TRUMP PITCHES FOR MERIT- BASED IMMIGRATION

Trump raised eyebrows in his State of the Union speech when he made a strong pitch for merit- based immigration, saying legal immigrants enrich the US in countless ways, raising hopes of hundreds of thousands of Indian IT professionals who are the worst sufferers of the current per country quota system.

The SOTU address is a traditional annual speech of the US President to a joint session of Congress where he gives an account of the situation in the country. Indian- Americans, most of whom are highly skilled come to the US mainly on H- 1B work visas, are the worst sufferers of the current immigration system which imposes a seven per cent per country quota on allotment of green cards or permanent legal residency. Trump has also called for ending chain migration, the fastest and easiest way to gain legal entry into the US, through sponsorship by a family member who is already a legal resident or citizen of the US.

— AFP Congresswomen, dressed in white in tribute to the womens suffrage movement, pose for a photo as they arrive for the State of the Union address at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on Wednesday. It was also a reflection of the voters who sent them to office last November giving Democrats the House majority. This year marks the 100th anniversary of Congress passing the 19th Amendment guaranteeing women the right to vote.