Rep. Sharice Davids Votes to Pass Bill to Ease Visa Backlog, Help Kansas Businesses

Today, Rep. Sharice Davids voted to pass H.R. 1044, the Fairness for High Skilled Immigrants Act, a bipartisan bill sponsored in the last Congress by her predecessor that would help ease green card backlogs and help businesses in Kansas retain the high-skilled staff they need to thrive.

"Kansas businesses depend on high-skilled workers to be competitive and to contribute to the local economy. This bipartisan bill will allow our businesses to focus on retaining these workers, while also reducing the backlogs for people facing the longest waiting times," said Davids.

The employment-based green card system provides permanent residence to individuals who are important to our economy. About 95 percent of employment-based green card applicants already live and work in the U.S. on temporary visas.

Because of the per-country limits, however, some people are forced to stay on their temporary visas for many years, if not decades. This bill creates a fair and equitable "first come, first serve" system under which U.S. companies will be able to focus on what they do best—hiring people with the right skills to create products, services, and jobs — and helps to even out the green card lines, preventing excessive backlogs for some.

"Today is an important day for many of us, a moment we have been waiting for years. Finally, our hard work and tireless efforts have come into fruition. After the tragic murder of my husband, Srinivas Kuchibhotla, in February 2017, I lost my status to stay in the country and the immigration struggle took over my grief. And, today with HR 1044 getting passed I can finally find peace and no words can express my happiness," said Sunayana Dumala, a resident of Olathe.

"This backlog, along with the backlog of other kinds of visas that local industries count on like our agriculture sector, just underscore the need for bipartisan, comprehensive reform to fix our broken immigration system. I hope this bill will spur a larger, holistic fix," said Davids.

Davids co-sponsored this legislation and has championed it since taking office. It is identical to last year's version with an additional provision to prevent harm to anyone who is already waiting for a green card.