The Covid-19 Pandemic and the resulting shut down of the US economy has wreaked havoc to the employment landscape of Americans. Unemployment rates spiked to levels higher than the great recession of 2008. In response, President Donald Trump announced Tuesday April 21, 2020 that he will be placing a 60-day pause on the issuance of certain immigration green cards in an effort to limit competition for jobs in a U.S. economy wrecked by the coronavirus. Trump plans to sign the executive order on Wednesday April 22, 2020. The purpose of this executive order was to protect American workers. According to Trump, pausing immigration will help out unemployed Americans by allowing American workers to be first in line when the economy reopens. Trump said that it would be wrong and unjust for Americans laid off by the virus to be replaced with new immigrant labor flown in from abroad.
The executive order would be focused on preventing immigrants from winning permission to live and work in the U.S. permanently. That would include employment-based green cards petitions and certain relatives preference petitions by green card holders. However, immediate family petitions by US Citizens such as those for spouses, parents, and minor children would still be available. In addition, the executive order would not impact foreigners that are legally inside the US on a non-immigrant visa including temporary working visas.
Trump intends to review the executive order at the end of the 60 day pause and decide if it is necessary to extend it further. At this point, we should await for further regulations that details out the implementation of this executive order.
Please note that this article is not legal advice and is not intended as legal advice. The article is intended to provide only general, non-specific legal information. This article is not intended to cover all the issues related to the topic discussed. The specific facts that apply to your matter may make the outcome different than would be anticipated by you. This article does create any attorney client relationship between you and the Law Offices of Kenneth U. Reyes, APLC. This article is not a solicitation.
Attorney Kenneth Ursua Reyes is President of the Philippine American Bar Association. He is a member of both the Family law section and Immigration law section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. He is a member of American Immigration Lawyers Association. He is a graduate of Southwestern University Law School in Los Angeles and California State University, San Bernardino School of Business Administration. He has extensive former CPA experience prior to law practice. LAW OFFICES OF KENNETH REYES, APLC. is located at 3699 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 747, Los Angeles, CA, 90010. Tel. (213) 388-1611 or e-mail kenneth@kenreyeslaw.com. Visit us in the web Kenreyeslaw.com