Presidential Documents

Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 228 / Wednesday, November 26, 2014 / Presidential Documents 70769 

Memorandum of November 21, 2014 

Modernizing and Streamlining the U.S. Immigrant Visa System for the 21st Century 

Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies 

Throughout our Nation’s history, immigrants have helped the United States 

build the world’s strongest economy. Immigrants represent the majority of 

our Ph.D.s in math, computer science, and engineering, and over one quarter 

of all U.S.-based Nobel laureates over the past 50 years were foreign-born. 

Immigrants are also more than twice as likely as native-born Americans 

to start a business in the United States. They have started one of every 

four American small businesses and high-tech startups, and more than 40 

percent of Fortune 500 companies were founded by immigrants or their 

children. 

But despite the overwhelming contributions of immigrants to our Nation’s 

prosperity, our immigration system is broken and has not kept pace with 

changing times. To address this issue, my Administration has made commonsense immigration reform a priority, and has consistently urged the Congress 

to act to fix the broken system. Such action would not only continue 

our proud tradition of welcoming immigrants to this country, but also reduce 

Federal deficits, increase productivity, and raise wages for all Americans. 

Immigration reform is an economic, national security, and moral imperative. 

Even as we continue to seek meaningful legislative reforms, my Administration has pursued administrative reforms to streamline and modernize the 

legal immigration system. We have worked to simplify an overly complex 

visa system, one that is confusing to travelers and immigrants, burdensome 

to businesses, and results in long wait times that negatively impact millions 

of families and workers. But we can and must do more to improve this 

system. Executive departments and agencies must continue to focus on 

streamlining and reforming the legal immigration system, while safeguarding 

the interest of American workers. 

Therefore, by the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution 

and the laws of the United States of America, and in order to modernize 

and streamline the U.S. immigration system, I hereby direct as follows: 

Section 1. Recommendations to Improve the Immigration System. (a) Within 

120 days of the date of this memorandum, the Secretaries of State and 

Homeland Security (Secretaries), in consultation with the Director of the 

Office of Management and Budget, the Director of the National Economic 

Council, the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, the Director of the Domestic Policy Council, the Director of the 

Office of Science and Technology Policy, the Attorney General, and the 

Secretaries of Agriculture, Commerce, Labor, and Education, shall develop: 

(i) in consultation with private and nonfederal public actors, including 

business people, labor leaders, universities, and other stakeholders, recommendations to streamline and improve the legal immigration system— 

including immigrant and non-immigrant visa processing—with a focus 

on reforms that reduce Government costs, improve services for applicants, 

reduce burdens on employers, and combat waste, fraud, and abuse in 

the system; 

(ii) in consultation with stakeholders with relevant expertise in immigration 

law, recommendations to ensure that administrative policies, practices, 

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70770 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 228 / Wednesday, November 26, 2014 / Presidential Documents 

and systems use all of the immigrant visa numbers that the Congress 

provides for and intends to be issued, consistent with demand; and 

(iii) in consultation with technology experts inside and outside the Government, recommendations for modernizing the information technology infrastructure underlying the visa processing system, with a goal of reducing 

redundant systems, improving the experience of applicants, and enabling 

better public and congressional oversight of the system. 

(b) In developing the recommendations as set forth in subsection (a) of 

this section, the Secretaries shall establish metrics for measuring progress 

in implementing the recommendations and in achieving service-level improvements, taking into account the Federal Government’s responsibility 

to protect the integrity of U.S. borders and promote economic opportunity 

for all workers. 

Sec. 2. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this memorandum shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect: 

(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department, agency, or 

the head thereof; or 

(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget 

relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals. 

(b) This memorandum shall be implemented consistent with applicable 

law and subject to the availability of appropriations. 

(c) This memorandum is not intended to, and does not, create any right 

or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by 

any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, 

its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person. 

(d) The Secretary of State is hereby authorized and directed to publish 

this memorandum in the Federal Register. 

THE WHITE HOUSE, 

Washington, November 21, 2014 

[FR Doc. 2014–28195 

Filed 11–25–14; 11:15 am] 

Billing code 4710–10 


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