A new ‘merit-based’ immigration plan for US
THE world continues to look to the United States (US) to see what President Donald Trump plans to do next about his hardline anti-immigration campaign. His initial plan to ban the entry of immigrants from seven Muslim-majority countries in the Middle East has been put on hold by court orders and he said he will soon draw up a new one.
Last Tuesday, Trump, addressing Congress, said that while he stands by his plan to subject arrivals from certain countries to extreme vetting, he will also propose a “merit-based” immigration system, similar to that in Canada and Australia, that will allow the entry of needed workers from other countries.
The US health care industry suffered a great deal when Trump’s first anti-immigrant executive order blocked many foreign doctors, researchers, and other health workers. It turns out that nearly 30 percent of doctors in the US are immigrants. So are 23 percent of nurses and home health aides.
Giant software companies in Silicon Valley also suffered from the executive order, as they need the services of many foreign engineers. Many trained professionals such as those in information and communication technology (ICT) are also working with many big US companies. Construction and agriculture employ millions of immigrants for seasonal work that most American workers would not take.
“It is a basic principle that those seeking to enter a country ought to be able to support themselves financially,” Trump told Congress, amplifying his new plan. That should clear thousands of doctors, nurses, and home health aides, engineers, researchers, and IT professionals who are truly needed in various areas of America’s life and its economy.
President Trump remained firm on his plan to subject to extreme vetting – security investigations – immigrants from some Middle East countries whose citizens have been involved in acts of terrorism in the past. But he has eased up on migrants whose services are needed by various sectors of the country, evidently in response to judicial pressure and also as part of bipartisan compromise.
That should be welcome news to Filipinos, many of whom are now working in the US in health care and various other areas. The extreme vetting sought by Trump should block any one who may have connections with our jihadist groups in Mindanao. But his merlt-based system should also help our professionals in health care, IT, and other specialized fields find the opportunity they seek in the US.