Legal immigration would be rebuilt around a 30-point skills test instead of family ties and the diversity lottery. Refugee admissions would be hard-capped at 50,000 per year (the President currently sets the number annually), family green cards would be narrowed to spouses and children under 18 of lawful permanent residents (down from under 21), and the diversity visa program would be eliminated. A new points-based track would issue up to 193,000 visas a year based on age, education, English score, salary offer, and $1.35M-$1.8M business investment, with a $160 application fee and $345 petition fee. H-1B visas would be allocated by highest compensation first, a Gold Card visa would be created for $5 million investors creating 10 jobs, and DHS would use artificial intelligence to flag visa overstays. New points-based immigrants and their households would also be barred from federal means-tested benefits for five years.
Civil Liberties
- Family-reunification eligibility — narrowed to spouse and children under 18 only
- Refugee admissions — hard-capped at 50,000 per year by statute
- Presidential refugee discretion — annual consultative process repealed
- DHS surveillance authority — AI deployed to identify visa overstays
Corporate Benefits
- H-1B allocation priority — issued in order of highest offered compensation
- Gold Card investor visa — 25,000 visas/year for $5M investors creating 10 jobs
- Points awarded for high salary offers — 13 points at 300% of state median income
Average Household Impact
- New-immigrant access to federal means-tested benefits — barred for 5 years
- Sponsor financial responsibility — citizens must repay benefits used by sponsored immigrants
- Visa application fees — $160 application plus $345 petition, inflation-adjusted
Transparency & Accountability
- Annual DHS reporting to Congress — visa issuance, applicant demographics, employer data
- Quadrennial point-system review — DHS, Labor, Commerce, State recommendations to Congress
Congressional Summary
Securing Migration, Addressing Reform, and Talent Retention Act or the SMART ActThis bill modifies the U.S. immigration system, including by eliminating the diversity and employment-based visa systems, establishing a points-based system, and capping other immigration categories.The diversity visa program—which makes visas available to individuals from countries that send fewer immigrants—is eliminated.The bill caps annual refugee admission at 50,000. Currently, the President sets annual limits.The bill limits the current family-sponsored immigration system by lowering the annual cap and narrowing the qualifications by, for example, lowering the age limit of qualifying children and eliminating siblings as a qualifying relationship. The bill also disqualifies noncitizen parents of adult U.S. citizens from this category and creates a new nonimmigrant visa for such parents. This visa has an initial authorization period of five years and may be extended for additional five-year periods.The bill also eliminates the employment-based visa system and replaces it with a points-based system. Points are awarded on the basis of characteristics such as age, education, English proficiency, the salary of prospective employment, investment in and management of a new commercial enterprise, and number of dependent children. Visas are awarded to the applicants with the most points (and their immediate family members) until the annual cap is reached.The bill also revises the H-1B visa program to award visas in order of compensation rate.The bill also creates a visa for immigrants who invest at least $5 million into a new commercial enterprise.
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- House
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Introduced in House
- Action Date
- 2025-05-15
- Date Added
- 2026-05-23
- Source
- Congress.gov →
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