On July 15, 2025, U.S. Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar introduced the Dignity Act of 2025 known as H.R. 4393, a bipartisan immigration bill that aims to strengthen border security in the United States, provide certain undocumented immigrants with an opportunity to legalize their status, and reform the U.S. legal immigration system.
The bill is a revised version of the Dignity Act of 2023 and has been introduced in the House of Representatives.
In this video, attorney Jacob Sapochnick breaks down each section of the Dignity Act touching on the bill’s major goals such as:
- Border Security and Enforcement
- Reform of the Asylum System
- Legalization for Dreamers and Other Undocumented Immigrants
- Benefits for American Workers and
- Modernizing Legal Immigration
Border Security and Enforcement
The bill’s first major goal is to decrease illegal immigration with several measures aimed at strengthening border security and immigration enforcement. The bill would mandate the nationwide implementation of E-Verify to ensure that only authorized individuals are employed in the U.S., helping to deter illegal immigration through the workforce.
U.S. employers would face civil penalties for knowingly hiring individuals who are not legally authorized to work in the United States, as well as new penalties for employees and employers who knowingly submit false information through E-Verify.
The bill also funds the construction and modernization of physical and technological border infrastructure, including surveillance systems and sensors to improve detection and response capabilities at the border. Approximately $10 billion would be distributed until 2030 for the construction and modernization of ports of entry. To promote accountability, the Act includes oversight requirements for immigration enforcement agencies like ICE. Together, these provisions are designed to improve border control, discourage unlawful entry, and restore public trust in the immigration system.
Reform of the Asylum System
The bill also proposes a major overhaul of the U.S. asylum system, aiming to expedite decisions while maintaining humanitarian protections. One of its central reforms is the requirement that most asylum claims at the border be adjudicated within 60 days by asylum officers. To support this, the bill mandates the creation of three humanitarian campuses along the southern border. These facilities would house migrants during the asylum process and provide access to medical professionals, legal counsel, mental health services, and child advocates, ensuring humane conditions throughout the process.
Within the first 15 days of arrival, migrants would receive a rest period followed by a comprehensive initial screening. This includes background checks, biometric analysis, medical assessments, and a credible fear interview. Migrants who cannot establish a credible fear interview would face expedited removal. Those who pass move to the second stage, where two trained USCIS asylum officers review the claim and make a decision within the next 45 days. If the officers disagree or find the case too complex, it would be referred to an immigration judge.
Denials would lead to expedited removal, while referrals to an immigration judge allow migrants to leave the campus and participate in a case management program with electronic monitoring.
Beyond border processing, the bill introduces in-country processing centers in Latin America to offer pre-screening for asylum seekers, family reunification for certain minors, and information on legal immigration pathways. It also creates a humanitarian visa, capped annually, for qualified individuals seeking asylum through this pre-screening route. The bill adds new safeguards for unaccompanied minors, requiring background checks and restricting custody to safe, eligible sponsors. Additionally, a “two-strike policy” would direct migrants who cross unlawfully between ports of entry to apply at designated locations, with repeat violations resulting in expedited removal.
Legalization for Dreamers and Other Undocumented Immigrants
Dreamers
The bill includes a version of the Dream Act, offering a path to legal status for undocumented immigrants—commonly known as Dreamers—who were brought to the U.S. as children and have lived in the country for most of their lives. This provision could benefit up to 2.5 million individuals, including approximately 525,000 current DACA recipients, by allowing them to continue living, working, and studying in the U.S. without fear of deportation.
Under the bill, eligible Dreamers could apply for “conditional permanent resident” status for up to 10 years. To qualify, applicants must have entered the U.S. before age 18, lived in the U.S. continuously since January 1, 2021, passed a criminal background check, and either graduated high school, earned a GED, or be enrolled in secondary school. Those with gang affiliations or serious criminal records would be disqualified. DHS may also impose an application fee of up to $1,140.
Dreamers can later apply to remove the conditional basis of their status and become lawful permanent residents (LPRs), or Green Card holders, if they meet certain benchmarks. These include earning a college or technical degree, serving in the U.S. military for at least three years, or working legally for at least four years—with employment covering at least 75% of the time they’ve held a work permit. Notably, most DACA recipients are expected to qualify for LPR status immediately upon meeting the criteria.
The Dignity Program
The bill also introduces a structured pathway—called the Dignity Program—for undocumented immigrants who have lived in the U.S. since at least December 31, 2020, to obtain legal status through a seven-year deferred action program. DHS estimates that the program could benefit up to 10.5 million undocumented immigrants.
This program would offer individuals protection from deportation, as well as authorization to work and travel, provided applicants meet several requirements. Participants must pass a criminal background check, pay back taxes, enroll in health coverage, and stay off federal means-tested benefits. They are also required to pay a total of $7,000 in restitution fines over the course of the program, with the money going into a new American Worker Fund to support job training and career transition programs for U.S. citizens.
To remain eligible throughout the seven-year period, individuals must be employed or enrolled in school for at least four years of the seven years, and they must report to DHS every two years.
Those who successfully complete the program can apply for Dignity Status, a renewable legal status that does not lead to U.S. citizenship but allows individuals to continue living and working in the country legally, indefinitely, as long as they remain in good standing. The program excludes participants from accessing federal entitlement programs and continues to prioritize self-sufficiency.
Those who do not qualify for the Dignity Program or fail to apply within 12 months of its implementation would be expected to leave the country, unless they pursue other legal alternatives.
Benefits for American Workers
Meanwhile, the American Worker Fund, financed by the program’s restitution payments, would distribute grants to states and organizations for training U.S. workers in high-demand fields. The goal is to ensure that for every participant in the Dignity Program, at least one American worker receives funding for upskilling, education, or apprenticeship opportunities.
Modernizing Legal Immigration
The bill includes key updates to the U.S. legal immigration system aimed at preserving family unity, reducing immigration backlogs, and improving employment-based opportunities. A central feature is the inclusion of provisions from the American Families United Act, which acknowledges that separating families can cause significant hardship. This provision allows the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to exercise discretion in cases involving undocumented spouses or children of U.S. citizens, with the goal of keeping families together.
In these family-based cases, DHS is authorized to take several actions, such as waiving inadmissibility, declining to initiate removal proceedings, or granting permission for reentry—all when it determines that separation would harm the U.S. citizen family member. Additionally, the bill creates a new “Family Purposes” visa, which would allow certain relatives of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents to visit the U.S. temporarily for important family events like weddings, funerals, and reunions. Eligible relatives under this category include immediate and extended family members such as siblings, grandparents, and nieces or nephews.
The bill also modernizes the process for military naturalizations, ensuring a consistent and streamlined pathway for members of the U.S. armed forces to become citizens—regardless of whether they serve during peacetime or periods of conflict. Overall, these reforms are designed to make the legal immigration system more humane and efficient, while reinforcing the importance of family ties in U.S. immigration policy.
Fairness for Legal Immigrants
The bill introduces significant reforms to address long-standing challenges in the U.S. legal immigration system, particularly targeting visa backlogs and country-specific caps. One major provision aims to eliminate the legal immigration backlog by 2035, allowing individuals who have been waiting over ten years for a family- or employment-based visa to pay a $20,000 premium processing fee to receive their visa more quickly. This fast-track option is designed to provide relief to those who have spent more than a decade stuck in the system.
To further ease the backlog, the bill raises the per-country cap on green cards from 7% to 15%, allowing more visas to go to nationals of high-demand countries like India or China. This change is expected to reduce disproportionate wait times and bring more fairness to the distribution of visas across countries.
Additionally, the bill includes protections for Documented Dreamers—children who grew up legally in the U.S. as dependents of work visa holders but risk losing their legal status when they turn 21 due to visa delays. Through a version of the America’s Children Act, these individuals can apply for lawful permanent resident (LPR) status if they have been lawfully present in the U.S. for at least 10 cumulative years. This provision helps ensure that children who have lived much of their lives in the U.S. don’t face deportation or lose their place in line due to bureaucratic delays.
Employment and Student Visas
The bill also includes several reforms to modernize employment-based immigration and streamline visa processing. One important change is that spouses and children of employment-based visa holders would no longer count toward the annual visa caps. By only counting the principal applicant, this provision would effectively increase the number of high-skilled workers eligible for visas without actually raising the cap.
The bill also updates the rules for F-1 visas issued to international students. Under current law, students must prove they intend to return to their home country after completing their studies. The new policy would classify F-1 visas as dual intent, allowing students to remain in the U.S. if they later qualify for employment-based visas. Additionally, students participating in Optional Practical Training (OPT) would be required to pay into Social Security and Medicare, aligning their tax obligations with those of U.S. workers.
To encourage the retention of highly educated individuals, the bill introduces a new rule for O visas, which are meant for individuals with extraordinary ability. Students who earn a doctoral degree in a STEM-related or medical field would be presumed eligible for an O visa, simplifying their path to staying in the U.S. long term.
To support these reforms, the bill establishes an Immigration Agency Coordinator, tasked with improving coordination among USCIS, the Department of State, and the Department of Labor. It authorizes $3.6 billion in funding to speed up processing times, reduce backlogs, and improve overall efficiency in visa and work authorization procedures.
Conclusion
The Dignity Act of 2025 is a comprehensive, bipartisan immigration reform bill that strengthens border security while offering legal pathways for undocumented immigrants, Dreamers, and high-skilled workers. It modernizes the asylum system, reduces visa backlogs, protects family unity, and invests in American workers. Though its future in Congress is uncertain, the bill represents a major step toward a more balanced and humane immigration system.
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