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Senators release National Security Package: What's in it for Indians?
The Biden-Harris Administration called on Congress to not delay and immediately pass the bipartisan national security agreement
Representative Image / Wikimedia Commons
The United States Senate released on Sunday a US$118.28 billion national security supplemental package that includes border reform policies, critical funding to Ukraine and Israel, and provisions for humanitarian aid.
The agreement, reached by Sens. James Lankford, R-Okla., Chris Murphy, D-Conn., and Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz, has been sent to Congress for approval and would be the most aggressive border security and migration bill in decades if passed.
How will Indians benefit?
The bill’s provision to add an additional 250,000 immigrant visas for the next five fiscal years, which would be divided between the family-based (32,000/fiscal year) and employment-based 18,000/fiscal year) visa categories, will hugely benefit Indians, who are the biggest beneficiaries of the H1-B visa.
Additionally, the bill will amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide automatic work authorizations to H1-B dependents. It will also ensure that the dreamers— children of long-term visa holders who are at risk of aging out—will get some protection from deportation.
According to the proposed changes, the age of a dependent child of an H-1B visa holder is to be determined using the individual’s age on the date of the initial petition.“To be eligible, individuals must have maintained their status as a dependent child for at least 8 years prior to reaching 21 years of age and sought to acquire lawful permanent residence status within a 2-year period of an immigrant visa becoming available to them,” the bill states.
The bill also seeks the creation of a new category of non-immigrant visa that will benefit a number of Indians with their families in the United States. The temporary family visa will allow individuals to visit their relatives in the country specifically for family purposes for a limited period of time.
Other key highlights of the bill
• $60.6 billion to continue supporting Ukraine;
• $14.1 billion in security assistance for Israel
• $4.83 billion to counter China and support regional partners in the Indo-Pacific
• $10 billion for the State Department and USAID to provide lifesaving humanitarian assistance in Gaza and the West Bank, Ukraine, and other conflict zones across the globe
• $400 million for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program to increase the safety of nonprofits and places of worship.
• Raise Asylum Screening Standards along with a host of other asylum related reforms
• Quicker citizenship for immigrants who serve in the military
• FEND Off Fentanyl Act to allow agencies to effectively disrupt illicit opioid supply chains and penalize those involved in the trafficking of fentanyl.
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