COVID-19 Darken The Green Card Hope Of Many Indian

US President Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday halting immigration for green card seekers for 60 days, to protect the jobs of Americans laid off because of the pandemic. What does this mean for India and the world?

Whom does the Trump order apply to?

The 60-day ban applies to those seeking PR or green card holders, who are outside the US and do not have an immigrant visa that is valid on the midnight of Thursday.

The order will apply to those who do not have an official travel document other than a visa that is valid from that time or issued on any date thereafter that permits the holders to travel to the US and seek entry or admission into the country.

Who are exempt from this proclamation?

The order doesn’t apply to spouses and minor children of US citizens, healthcare professionals carrying out medical research or other research intended to combat the spread of the virus, any member of the US Armed Forces and their spouses and children, and anyone entering for law enforcement or national security reasons.

It also does not apply to investor visas and special immigrant visas for Iraqi and Afghan nationals, who have worked for the US government.

People traveling to the US on temporary visas such as the H-1B or L1, typically used to bring in high-skilled technology workers, are also exempt.

Why Trump took this decision?

More than 20 million Americans have lost their jobs amid the coronavirus. The US is the world’s worst-hit country by cases and deaths. The US President said it would be unjust for Americans laid off by the virus to be replaced with new immigrant labor.

What does this order mean for Indians?

Indians in line for an employer-sponsored green card will have to wait longer, especially if the order is extended beyond 60 days, which Trump has alluded to. Close to 800,000 Indians are vying for green cards.