Congress·In Committee·S. 3535

GRACE Act Would Set 125,000 Annual Refugee Minimum, Add Private Sponsorship Track

GRACE Act

3 months ago·View on Congress.gov

Part of: Congress Proposes 125,000 Minimum Annual Refugee Admission Floor

⏸

Stalled

No legislative action in over 90 days.

Legislative Progress

Senate

House

President

Law

Key Points

Would require the President to set a yearly refugee admissions goal, with a floor of at least 125,000 refugees.
If the President does not set a goal before the fiscal year starts, the default ceiling would automatically be 125,000.
Adds a separate track for refugees admitted through community or private sponsorship, where sponsors help with early housing and support.
Requires public quarterly updates on how many refugees were admitted and how that compares to the yearly goal, including regional totals.
If admissions fall behind pace (under 25% of the yearly goal after a quarter), the President must explain why and submit a plan to catch up.

ImmigrationNational Security

Impact Analysis

Personal Impact

How this policy affects specific groups of people

Mixed Impacts(4)

Federal Employee

Neutral

Housing Assistance

Neutral

Renter

Neutral

Student

Neutral

Positive Impacts(1)

Immigrant

Helps

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions

Dec 17, 2025Senate

Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Dec 17, 2025

Introduced in Senate

What Happens Next

Projected impacts based on AI analysis

First fiscal year after the bill becomes law

Annual refugee admissions goal cannot be set below 125,000 (or defaults to 125,000 if not issued on time)

Refugee admissions would have a guaranteed floor each fiscal year, making it harder for the number to drop sharply from one year to the next.

With each annual refugee admissions determination after the bill becomes law

President sets regional allocations and keeps an unallocated reserve that the Secretary of State can shift after notifying Congress

Admissions would be divided by world region, and the government could move some slots to respond to new emergencies without starting from scratch.

Every quarter after the bill becomes law

Quarterly public admissions report is published within 15 days after each quarter ends

The public can track whether the government is on pace to meet the yearly refugee goal and how admissions are distributed by region.

Every quarter after the bill becomes law

Quarterly processing report to Congress includes wait times, circuit rides, video interviews, and enhanced security check stats

Processing slowdowns and security-review backlogs become easier for Congress and the public to spot, which can lead to pressure to speed up or add resources.

Triggered any quarter admissions fall behind after the bill becomes law

If a quarter’s admissions fall below 25% of the annual authorized level, a catch-up plan must be sent

If the system falls behind, the government must explain why and lay out month-by-month steps to get back on track.

Related News

2 articles

WHYY·over 6 years ago

Philadelphia officials urge support for refugees amid reports of impending 'ban'

Philadelphia officials and refugee organizations urged support for the GRACE Act, which would set a permanent goal of 95,000 refugees welcomed to the U.S. each year. The bill aims to limit executive power to slash refugee arrivals, which had dropped to historic lows under the Trump administration.

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Richmond Free Press·over 4 years ago

Rep. Ilhan Omar, others encourage U.S. to rebuild refugee resettlement

Rep. Ilhan Omar voiced support for the GRACE Act, or Guaranteed Refugee Admission Ceiling Enhancement Act, which would set a minimum number of refugees the United States must resettle every year to restore the nation's legacy of welcome and rebuild infrastructure decimated by previous cuts.

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