I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3648 
To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to eliminate the per-country 
numerical limitation for employment-based immigrants, to increase the 
per-country numerical limitation for family-sponsored immigrants, and 
for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 1, 2021 
Ms. LOFGREN (for herself, Mr. CURTIS, Mr. NADLER, Mr. JOHNSON of Ohio, 
Ms. BASS, Mr. FITZPATRICK, Mr. CICILLINE, Mr. VELA, Mr. SWALWELL, 
Mr. LANGEVIN, Mr. WELCH, Mrs. LURIA, Mr. CORREA, Mr. GARAMENDI, 
Ms. SCHRIER, Mr. COHEN, Mr. SEAN PATRICK MALONEY of New York, 
Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI, Mr. YARMUTH, and Mr. KHANNA) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to eliminate 
the per-country numerical limitation for employment- 
based immigrants, to increase the per-country numerical 
limitation for family-sponsored immigrants, and for other 
purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Equal Access to Green 
cards for Legal Employment Act of 2021’’ or the 
‘‘EAGLE Act of 2021’’. 
SEC. 2. NUMERICAL LIMITATION TO ANY SINGLE FOREIGN 
STATE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 202(a)(2) of the Immi-
gration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1152(a)(2)) is 
amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(2) PER COUNTRY LEVELS FOR FAMILY-SPON-
SORED
IMMIGRANTS.—Subject to paragraphs (3) 
and (4), the total number of immigrant visas made 
available to natives of any single foreign state or de-
pendent area under section 203(a) in any fiscal year 
may not exceed 15 percent (in the case of a single 
foreign state) or 2 percent (in the case of a depend-
ent area) of the total number of such visas made 
available under such section in that fiscal year.’’. 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Section 202 of 
such Act (8 U.S.C. 1152) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)— 
(A) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘both 
subsections (a) and (b) of section 203’’ and in-
serting ‘‘section 203(a)’’; and 
(B) by striking paragraph (5); and 
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fiscal year beginning after the date of the enactment of 
this Act, and shall apply to that fiscal year and each sub-
sequent fiscal year. 
(e) TRANSITION RULES FOR EMPLOYMENT-BASED 
IMMIGRANTS.—Notwithstanding title II of the Immigra-
tion and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1151 et seq.), the fol-
lowing transition rules shall apply to employment-based 
immigrants, beginning on the effective date referred to in 
subsection (d): 
(1) RESERVED VISAS FOR LOWER ADMISSION 
STATES.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—For the first nine fiscal 
years after the effective date referred to in sub-
section (d), immigrant visas under each of 
paragraphs (2) and (3) of section 203(b) of the 
Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 
1153(b)) shall be reserved and allocated to im-
migrants who are natives of a foreign state or 
dependent area that is not one of the two for-
eign states or dependent areas with the highest 
demand for immigrant visas as follows: 
(i) For the first fiscal year after such 
effective date, 30 percent of such visas. 
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(ii) For the second fiscal year after 
such effective date, 25 percent of such 
visas. 
(iii) For the third fiscal year after 
such effective date, 20 percent of such 
visas. 
(iv) For the fourth fiscal year after 
such effective date, 15 percent of such 
visas. 
(v) For the fifth and sixth fiscal years 
after such effective date, 10 percent of 
such visas. 
(vi) For the seventh, eighth, and 
ninth fiscal years after such effective date, 
5 percent of such visas. 
(B) ADDITIONAL
RESERVED
VISAS
FOR 
NEW ARRIVALS.—For each of the first nine fis-
cal years after the effective date referred to in 
subsection (d), an additional 5.75 percent of the 
immigrant visas made available under each of 
paragraphs (2) and (3) of section 203(b) of the 
Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 
1153(b)) shall be allocated to immigrants who 
are natives of a foreign state or dependent area 
that is not one of the two foreign states or de-
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pendent areas with the highest demand for im-
migrant visas. Such additional visas shall be al-
located in the following order of priority: 
(i) FAMILY MEMBERS ACCOMPANYING 
OR FOLLOWING TO JOIN.—Visas reserved 
under this subparagraph shall be allocated 
to family members described in section 
203(d) of the Immigration and Nationality 
Act (8 U.S.C. 1153(d)) who are accom-
panying or following to join a principal 
beneficiary who is in the United States and 
has been granted an immigrant visa or ad-
justment of status to lawful permanent 
residence under paragraph (2) or (3) of 
section 203(b) of the Immigration and Na-
tionality Act (8 U.S.C. 1153(b)). 
(ii) NEW PRINCIPAL ARRIVALS.—If at 
the end of the second quarter of any fiscal 
year, the total number of visas reserved 
under this subparagraph exceeds the num-
ber of qualified immigrants described in 
clause (i), such visas may also be allocated, 
for the remainder of the fiscal year, to in-
dividuals (and their family members de-
scribed in section 203(d) of the Immigra-
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tion and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 
1153(d))) who are seeking an immigrant 
visa under paragraph (2) or (3) of section 
203(b) of the Immigration and Nationality 
Act (8 U.S.C. 1153(b)) to enter the United 
States as new immigrants, and who have 
not resided or worked in the United States 
at any point in the four-year period imme-
diately preceding the filing of the immi-
grant visa petition. 
(iii) OTHER
NEW
ARRIVALS.—If at 
the end of the third quarter of any fiscal 
year, the total number of visas reserved 
under this subparagraph exceeds the num-
ber of qualified immigrants described in 
clauses (i) and (ii), such visas may be also 
be allocated, for the remainder of the fiscal 
year, to other individuals (and their family 
members described in section 203(d) of the 
Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 
1153(d))) who are seeking an immigrant 
visa under paragraph (2) or (3) of section 
203(b) of the Immigration and Nationality 
Act (8 U.S.C. 1153(b)). 
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(2) RESERVED VISAS FOR SHORTAGE OCCUPA-
TIONS.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—For each of the first 
seven fiscal years after the effective date re-
ferred to in subsection (d), not fewer than 
4,400 of the immigrant visas made available 
under section 203(b)(3) of the Immigration and 
Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1153(b)(3)), and not 
reserved under paragraph (1), shall be allocated 
to immigrants who are seeking admission to the 
United States to work in an occupation de-
scribed in section 656.5(a) of title 20, Code of 
Federal Regulations (or any successor regula-
tion). 
(B) FAMILY MEMBERS.—Family members 
who are accompanying or following to join a 
principal beneficiary described in subparagraph 
(A) shall be entitled to a visa in the same sta-
tus and in the same order of consideration as 
such principal beneficiary, but such visa shall 
not be counted against the 4,400 immigrant 
visas reserved under such subparagraph. 
(3) PER-COUNTRY LEVELS.—For each of the 
first nine fiscal years after the effective date referred 
to in subsection (d)— 
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(A) not more than 25 percent (in the case 
of a single foreign state) or 2 percent (in the 
case of a dependent area) of the total number 
of visas reserved under paragraph (1) shall be 
allocated to immigrants who are natives of any 
single foreign state or dependent area; and 
(B) not more than 85 percent of the immi-
grant visas made available under each of para-
graphs (2) and (3) of section 203(b) of the Im-
migration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 
1153(b)) and not reserved under paragraph (1), 
may be allocated to immigrants who are native 
to any single foreign state or dependent area. 
(4) SPECIAL
RULE
TO
PREVENT
UNUSED 
VISAS.—If, at the end of the third quarter of any 
fiscal year, the Secretary of State determines that 
the application of paragraphs (1) through (3) would 
result in visas made available under paragraph (2) 
or (3) of section 203(b) of the Immigration and Na-
tionality Act (8 U.S.C. 1153(b)) going unused in 
that fiscal year, such visas may be allocated during 
the remainder of such fiscal year without regard to 
paragraphs (1) through (3). 
(5) RULES FOR CHARGEABILITY AND DEPEND-
ENTS.—Section 202(b) of the Immigration and Na-
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