On May 16, 2019, President Trump announced an immigration reform proposal addressing legal immigration options and did not address undocumented immigrants already living in the U.S. or provide any guidance for Dreamers. The proposal focuses on highly-skilled immigrants by creating a merit-based point system and significantly decreasing family-based immigration. Specifically, the president encouraged Congress to develop and pass legislation to secure the border, protect U.S. workers, attract skilled immigrants, unify families, provide labor supply for critical industries and preserve humanitarian values with the following provisions:
- Develop a point system for qualified migrants, based on extraordinary talent, professional and specialized vocations or exceptional academic performance
- Eligibility points may be increased by taking U.S. civics courses, passing criminal background checks, establishing English proficiency and demonstrating employment offers
- Replace random green card allocation with uniform criteria that prioritizes highly skilled students and workers
- Prioritize spouses and children of U.S. citizens in the family-based immigration system
- Construct portions of the border wall in high priority locations to secure borders
This announcement is solely a request for Congress to act and does not change current immigration law or create new immigration opportunities at this time. We will monitor developments and provide updates if immigration reform progresses.