Latest US Immigration Policy Stuck
Here is a summary of the latest U.S. immigration policy for Green Card issuance: The Biden administration has taken steps to reverse many of the immigration restrictions implemented under the Trump administration. Key changes include:
- Plans to boost refugee admissions and preserve deportation relief for unauthorized immigrants who came to the U.S. as children.1
- Proposed legislation that would create an 8-year path to citizenship for the estimated 10.5 million unauthorized immigrants already in the country, update the family-based immigration system, revise employment-based visa rules, and increase diversity visas.1
- Adding 18,000 employment-based Green Cards annually from 2025-2029 and increasing family-based Green Cards by 32,000 per year in the same period.4
- Providing “age-out” protections to prevent children of long-time visa holders from aging out of eligibility for their parents’ immigration applications.4
- Allowing the Secretary of Homeland Security to invoke “border emergency authority” to restrict entry between ports, with some exceptions.4
However, the proposed immigration reforms face an uncertain future in Congress. The Senate is considering the provisions as part of a broader spending bill, but passage is not guaranteed.14Overall, the Biden administration has sought to take a more welcoming approach to immigration compared to the previous administration, but significant challenges and limitations remain in the U.S. legal immigration system.
