The Mandatory E-Verify Act of 2026 makes the E-Verify employment eligibility verification system permanent and mandatory for all employers in the United States, including those who hire, recruit, or refer individuals for jobs. The bill requires employers to use the system within a phased timeline based on company size, ranging from six months for large businesses with 10,000 or more employees to 18 months for smaller businesses with fewer than 20 employees, while exempting agricultural labor verification until 18 months after enactment. Key provisions include increased civil and criminal penalties for non-compliance, the ability for the government to debar repeat violators from federal contracts, and a requirement that states sharing driver's license data with the system remain eligible for certain federal funding. Additionally, the act establishes a self-check feature for individuals to verify their own status, expands data sharing between federal and state agencies to prevent fraud, and creates a good-faith defense for employers who rely on the system's results.
The PATH Act allows public housing agencies and owners to establish minimum work requirements for residents receiving federal housing assistance, effective January 1, 2027. These requirements can mandate up to 40 hours per week of activities such as employment, job training, or community service, but they must exclude individuals under 18 or over 62, people with disabilities, pregnant women, and parents of young children. Agencies implementing these rules must provide supportive services like childcare and job search assistance, maintain uniform standards for all tenants in a program, and offer exceptions for those facing hardships like temporary relocation or difficulty finding work. If a resident fails to comply with the work requirements, the agency may terminate their housing assistance after following specific procedural rules.
This bill, known as the ASSIMILATION Act, fundamentally restructures the U.S. immigration system by replacing family-based and lottery-based admissions with a merit-based approach that prioritizes economic self-sufficiency and national interest. It directly affects prospective immigrants, current visa holders, and employers by establishing new requirements for entry, employment, and naturalization. Key provisions eliminate the diversity visa lottery, restrict family-sponsored immigration to spouses and minor children, and mandate that all immigrants demonstrate the ability to support themselves without relying on government benefits. The legislation also introduces stricter enforcement measures, such as making visa overstays a criminal offense, expanding E-Verify to all employers, and requiring higher English proficiency and tax compliance for citizenship. Additionally, it tightens asylum rules by adding a transit bar for those passing through other countries and limits parole to specific humanitarian cases rather than broad programs.
This bill proposes a comprehensive overhaul of the H-1B visa program by pausing new issuances for three years and capping the annual limit at 25,000 visas. It would eliminate the current lottery system, replacing it with a process that prioritizes employers offering the highest wages, while also restricting visa holders to a maximum stay of three years and banning them from holding multiple jobs simultaneously. The legislation further mandates that all H-1B workers be paid at least $200,000 annually, prohibits staffing agencies from sponsoring these visas, and bars federal agencies from hiring or petitioning for H-1B workers. Additionally, the bill would end employment authorization for foreign students and interns, and generally prevent most nonimmigrants from adjusting their status to become permanent residents while in the United States.
The PROTECT Act of 2026 modifies rules for H-1B visa petitions to ensure higher wages and stricter oversight for third-party work arrangements. It requires employers to pay H-1B workers at least the higher of the local market rate or $100,000, adjusted annually for inflation, and limits visas for those working at third-party sites to a maximum of one year unless the job assignment is clearly defined and long-term. Additionally, the bill mandates that visa petitions offering higher compensation be prioritized for approval regardless of filing date. A separate provision exempts health care workers from certain filing fees if the employer can prove they made a good faith effort to hire a U.S. citizen or permanent resident before bringing in foreign staff. These changes apply to all H-1B visa petitions filed on or after the date the law is enacted.
The ASSIMILATION Act fundamentally restructures the U.S. immigration system by replacing family-based and lottery-based admissions with a merit-based approach that prioritizes economic self-sufficiency and national interest. Key provisions include eliminating the Diversity Visa lottery, reducing family-sponsored immigration caps, and raising the English language requirement for naturalization to a B2 proficiency level. The bill also tightens public charge rules by presuming inadmissibility for those who rely on means-tested benefits, mandates universal use of E-Verify for all employers, and imposes stricter financial sponsorship requirements with mandatory bonds. Additionally, it limits H-1B visas to 50,000 annually, restricts asylum for those transiting through other countries, and expands criminal bars for naturalization applicants.
The End U Visa Abuse Act proposes to completely eliminate the U visa program, which currently provides immigration benefits and work authorization to alleged crime victims and their family members. The bill is based on findings that the program has been exploited through fraud, including staged crimes and forged law enforcement certifications, leading to a massive backlog of over 400,000 pending applications. By repealing the specific sections of the Immigration and Nationality Act that create the U visa category, the legislation would remove the legal pathway for these individuals to obtain lawful status through this specific mechanism. The text argues that existing alternatives, such as S visas for witnesses or humanitarian parole, are sufficient to assist genuine victims without the risks of abuse associated with the current system.
This bill establishes the Biometric Identification Transnational Migration Alert Program (BITMAP) within the Department of Homeland Security. The program aims to identify and reduce national security, border security, and terrorist threats posed by foreign nationals before they reach the United States border. DHS will coordinate with foreign governments to facilitate the voluntary sharing of biometric and biographic information from these individuals. Partner countries will receive training and equipment to collect this data and compare it against various U.S. national security and counter-terrorism databases. The program is authorized for six years and includes provisions for congressional reporting and a GAO audit.
This bill, titled the Closing the Workforce Gap Act of 2026, modifies the H-2B temporary worker visa program by adjusting numerical limits, strengthening enforcement measures, and adding new requirements for employers. It directly affects employers seeking to hire foreign workers under the H-2B program and the workers themselves. The legislation caps the number of H-2B visas at half the number of certified positions from the previous year, while exempting rural and seasonal locations from this limit. It also increases penalties for employers who misrepresent information or fail to meet program requirements, establishes a formal complaint process for workers, and requires employers to maintain workplace safety plans and report certain employment issues to authorities. Additionally, the bill restricts H-2B petitions to nationals from countries designated as participating based on factors like visa fraud rates and overstay statistics, and prohibits workers from paying fees for recruitment or petition processing.
This bill, known as Dalilah's Law Act, prohibits individuals with certain immigration statuses from obtaining or using commercial driver's licenses in interstate commerce. It requires state officials to verify an applicant's employment eligibility through E-Verify before issuing such licenses and imposes criminal penalties, including mandatory minimum sentences for accidents causing injury or death. The legislation also establishes civil penalties for businesses that assist in violations and allows victims of accidents caused by these drivers to sue for triple damages. Additionally, it adds the use of commercial licenses by these individuals as an aggravated felony and grounds for deportation under immigration law.
