Explainer: What the Americans First Act Would Mean for Kenyan Professionals Abroad

Republican lawmakers have introduced two immigration bills that would sharply reduce family-based migration, tighten employment visa rules, and expand merit-based admissions criteria in the United States.

The proposed Americans First Immigration Act, introduced by Representative Barry Moore, would limit family sponsorship to spouses and minor children. Categories covering siblings, parents, and adult children would be removed. The legislation would also end the diversity visa lottery, which was created in 1990 to encourage immigration from underrepresented countries.

Under the proposal, visas would instead be awarded according to criteria such as education, English-language ability, military service, and high-paying job offers. Religious workers would continue to receive a quota of 3,000 visas each year. Employers seeking to hire foreign workers would also have to show that American workers are not being displaced.

Representative Eli Crane has separately introduced the End H-1B Visa Abuse Act of 2026, which would make major changes to the H-1B visa programme. The bill would cut the annual cap from 65,000 to 25,000, set a minimum salary requirement of $200,000, and suspend new visas for three years. It would also end the lottery system, prohibit third-party staffing arrangements, and limit routes from temporary work visas to permanent residency.

In 2017, the RAISE Act proposed reducing the number of green cards issued each year, ending the diversity lottery, and restricting family-based migration. In December 2025, Trump suspended the green card lottery following campus shootings, and later signed an executive order restricting H-1B visas.

The bills face significant legislative obstacles. Any proposal would need approval from the House Judiciary Committee before moving through both chambers of Congress. With the 2026 election campaign under way, the chances of broad immigration reforms passing remain uncertain.

Federal courts have also blocked several immigration measures introduced during Trump’s current term, including efforts to restrict birthright citizenship. An Associated Press review found that federal judges ruled against the administration in at least 31 cases involving immigration, labour, and government spending during the first 15 months of the term.

Economists and Democratic lawmakers have criticised stricter immigration policies, arguing that they could slow economic growth by reducing labour force expansion. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said in 2025 that immigration policy had significantly slowed the growth of the labour force. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries criticised proposals that would restrict legal immigration pathways and increase enforcement measures.

The current proposals represent a continued Republican effort to shift US immigration policy towards a more selective, merit-based system. They also mark a departure from the framework established under the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, which combined family reunification, labour needs, and humanitarian protections within the immigration system.