US Green Card

US Green Card: Joe Biden’s New Citizenship Plan to Offer Relief to Half-a-Million Immigrants

This seems like clickbait! Brace yourself now, who will qualify and what’s the update!?

Who will qualify for the new plan

An immigrant who has lived in the United States for 10 years as of Monday and is married to a US citizen will qualify for the new rule.

According to senior administration officials who briefed reporters on the proposal on the condition of anonymity, about 50,000 non-citizen children with a parent who is married to a US citizen could also potentially qualify for the same process.

There is no requirement on how long the couple must have been married, and no one becomes eligible after Monday. “That means immigrants who reach that 10-year mark any time after June 17, 2024, will not qualify for the programme,” they said.

What benefits the qualifying immigrants will enjoy

Once the application is approved, the qualifying immigrant would have three years to apply for a green card, receive a temporary work permit and be shielded from deportation in the meantime.

Senior administration officials said they anticipate the process will be open for applications by the end of the summer, and fees to apply have yet to be determined.

Biden will speak about his plans at a Tuesday afternoon event at the White House, which will also mark the 12th anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals programme, a popular Obama-era directive that offered deportation protections and temporary work permits for young immigrants who lack legal status.

Is it a setback for H1-B reforms Indian-Americans wanted?

Definitely YES, because according to the DHS announcement, this plan doesn’t address legal skilled workers or work permit holders, potentially complicating matters for them! The majority of Indian-Americans are highly skilled and primarily enter the US on H-1B work visas. They are most affected by the current immigration system’s 7% cap on green cards or permanent residency for each country. Thus, this new immigration policy could impact Indian-Americans significantly.

In addition, DHS will join the Department of State in an effort to more efficiently facilitate certain employment-based nonimmigrant visas for eligible individuals, including Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients and undocumented noncitizens who have graduated from an accredited U.S. institution of higher education. By clarifying and enhancing the existing process, the Department of State’s policy will give U.S. employers increased confidence that they can hire the talent they need and that they will be able to quickly get to work. DHS will implement the Department of State’s policy update.

Conclusion:

While I’m not an expert on US immigration, as someone advocating for immigration, I don’t see this as a welcoming update for many aspiring to come to the USA! Despite reports stating an estimated 1.1 million immigrants in the US illegally are married to American citizens, and as per Pew Research Center’s 2021 estimates. It shows that since 2011, the number of undocumented Indians in the United States has grown by 70 per cent, the fastest growth of all nationalities. But the reality is that this policy shift doesn’t benefit Indians or others relying on legal skilled workers to enter the country and pursue a Green Card in the future.