U.S. President Biden and Changes to Immigration Laws
U.S. President Biden and Changes to Immigration Laws.
First, congratulations to the United States’ newly elected 46th president, Joseph ‘Joe’ R. Biden!
On his first day in office, President Biden announced his plans to send a bold immigration bill to Congress in few weeks. This is exciting because the new administration is open to welcoming immigrants. Also, the Biden administration is ready to create a path to citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants in the United States.
Three Major Changes to Immigration Laws You Should Know.
1. An eight-year pathway to citizenship for all 11 million undocumented immigrants.
One of the proposed bills will provide a 5 year path to permanent resident for undocumented immigrants. This bill will only apply to immigrants who are on United States soil as of January 1, 2021. Next, there will be a 3 year wait for naturalization. The good news is that some of the delays such as vetting procedures linked to DACA and agricultural workers will be removed.
2. Remove the three- and ten-year bans to expand legal immigration.
There are many immigrants who have not been able to see their loved ones because of the 3 and 10 year bans. These bans had prevented many immigrants who had a chance to change their legal status from being able to do so. Many green-card applicants were not allowed to return to the U.S. for three or 10 years if they left, after being in U.S. without authorization.
The new bill will reverse these.
3. Expanding existing immigration channels.
Lastly, the proposed bill will also make major changes to our legal immigration system. It will reduce green card backlogs because of unused visas. Furthermore, the bill will remove per-country caps on visas and provide rapid paths to a green card for children and spouses of permanent residents. Finally, it will prevent children of H-1B visa holders from “aging out” and being forced to leave the United States.
These are all wonderful news for undocumented immigrants and permanent residents. Please note that these changes will likely take time; the bills will require the efforts and unity of Congress.
If you have questions about your pathway to citizenship, please contact our office, (832) 529-1255, or send us an email, office@aminulaw.com