In early March, President Biden signed an omnibus spending bill. According to Forbes, the bill will fund the federal government for the remainder of fiscal year 2022, which ends on September 30, 2022. The omnibus bill funds nearly every aspect of the federal government, including immigration operations. It is important that various immigration operations receive the funds necessary to remain up and running. However, it is even more important that immigration programs use the funds in the right way and for the right reasons, which is to help maintain and improve the immigration process for foreign nationals immigrating to the United States.
How Does the Omnibus Bill Impact Immigration?
The recently signed omnibus spending bill includes several provisions concerning immigrants and immigration programs, including:
- Extensions – The omnibus bill extended multiple immigration programs.
- E-Verify Program – This is an internet-based system that allows employers to verify an employee’s employment eligibility. The program is administered by the Social Security Administration (SSA) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
- Conrad 30 Waiver Program – The Conrad 30 Waiver Program enables foreign medical graduates to live and work in the US. While participating in the program, they must practice medicine full-time at a healthcare facility in an underserved community.
- Special Immigrant Non-Minister Religious Worker Program – This program allows those in religious vocations (ministers and non-ministers) to immigrate to the US or change their immigration status if they are hired and compensated to perform religious work full-time.
- Revivals – The omnibus bill revived the EB-5 Regional Center Program for Foreign Investors. This program ended June 30, 2021. The omnibus bill reauthorizes the program through September 30, 2027. It also increases the minimum investment amount for applicants. The EB-5 Regional Center Program allows pooling of EB-5 visa applicants' investments. The pooling must take place at federally authorized regional centers. The investments help provide local and regional economies in the US with projects that save and create thousands of American jobs.
- Miscellaneous – In addition to extending and reviving immigration programs, the omnibus bill enables the Department of Homeland Security and Labor to authorize more H-2B nonimmigrant visa numbers than the quota for the fiscal year would otherwise allow. The bill also increased the USCIS budget by $200 million from last year. The increased budget is meant to help the USCIS deal with the visa application backlog, which is at an all-time high.
For the most part, the omnibus spending bill helps immigrants and immigration programs, but it’s in no way game-changing legislation. That is because, with a few exceptions, all this bill does is ensure that the immigration programs that were already in place will continue operating uninterrupted through September 30, 2022.
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Immigration in the US is slowly but surely improving. However, it still has a long way to go because more reforms are necessary. The system is still broken, and people are suffering because of it. At Mathur Law Offices, P.C., we’ve seen the pain that immigration issues have caused families. That’s what motivates us to help clients struggling with immigration problems. We don’t want to see anyone else go through that kind of pain. Immigration isn’t just about changing your address. It’s about completely changing your life and the lives of your loved ones for the better.
Our team of experienced Dallas immigration attorneys understands that, and we understand what’s at stake for our clients if we fail. Our Founding Attorney Sanjay Mathur immigrated to the US nearly 30 years ago. He understands the immigration process from both sides and is dedicated to helping others successfully follow in his footsteps.
For more information about Mathur Law Offices, P.C., check out our victories and client testimonials.
To speak with an experienced Dallas immigration lawyer about your situation, call us at (888) 867-5191 or get in touch with us online to schedule an in-depth, no-obligation case evaluation.