SMART Act

This bill modifies the U.S. immigration system, including by eliminating the diversity and employment-based visa systems, establishing a points-based system, and capping other immigration categories.

The diversity visa program—which makes visas available to individuals from countries that send fewer immigrants—is eliminated.

The bill caps annual refugee admission at 50,000. Currently, the President sets annual limits.

The bill limits the current family-sponsored immigration system by lowering the annual cap and narrowing the qualifications by, for example, lowering the age limit of qualifying children and eliminating siblings as a qualifying relationship. The bill also disqualifies noncitizen parents of adult U.S. citizens from this category and creates a new nonimmigrant visa for such parents. This visa has an initial authorization period of five years and may be extended for additional five-year periods.

Summary by the Congressional Research Service.