Instead of focusing on amnesty, Congress should focus on immigration reforms that would benefit America. There is nothing wrong with having the American Congress take action to benefit America. The needed immigration reforms should include ending chain migration, adopting an skills, education, and investment capital based system and getting rid of the diversity quotas.
Chain migration must end.
Reunifying immediate family members has a place in our immigration system. Our current system allows a single immigrant to secure green cards for their parents and siblings. This makes it possible for an extensive web of external family members to relocate to the U.S.
Family-based immigration is not concerned with what an immigrant can contribute. It is also not concerned with the fiscal costs of bringing in less-educated immigrants. The status quo ignores potential immigrants who have skills, education, and capital to invest in the U.S.
The U.S. is very nearly alone in its prioritization of family reunification above skills, education, and investment capital. For the year 2016, 68% of American green cards were issued to immigrant family members. In Canada and Australia, these percentages were 26% and 32.5%, respectively.
Adopt an employment-based immigration system.
Ending chain migration would result in fewer green cards for family-based immigrants. This number should then be added to above skills, education, and investment capital based green cards. By using the market to determine those who will most benefit the American economy, an skills, education, and investment capital based system is clearly in the best interest of the U.S.
The skills, education, and investment capital based categories should also make use of a limited points system, if the demand for skills, education, and investment capital based green cards is higher than the supply. Points would be awarded for economically beneficial traits. It would first prioritize the compensation being offered by a U.S. company. Then it would provide some points for factors like current income, wealth, age, and education level.
In order to ensure that green card recipients are employed and significantly contributing to the economy, their legal permanent residence statuses would be conditional for their first several years. Only those who fulfill employment obligations would be allowed to remain in the U.S. during this time.
Get rid of the diversity visa program and the 7% per country cap.
The diversity visa program prioritizes an applicant’s national origin. It gives a premium over merit or potential contribution to the U.S. economy. The per country cap limits how many immigrants can come from a given country every year. It also ranks nationality over economic value or individual merit. This sets in place discrimination against applicants from high immigrant sending countries like China, Mexico, and India. These practices are discriminatory and should be ended.
Conclusion:
The current legal immigration system is decades old. Making the reforms would help bring the U.S. system up to date. It would strengthen the U.S. economy and improve U.S. public finances. By ending chain migration, adopting an skills, education, and investment capital based system and getting rid of the diversity quota we could allow more high achieving individuals from around the world greater opportunities to migrate to the U.S.