Nuclear Family Priority Act
Nuclear Family Priority Act
Plain Language Summary
# Nuclear Family Priority Act Summary **What It Would Do** This bill would significantly restrict family-based immigration to the United States. Currently, parents of U.S. citizens can immigrate without numerical limits as "immediate relatives." Under this bill, parents would no longer qualify for this status. Instead, they could only obtain a special visitor visa that would prohibit them from working or receiving government benefits. The bill would also dramatically cut the overall family sponsorship visa cap from 480,000 to 88,000 per year and eliminate visa categories for siblings and married adult children of U.S. citizens. **Who It Affects** This legislation would primarily affect U.S.
citizens who want to sponsor family members—particularly their parents—for immigration. It would also impact potential immigrants seeking to enter through family connections. The restrictions would most heavily affect family reunification pathways that currently allow U.S. citizens to bring relatives to live and work permanently in the country. **Current Status** The bill was introduced by Rep. Elijah Crane (R-AZ) in the 119th Congress and is currently in committee, meaning it has not yet been voted on by the full House. The bill represents a significant policy shift from current immigration law and would require congressional approval to become law.
CRS Official Summary
Nuclear Family Priority ActThis bill imposes limits on various types of family-sponsored immigration visas.The non-U.S. national (alien under federal law) parents of U.S. citizens shall not qualify for visas for immediate relatives, which are not subject to any direct numerical limits. Currently, the spouses, unmarried children under 21, and parents of citizens are considered immediate relatives.The bill also creates a nonimmigrant visa for such parents of citizens. Such non-U.S. nationals shall not be eligible for employment or any public benefits.The bill also reduces the baseline annual cap for family-sponsored visas from 480,000 to 88,000, and revises the methods for calculating the cap. Currently, the 480,000 cap may be adjusted depending on various factors but shall not be less than 226,000.The bill eliminates preference allocations (visa categories subject to various annual caps) for various family-sponsored visas, including those for the siblings and married children of citizens. The bill provides for a preference allocation for the unmarried children under 21 and spouses of permanent residents, subject to the 88,000 annual cap.
Latest Action
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.