On 12/18/15, the President signed into law the omnibus appropriations bill for 2016. The Senate adopted the Omnibus Appropriations Act by a vote of 65-33; the House did so by a 316-113 tally. Several immigration-related issues were highly debated in the run-up to the bill’s passage. Some of those immigration issues include:
- Business Immigration:The bill extends the EB-5, Conrad 30, Special Immigrant Religious Workers, and E-Verify programs through the end of FY2016.
It also includes the following changes to the currently expired H-1B/L-1 fees for companies with more than 50 employees and companies where 50% or more of the employees hold H-1B or L-1 status:
- Supplemental L-1 fees for 50/50 companies increase from $2,250 to $4,500;
- Supplemental H-1B fees for 50/50 companies increase from $2,000 to $4,000;
- Fees must be paid on initial petitions and extension petitions;
- Visa Waiver Program:The bill includes the House-passed bill reforming the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), which contains categorical exclusions for nationals of Syria, Iraq, Iran, and Sudan, as well as people who travel to those countries.
- DAPA/DACA:The bill does not include proposals that would block the Administration from continuing the operation of original DACA or defending the DAPA or expanded DACA programs in the ongoing litigation.