HR 213 · 114th Congress 2015–2017, ended

Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act of 2015

Introduced Jan 8, 2015 Originated House Sponsor Jason Chaffetz R-UT

Latest action · Feb 2, 2015 Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security.

Progress

Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.

IntroducedJan 8, 2015
Passed HouseNot reached
Passed SenateNot reached
To the PresidentNot reached
Became lawNot reached

Summary

Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act of 2015

Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to: (1) eliminate the per country numerical limitation for employment-based immigrants, and (2) increase the per country numerical limitation for family based immigrants from 7% to 15% of the total number of family-sponsored visas.

Amends the Chinese Student Protection Act of 1992 to eliminate the provision requiring the reduction of annual Chinese immigrant visas to offset status adjustments under such Act.

Sets forth the following transition period for employment-based second and third preference (EB-2 and EB-3) immigrant visas:

for FY2015, 15% of such visas allotted to natives of countries other than the two countries with the largest aggregate numbers of natives obtaining such visas in FY2011;
for FY2016, 10% of such visas allotted in each category to natives of countries other than the two with the largest aggregate numbers of natives obtaining such visas in FY2012; and
for FY2017, 10% of such visas allotted in each category to natives of countries other than the two with the largest aggregate numbers of natives obtaining such visas in FY2015.

Sets forth the following per country distribution rules: (1) for transition period visas, not more than 25% of the total number of EB-2 and EB-3 visas for natives of a single country; and (2) for non-transition period visas, not more than 85% of EB-2 and EB-3 visas for natives of a single country.

Provides that the amendments made by this Act will take place as if enacted on September 30, 2014, and shall apply beginning in FY2015.

Cosponsors 147

Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jan 8, 2015 to Dec 8, 2016; 2 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.

Seat	Cosponsor		Signed on
R-ID	Raul R. Labrador	Original	Jan 8, 2015
D-CA	Zoe Lofgren	Original	Jan 8, 2015
R-MI	Candice S. Miller		Jan 20, 2015
R-FL	Carlos Curbelo		Jan 20, 2015
R-CA	David G. Valadao		Jan 20, 2015
R-NY	Elise M. Stefanik		Jan 20, 2015
D-HI	Tulsi Gabbard		Jan 20, 2015
R-IL	Adam Kinzinger		Feb 17, 2015
D-CA	Anna G. Eshoo		Feb 17, 2015
D-NY	Carolyn B. Maloney		Feb 17, 2015
D-CA	Eric Swalwell		Feb 17, 2015
R-PA	Glenn Thompson		Feb 17, 2015
D-PA	Matt Cartwright		Feb 17, 2015
R-NY	Richard L. Hanna		Feb 17, 2015
R-OK	Steve Russell		Feb 17, 2015
R-ND	Kevin Cramer		Mar 3, 2015
R-VA	Barbara Comstock		Mar 16, 2015
D-WA	Jim McDermott		Mar 16, 2015
R-TX	Blake Farenthold		Mar 24, 2015
D-WA	Adam Smith		Apr 14, 2015
R-WA	David G. Reichert		Apr 14, 2015
D-CA	Michael M. Honda		Apr 14, 2015
D-WA	Rick Larsen		Apr 14, 2015
R-MN	Tom Emmer		Apr 16, 2015
R-IN	Luke Messer		Apr 28, 2015
R-MO	Sam Graves		Apr 28, 2015
D-MN	Timothy J. Walz		Apr 28, 2015
R-WA	Cathy McMorris Rodgers		Apr 30, 2015
R-PA	Ryan A. Costello		Apr 30, 2015
R-NJ	Leonard Lance		Jun 2, 2015
R-WA	Dan Newhouse		Jun 10, 2015
R-MI	David A. Trott		Jun 10, 2015
D-IL	Tammy Duckworth		Jun 12, 2015
R-NY	Christopher P. Gibson		Jun 17, 2015
R-WI	F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr.		Jun 17, 2015
D-MD	John K. Delaney		Jun 17, 2015
R-MT	Ryan K. Zinke		Jun 17, 2015
D-CA	Juan Vargas		Jun 24, 2015
R-KS	Lynn Jenkins		Jun 24, 2015
D-MN	Collin C. Peterson		Jul 7, 2015
R-PA	Joseph R. Pitts		Jul 7, 2015
R-NM	Stevan Pearce		Jul 7, 2015
D-PA	Michael F. Doyle		Jul 8, 2015
R-WI	Glenn Grothman		Jul 9, 2015
D-PA	Robert A. Brady		Jul 13, 2015
R-KS	Mike Pompeo		Jul 14, 2015
R-MI	Mike Bishop		Jul 20, 2015
D-TX	Ruben Hinojosa		Jul 21, 2015
D-NC	Alma S. Adams		Sep 17, 2015
R-UT	Mia B. Love		Sep 17, 2015
R-PA	Michael G. Fitzpatrick		Sep 17, 2015
D-TN	Jim Cooper		Sep 25, 2015
R-SC	Tom Rice		Sep 29, 2015
D-TN	Steve Cohen		Sep 30, 2015
D-MD	Elijah E. Cummings		Oct 5, 2015
D-NC	David E. Price		Oct 6, 2015
D-IL	Luis V. Gutierrez		Oct 6, 2015
D-MI	Brenda L. Lawrence		Oct 23, 2015
D-CT	James A. Himes		Oct 28, 2015
R-MS	Gregg Harper		Nov 16, 2015
R-PA	Tim Murphy		Nov 16, 2015
D-NY	Jerrold Nadler		Dec 8, 2015
D-NY	Grace Meng		Dec 17, 2015
R-IL	Robert J. Dold		Dec 17, 2015
D-OR	Suzanne Bonamici		Dec 17, 2015
D-IL	Danny K. Davis		Feb 1, 2016
D-MA	Katherine M. Clark		Feb 1, 2016
R-UT	Chris Stewart		May 10, 2016
D-CA	Jackie Speier		Jul 12, 2016
D-TX	Al Green		Sep 6, 2016
D-NJ	Bonnie Watson Coleman		Sep 6, 2016
R-MN	Erik Paulsen		Sep 6, 2016
D-NY	Hakeem S. Jeffries		Sep 6, 2016
D-MA	James P. McGovern		Sep 6, 2016
D-CT	Joe Courtney		Sep 6, 2016
R-KS	Kevin Yoder		Sep 6, 2016
R-TX	Michael T. McCaul		Sep 6, 2016
D-NY	Paul Tonko		Sep 6, 2016
D-IL	Robin L. Kelly		Sep 6, 2016
D-CA	Sam Farr		Sep 6, 2016
D-OH	Tim Ryan		Sep 6, 2016
R-PA	Charles W. Dent		Sep 7, 2016
D-TX	Eddie Bernice Johnson		Sep 7, 2016
D-CO	Jared Polis		Sep 7, 2016
R-PA	Keith J. Rothfus		Sep 7, 2016
R-IL	Randy Hultgren		Sep 7, 2016
R-WI	Reid J. Ribble		Sep 7, 2016
D-CA	Susan A. Davis		Sep 7, 2016
R-TX	Ted Poe		Sep 7, 2016
D-FL	Theodore E. Deutch		Sep 7, 2016
R-MI	Fred Upton		Sep 8, 2016
D-TX	Sheila Jackson Lee		Sep 8, 2016
D-MN	Betty McCollum		Sep 9, 2016
D-CA	Scott H. Peters		Sep 9, 2016
D-CA	Barbara Lee		Sep 12, 2016
R-OH	Bill Johnson		Sep 12, 2016
D-MA	Niki Tsongas		Sep 12, 2016
R-GA	Austin Scott		Sep 13, 2016
D-CA	Grace F. Napolitano		Sep 13, 2016
D-GA	Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr.		Sep 13, 2016
D-KY	John A. Yarmuth		Sep 13, 2016
R-TX	John Abney Culberson		Sep 13, 2016
R-MO	Vicky Hartzler		Sep 14, 2016
D-NY	Kathleen M. Rice		Sep 19, 2016
D-NH	Ann M. Kuster		Sep 20, 2016
D-RI	David N. Cicilline		Sep 20, 2016
D-WI	Gwen Moore		Sep 20, 2016
D-CA	Jim Costa		Sep 20, 2016
D-MD	John P. Sarbanes		Sep 20, 2016
D-CA	Judy Chu		Sep 20, 2016
D-MN	Keith Ellison		Sep 20, 2016
D-CA	Mark DeSaulnier		Sep 20, 2016
R-PA	Scott Perry		Sep 20, 2016
R-IN	Susan W. Brooks		Sep 20, 2016
D-CA	Ted Lieu		Sep 20, 2016
D-NJ	Frank Pallone, Jr.		Sep 21, 2016
D-NY	Steve Israel		Sep 21, 2016
R-MO	Ann Wagner		Sep 22, 2016
R-MO	Billy Long		Sep 22, 2016
R-TX	Randy Neugebauer		Sep 22, 2016
D-TX	Beto O'Rourke		Sep 27, 2016
R-TN	Charles J. "Chuck" Fleischmann		Sep 27, 2016
D-CA	Doris O. Matsui		Sep 27, 2016
D-RI	James R. Langevin		Sep 27, 2016
R-CO	Mike Coffman		Sep 27, 2016
D-VA	Gerald E. Connolly		Sep 28, 2016
D-OH	Joyce Beatty		Sep 28, 2016
D-CA	Adam B. Schiff		Nov 14, 2016
D-AZ	Ann Kirkpatrick		Nov 14, 2016
D-NJ	Bill Pascrell, Jr.		Nov 14, 2016
D-PA	Brendan F. Boyle		Nov 14, 2016
D-NY	Charles B. Rangel		Nov 14, 2016
D-NY	Louise McIntosh Slaughter		Nov 14, 2016
D-WI	Mark Pocan		Nov 14, 2016
D-CA	Mark Takano		Nov 14, 2016
D-CA	Tony Cárdenas		Nov 14, 2016
D-CA	Julia Brownley		Nov 16, 2016
D-MD	Chris Van Hollen		Nov 18, 2016
D-CA	Karen Bass		Nov 18, 2016
D-CA	Mike Thompson		Nov 18, 2016
D-IL	Bill Foster		Nov 30, 2016
D-IL	Mike Quigley		Nov 30, 2016
R-TX	Pete Sessions		Nov 30, 2016
D-VT	Peter Welch		Nov 30, 2016
D-CA	Ami Bera		Dec 6, 2016
D-CT	Rosa L. DeLauro		Dec 6, 2016
D-CA	Maxine Waters		Dec 8, 2016

Committees 1

Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.

Chamber	Committee	What it did
House	Judiciary Committee	Referred Jan 8, 2015
	Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement Subcommittee	Referred Feb 2, 2015

Actions 3

Everything that happened, newest first.

Feb 2, 2015Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security.
Jan 8, 2015Introduced in House
Jan 8, 2015Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Research

What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.

Constitutional authority

Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant to the following: Article I, Section 8, Clauses 4 and 18 to the U.S. Constitution.

The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 161, no. 3, January 8, 2015, page H156.

Related bills 2

Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.

Bill	Title	Relationship	Latest action
S 181	Startup Act	Related bill	Jan 16, 2015
HR 392	Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act of 2017	Reintroduced Bill	Jul 11, 2017

Titles 2

Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.

Official Title as Introduced: To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to eliminate the per-country numerical limitation for employment-based immigrants, to increase the per-country numerical limitation for family-sponsored immigrants, and for other purposes.
Short Titles as Introduced: Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act of 2015

Subjects

Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Immigration.

Text 1

Each version as it was printed, newest first.

Jan 8, 2015Introduced in House

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Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.