What is the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021? (2023 Update)
The U.S. immigration system needs an overhaul and the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021 proposed solutions through sweeping reforms.
Without bipartisan support, the bill failed to pass through Congress. With more stagnation on subsequent immigration reform bills, the status of many undocumented individuals remains in limbo.
We’ll explain everything you need to know about the U.S. Citizenship Act, why it stalled, and what comes next in immigration reform.
What is the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021?
The U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021 is a legislative bill proposed by President Joe Biden on his first day in office. It is important to note that this was just the introduction of the bill sent to Congress with the eventual hope of enactment.
If put into action, The U.S. Citizenship Act would roll back many of the executive actions put forth by former President Donald Trump throughout his time in office. Proponents of the Act say it prioritizes keeping families together and would reunify those who have been forced apart by a failing immigration system. In other words, the overarching purpose of the Act is to create a better roadmap to citizenship and additional protections for undocumented individuals.
If enacted the U.S. Citizenship Act would:
Provide a pathway to citizenship and strengthen worker protections
A primary component of the Act is the creation of an earned roadmap to citizenship for various groups of undocumented immigrants. The bill also aims to keep families together by reforming the family-based immigration process and clearing out backlogs.
Additional reforms would expand access to green cards for various groups of immigrant workers and provide work authorization to H-1B visa holder dependants.
Modernize U.S. Border Security
The border security component of the U.S. Citizenship Act proposed a move away from expensive measures like the construction of a physical wall along the southern border. Instead, it focuses on implementing high-tech methods to detect illicit activity and funnels money back to immigrant processing centers. The bill also includes a No Ban Act to eliminate discriminatory measures like the Muslim travel ban from the Trump presidency.
Address the root cause of immigration in the U.S.
Along with reforms to the immigration process, the U.S. Citizenship Act focuses on improving the root causes. This includes funding assistance programs for El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras as well as the creation of safer channels for asylum seekers.
What happened to the U.S. Citizenship Act? (2023 Update)
Democrats viewed sweeping immigration legalization proposed in the bill as unlikely to pass through the Senate. Instead, lawmakers decided to tackle immigration reform with a series of three smaller bill proposals.
In March of 2021, the House voted to pass two new immigration bills: the American Dream and Promise Act as well as the Farm Workforce Modernization Act. The American Dream and Promise Act focused on pathways to citizenship for Dreamers while the Farm Workforce Modernization Act proposed reforms to the H-2A temporary worker program. Later, in May of 2021 House and Senate lawmakers introduced the Citizenship for Essential Workers Act proposing a citizenship pathway for undocumented workers.
All three bills mentioned above remain stalled or blocked in Congress with a lack of bipartisan backing. This is in contrast to the many polls displaying broad public approval for immigration reform that provides updated pathways to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.
What’s next for immigration reform in the U.S.?
The Biden team promised sweeping immigration reform as part of his presidential campaign. Unfortunately, as is often the case with U.S. politics, change takes time. This affects thousands of people simply trying to secure a better life with citizenship.
Comprehensive immigration reform still hasn’t passed through Congress, which contradicts the strong public support for such changes. The 2022 midterms demonstrated that two-thirds of voters support the creation of permanent legal status for Dreamers and other undocumented individuals. This provides hope for reform legislation to be passed before the 2024 election.
Citizenship and your finances
With immigration reform in limbo, it’s essential to focus on things you can control like your finances and credit. The Upwardli resources hub has you covered with answers to questions related to the importance of credit for non-citizens, how to build credit as a non-citizen, whether undocumented immigrants need to file taxes, and plenty more.
