Ban on green card issuance lifted
US President Joe Biden has lifted the ban imposed on green cards issued by former president Donald Trump during a pandemic which lawyers prevented many legal immigrants in the United States. Last spring, Trump enforced a prohibition on issuance of green cards until the end of 2020, upholding the view of protecting the job market, ravaged by coronavirus- a go to reason Trump offered majorly to justify irrational cuts to legal immigration. On December 31, he extended the abidance of previous orders till March 2021.
Trump witnessed the entry of immigrants as 'risk to the country's job market', and halted their entry in the United States by issuing proclamation 10014 and proclamation 10052. Biden on Wednesday, iterated his stand on this issue saying, "implementing a ban on legal immigrants won't support the interests of the United States. Instead, it is of great disadvantage to the United States as it prevents family members of US citizens or lawful permanent residents from joining their families here. It is of great loss to the industrial market which harnesses the potential of individuals from around the world." The orders have blocked many visas, according to immigration lawyers.
Around 120,000 family based visas were banned due to pandemic freeze in the 2020 budget year as exhibited by American Immigrants Lawyers Association. Immigrants were not permitted to bring their family members unless they were US citizens, applying for visas of their spouses or children under the age of 21. The orders also banished the entry of immigrants with employment related visas unless they were beneficial to nation such as health care professionals. Moreover, it barred thousands of visa lottery winners who were randomly chosen from a pool of 14 million applicants for the green card enabling them to live in the US permanently.
California immigration lawyer Curtis Morrison highlighted that the count of blocked family based visas alone reached 437,000. He represented people whose visas were blocked and after revocation he said, "I am happy for my clients as they can now enter the US. The backlog will take years to resolve if timely measures won't be adopted." Immigration lawyers were startled that Biden didn't lift the freeze like he reversed travel restrictions on people hailing from Muslim dominant countries. Due to visa freeze, several who were earlier blocked by travel ban still couldn't come to the United States. The US issues 55,000 visas every year for immigrants with underrepresented nationalities in the US population. Visas can be used within six months of issuance.
The Brief. Sign up to receive the top stories you need to know right now.