Sen. Tommy Tuberville introduced the Americans First Immigration Act on September 25, 2026, proposing to end green card sponsorship routes for parents, siblings and adult children of U.S. citizens. The bill would also replace employment-based green card categories with a points system.
It would end the Diversity Visa Lottery, too. The proposal has not changed current law.
Its family provisions would reach pending cases as well as future sponsorship. Employment applicants would face a new set of thresholds.
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The plan also addresses tuition charges for some immigrants. Congress would have to pass the bill before its provisions could take effect.
Parents would leave a category currently free of annual visa caps
Current law treats parents of U.S. citizens who are at least 21 as immediate relatives. That category is not subject to annual visa caps.
The bill would remove parents from that group. Spouses and children would remain in the immediate-relative category.
The proposal would also eliminate family-preference routes for siblings and adult children of U.S. citizens, along with other family-preference categories. These provisions would reduce the family relationships through which U.S. citizens could sponsor relatives for green cards.
The changes include people already waiting on petitions. The bill would not preserve every case in progress.
Pending petitions in affected categories could not be approved after enactment. Petitions approved before enactment would face a transition rule limiting how many visas could still be issued.
The proposed transition provision covers both applications awaiting a decision and approved petitions that have not yet led to visa issuance. It sets a limit on remaining visas, though the proposal’s summary does not give a numerical cap.
The proposed employment route starts with a job offer and 16 points
The bill would replace current employment-based green card categories with a points-based system. It would set an annual worldwide level of 192,000 visas.
Applicants would need a U.S. job offer and at least 16 points. The proposal also sets an English proficiency threshold of at least the fifth decile.
Applicants would have to be between 18 and 51 years old. Age and English ability would count toward the points model, alongside education, salary, military service and extraordinary achievement.
Pay would depend on the state where the applicant works. The general minimum would be 200 percent of that state’s median wage.
Some applicants educated at U.S. institutions would face a lower floor: 150 percent of the median wage. The salary thresholds would therefore vary by the applicant’s circumstances.
A job offer alone would not satisfy the bill’s proposed conditions. Applicants would also have to meet the points, English, age and salary standards.
Green cards issued through the new system would initially be conditional for two years. The employment changes could affect people in long backlogs, including many Indian professionals waiting for permanent residence.
Tuberville says the proposal would screen applicants for contribution
Tuberville described the current immigration system as insufficiently selective. He said:
“Our current immigration system does little to evaluate the type of people we let in — it’s a free-for-all.”
He also argued that immigrants should follow U.S. laws and contribute to society:
“Coming to the United States is a privilege, and we need to ensure that anyone immigrating to our country is willing to go by our laws and contribute to our society.”
The bill would add a tuition rule for immigrants who are not lawful permanent residents. At postsecondary institutions, they would have to pay at least the same tuition, fees and other costs as comparable out-of-state students.
The family and employment provisions would take effect only if Congress passes the measure and it is signed into law. Until then, the sponsorship and employment rules remain proposals.
