Biden Aims to Rebuild and Expand Legal Immigration

Written by <a href="index.php?option=com_comprofiler&task=userProfile&user=59628"><span class="small">Michael D. Shear and Zolan Kanno-Youngs, The New York Times</span></a>

Monday, 31 May 2021 12:56

Excerpt: "If President Biden gets his way, it will soon be far easier to immigrate to the United States."

President Biden made clear during his presidential campaign that he intended to undo much of his predecessor's immigration legacy. (photo: Sarah Silbiger/NYT)

Biden Aims to Rebuild and Expand Legal Immigration

By Michael D. Shear and Zolan Kanno-Youngs, The New York Times

31 May 21

Documents obtained by The New York Times show far-reaching efforts by President Biden to remake the immigration system and undo much of his predecessor’s legacy.

f President Biden gets his way, it will soon be far easier to immigrate to the United States. There will be shorter, simpler forms and applicants will have to jump through fewer security hoops. Foreigners will have better opportunities to join their families and more chances to secure work visas.

A 46-page draft blueprint obtained by The New York Times maps out the Biden administration’s plans to significantly expand the legal immigration system, including methodically reversing the efforts to dismantle it by former President Donald J. Trump, who reduced the flow of foreign workers, families and refugees, erecting procedural barriers tougher to cross than his “big, beautiful wall.”

Because of Mr. Trump’s immigration policies, the average time it takes to approve employer-sponsored green cards has doubled. The backlog for citizenship applications is up 80 percent since 2014, to more than 900,000 cases. Approval for the U-visa program, which grants legal status for immigrants willing to help the police, has gone from five months to roughly five years.

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