Under the US President’s proposed ‘skill-based’ migration programme, Indians are in a quandary

For a country that has been built by immigrants for the past four centuries, the United States (US) has become oddly hostile to immigrants over the past couple of decades. Now, President Donald Trump, who was elected in part due to his anti-immigrant rhetoric, wants to change the America ‘Permanent Resident’ visa system — known to many as the ‘Green Card’ for the colour of the document — to a new system that will dramatically change the way immigrant visas are issued, by moving to a skill-based system like many other nations such as Australia and Canada. While this might sound like a godsend to Indians, because many of our migrants are skilled Information Technology (IT) workers, the Trump administration was considerably light on details in its proposals. But one detail that is known is that the new rules would make it tougher for families to move as quotas for them will drop heavily unless they are equally skilled or perhaps members apply separately.

One reason that the Trump administration might have been light on details is because it is very unlikely that these proposals will pass through the Democratic-controlled lower house of the United States, the Congress of Representatives. Trump and his Republican party have been at loggerheads with the opposition Democratic Party ever since he won a surprise victory for the Presidency amid accusations of collusion by foreign powers in influencing the election. Regardless of politics, what is worrying is how the US is thinking. These visas might make it easier for new IT workers to migrate no doubt but by being a disincentive to accommodating their families, will no doubt make the US less attractive for some. As it is, the Trump administration overturned an Obama-era rule that allowed spouses of H1B visa holders, overwhelmingly Indian technology-industry workers’ wives, to hold H4 visas. This, coupled with the way Trump has decided to treat the children of illegal immigrants, who are crossing the US border with Mexico, makes it quite clear that going after the family is a sure-shot way of reducing immigration. While this Bill may not pass, it might have the kernel of an idea for future legislation. If you are single and skilled, things should not be a problem to get to move; it will obviously help Indian H-1B visa holders do away with  the green card backlog. There are only a fixed number of Green Cards and they are taken by family-based petitioners. Still the single worker influx will have its attendant problems, too.