BILL ANALYSIS �
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SJR 13|
|Office of Senate Floor Analyses | |
|1020 N Street, Suite 524 | |
|(916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) | |
|327-4478 | |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
THIRD READING
Bill No: SJR 13
Author: Yee (D)
Amended: As introduced
Vote: 21
SUBJECT : Immigration reform: F3 and F4 visa categories
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This resolution memorializes the President and
Congress of the United States to reject all immigration reform
efforts that seek to hurt families by eliminating or negatively
impacting the F3 and F4 visa categories. This resolution
memorializes the President and Congress to take a comprehensive,
bipartisan, and well reasoned approach to immigration issues
that maintains the fair and appropriate priority for family
reunification.
ANALYSIS : This resolution makes the following legislative
findings:
1. Immigrants are a vibrant, productive, and vital part of
California's growing economy, diverse cultural fabric, and
changing demographics.
2. Federal legislation has been proposed that offers a path to
citizenship for many of the 11 million undocumented
immigrants already living in the U.S.
3. Unfortunately, the proposed law eliminates the F4 visa
category so that U.S. citizens will no longer be able to
CONTINUED
SJR 13
Page
2
sponsor their brothers and sisters. It also places an age
cap on the F3 visa category so that U.S. citizens can only
sponsor their adult children if they are not more than 30
years old.
4. Eliminating the ability of U.S. citizens to sponsor their
loved ones such as brothers, sisters, and adult married
children 31 years of age and older, runs counter to the
family values that are a cornerstone of our nation. It is
also counterproductive since it limits the ability of
immigrant families to contribute to the entrepreneurship and
innovation that have been vital drivers of economic growth
throughout our nation's history.
5. Eliminating the F4 and altering the F3 visa categories will
have a profound impact on Asian Americans and Pacific
Islanders. In November 2012, there were 4.3 million people
in the family immigration backlog, nearly one-half of whom
were from Asian countries. Asian Americans and Pacific
Islanders sponsored over 40% of all family-based visas in
2010. Some Asian immigrants have been forced to wait as long
as 23 years to be reunited with their families in the U.S.,
largely due to the limitations and inefficiencies of our
legal immigration system.
6. We support the expansion of availability of H-1B visas as
well as other visas necessary to bring needed workers into
our country to grow our economy.
This resolution memorializes the President and Congress of the
U.S. to reject all immigration reform efforts that seek to hurt
families by eliminating or negatively impacting the F3 and F4
visa categories. This resolution memorializes the President and
Congress to take a comprehensive, bipartisan, and well reasoned
approach to immigration issues that maintains the fair and
appropriate priority for family reunification.
FISCAL EFFECT : Fiscal Com.: No
JG:k 5/29/13 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: NONE RECEIVED
SJR 13
Page
3
**** END ****