Trump To Introduce Merit-Based Immigration System?

Why not an immigration system to understand the value of merit rather than the link of family ties? Since 1960 United States has been believing those people can take entry who have someone of their own here.

President Donald Trump proposed in his first address last month to a joint session of Congress that the policy should be more focused on such system that would prioritize high-skilled immigrants.

The businessman-turned-politician argue the current immigration system is harming American workers by lowering wages, but a new policy based on merit would lower immigration rates as well as ensure those who are coming are high-skilled and does not need public assistance.

Addressing to Congress the president added, “The current, outdated system depresses wages for our poorest workers, and puts great pressure on taxpayers.”

Trump has not yet detailed what’s in his mind, but a merit-based system would surely pose own challenges to economic prosperity. It may harm industries that rely mostly on low-skilled immigrant labors.

Let’s take look to history. In 1917 similar immigrant system was established and the government had imposed a literacy test on those who desired to come to US. However, the restrictions were later lifted in the 1960s as it curtailed immigration from non-European nations.

The revamped system prioritized on immigrants to have close relatives in the US and gradually the ethnic composition was changed. More Latin American and Asian immigrants started flooding in.

A survey in 2015 found 44 percent of the immigrants were relatives of US citizens and 20 percent came through a family-sponsored preference. Only 14 percent admitted to have come through merit-based immigration system.

With such analysis isn’t Trump need to learn something? If yes, will he be well prepared to accept lower supply of low-skilled workers?

Apart from all these, supporters of Trump may also support the need for limiting the immigrants to US and so such policy would help in long-run.

Republican Senators Tom Cotton and David Perdue introduced last month legislation to cut number of immigrants legally admitted in half. It would start with slow pace and initially to restrict family members’ immigrants.

Federation for American Immigration Reform, Dan Stein, said the merit-system would help in keeping control on the immigrant flow.

Meanwhile, it is also learned supporters are pointing the immigrants system of Canada and Australia. Both the countries follow eligibility-based system.

Will you support the present system or would like Trump to change it.