Trump welcomes Indians with open arms while restoring America’s Integrity
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NEW YORK: US president Donald Trump’s proposal for a merit-based immigration system and reforming the same will help thousands of Indians, particularly well-educated ones already in the US, who feel short-changed since the current system favors illegal immigrants who are often beneficiaries of amnesty.
Green cards on merit-based system?
Trump in his address to a joint session of Congress said that US should replace its current ‘outdated’ program and follow Canada and Australia in terms of giving out green cards which would solely be based on merit system. It is important to know here that in Canada, applicants for immigration are given points for different qualifications like education, skill levels, employability, language and family ties. They have to meet a minimum score to be allowed to immigrate. Therefore Trump is in accord with such a system. The Trump administration will execute a 10-point plan to “restore the integrity” of the US immigration system. He further states that “Switching away from this current system of lower-skilled immigration, and instead adopting a merit-based system, will have many benefits: it will save countless dollars, raise workers’ wages, and help struggling families — including immigrant families — enter the middle class”.
What about H1-B visa holders?
Trump did not make any mention of those working in the US on temporary professional work visas known as H-1B. In earlier speeches, he had said that he would root out abuses in that visa category and restrict them if they were to throw Americans out of work. Any drastic reform of the immigration process will be a difficult undertaking for Trump.
Those who qualify for H1-B visas under more stringent conditions either imposed by the Trump Administration or by a bill introduced jointly by a Republican and a Democratic in Congress would likely have a leg up in the merit system.
Trump adamant on Promoting American jobs
The Trump campaign has warned that their priority will be to protect “American jobs” – which means the reforms will pare down on the H-1B guest worker visa. The H1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows American firms to employ foreign workers in occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. The technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year, but increasingly they have become a route to permanent immigration. Protectionists also allege that they have been used to displace American workers and spirit jobs out of the US.
What’s next?
The proposed policy will be put forth for examination and it will depend on the finer details of how the proposal is implemented. Nevertheless the proposal will have to clear many hurdles. He has appealed to the Democrats for bipartisan support for immigration reform.
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