US Lawmakers Introduce HR6542 Act to Overhaul Green Card System, Eliminate Per-Country Caps

A bipartisan group of lawmakers, led by US Representative Pramila Jayapal, has introduced the HR6542 Act in the U.S. House of Representatives, aiming to eliminate per-country caps on employment-based green cards and increase family-based green card limits. The legislation, co-sponsored by Rep. Rich McCormick and Rep. Raja Krishnamo, addresses the longstanding backlog of green card applicants, particularly affecting individuals from countries like India and China, who currently face decades of waiting for permanent residency in the United States.

Jayapal expressed pride in leading the bill, emphasizing its bipartisan nature and the collaborative effort with McCormick and Krishnamo. The HR6542 Act seeks to improve the immigrant visa system, with the goal of alleviating the harsh effects of the existing backlog.

The proposed legislation has gained support from various immigration advocacy groups, including Immigration Voice, which highlighted its potential to provide relief to over 1.2 million high-skilled immigrants currently stuck in the green card backlog. The bill is designed to address the discriminatory per-country caps, allowing individuals from India and China to reunite with their families and contribute to the American economy.

According to Jayapal, the HR6542 Act will also benefit American businesses by retaining the high-skilled talent needed to compete and innovate globally. The green card backlog, reaching a record 1.8 million cases this year, is attributed to the low annual limits on green cards for each category and country.

Additionally, the EAGLE (Equal Access to Green Cards for Legal Employment) Act, introduced as an alternative, aims to phase out the 7% per-country cap on employment-based green cards over nine years and increase the per-country limit on family-sponsored green cards from 7% to 15%. The EAGLE Act has bipartisan co-sponsors and the support of the Biden administration, increasing its chances of passing in the current Congress. The bill also preserves the diversity visa program, which allocates 50,000 green cards annually to applicants from countries with low immigration rates to the United States.

While the HR6542 bill shares similarities with the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act, which passed the House in 2019 but faced challenges in the Senate, its bipartisan nature and focus on addressing the green card backlog offer hope for a more successful outcome.

Source: Hindustan Times