F5

113th Congress

1st Session

H.R. 857

To increase the ease in which a foreigner may receive a United States Visa to enter the country.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

January 7, 2014

Ms. Lopez introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee of Foreign Relations

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A BILL

To increase the ease in which a foreigner may receive a United States Visa to enter the country.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE

This act may be cited as the “International Visa Act” or “I.V.A.”

SECTION 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE

(a.) Findings- Congress finds that--

1. The current visa system is unfair to those attempting to many people who apply for a visa.
2. Waiting periods for people in line for a visa are too long, especially for foreigners who are from Mexico and the Philippines where waiting periods could take up to 30 years.
3. Some foreigners have waited so long that they decide to enter the country illegally.
4. Many foreigners who apply for visas apply to work a low-skill job, but there is a limit of 5,000 visas for these jobs even though the United States needs these workers.

(b.) Purposes- the purposes of this Act are to--

1. Facilitate the approvement of a work and/or tourist visa for foreigners.
2. Eliminate bias when deciding whether a person will be staying or leaving in the United States.
3. Make sure no criminals can receive a visa into the country unless absolutely necessary.
4. Allow those who receive a visa to start the naturalization process if they wish to become a citizen.

SECTION 3. DEFINITIONS

In this act

1. VISA- an endorsement on a passport indicating that the holder is allowed to enter, leave, or stay for a specific period of time in a country.
2. FOREIGNER- a person born in or coming from a country other than one’s own.

SECTION 4. ACTIONS

1. The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement shall work with the Department for Homeland Security to lessen the intensity of background checks for people who have inquired for a visa.
2. The BCA will increase the number of visas for low-skill workers from 5,000 to 150,000
3. The members of the Bureaus of Consular Affairs will not take majorly into consideration the nationality of a foreigner when approving visas.

SECTION 5. APPROPRIATIONS CLAUSE

1. The amount of money that shall be used to accomplish the actions of this act shall not exceed $50,000,000 a year.
1. The money will be raised through the numerous immigration-related interest groups that will be obliged to contribute money.
2. No tax shall be imposed upon United States citizens to fund the actions of this act.

SECTION 6. TERMINATION

This bill will last for as long as funds permit or if an improved bill takes its place.

SECTION 7. ENACTMENT CLAUSE

“This bill will become effective 30 days after the signature of the president.”