AMIGOS Act

Advancing Mutual Interests and Growing Our Success Act or the AMIGOS Act

This bill makes Portuguese nationals eligible for E-1 and E-2 nonimmigrant visas if the government of Portugal provides similar nonimmigrant status to U.S. nationals. The bill also imposes additional requirements on such visas.

An E-1 visa is for individuals entering the United States to engage in international trade, while an E-2 visa is for individuals investing a substantial amount of capital in the United States. Both are limited to nationals from countries that have a treaty of commerce and navigation with the United States.

Furthermore, under this bill, if an alien who has never received an E visa became the national of an E visa-eligible foreign country by making a financial investment in that foreign country, that alien must have been domiciled in that foreign country for a continuous period of at least three years at any point before applying for an E visa.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2571 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2571

 To include Portugal in the list of foreign states whose nationals are 
     eligible for admission into the United States as E-1 and E-2 
 nonimmigrants if United States nationals are treated similarly by the 
Government of Portugal and to otherwise modify the eligibility criteria 
                              for E visas.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 15, 2021

Mr. Cicilline (for himself, Mr. Costa, Mr. Keating, Mr. Khanna, and Mr. 
   Valadao) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                       Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To include Portugal in the list of foreign states whose nationals are 
     eligible for admission into the United States as E-1 and E-2 
 nonimmigrants if United States nationals are treated similarly by the 
Government of Portugal and to otherwise modify the eligibility criteria 
                              for E visas.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLES.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Advancing Mutual Interests and 
Growing Our Success Act'' or the ``AMIGOS Act''.

SEC. 2. NONIMMIGRANT TRADERS AND INVESTORS.

    For purposes of clauses (i) and (ii) of section 101(a)(15)(E) of 
the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(15)(E)), Portugal 
shall be considered to be a foreign state described in such section if 
the Government of Portugal provides similar nonimmigrant status to 
nationals of the United States.

SEC. 3. MODIFICATION OF ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR E VISAS.

    Section 101(a)(15)(E) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 
U.S.C. 1101(a)(15)(E)) is amended--
            (1) in the matter preceding clause (i)--
                    (A) by inserting ``(or, in the case of an alien who 
                acquired the relevant nationality through a financial 
                investment and who has not previously been granted 
                status under this subparagraph, the foreign state of 
                which the alien is a national and in which the alien 
                has been domiciled for a continuous period of not less 
                than 3 years at any point before applying for a 
                nonimmigrant visa under this subparagraph)'' before ``, 
                and the spouse''; and
                    (B) by striking ``him'' and inserting ``such 
                alien''; and
            (2) by striking ``he'' each place such term appears and 
        inserting ``the alien''.
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