Trump endorses bill to cut legal immigration, slash green cards

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump has endorsed a legislation seeking to promote a merit-based immigration system that will sharply cut legal immigration by reducing the number of green cards issued every year, making the US a less attractive destination for those planning to settle down there.

H-1B non-immigrant visas that allow highly skilled foreigners to be hired by US companies on temporary tenures will not be directly hit but those visa holders who intended to stay and pursue path to permanent residency — green cards — and citizenship and need their companies to sponsor it, will be adversely impacted, according to experts.

The legislation proposed by Senators Tom Cotton and David Perdue proposes to determine eligibility of legal immigrants by their work skills, ability to speak English and not merely their relationship to Americans citizens or residents. Only spouses and minor children will qualify, and not parents, siblings and adult children.

“If passed in any form, it could restrict/reduce employment plus family-based immigration and impose merit-based and other requirements on both, in addition to increased salary and skill requirements for employment based visas,” said Chirag Patel, an immigration lawyer. “It could also limit immigrant visas and immigrant status in family based categories and to dependents of employment visa holders.”

The legislation proposes to cut by half the number of legal immigrants granted permanent residence every year, bringing it down to 500,000 from 1,000,000.