HR 6946, the Temporary Protected Status Reform Act of 2026, would terminate TPS for nationals from Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Yemen, and Lebanon. It requires these individuals to depart the U.S. within 180 days of the law's enactment, unless they already hold other lawful immigration status (such as permanent residency, asylum, or another non-TPS visa). Employment authorization tied to TPS would expire on the termination date, and the Secretary of Homeland Security cannot redesignate these countries for TPS without new legislation. The bill explicitly states it does not require granting relief or limit existing immigration enforcement authority.
HR 4367, the Bracero Program 2.0 Act, reforms the H-2A agricultural visa program to improve employer processes and worker mobility. It requires an online portal for employers to file petitions and post jobs (replacing current ad requirements), raises the H-2A wage rate to the state minimum wage plus $2.00 per hour, and creates a 6-year pilot program allowing H-2A workers to move between registered agricultural employers within the same state without restarting visa paperwork. The pilot limits portable H-2A status to 10,000 workers at a time and mandates employers to provide workers' compensation if state coverage doesn’t apply. This directly affects agricultural employers seeking seasonal workers and H-2A workers who may switch employers more easily under the pilot.
HR 2641 requires all federal contractors and subcontractors (at every tier) to elect participation in the E-Verify program, which checks the employment eligibility of new hires. This bill amends the 1996 Immigration Act to mandate that every contractor working with federal agencies must use E-Verify for all new employees. It directly affects businesses that contract with the federal government, including those providing services or goods to agencies. The key mechanism is the mandatory election to participate in E-Verify, replacing the current voluntary system for federal contractors.
This bill creates a pathway to permanent residency for certain college graduates who entered the U.S. as children under specific nonimmigrant visa categories (excluding H-1B, L-1, etc.). To qualify, applicants must have been lawfully present for 10 years total (including 8 years as a dependent child), graduated from a U.S. college, and not be inadmissible. It also changes how "child status" is determined for immigration purposes - using specific dates instead of age to prevent "age-outs" for dependents of long-term visa holders - and preserves priority dates for family members. These changes apply to individuals who entered the U.S. before age 21 and maintained lawful status under qualifying visas.
Fairness for High-Skilled Americans Act of 2025 This bill eliminates the Optional Practical Training Program or any successor program, unless Congress expressly authorizes such a program. (The program provides an F-1 student visa holder temporary employment authorization before or after completion of the student's studies, or both.)
HR 2672, the Religious Workforce Protection Act, extends temporary nonimmigrant status for religious workers whose applications for permanent residency (green cards) are delayed due to visa backlogs. It directly affects religious workers (such as pastors or missionaries) who are principal or derivative beneficiaries of pending immigrant petitions under specific visa categories, allowing them to maintain their work status beyond the usual 5-year limit while their green card applications are processed. Key provisions include granting extensions until a final decision is made on their adjustment of status application, modifying rules to allow limited job flexibility for these workers, and exempting them from a 1-year foreign residence requirement if they left the U.S. due to the prior 5-year cap. The bill aims to prevent religious workers from losing their legal status during lengthy immigration processing.
Legal Workforce Act This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to create an electronic employment eligibility confirmation system modeled after and to replace the E-Verify system, which allows employers and recruiters to verify the immigration status of individuals. The bill also mandates the use of such a system, where currently only some employers, such as those with federal contracts, are required to use E-Verify. The bill specifies documents that can establish an individual's identity and employment authorization. During the period starting when a job offer is made until three business days after hiring, the individual must attest to his or her employment authorization, and the employer or recruiter must attest that it has examined the individual's required documents. Employers shall reverify certain types of employees who were not previously verified using E-Verify. The Social Security Administration shall notify employees if their Social Security number has been used multiple times in an unusual manner. DHS shall establish programs for blocking and suspending misused numbers. Employers that are required to use the verification system shall not be liable for any employment-related action based on a good-faith reliance on the system. The bill establishes a phased-in participation deadline for different sizes and categories of employers, including agricultural employers. The bill increases civil penalties related to hiring individuals without work authorization. It also preempts state laws relating to hiring and employment eligibility verification, but states may use their authority of business licensing to penalize employers for failing to comply with the bill's provisions.
HR 4200, the End DED Act, prohibits federal funding for the Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) program, which provides temporary immigration protections to individuals from specific countries. It directly affects approximately 100,000 people currently covered under DED from nine nations (including Haiti, El Salvador, and Venezuela), who would lose their work authorization and travel privileges if the program is defunded. The bill’s key provision bans all federal funds from being used to implement or administer DED or any successor program. This addresses congressional concerns that DED - a policy created solely by executive action without statutory authority - undermines Congress’s constitutional power over immigration, which it delegated to Temporary Protected Status (TPS) instead.
HR 5670, the Protecting America’s Roads Act, amends federal commercial driver’s license (CDL) requirements to strengthen verification of applicant eligibility. It directly affects non-citizen applicants for CDLs or commercial learner’s permits by requiring proof of lawful presence (via the federal SAVE system), proof of state residence, and in-person processing for all non-citizen license actions. Key provisions include denying CDLs to non-residents, expiring non-citizen licenses based on immigration status or after one year, and terminating foreign license reciprocity agreements within six months of enactment. The bill also mandates states to downgrade or revoke non-citizen licenses if eligibility lapses and authorizes immigration agencies to identify unauthorized commercial drivers.
This bill, S 2526 (Fight for the American Dream Act), allows young immigrants protected by Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) to enlist in the U.S. military by amending eligibility rules to include those with valid employment authorization under DACA. It also updates naturalization rules for service members, clarifying that military service in the Selected Reserve or active duty qualifies for citizenship and adjusting geographic references to include American Samoa and certain Pacific territories. The bill directly affects DACA-eligible individuals seeking military service and service members pursuing citizenship, removing a key barrier to enlistment and streamlining the naturalization process. These changes are specific legal updates to Title 10 (military) and the Immigration and Nationality Act, without altering DACA status or broader immigration policy.
