As it has done so many times in the past, Congress passed a stop-gap measure which continues funding the government at current levels. The resolution reauthorized three visa programs and the E-Verify Program for the same time period. The visa programs are:
The Eb-5 Program, which provides permanent resident status to foreign national investors who invest one million dollars, or $500,000.00 in a rural or high-unemployment area, and create at least ten full-time jobs. Currently, there are various Eb-5 bills pending, ranging from reauthorizing it for five years to making it permanent.
The Conrad 30 Program, which allows certain foreign national physicians who trained in the United States to obtain a waiver of the two-year foreign residence requirement if they commit themselves to work in medically underserved areas for at least three years. A pending bipartisan bill is pending and could make the program permanent.
Special Immigrant Non-Minister Religious Worker Program, which allows lay religious workers and non-ministers come to the U.S. permanently. Here too, there is a bipartisan bill which would make the program permanent without any changes.
