On August 2, 2017, President Trump unveiled the revised RAISE
(Reforming American Immigration for Strong Employment) Act,
previously introduced by Senators Tom Cotton (R-AR) and David
Perdue (R-GA) in February 2017. The revised RAISE Act would
reduce legal immigration to the United States to 500,000
individuals annually by reprioritizing worker skills over family
relationships. In essence, the bill would create new parameters for
obtaining a green card for U.S. company employees and decrease
family immigration numbers. Specifically, the RAISE Act
would:
- Base the issuance of employment-based green cards on a point
system where applicants must meet a 30-point threshold to be
considered. The point system would award an applicant higher
point totals for higher-salaried jobs, professional degrees,
English-speaking ability, younger applicant age, higher future
salary, extraordinary achievements, and an applicant's
investing $1.35 million or more in the United States.
