- The act imposed a quota of 357,803, which was based on the number of immigrants from each country who had been admitted in the fiscal year ending June 30, 1890.
- The quota system was designed to favor immigration from Northern and Western Europe, which was seen as more racially and culturally compatible with the United States, and to restrict immigration from Southern and Eastern Europe, which was seen as less compatible.
- The act also gave the Secretary of Labor the power to exclude any immigrant who was likely to become a public charge or who was considered to be a threat to the health or safety of the United States.
- The act also excluded immigrants from Asia and Africa, as well as immigrants from the independent countries of the Western Hemisphere, such as Mexico, Cuba, and Puerto Rico.
- The act also provided for the deportation of any immigrant who violated the terms of his or her admission to the United States.
The Emergency Quota Act was a temporary measure that was replaced by the Immigration Act of 1924 (also called the Johnson-Reed Act), which established a permanent quota system based on the national origins of the U.S. population in 1920.