Indians In Advantage As Trump Announces New Points-Based Immigration System Emphasising Merit

United States (US) President Donald Trump has announced a revamped immigration policy which will emphasise merit and select applicants for permanent residency through a points-based system, reports The Economic Times.

The new system will replace the present green card system and instead provide ‘Build America’ visas to immigrants. The policy will also be tilted in favour of young, high-skilled professionals, raising the slots for them from 12 to 57 per cent.

Trump’s decision might benefit thousands of educated young Indians seeking to move to the United States in the search of jobs. The current H-1B which most Indians utilised to work at US firms is known to have extremely long wait times particularly for those from India.

"We discriminate against genius. We discriminate against brilliance. We won't anymore once we get this passed, and we hope to get it passed as soon as possible. We want these exceptional students and workers to stay, flourish and thrive in America," Trump said.

The president added that in the current system, a vast majority of green card visas were being awarded to low-wage and low-skilled workers, and this was having an adverse effect on the most vulnerable sections of American society.