The Trump administration's new immigration policy could lead to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of skilled immigrants. Last Friday, a memo from US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) stated that visa holders must return to their home countries to apply for a green card, with exceptions only in extraordinary circumstances.
This shift marks a significant victory for MAGA nativists, shifting the focus of an "America First" immigration policy away from the tech industry. Under the previous "adjustment of status" process, which had been in place for over 50 years, visa holders were allowed to stay in the US while seeking permanent residency. Now, many could face the prospect of waiting over a decade for their applications to be processed.
Those affected include various professionals, such as physicians in rural hospitals and technology specialists in Silicon Valley. The exact implementation of the policy remains uncertain, as the memo and the administration's communications contain inconsistencies.