According to a draft blueprint obtained by The New York Times, the Biden administration is planning an overhaul of the United States immigration system.

Under the new plan, the forms and applications would be simpler and require less security scrutiny. Both family-based and employment-based immigration would increase. The plan would reverse many Trump-era policies that restricted immigration.

For example, under the previous administration, the average time to get an employer-sponsored green card approved doubled. Since 2014, the backlog for citizenship application has jumped by 80%. There is currently a 900,000-case backlog in citizenship applications.

Also, the U-visa process has become hard to navigate. A U visa is one that grants legal status for immigrants who are willing to assist the police in a criminal case. It used to take five months to get a U visa. Now it takes about five years.

These are just a few examples of how immigrating to the U.S. has become harder, slower and more expensive, according to the Times.

President Biden could focus solely on reversing the policies from the previous administration, but the new plan calls for more. The May 3 blueprint, which is called “D.H.S. Plan to Restore Trust in Our Legal Immigration System,” lays out priorities that would cut delays and backlogs that originated long ago.

The new plan would not open immigration to everyone

Particularly due to the surge of desperate migrants at the southwest border, opponents of the plan claim that President Biden plans to open the doors of immigration to anyone and everyone. According to the Times, it does not. The blueprint lays out seven sections of detailed policy proposals that would ease the path to legal immigration for:

  • High-skilled workers
  • Victims of human trafficking
  • Families of Americans living abroad
  • Native Americans born in Canada
  • Refugees
  • Asylum seekers
  • Farm workers

President Biden has also said he would expand LGBTQ immigration from countries where people are persecuted or where their marriages are not recognized.

The plan would make it easier and cheaper to apply online and secure necessary waivers. Regulations would be reconsidered so that immigrants could participate fully in civic life in the U.S.

Additionally, some immigration applications would be fast-tracked online and would involve virtual interviews. The goal is to reduce the paperwork and administrative requirements immigrants face.

Surveys show that most Americans support increasing immigration into the U.S. Moreover, a great deal of research indicates that legal immigration benefits the U.S. economy overall.

If you are interested in visiting or immigrating to the U.S., contact Yew Immigration Law Group. We have years of experience helping people come to the United States to live or work.