts to combat transnational crime and terrorism. Overall, the EAGLE Act of 2023 aims to promote economic development and security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, while also addressing immigration issues in a thoughtful and non-partisan manner. The bill is currently being debated in Congress, with supporters praising its potential benefits for both the United States and its international partners.
Congressional Summary of S 3291
Equal Access to Green cards for Legal Employment Act of 2023 or the EAGLE Act of 2023
This bill modifies requirements related to employment-based visas and addresses related issues.
The bill increases the per-country cap on family-based immigrant visas from 7% of the total number of such visas available that year to 15% and eliminates the per-country cap for employment-based immigrant visas.
The bill establishes transition rules for employment-based visas such as (1) reserving a percentage of EB-2 (workers with advanced degrees or exceptional ability) and EB-3 (skilled and other workers) visas for individuals not from the two countries with the largest number of recipients of such visas, and (2) allotting a number of visas for professional nurses and physical therapists.
The bill imposes additional requirements on an employer seeking an H-1B visa, such as prohibiting (1) an employer from advertising that a position is only open to H-1B applicants or that H-1B applicants are preferred, and (2) certain employers from having more than half of their employees as nonimmigrant visa workers.
The Department of Labor shall create a publicly available website where an employer seeking an H-1B visa must post certain information about the open position.
The bill also expands Labor's authority to review and investigate H-1B applications for fraud or misrepresentations.
The bill also allows certain non-U.S. nationals (aliens under federal law) to obtain lawful permanent resident status if the individual (1) is in the United States as a nonimmigrant, (2) has an approved immigrant visa petition, and (3) has waited at least two years for a visa.
