Joe Biden announces new plan to cut immigrants waiting time

NEW YORK: Former US Vice President Joe Biden, who is to be the Democratic Party candidate for president, has announced an immigration agenda that will end the country-wise green card caps for employment visas so that wait times stretching to decades for Indians can be reduced if he is elected.

His "Plan for Securing Our Values as a Nation of Immigrants" will also link H1-B visas to wages while increasing the number of such visas.

The Plan, which could be the basis of his manifesto for the November election when he is expected to take on President Donald Trump as the Democratic candidate, seeks overall to liberalise immigration to the US and increase the number of immigrants.

It sends a mixed message for Indians with most aspects of the Plan favouring some categories of Indians but with one that may tighten regulations for some H1-B visas.

"Biden will support expanding the number of high-skilled visas and eliminating the limits on employment-based visas by country, which create unacceptably long backlogs," according to the Plan.

The total annual cap on green cards available for Indians is 20,000 leading to wait times stretching to decades. Attempt by legislators from both parties to introduce laws to lift the cap have stalled in Congress.

The plan said, "Currently, the number of employment-based visas is capped at 140,000 each year, without the ability to be responsive to the state of the labor market or demands from domestic employers. As president, Biden will work with Congress to increase the number of visas awarded for permanent, employment-based immigrationa" and promote mechanisms to temporarily reduce the number of visas during times of high US unemployment."

The argument for reducing the visas at times is similar to Trump's rationale for freezing green cards and H1-B visas that cites the current high unemployment.

Biden's proposals on H1-B for highly skilled professional workers which is overwhelmingly held by Indians and on green cards, also has elements reflecting reforms and regulations proposed by Trump.

The Plan says that to ensure that those getting H1-Bs do not compete for entry level jobs or work against recruiting workers already in the US, theAvisas would be linked to wages.

The Plan said, "High skilled temporary visas should not be used to disincentivise recruiting workers already in the U.S. for in-demand occupations. An immigration system that crowds out high-skilled workers in favor of only entry level wages and skills threatens American innovation and competitiveness." (IANS)

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