Summary of S.

354
Reforming American Immigration for Strong
Employment (RAISE) Act
February 2017

S. 354, introduced by Senators Tom Cotton (R-AR) and David Perdue (R-GA), amends
the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to significantly reduce legal immigration by
ending chain migration, eliminating the visa lottery, and limiting the number of refugees
admitted annually into the U.S. The bill also creates a new nonimmigrant visa for the
parents of adult U.S. citizens in need of caretaking.

I. The bill reduces legal immigration by ending chain migration.

Section 4 of the bill overhauls the family-based legal immigration system by ending the current
practice of distributing most green cards (Legal Permanent Resident (LPR) status) based on a
family relationship rather than on the basis of skills and ability to contribute to American society.
Specifically, the bill limits family-based green card eligibility to the spouses and minor children
(under 21) of U.S. citizens and LPRs.
Revises INA Section 201(b)(2)(A) so only the spouses and minor children of U.S.
citizens are considered immediate relatives who are exempt from the green card cap.
(pp. 6-7)
Revises INA Section 201(c) to lower the family-based green card cap to 88,000 per year
(down from 480,000). Only the spouses and minor children of LPRs can be sponsored
for a family-based green card subject to the cap. (p. 7)
Eliminates family-based green card eligibility for the following extended family members:
(1) parents of U.S. citizens; (2) adult siblings of U.S. citizens; (3) unmarried adult
children of U.S. citizens; (4) married adult children of U.S. citizens; and (5) unmarried
adult children of LPRs.

Section 4 also creates a new nonimmigrant visa for the parents of adult U.S. citizens (21 years
or older) so they can legally live in the country to receive care from their citizen-children. (pp.
13-14) This new W visa: (1) is valid for renewable 5-year periods; (2) prohibits working in the
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Federation for American Immigration Reform

25 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Suite 330 Washington, D.C. 20001
(202) 328-7004 info@fairus.org
FAIR Bill SummaryS. Page 2

U.S.; and (3) denies eligibility for all federal/state/local taxpayer benefits. Additionally, the U.S.
citizen child-sponsor must (1) be responsible for all financial support for the W visa parent and
(2) fully provide health insurance, at no cost to the W nonimmigrant.

Finally, Section 4 voids all green card applications based on the eliminated family preference
categories that were filed after the bill was introduced. (p. 15)

II. The bill ends the visa lottery.

Section 2 of the bill repeals visa lottery under INA Section 203(c)/Section 201(e). (p. 2) Under
the visa lottery, the U.S. arbitrarily hands out 55,000 green cards a year without regard to the
individuals ability to contribute or succeed in America.

III. The bill limits the presidents power on refugee resettlement and caps the number of
refugees admitted to the U.S.
Section 3 amends INA Section 207 to establish an annual cap of 50,000 refugee admissions.
(pp. 5-6) In doing so the bill revokes the presidents unilateral authority to annually admit as
many refugees as he determines. This section also revokes the emergency designation power
of the president that allowed him to exceed the refugee cap for emergency refugee situations.
Additionally, it requires the president every year to disclose how many aliens were
granted asylum in the previous fiscal year.

Why this Legislation is Necessary

Currently, the U.S. admits over 1 million immigrants per year but only 1 out of 15 new
immigrants are admitted based on skills while 2/3 are admitted simply because of a family
relationship. This policy of chain migration has resulted in a generation-long influx of low-skilled
and low-educated immigrants. The RAISE Act ends this senseless practice of chain migration
and brings our legal immigration system closer to a merit-based system. It does so by limiting
family sponsored green cards to the nuclear family (spouses and minor children) and eliminating
the visa lottery that randomly doles out 55,000 green cards a year. According to Princeton and
Harvard professors, the RAISE Act will cut legal immigration to approximately 638,000 in the
first year and to just under 540,000 in ten years.

For more information on Federal, State and Local legislation, visit FAIRus.org.

Federation for American Immigration Reform

25 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Suite 330 Washington, D.C. 20001
(202) 328-7004 info@fairus.org