The initial year of Trump’s presidency has shown the world that he has kept his word on the various election promises that were made among which, a crucial step was to prevent thousands of immigrants entering into the United States.
From eliminating work authorizations for undocumented youths, heightening the inspection of asylum seekers and refugees to ending the secured status schemes for Haitians, El Salvadorans, and Nicaraguans, Trump’s management has now taken a straight target at the H-4 and H-1B visa programs.
Dominated by Indians, both these visa programs will not only have consequences on many temporary immigrants but will also hurt women migrating through the family reunification program.
Updates On The H1-B Visa Program
The H1-B Visa program intends to bring the highly-skilled professionals to the U.S. and allows them to work in the fields of education, finance, and technology. It is a “dual-intent visa,” which is granted for a duration between 3 and 6 years.
The term “dual-intent” means that its holders qualify to apply for a permanent residency and sooner or later, a U.S. citizenship. This program was in effect since 1990 and allows both spouse and children (under the age 21) to migrate with the worker on an H-4 family reunion visa.
However, in the recent months, Donald Trump’s administration has taken strict steps to curtail this visa program and this move has created havoc for thousands of families who are working and living in the United States for years.
As soon as the “Buy American, Hire American” plan was announced, the White House not only proposed work authorization for many H-4 visa holders but they also eliminated the visa extensions for many H-1B professionals, who were applying for a permanent residency.
The new rules are intended to lessen foreign competition in the U.S. workforce. The restriction to bring the spouses and children of high-tech workers’ who are already in the process of changing to a “permanent” citizen from a “temporary” status, the present administration expects to push them to “self-deport”.
A restrictive immigration policy like this isn’t new for the Indian community. There has always been a renewed eagerness to limit foreign families from settling in the United States.
Although family reunifications have been an important part of the American history and acknowledged as a right to any human by the United Nations, policies like this signify a major move the U.S. sees itself and the entire world.
Such policies also intend to spread dissonance by opposing the “skilled” against the “unskilled” immigrants. Indeed, a comprehensive tactic is required that can push back the efforts to keep the immigrants and the families out.
