United States President Donald Trump on Thursday outlined his plans for immigration reform, changing the mix of who is allowed to enter and work in the USA.
The proposal is expected to maintain the same overall levels of legal immigration but would increase the amount of ‘skills-based’ visas offered and offsetting this by reducing the amount of allowances for family ties.
Under current law, 12% of immigrants are admitted because of the skills they bring to the US workforce while 66% come because of family ties. Trump is seeking to flip the script, reforming the system to have 57% skilled worker immigration and 33% family ties immigration.
This change would help to get rid of the visa lottery system that hands out 50,000 visas to people in countries with low immigration rates. Prioritised applicants are expected to have an education, ability to speak English and job offers in the United States.
The move comes as reports indicate that several major United States industries such as technology, engineering and medicine. Particularly, there’s a shortage of skilled doctors in the United States that economists hope Trump’s reform will address by encouraging more skilled workers to take the leap and immigrate to the US.
Kevin has been contributing to multiple news websites since 2015. He started his blog back in 2016 tackling technology and business tips. His passion towards journalism and sharing relevant information with global readers pushed his to take journalism major at Boston University. He is now a full-time contributor to Kev’s Best.