ASSIMILATION Act
- Bill Number
- H.R. 8827
- Origin Chamber
- House
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 2
- Policy Area
- Immigration
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2026-05-14: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Education and Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- Last Updated
- 2026-06-18T20:43:32Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose of the Legislation The ASSIMILATION Act amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to shift U.S. immigration policy toward a merit-based system. It establishes a national-interest standard requiring each admission or adjustment to produce a material public benefit, replaces family-chain and diversity-based admissions with economic self-sufficiency and assimilation priorities, and imposes stricter rules on asylum, employment verification, and enforcement discretion.
Key Provisions
- National Interest Standard (Section 104): Requires aliens to prove by objective evidence that admission furthers economic, cultural, or security interests; private or speculative benefits are insufficient.
- Family-Sponsored Reform (Section 201): Limits immediate relatives to spouses and unmarried children under 18 of U.S. citizens; caps family-sponsored visas for spouses and minor children of lawful permanent residents at 88,000 annually; creates a new 5-year nonimmigrant W visa for parents of adult U.S. citizens with no work authorization or public benefits.
- Diversity Visa Elimination (Section 202): Repeals the diversity immigrant category entirely; pending selections become ineligible.
- Employment-Based Immigration (Section 203): Caps visas at 140,000; requires national-interest certification with presumptive positive factors (high compensation, designated occupations, federal support, extraordinary ability, entrepreneurship) and negative factors (low wages, limited English, labor violations); prioritizes higher-wage applicants.
- H-1B Reforms (Section 204): Reduces annual cap to 50,000; limits stay to 3 years non-renewable; requires wages at 200% of median; bars adjustment to permanent residence without 2-year absence.
- Optional Practical Training (Section 205): Eliminates employment authorization for F-1 students absent statutory authority.
- Public Charge and Sponsorship (Sections 301–302): Raises sponsor income requirement to 200% of poverty guidelines; mandates $20,000 bond per sponsored alien; creates presumption of public charge after 12 months of benefits in 36 months.
- Visa Overstays and Parole (Sections 303–304): Voids visas after 10 days of overstay or status violation with readmission restrictions; creates new criminal and civil penalties; limits parole to 90 days case-by-case for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit, with no categorical programs.
- Enforcement Discretion (Section 305): Prohibits categorical nonenforcement policies or class-wide deferred action.
- Naturalization and Citizenship (Sections 401–403): Expands good moral character bars to include felonies, multiple misdemeanors, immigration violations, and tax/child support noncompliance; extends residence requirement to 10 years; raises English proficiency to B2 level; requires tax compliance and no means-tested benefits; limits birthright citizenship to cases where at least one parent is a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident.
- Asylum and Removal (Sections 501–502): Adds transit-country bar; prohibits employment authorization on pending asylum applications; imposes $500 filing fee; raises credible fear standard to “more likely than not” eligibility.
- Detention and Unaccompanied Children (Sections 503–504): Authorizes family detention; modifies screening and custody transfer rules for unaccompanied alien children.
- Employment Verification (Section 601): Mandates E-Verify enrollment and use for all new hires.
- H-2A Wages (Section 602): Requires highest of prevailing wage, minimum wage, or average U.S. worker wage.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- Replaces the Hart-Celler preference system with national-interest criteria and eliminates chain migration for most extended family categories.
- Repeals the diversity visa lottery and Optional Practical Training program.
- Introduces new presumptions, bonds, and evidentiary requirements for public charge, sponsorship, and employment-based admissions.
- Narrows parole authority and restricts categorical enforcement discretion.
- Revises birthright citizenship interpretation and raises naturalization thresholds.
- Mandates nationwide E-Verify and creates new overstay offenses.
Potential Impacts
- Government Agencies: Requires DHS, State, and Labor to issue regulations within 180 days, maintain new lists and systems, conduct quality-assurance recordings, and submit annual economic and assimilation reports.
- Citizens and Employers: Increases compliance burdens via mandatory E-Verify and higher sponsor obligations; may affect labor markets in high-skill and agricultural sectors.
- Immigrants and Applicants: Reduces pathways for family members, diversity lottery winners, asylum seekers transiting third countries, and certain temporary workers.
- International Relations: Alters treatment of nationals from countries without refugee agreements and limits certain nonimmigrant admissions.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- Prospective immigrants under family, diversity, employment, and asylum categories.
- U.S. employers using H-1B, H-2A, and general hiring processes.
- Sponsors of immigrants.
- Federal agencies (DHS, DOJ, State, HHS, DOL).
- State governments (detention licensing, enforcement).
- U.S. workers potentially affected by wage and labor market changes.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Invokes Congress’s plenary power over immigration while reinterpreting the 14th Amendment’s citizenship clause through statutory language requiring parental legal status.
- Creates multiple new presumptions, bonds, and evidentiary standards that shift burdens in adjudication.
- Limits administrative discretion through statutory prohibitions on categorical policies.
- Includes severability clause to preserve remaining provisions if any section is invalidated.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Cosponsors (16)
Rep. Moore, Barry [R-AL-1], Rep. Miller, Mary E. [R-IL-15], Rep. Luttrell, Morgan [R-TX-8], Rep. Boebert, Lauren [R-CO-4], Rep. Crane, Elijah [R-AZ-2], Rep. Norman, Ralph [R-SC-5], Rep. Self, Keith [R-TX-3], Rep. Fine, Randy [R-FL-6], Rep. Fuller, Clay [R-GA-14], Rep. Mills, Cory [R-FL-7], Rep. Babin, Brian [R-TX-36], Rep. Davidson, Warren [R-OH-8], Rep. Luna, Anna Paulina [R-FL-13], Rep. Brecheen, Josh [R-OK-2], Rep. Clyde, Andrew S. [R-GA-9], Rep. Gill, Brandon [R-TX-26]
Recent Actions
- 2026-05-14: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Education and Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- 2026-05-14: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Education and Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- 2026-05-14: Introduced in House
- 2026-05-14: Introduced in House
Bill Versions
- American System for Sustainable Immigration and Mass Immigration Limitations Achieved Through Imposing Oversight Nationally Act — issued 2026-05-14 — PDF (83 pages)