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New Green Card bill targets employment visas, family immigration and lottery: What Indian applicants should know
A new US Senate bill could reshape the country's legal immigration system, including the way employment-based Green Cards are awarded.
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A new US Senate bill could reshape the country's legal immigration system, including the way employment-based Green Cards are awarded, family-sponsored immigration and the Diversity Visa lottery, changes that could have implications for Indian professionals and families navigating the US immigration system.
Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville of Alabama introduced the Americans First Immigration Act on September 23, 2026. The bill was subsequently read twice and referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee, according to the National Immigration Forum. It had no Senate co-sponsors as of September 25.
The legislation is a proposal and is not current US immigration law.
What the bill proposes for employment-based Green Cards
The bill would replace the existing employment-based immigration framework with a points-based system, according to the official announcement from Tuberville's Senate office.
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The proposed system would award points for factors including education, English proficiency, high-paying job offers, military service and extraordinary achievement.
The Senate announcement says the proposal would also require employers to recruit US workers first and ensure that foreign labor does not displace American workers.
For Indian professionals, any shift from the existing employment-based system to a points model could be significant, particularly for those pursuing permanent residence through employment.
The proposal also seeks to make economic contribution, skills and self-sufficiency central factors in legal immigration. These are provisions in the proposed legislation and would not change the rules for Indian Green Card applicants unless the bill becomes law.
Family immigration and Diversity Visa lottery may face changes
The bill would also change the family-sponsored immigration system.
Under the proposal, family-sponsored immigration would be limited to spouses and minor children, according to Tuberville's office. That would mean ending several existing pathways for other family relationships.
The legislation would also eliminate the Diversity Visa Lottery and replace it with a points-based model that considers factors such as education, English proficiency and job offers, according to the Senate office announcement.
The proposal would preserve a capped allocation for religious workers while eliminating what the bill describes as lower-priority immigration pathways.
For Indian families, the family-based provisions could matter separately from employment-based immigration because the proposal would narrow the categories of relatives eligible for family-sponsored immigration.
What Indian applicants should know now
The bill also contains provisions aimed at employers. Companies would be required to recruit American workers first and take steps to ensure that foreign workers do not displace US workers, according to Tuberville's office.
Tuberville's office says the legislation would create a legal immigration system focused on merit, economic contribution and assimilation.
Several immigration-policy organizations, including NumbersUSA, America First Policy Institute, Center for Renewing America and America First Works, endorsed the bill, according to the senator's announcement. Those organizations' views on the legislation are their own.
The bill's introduction does not mean that current Green Card, family immigration or Diversity Visa rules have changed. The bill remains before Congress after being referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee, according to the National Immigration Forum. Any proposed changes would require further congressional action before becoming law.
