Reduce Unnecessary Worker Visas

To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to improve the H-1B visa program, to repeal the diversity visa lottery program, and for other purposes.

S. 2394, the American Jobs First Act of 2015, would implement major reforms of the H-1B program including adding a minimum wage provision ($110,000), and increasing the fee for employers to $10,000. More than 90% of H-1Bs issued in 2013 were for positions that paid less than $110,000 per year. The bill would also end the Visa Lottery.

H.R. 3730 would increase the number of visas made available for Irish nationals. The bill would allow unused E-3 visas to be issued to Irish nationals.

S. 2225, the Save Our Small and Seasonal Businesses Act of 2015, would exempt foreign workers who have received an H-2B guest-worker visa in any of the past three years from the current year's annual limits. This would potentially quadruple the number of H-2B visas issued each year from 65,000 to 260,000.

A bill to provide high-skilled visas for nationals of the Republic of Korea, and for other purposes.

S. 1339, the Partner with Korea Act, would create 150,000 non-immigrant work visas designated for citizens of South Korea under the E-4 visa program. The work permits are an addition to current levels.

H.R.2758 would exempt a foreign worker who has held a H-2B non-agricultural guest worker visa over the previous three years from the current H-2B annual caps. This bill would likely triple the number of H-2B visas issued to foreign workers each year.

H.R. 2588, the Better Agriculture Resources Now (BARN) Act, would would expand the industries that can currently access the H-2A guest worker visa program and would eliminate the 50% rule that requires an employer to replace an H-2A guest worker with a qualified American worker if one applies and less than 50% of the work has been completed. The bill also shifts administration of the H-2A visa program from the Department of Labor to the Department of Agriculture.

H.R. 2181, the STAPLE Act, would issue green cards (exempt from existing numerical limitations thereby increasing legal immigration) to foreign citizens who graduate from a U.S. institution with a Ph.D. in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) and are offered employment by a U.S. company. The bill would also exempt these same foreign workers from the H-1B visa numerical limits.

H.R. 583, the Timely Repatriation Act, would give the Secretary of Homeland Security the ability to punish countries that refuse or unreasonably delay the repatriation of its nationals from the United States. If a country's repatriation failure rate exceeds 10%, the Secretary will refuse to issue visas for attendants, servants, personal employees, and immediate family members of ambassadors, diplomats, consular officers, or other officials and employees from that country's government.