Sponsors (13)
The bill expedites reunification for certain immigrants by exempting them from annual visa limits, trading faster family reunions for added workload on visa-processing agencies and a modest rise in immigration that some may view as increasing competition for jobs and services.
Immigrants in family-first preference categories or the diversity visa program whose parent has naturalized can receive immigrant visas exempt from annual numerical limits, enabling faster family reunification and reducing backlog pressure for those cases.
The State Department and DHS will face increased visa processing volume and workload from the expanded exemptions, which could lengthen adjudication times for other visa applicants.
Allowing additional immigrants outside the numerical limits may marginally increase immigration levels, which some taxpayers may view as increasing competition for jobs and public services.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Exempts certain family-sponsored first-preference and diversity immigrants with a parent naturalized under two veteran-related laws from the annual worldwide immigrant visa limits.
Introduced February 6, 2025 by Mazie Hirono · Last progress February 6, 2025
Creates a new exemption that lets certain family-sponsored first-preference and diversity immigrants who have a parent naturalized under two historical veteran naturalization laws enter the United States without being counted against the annual worldwide immigrant visa limits. The exemption applies whether the qualifying parent is living or deceased, which can speed up or expand visa availability for eligible family members. The change amends the immigration numerical limits to add this new exempt category; it does not create new visa categories, allocate new funding, or specify an effective date in the text provided.