United States 119th Congress Status: In Committee Bipartisan · 2 D · 1 R cosponsors

HR 4867 — PHDs First Act

Last action — Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed House
  4. 4
    Passed Senate
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced August 01, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee vote, then a floor vote in the House.

Odds of enactment

Low chance

Based on the sponsor, cosponsors, and committee posture, this bill has a low chance of becoming law.

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A statistical estimate from our own model of past outcomes — an insight, not a guarantee. Policymaking is volatile.

Prognosis

Advancing 36% · moderate confidence

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 3 sponsors

    1 primary, 2 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Bipartisan support

    Sponsored across 2 parties (2 D · 1 R) — cross-party backing.

Based on stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes, and cross-state momentum — a description of the observable signals, not a prediction.

Bill Text

How this bill changes current law

3 changes Share ↗

Compared against current U.S. Code AI-generated reading aid — verify against the official bill.

The bill exempts certain doctoral degree holders from numerical limitations on permanent resident status and allows dual intent for F nonimmigrants seeking doctoral degrees.

  • 8 U.S.C. 1151

    (F) Aliens who-- (i) have earned a doctoral degree in a field of study (or the terminal highest degree awarded in a field of study for which a doctoral degree or its equivalent is not available) while physically present in the United States from a United States institution of higher education (as defined in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a))) accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or association recognized by the Secretary of Education pursuant to part H of title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1099a et seq.); (ii) have an offer of employment from, or are employed by, a United States employer in a field related to such degree at a rate of pay that is higher than the median wage level for the occupational classification in the area of employment, as determined by the Secretary of Labor; and (iii) are admissible pursuant to an approved labor certification under section 212(a)(5)(A)(i).

    This addition allows certain doctoral degree holders to be exempt from the usual limits on the number of immigrants who can receive permanent resident status.

  • 8 U.S.C. 1154

    203(b)(2) → 203(b)(2), 203(b)(3), or 201(b)(1)(F) may file a petition with the Secretary of Homeland Security

    This change allows more categories of petitions to be filed with the Secretary of Homeland Security, facilitating the process for doctoral degree holders.

  • Notwithstanding sections 101(a)(15)(F)(i) and 214(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(15)(F)(i), 1184(b)), an alien who is a bona fide student admitted to a program in a field for a doctoral degree or the terminal highest degree awarded in a field of study for which a doctoral degree or its equivalent is not available at a United States institution of higher education (as defined in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a))) accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or association recognized by the Secretary of Education pursuant to part H of title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1099a et seq.) may obtain a student visa or extend or change nonimmigrant status to pursue such degree even if such alien intends to seek lawful permanent resident status in the United States.

    This provision allows students pursuing doctoral degrees to apply for a visa with the intention of seeking permanent residency, which was previously restricted.

Action History

  1. Introduced in House

  2. Introduced in House

  3. Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 2 co-sponsors · 544 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (2)

Not signed on (544)

544 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 544 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

finance immigration veterans
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

Who sponsors HR 4867?
HR 4867 is sponsored by Thanedar, Shri (Democratic), Lawler, Michael (Republican), and Krishnamoorthi, Raja (Democratic).
What is the current status of HR 4867?
This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced August 01, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track HR 4867?
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