Immigration Reform news 2017: Congressman Chaffetz introduces two bills aimed at reforming legal immigration programs

Republican Utah representative Jason Chaffetz has recently re-introduced two immigration reform bills in the U.S. House, namely the Asylum Reform and Border Protection Act of 2015 and the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act of 2011, both of which were previously voted on by lawmakers. Additionally, now that the Republicans are effectively in control of the executive and legislative branches of the American government, is there a chance for these immigration reform bills to become law this time around?

The first bill is reportedly concerned with the system of vetting of asylum candidates — immigrants who aim to get an asylum status in the U.S. in order to escape the dangerous conditions in their own countries. Chaffetz says that the system needs to be reformed, especially since there's no way to check up on the metrics of the people claiming asylum status and since the system is easily being abused.

The bill aims to tighten the requirements for asylum candidates to be allowed to enter the U.S. The bill will also make it hard for immigrants to temporarily go back home while still keeping their asylum status.

On the other hand, the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act aims to change the way working visas are given out. Through this bill, the total number of U.S. visas will be given out on a first-come, first-served basis instead of having a fixed number of visas granted per country. This would mean that high-skilled workers in countries stuck in long visa backlogs will be rewarded a chance to legally enter and work in the U.S.

These bills aim to reform legal immigration programs in the U.S. so that they can better serve immigrants who are trying to come to the U.S. in legal and lawful ways.

Immigration concerns have reportedly been heightened by the election of Donald Trump to the presidency. With such agenda putting up a wall on the Mexican border and deporting illegal immigrants, the president-elect has won the favor of many American voters who wish to see significant improvements in the country's immigration policies.