US immigration overhaul begins

WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden’s immigration bill, which intends to eliminate the country cap for employment-based green cards, will be introduced in Congress on Thursday.

If passed, it will benefit Indian IT professionals. Those waiting for a green card for more than 10 years would get the legal permanent residency immediately as they would be exempted from the visa cap.

The bill also aims to create a path to citizenship for 11 million undocumented immigrants. “This was a day-one commitment of the president, and it is his vision of what it takes to fix the system,” a senior administration official told reporters.

Two Democratic legislators, California Congresswoman Linda Sanchez and New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez, will present the initiative in the House of Representatives and the Senate, respectively.

The bill aims to create a path to citizenship for 11 million undocumented immigrants who can prove they were in the United States on January 1, 2021.

The legislation will benefit the so-called Dreamers, people who were brought to the United States illegally as children and grew up there.

Then-president Barack Obama issued an executive order in 2012 which offered protection for Dreamers at renewable two-year periods, including authorization to work.

His successor Donald Trump attempted to end the program in 2017 as part of his crackdown on all kinds of immigration.

The case ended up in the US Supreme Court, which ruled that the Trump administration had not followed proper administrative procedures to end the policy, although the Department of Homeland Security reinstated it only partially.

People benefiting from Temporary Protected Status, which prevents the deportation of citizens from countries affected by natural disasters or conflict, will also be able to get permanent residence.