RELIEF Act
Latest action · Jan 30, 2020 Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship.
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.
- IntroducedDec 5, 2019
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Resolving Extended Limbo for Immigrant Employees and Families Act or the RELIEF Act
This bill revises provisions related to family- and employment-based visas.
The bill (1) increases the per-country cap on family-based immigrant visas from 7% of the total number of such visas available that year to 15%, (2) eliminates the 7% cap for employment-based immigrant visas, and (3) removes an offset that reduced the number of visas for individuals from China. The annual cap for visas for the unmarried children of citizens is increased, and the formula for calculating the cap for the unmarried children of residents is revised.
The bill also establishes transition rules for employment-based visas from FY2020-FY2022, by reserving a percentage of EB-2 (workers with advanced degrees or exceptional ability), EB-3 (skilled and other workers), and EB-5 (investors) visas for individuals not from the two countries with the largest number of recipients of such visas. Of the unreserved visas, not more than 85% shall be allotted to immigrants from any single country.
The Department of State shall increase allocations of family- and employment-based visas by the number of beneficiaries of such applications filed before this bill's enactment, to be allocated FY2020-FY2024 to beneficiaries of applications filed before this bill's enactment who have not yet received a visa.
The minor children and spouses of permanent residents and those accompanying a qualified alien shall be treated as an immediate relative for immigration purposes. Whether an alien qualifies as a minor shall be determined according to the alien's age at the time a relevant petition is filed.
Cosponsors 3
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Dec 5, 2019 to Mar 13, 2020; 1 is an original cosponsor, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-FL | Debbie Wasserman Schultz | Original | Dec 5, 2019 |
| D-IL | Bobby L. Rush | Mar 9, 2020 | |
| D-FL | Debbie Mucarsel-Powell | Mar 13, 2020 |
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 Dec 5, 2019 |
| Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement Subcommittee | Referred Jan 30, 2020 |
Actions 3
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jan 30, 2020Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship.
- Dec 5, 2019Introduced in House
- Dec 5, 2019Referred 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
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 165, no. 194, December 5, 2019, page H9295.
Related bills 3
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 386 | Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act of 2019 | Related bill | Feb 7, 2019 |
| HR 1044 | Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act of 2020 | Related bill | Dec 3, 2020 |
| S 2603 | RELIEF Act | Identical bill | Oct 16, 2019 |
Titles 3
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to end the immigrant visa backlog, and for other purposes.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- RELIEF Act
- Resolving Extended Limbo for Immigrant Employees and Families Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Immigration.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Dec 5, 2019Introduced in House
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.
