Congress freezes all immigration pending sweeping law rewrites
H.R. 6225 — PAUSE Act of 2025 · Filed by Chip Roy (R-TX) · 14 cosponsors · Introduced Nov 20, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill imposes a near-total freeze on new visa issuance and immigration status grants until Congress rewrites immigration law to meet six conditions: (1) allow states to deny public school access to undocumented immigrants; (2) ban status adjustment for nonimmigrants; (3) require at least one parent to be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident for birthright citizenship; (4) restrict family immigration to spouses and minor children only; (5) bar entry to anyone deemed an "Islamist," observer of Sharia law, or affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party or any terrorist organization; and (6) deny aliens access to Medicare, Medicaid emergency care, SSI, SNAP, tax credits, WIC, student loans, and housing assistance. It also eliminates the Optional Practical Training program for foreign students, repeals the Diversity Visa lottery, and imposes a $100,000 fee on H-1B visa petitions. The bill takes effect immediately and retroactively revokes pending applications filed before enactment, refunding fees.
Why we flagged it
The bill's core mechanism is a freeze on all visa issuance and status grants pending legislative rewrites that would substantially restrict family immigration, eliminate diversity visas, and bar entry based on religion and political affiliation. It is not a procedural or technical amendment but a sweeping policy reversal.
- Section 3 imposes a $100,000 fee on H-1B visa petitions, unrelated to the visa moratorium mechanism.
- Section 4 eliminates employment authorization for foreign students, a separate program from the visa freeze.
What the text implies
- The bill's religious and ideological screening criteria ("Islamist," "observer of Sharia law," CCP membership) lack statutory definition and may be applied arbitrarily, creating due-process and equal-protection risks.
- Retroactive revocation of pending applications filed before enactment may violate vested-rights doctrine and could expose the government to litigation over takings and due process.
The full analysis lists 5 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
domestic workers in tech, healthcare, and skilled trades (reduced visa competition); employers not reliant on H-1B sponsorship