Dignity Act 2025: The lower house of the US Parliament (House of Representatives) has introduced a new immigration bill, named Dignity Act 2025. The purpose of this bill is to modernize and simplify the US immigration process.
Through this, attention has been paid to reducing the visa backlog and there is also talk of allowing people living in the country without documents to settle legally. The special thing is that this bill has come with the support of both Republican and Democrat parties.
Sponsored by Representative Maria Elvira Salazar ( Republican Party ) and co-led by Representative Veronica Escobar (Democratic Party), the bill also has the support of ten additional Republican MPs. The Dignity Act is a revised version of a similar proposal introduced in 2023. It also shows that both parties in the US are showing interest in reforming the immigration system. Let us know about the major changes that will affect students and workers.
Clear the backlog of Green Card by paying money
Foreign workers get a Green Card to stay permanently in the US . Indians have to wait for decades to get a Green Card. This bill says that now there will be no need to wait for a Green Card. The Dignity Act proposes that the waiting period for a Green Card should be made 10 years. Those who have been waiting for a Green Card for more than 10 years will be able to get their visa processed faster by paying $20,000 (about Rs 17.5 lakh).
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Not only this, but the quota of each country for employment-based and family-sponsored green cards should be increased from 7% to 15%. The purpose of this change is to create a fair system for people from countries like India and China, because these two countries have the highest number of applicants applying for green cards. Currently, workers from India and China have to wait for years to get a green card.
What are the major changes for student-workers?
There are many changes mentioned in this bill, which are aimed at retaining high skilled workers in the country. There are many major changes mentioned to increase the number of top level students and high skilled workers, which are as follows:
- Dual-Intent F-1 Student Visa: The bill talks about making a big change in the F-1 visa. There are plans to make it ‘dual-intent’, which means that foreign students will no longer need to prove that they will return to their country after studying. This change will make it easier for them to find a job in America.
- O visa for STEM PhDs: Foreign students pursuing doctorates in ‘Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths’ (STEM) or medical fields will be able to easily get O visa. This visa is given to those who have extraordinary ability. In this way, the world’s top talent can be brought to America.
- Keeping family members out of quota: Children and spouses of employment-based visa holders will not be included in the annual visa quota. This will now allow more foreign workers to come to America. Not only this, but the total number of visas is also not going to increase.
- Social Security and Medicare: In America, students are allowed to work under ‘Optional Practical Training’ (OPT) after getting a degree. During this time, they do not have to pay any tax for Social Security and Medicare. However, the new bill talks about collecting tax from them.
For now, it remains to be seen whether this bill becomes a law or not, because if it does, it will benefit workers and students a lot. However, some points of the bill, such as levying tax on students, are a bit disturbing.
