# 119-hr-2627: Keep STEM Talent Act of 2025

119-hr-2627, Keep STEM Talent Act of 2025, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Foster, Bill [D-IL-11] (D-IL); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-12).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2627
- As of: 2026-09-12
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-2627
- Congress: 119
- Title: Keep STEM Talent Act of 2025
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-04-03
- Sponsor: Rep. Foster, Bill [D-IL-11] (D-IL)
- Cosponsors: 26
- Policy area: Immigration
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-12

## Summary

**Creates a non-quota pathway to lawful permanent residence for U.S.-educated advanced STEM degree holders.** It would also require pre-admission checks for foreign STEM graduate students and stronger vetting plus annual reporting by DHS and State on visa processing and impacts. - International graduate students: Students pursuing a U.S. master's or higher in a STEM field would have to apply for admission before starting the program to qualify for student (F) status. DHS and the Department of State would verify credentials, run background checks, and may interview applicants while reporting annually on visa volumes, processing times, security outcomes, and economic impacts. - U.S. employers and STEM workers: Graduates with a U.S. STEM master's or higher who have a qualifying job offer at pay above the area median or an approved labor certification would be eligible for permanent residence without counting against numerical limits. The covered STEM fields span seven CIP groups such as computer science, engineering, math, biology, physical sciences, agriculture, and natural resources. - Families of eligible workers: Spouses and children who accompany or follow to join eligible workers would be included in the non-quota pathway.

## Cosponsors (26)

- Rep. Lawler, Michael [R-NY-17] (R-NY), 2025-04-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Houlahan, Chrissy [D-PA-6] (D-PA), 2025-04-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large] (D-DC), 2025-04-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-PA-1] (R-PA), 2025-04-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Garcia, Sylvia R. [D-TX-29] (D-TX), 2025-04-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Stansbury, Melanie A. [D-NM-1] (D-NM), 2025-04-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. McBride, Sarah [D-DE-At Large] (D-DE), 2025-05-08T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Morelle, Joseph D. [D-NY-25] (D-NY), 2025-07-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Soto, Darren [D-FL-9] (D-FL), 2025-07-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Thanedar, Shri [D-MI-13] (D-MI), 2025-08-01T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Sykes, Emilia Strong [D-OH-13] (D-OH), 2025-08-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Cohen, Steve [D-TN-9] (D-TN), 2025-11-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Vindman, Eugene Simon [D-VA-7] (D-VA), 2025-11-18T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Vasquez, Gabe [D-NM-2] (D-NM), 2026-01-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Friedman, Laura [D-CA-30] (D-CA), 2026-02-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Evans, Dwight [D-PA-3] (D-PA), 2026-02-11T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Riley, Josh [D-NY-19] (D-NY), 2026-03-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Liccardo, Sam T. [D-CA-16] (D-CA), 2026-03-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Budzinski, Nikki [D-IL-13] (D-IL), 2026-03-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. DelBene, Suzan K. [D-WA-1] (D-WA), 2026-03-18T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Foushee, Valerie P. [D-NC-4] (D-NC), 2026-03-27T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Sorensen, Eric [D-IL-17] (D-IL), 2026-05-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Walkinshaw, James R. [D-VA-11] (D-VA), 2026-06-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Chu, Judy [D-CA-28] (D-CA), 2026-06-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Lieu, Ted [D-CA-36] (D-CA), 2026-09-08T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Krishnamoorthi, Raja [D-IL-8] (D-IL), 2026-09-10T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- New green cards for U.S. STEM grads: benefit, medium. If enacted, certain people who earned a U.S. master’s-or-higher STEM degree could get a green card without being limited by annual caps, if they meet set rules. You would need a job offer in work tied to your degree, pay above the area median wage for that job, and an approved labor certification.…
- STEM students could seek green cards: benefit, low. If enacted, qualifying international students in master’s-or-higher STEM programs could get or extend an F student visa even if they plan to seek a green card. This would apply only at accredited U.S. schools. It would not change visa rules for students who are not in these STEM programs.
- Stronger vetting for STEM student visas: mixed, low. If enacted, students would need to apply for admission before starting a master’s-or-higher STEM program in the U.S. DHS and the State Department would verify credentials, run background checks, and hold interviews, including for those applying from inside the U.S. Agencies would aim to process cas…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-4206: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025
- 119-hr-1065: Protect Our Letter Carriers Act of 2025
- 119-hr-18: Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2025
- 119-hr-2736: Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act of 2025
- 119-hr-2550: Protect America's Workforce Act
- 119-hr-2102: Major Richard Star Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-2627 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/2627)

## Related
- [119-hr-4206: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4206)
- [119-hr-1065: Protect Our Letter Carriers Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1065)
- [119-hr-18: Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-18)
- [119-hr-2736: Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2736)
- [119-hr-2550: Protect America's Workforce Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2550)
- [119-hr-2102: Major Richard Star Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2102)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2627 (as of 2026-09-12).