On June 28, 2007, the United States Senate rejected the motion to close debate on Senate Bill S. 1639 ("S. 1639"), a bi-partisan proposal for comprehensive immigration reform.  60 votes were needed, but only 46 senators supported the motion.    The failure to invoke an immediate vote on the bill led Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) to withdraw S. 1639 from debate on the Senate floor.  

If some of the proposed amendments to S. 1639 had become law, the entire employment-based immigrant visa program would have been overhauled and turned into a "point-based" system with very little opportunity for employer input.   

Although the Senate bill also would have raised the annual H-1B visa quota to a range of 115,000-180,000 depending upon market demand, it would have imposed significant new burdens on employers regarding recruitment, travel to client sites, and prevailing wage determinations. The U.S. worker training fee would have been raised from $1500 to $3500, and  S. 1639 would have required all U.S. employers to re-verify electronically the employment eligibility of their workforce within three years of enactment.

How This Affects You

It is unlikely that the Senate will consider immigration reform this summer, or even before the 2008 presidential election.

We will provide further information as it becomes available.