SENATE BILL: Immigration Reform Act of 2020 (Passed)

[Former President tack50]

Revised:

5a. Up to 15 points may be awarded for prior job experience on an skilled job:
a) Less than 1 year of job experience: 0 points
b) Between 1 and 2 years of job experience: 9 points
c) Between 2 and 3 years of job experience: 11 points
d) Between 3 and 6 years of job experience: 13 points
e) 6 or more years of job experience: 15 points
5b. Skilled job shall be defined as a management job; a professional job that usually calls for a college degree (for example doctors or architects) or a technical job that usually calls for a college diploma or apprenticeship (for example plumbers or electricians)
5c. Part time jobs, defined as jobs comprising less than 30 hours per week of work; shall count as half for the purposes of counting the years from section 3.5a
5d. Medical doctors who have work or intend to work within 90 days after arrival in an area, as determined by the Atlasian Census Bureau, to be rural or impoverished, shall be awarded an additional 7 points.

So far this is my preferred proposal, but I am open to further refinement. This would serve the double purpose of both revitalizing dying rural areas and bringing them services like doctors.

So is that friendly or hostile?

Friendly

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Senators have 24 hours to object.

[Esteemed Jimmy]

Proposing this amendment:

SENATE BILL

To reform the immigration system into Atlasia

Be it enacted in both Houses of Congress Assembled,

Section 1: Name
1. This bill may be referred to as the "Immigration Reform Act of 2020"

Section 2: Categories of legal immigration to Atlasia
1. The following categories of legal permanent immigration to the Republic of Atlasia are hereby established:
a) Family Reunification
b) Job based immigration
c) Other immigration
2. This act shall not alter the composition or requirements for non-immigrant visas or for visas intended for temporary workers or students

Section 3: Family Reunification immigration
1. Family reunification visas may only be issued to the unmarried children or to the spouse of an Atlasian citizen or permanent resident; or to the unmarried brothers of an Atlasian citizen; who has been living in the Republic of Atlasia for no less than 5 years.
2. Family reunification visas shall be capped at no more than 300 000 per year.
3. During the application process for family reunification, priority shall be given to the foreign relatives of Atlasian citizens that have had no criminal records in the Republic of Atlasia for the past 10 years

Section 4: Job immigration
1a. Job immigration into the Republic of Atlasia shall be based on a points based system. All applicants who score 67 or more points shall be awarded a job immigration visa.
1b. Job immigration visas may be revoked in the event of a failure to meet any continuing requirements as described in this Section.

2. People awarded a Job immigration visa may also award another job immigration visa to their spouse, regardless of whether their spouse fulfills the necessary requirements or not

32a. Up to 24 points may be awarded for proficiency in the English language; 6 each for Reading comprehension, Writing, Listening and Speaking.
32b. Immigrants scoring below an IELTS level of 5.5 (or equivalent) many not apply for a job immigration visa.
32c. Points shall be awarded for scoring 5.5 or above in each of the 4 categories described in section 2.3a; with 2 points for scoring between 5.5 and 5.99; 4 points for scoring between 6 and 6.99, 5 points for scoring between 7 and 7.99 and 6 points for scoring 8 or more points.

43. Up to 25 points may be awarded for education proficiency, according to the following equivalency list:
a) High School diploma: 5 points
b) 2 year apprenticeship after high school: 10 points
c) 3 year college degree after high school: 15 points
d) 4 year Bachelor's degree: 20 points
e) Double Bachelor: 22 points
f) Master's degree: 23 points
g) PHD: 25 points

54a. Up to 15 points may be awarded for prior job experience on an skilled job:
a) Less than 1 year of job experience: 0 points
b) Between 1 and 2 years of job experience: 9 points
c) Between 2 and 3 years of job experience: 11 points
d) Between 3 and 6 years of job experience: 13 points
e) 6 or more years of job experience: 15 points
54b. Skilled job shall be defined as a management job; a professional job that usually calls for a college degree (for example doctors or architects) or a technical job that usually calls for a college diploma or apprenticeship (for example plumbers or electricians)
54c. Part time jobs, defined as jobs comprising less than 30 hours per week of work; shall count as half for the purposes of counting the years from sections 3.5a4a.(a-e).
5d. a) Medical doctors who intend to work in an area, as determined by the Atlasian Census Bureau, to be rural or impoverished, shall be awarded an additional 7 points.
)b Any person who is awarded a job visa because of meeting the requirement in 5d. a) shall have 90 days to gain employment, or to regain employment after a job loss, in such area, or the job visa shall be revoked.

65a. Up to 12 points may be awarded for an applicant's age. Applicants between the ages of 18 and 35 shall be awarded the full 12 points. For each year after that, the number of points awarded shall be reduced by 1 per year, until reaching 0 at age 47.
6b. No persons under the age of 18 may apply for a job immigration visa to the Republic of Atlasia

76. Up to 15 extra points shall be awarded to any workers who attempt to immigrate to the Republic of Atlasia with a job offer for a job that is full time and skilled. These immigrants shall receive the full 15 points, everyone else shall receive 0 points

8. Up to 10 points may be awarded for extra requirements. Each of these requirements shall give the applicant an extra 5 points unless specified otherwise:
-Their spouse having a 5.5 level of competence in an IELTS English test.
-The applicant or their spouse having completed high school or a college degree in Atlasia
-Having any sort of legal job experience in Atlasia for at least one year shall award 10 points in this section
-Having a relative living legally in the Republic of Atlasia. Relative shall be defined as the applicant's sibling, parent, grandparent, child or grandchild.

78. If the number of applicants surpasses the maximum amount of people who may apply for an immigrant visa, priority shall be given to the highest scoring applicants. In the case of a score tie; the applicants with job offers shall be admitted first.

Section 5. Other immigration
1. The following extra categories of permanent immigration to the Republic of Atlasia are hereby retained, with their current requirements:
a) Outstandingly skilled people, as currently immigrating through the EB1 visa program
b) Certain special categories of immigrants, as currently immigrating through the EB4 visa program
c) Investors, as currently immigrating through the EB5 visa program
2. A new immigration visa shall be created, targeted at retirees who desire to move to the Republic of Atlasia. People immigrating through this visa shall prove that they are financially independent, able to afford their retirement in Atlasia and may not be allowed to take any job offers in Atlasia. The details of this visa shall be devised by the department in charge of internal policy in Atlasia.

Section 6: Miscellaneous repeals and adjustments
1. Section 5 of the Come Out of the Shadows Act is hereby repealed
2. The Diversity Immigrant Visa Program is hereby repealed
3. The total number of immigrant visas issued per year by the Atlasian government may not be more than 1/500th of the Atlasian population, as established in the last decennial census  available. This section shall refer to the census of NPCs made by the Atlasian Census bureau; and not to the census of active players in Atlasia done by the Registrar General.
4. At the discretion of the department responsible for internal policy, the total number of visas available may be reduced by 10% for every year the unemployment rate stays above 5%. Any reduction in the total number of visas shall be accompanied by a proportional reduction in the number of family reunification visas.

Section 7: Enactment
1. This bill shall become enacted on July 1st, 2020 90 days after the passage of this Act.

[Former President tack50]

So uh can I pick and choose which parts are friendly and which are not? Or is it an all or nothing deal?

[YE]

I don't support that restriction of family visas.

I object to the amendment.

As for the bill itself, I may have more of a problem of letting large tech companies have larger control on our immigration system but I also understand the economic need for it to a certain extent.

[YE]

Also family reunification visas are limited to 480,000 per year per this and is about 65% of immigrants in total. This would drop it down to 300,000. Not on board with this probably.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

So uh can I pick and choose which parts are friendly and which are not? Or is it an all or nothing deal?

The latter.  But because YE objected, the amendment will be voted on tomorrow night.

I agree with YE about the family visas and will be voting no on the amendment.

I don't support that restriction of family visas.

I object to the amendment.

As for the bill itself, I may have more of a problem of letting large tech companies have larger control on our immigration system but I also understand the economic need for it to a certain extent.

Can you elaborate on this?  The bill as it stands gives the advantage to prospective immigrants with education and job experience, but I don't see how we're letting large tech companies control our immigration policy.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

So uh can I pick and choose which parts are friendly and which are not? Or is it an all or nothing deal?

It was done pre-reset.

I am up for taking a crack at it if you are.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

I don't support that restriction of family visas.

I object to the amendment.

As for the bill itself, I may have more of a problem of letting large tech companies have larger control on our immigration system but I also understand the economic need for it to a certain extent.

Are you objecting to Scott's amendment, Jimmy's amendment or both?

[Anna Komnene]

Popping in to the old chamber to advocate against repealing section 5 of Come out of the Shadows.

Those visas are specific to Mexico, Guatemala, and El Salvador. They are part of a program combined with 5 years of high priority foreign development assistance to discourage illegal immigration by improving living conditions there, improving Atlasia's relationship with their governments, and creating a culture of legal immigration between Atlasia and those three countries. It doesn't impact immigration from other countries.

I'd like to ask Senators to reconsider repealing that.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Thanks for clarifying that, Siren.

On behalf of the original sponsor of Come Out of the Shadows, I move to amend that we strike Section 6.1.

Section 6: Miscellaneous repeals and adjustments
1. Section 5 of the Come Out of the Shadows Act is hereby repealed
1. The Diversity Immigrant Visa Program is hereby repealed
2. The total number of immigrant visas issued per year by the Atlasian government may not be more than 1/500th of the Atlasian population, as established in the last decennial census  available. This section shall refer to the census of NPCs made by the Atlasian Census bureau; and not to the census of active players in Atlasia done by the Registrar General.
3. At the discretion of the department responsible for internal policy, the total number of visas available may be reduced by 10% for every year the unemployment rate stays above 5%. Any reduction in the total number of visas shall be accompanied by a proportional reduction in the number of family reunification visas.

The program that section 5 establishes is definitely a temporary one, and we'll likely (hopefully) be reviewing its status in 2021.

[Former President tack50]

Well with YE objecting in full I will not bother doing a partial objection though I may take the parts from Jimmy's amendment that I agree with and compiling them into a counterproposal.

As for the bill itself, I may have more of a problem of letting large tech companies have larger control on our immigration system but I also understand the economic need for it to a certain extent.

Also family reunification visas are limited to 480,000 per year per this and is about 65% of immigrants in total. This would drop it down to 300,000. Not on board with this probably.

Could you elaborate on how this would let "large tech companies have larger control on our immigration system"?

As for that, yeah; that is (part of) the point of the bill; this would shift Atlasia's focus on immigration from family reunification to skills-based immigration. I think overall the numbers actually expand the number of visas by a very small amount if I am doing my math correctly

Popping in to the old chamber to advocate against repealing section 5 of Come out of the Shadows.

Those visas are specific to Mexico, Guatemala, and El Salvador. They are part of a program combined with 5 years of high priority foreign development assistance to discourage illegal immigration by improving living conditions there, improving Atlasia's relationship with their governments, and creating a culture of legal immigration between Atlasia and those three countries. It doesn't impact immigration from other countries.

I'd like to ask Senators to reconsider repealing that.

Given that section has a sunset provision and how it has been in place for a long time already, I suppose we could just make it expire a year earlier (so in 2020 instead of 2021); and possibly amend the start of this bill to January 1st 2021.

[YE]

I don't support that restriction of family visas.

I object to the amendment.

As for the bill itself, I may have more of a problem of letting large tech companies have larger control on our immigration system but I also understand the economic need for it to a certain extent.

Are you objecting to Scott's amendment, Jimmy's amendment or both?

Jimmy's.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Scott's amendment from the previous page, I think its S24:08 is adopted.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

SENATE BILL

To reform the immigration system into Atlasia

Be it enacted in both Houses of Congress Assembled,

Section 1: Name
1. This bill may be referred to as the "Immigration Reform Act of 2020"

Section 2: Categories of legal immigration to Atlasia
1. The following categories of legal permanent immigration to the Republic of Atlasia are hereby established:
a) Family Reunification
b) Job based immigration
c) Other immigration
2. This act shall not alter the composition or requirements for non-immigrant visas or for visas intended for temporary workers or students

Section 3: Family Reunification immigration
1. Family reunification visas may only be issued to the unmarried children or to the spouse of an Atlasian citizen or permanent resident; or to the unmarried brothers of an Atlasian citizen; who has been living in the Republic of Atlasia for no less than 5 years.
2. Family reunification visas shall be capped at no more than 300 000 per year.
3. During the application process for family reunification, priority shall be given to the foreign relatives of Atlasian citizens that have had no criminal records in the Republic of Atlasia for the past 10 years

Section 4: Job immigration
1a. Job immigration into the Republic of Atlasia shall be based on a points based system. All applicants who score 67 or more points shall be awarded a job immigration visa.
1b. Job immigration visas may be revoked in the event of a failure to meet any continuing requirements as described in this Section.

2. People awarded a Job immigration visa may also award another job immigration visa to their spouse, regardless of whether their spouse fulfills the necessary requirements or not

32a. Up to 24 points may be awarded for proficiency in the English language; 6 each for Reading comprehension, Writing, Listening and Speaking.
32b. Immigrants scoring below an IELTS level of 5.5 (or equivalent) many not apply for a job immigration visa.
32c. Points shall be awarded for scoring 5.5 or above in each of the 4 categories described in section 2.3a; with 2 points for scoring between 5.5 and 5.99; 4 points for scoring between 6 and 6.99, 5 points for scoring between 7 and 7.99 and 6 points for scoring 8 or more points.

43. Up to 25 points may be awarded for education proficiency, according to the following equivalency list:
a) High School diploma: 5 points
b) 2 year apprenticeship after high school: 10 points
c) 3 year college degree after high school: 15 points
d) 4 year Bachelor's degree: 20 points
e) Double Bachelor: 22 points
f) Master's degree: 23 points
g) PHD: 25 points

54a. Up to 15 points may be awarded for prior job experience on an skilled job:
a) Less than 1 year of job experience: 0 points
b) Between 1 and 2 years of job experience: 9 points
c) Between 2 and 3 years of job experience: 11 points
d) Between 3 and 6 years of job experience: 13 points
e) 6 or more years of job experience: 15 points
54b. Skilled job shall be defined as a management job; a professional job that usually calls for a college degree (for example doctors or architects) or a technical job that usually calls for a college diploma or apprenticeship (for example plumbers or electricians)
54c. Part time jobs, defined as jobs comprising less than 30 hours per week of work; shall count as half for the purposes of counting the years from sections 3.5a4a.(a-e).
5d. a) Medical doctors who intend to work in an area, as determined by the Atlasian Census Bureau, to be rural or impoverished, shall be awarded an additional 7 points.
)b Any person who is awarded a job visa because of meeting the requirement in 5d. a) shall have 90 days to gain employment, or to regain employment after a job loss, in such area, or the job visa shall be revoked.

65a. Up to 12 points may be awarded for an applicant's age. Applicants between the ages of 18 and 35 shall be awarded the full 12 points. For each year after that, the number of points awarded shall be reduced by 1 per year, until reaching 0 at age 47.
6b. No persons under the age of 18 may apply for a job immigration visa to the Republic of Atlasia

76. Up to 15 extra points shall be awarded to any workers who attempt to immigrate to the Republic of Atlasia with a job offer for a job that is full time and skilled. These immigrants shall receive the full 15 points, everyone else shall receive 0 points

8. Up to 10 points may be awarded for extra requirements. Each of these requirements shall give the applicant an extra 5 points unless specified otherwise:
-Their spouse having a 5.5 level of competence in an IELTS English test.
-The applicant or their spouse having completed high school or a college degree in Atlasia
-Having any sort of legal job experience in Atlasia for at least one year shall award 10 points in this section
-Having a relative living legally in the Republic of Atlasia. Relative shall be defined as the applicant's sibling, parent, grandparent, child or grandchild.

78. If the number of applicants surpasses the maximum amount of people who may apply for an immigrant visa, priority shall be given to the highest scoring applicants. In the case of a score tie; the applicants with job offers shall be admitted first.

Section 5. Other immigration
1. The following extra categories of permanent immigration to the Republic of Atlasia are hereby retained, with their current requirements:
a) Outstandingly skilled people, as currently immigrating through the EB1 visa program
b) Certain special categories of immigrants, as currently immigrating through the EB4 visa program
c) Investors, as currently immigrating through the EB5 visa program
2. A new immigration visa shall be created, targeted at retirees who desire to move to the Republic of Atlasia. People immigrating through this visa shall prove that they are financially independent, able to afford their retirement in Atlasia and may not be allowed to take any job offers in Atlasia. The details of this visa shall be devised by the department in charge of internal policy in Atlasia.

Section 6: Miscellaneous repeals and adjustments
1. Section 5 of the Come Out of the Shadows Act is hereby repealed
2. The Diversity Immigrant Visa Program is hereby repealed
3. The total number of immigrant visas issued per year by the Atlasian government may not be more than 1/500th of the Atlasian population, as established in the last decennial census  available. This section shall refer to the census of NPCs made by the Atlasian Census bureau; and not to the census of active players in Atlasia done by the Registrar General.
4. At the discretion of the department responsible for internal policy, the total number of visas available may be reduced by 10% for every year the unemployment rate stays above 5%. Any reduction in the total number of visas shall be accompanied by a proportional reduction in the number of family reunification visas.

Section 7: Enactment
1. This bill shall become enacted on July 1st, 2020 90 days after the passage of this Act.

Sponsor Feedback: Hostile
Status: A vote is now open on this amendment.  Senators, please vote Aye, Nay or Abstain.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Nay

[Esteemed Jimmy]

Aye

[YE]

Nay.

[Former President tack50]

Abstain

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

I feel tacks pain.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

With one vote in favor, two votes opposed, and one abstention, the amendment is rejected.

Debate resumes.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Thanks for clarifying that, Siren.

On behalf of the original sponsor of Come Out of the Shadows, I move to amend that we strike Section 6.1.

Section 6: Miscellaneous repeals and adjustments
1. Section 5 of the Come Out of the Shadows Act is hereby repealed
1. The Diversity Immigrant Visa Program is hereby repealed
2. The total number of immigrant visas issued per year by the Atlasian government may not be more than 1/500th of the Atlasian population, as established in the last decennial census  available. This section shall refer to the census of NPCs made by the Atlasian Census bureau; and not to the census of active players in Atlasia done by the Registrar General.
3. At the discretion of the department responsible for internal policy, the total number of visas available may be reduced by 10% for every year the unemployment rate stays above 5%. Any reduction in the total number of visas shall be accompanied by a proportional reduction in the number of family reunification visas.

The program that section 5 establishes is definitely a temporary one, and we'll likely (hopefully) be reviewing its status in 2021.

Tack, this still needs feedback.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

With one vote in favor, two votes opposed, and one abstention, the amendment is rejected.

Debate resumes.

Wait what?

3.) If judged hostile by the sponsor, or if a Senator has objected, a vote shall be started by the PPT once the amendment has been on the floor twenty four hours. The vote shall last for three days or until a majority has voted in favor or against the amendment, at which point Senators who have voted shall be prohibited from changing their votes and the vote shall be declared final.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Nay

Only to get us closer to a majority. as I said before, there are parts I like and parts I don't but another abstain will just delay things.

[Former President tack50]

Thanks for clarifying that, Siren.

On behalf of the original sponsor of Come Out of the Shadows, I move to amend that we strike Section 6.1.

Section 6: Miscellaneous repeals and adjustments
1. Section 5 of the Come Out of the Shadows Act is hereby repealed
1. The Diversity Immigrant Visa Program is hereby repealed
2. The total number of immigrant visas issued per year by the Atlasian government may not be more than 1/500th of the Atlasian population, as established in the last decennial census  available. This section shall refer to the census of NPCs made by the Atlasian Census bureau; and not to the census of active players in Atlasia done by the Registrar General.
3. At the discretion of the department responsible for internal policy, the total number of visas available may be reduced by 10% for every year the unemployment rate stays above 5%. Any reduction in the total number of visas shall be accompanied by a proportional reduction in the number of family reunification visas.

The program that section 5 establishes is definitely a temporary one, and we'll likely (hopefully) be reviewing its status in 2021.

Tack, this still needs feedback.

Oh I missed it sorry!

Anyways, hostile only because I prefer to sunset the program,