The Senate has introduced a continuing resolution to fund the government through Dec. 11 that would reauthorize E-Verify and the EB-5 visa program. Both programs were set to expire at the end of the fiscal year that ends on Sept. 30.
Last month the White House listed E-Verify as a "must-have" item needed to keep the government running. E-Verify was used more than 28 million times by businesses in the 2014 fiscal year to check the legal status of workers.
Included in this measure is a reauthorization for the EB-5 visa program, also requested by the White House. The EB-5 program is supposed to provide 10,000 visas per year to foreign investors who contribute to the U.S. economy and create jobs. But a recent report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office found that the EB-5 Visa program is at risk for fraud and is not providing the economic benefits it was supposed to create. Several bills have been proposed to increase oversight for the EB-5 program, including a bipartisan measure (S 1501) from Senate Judiciary Chairman Charles E. Grassley (R-IA) and ranking Democrat Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-VT)
You can read more about the GAO report here:
https://www.numbersusa.com/news/gao-says-eb-5-visa-program-risk-fraud
The continuing resolution also reauthorizes a visa program that allows foreign students attending U.S. medical schools to practice in underserved areas, though this was not deemed "essential" by the White House since current medical students would not be affected.
Read More at CQ Roll Call.
