The Dignity Act of 2025, a new bipartisan bill proposed in the House of Representatives by Rep Maria Elvira Salazar (R-Florida) and Rep Veronica Escobar (D-Texas), aims to eliminate the current visa backlog in the country by 2035. In order to do this, the bill has presented the option of allowing applicants to fast-track their application by paying an extra amount. The bill touches on several other key legislative areas as well, such as border security and student visas.
“America can’t wait. The Dignity Act of 2025 permanently codifies border security with barriers, tech, and E-Verify. No more excuses. Swipe to see how we secure the border and stop all future illegal crossings,” Rep Salazar posted on her social media handle, along with an image listing out what the act does.
“This bipartisan effort comes as new polling indicates that eight out of ten Americans believe immigration is a good thing for the U.S. and support allowing undocumented immigrants to earn legal status if they meet certain requirements over a period of time,” says the official website of Immigration Forum.
Route to residency
The bill primarily focuses on clearing out the country’s visa backlog by 2035, for which it proposes that eligible applicants from family or employment-based categories who have been waiting for their green card for over a decade be allowed to pay a premium of $20,000 to fast-track the process.
Per-country caps
“This provision raises the green card per-country cap from 7 percent to 15 percent of the total number of employment-based or family-sponsored preference visas each year. This provision aims to reduce and eventually eliminate country-specific backlogs when combined with other reforms,” explains the official website of Immigration Forum. This modification will address uneven wait times across countries with relatively higher demand, such as China and India.
Documented dreamers
Under this provision, children of long-term visa holders who face the risk of aging out of their legal status in the country will qualify for lawful permanent resident (LPR) status after ten years of living in the country. This includes a version of the America’s Children Act.
In other changes, the bill also proposes that F-1 student visa-holders be able to pursue permanent residency following graduation, derivative family members be excluded from the visa count, and the creation of a new Immigration Agency Coordinator to work across federal agencies.
This act is a revised version of an initial 2023 proposal and aims to represent renewed and unified interest in immigration reform in the country.
With contribution from Stuti Gupta
