Are you having trouble keeping up with all of the immigration policy changes that have been proposed by the Trump administration? We catch you up on the major changes so you can determine if your immigration status might be impacted.
Family-Based Immigration
During President Trump’s State of the Union address in 2018, he outlined a four-pillar plan that would make significant cuts to the country’s family-based immigration system. Under the proposed plan, immigrants who become citizens or legal permanent residents would no longer be allowed to sponsor parents, siblings, children, and spouses for green cards. Instead, immigrants granted citizenship can only sponsor spouses and minor children. According to data from the Migration Policy Institute, Trump’s plan would eliminate 317,661 family-based green cards.
Employment-Based Immigration
If H.R. 1044, the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act of 2019, passes, it will reduce the wait times for visas by getting rid of per-country caps for employment-based green cards. The Senate has also proposed an amendment that will create tighter restrictions on recruitment and new reporting requirements for H-1B visa sponsors. If the bill passes, it will go into effect on September 30th, 2019.
Investor Visas
The President’s administration has also made substantial changes to the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa program that go into effect on November 11th, 2019. The changes include the following:
- Minimum investment amount has been raised to $1.8 million
- Minimum investment amount for TEAs has been raised to $900,000
- States can no longer designate certain geographic and political subdivisions as high-unemployment areas
- EB-5 petitioners can keep their priority date if they have a previously approved petition.
Asylum
Asylum seekers who pass through a second country on their way to the United States will be denied unless they apply for protection in another country first. This means migrants traveling to the U.S from Central America have to apply for asylum with at least one country they pass through on their journey. If the asylum claim made in another country is denied, they can petition for asylum at a U.S. port of entry.
Do you have more questions about U.S immigration policy or petitioning for a green card? Then call The Sekou Clarke Law Group at (407) 269-8774 to request your consultation. Our immigration attorneys in Florida & New York are ready to help!