President Donald Trump announced his plan to change the immigration system during a press conference from the White House Rose Garden on Thursday afternoon.
What We Know:
- The plan—which President Trump refer to as the “Build America Visa,” includes two parts – the construction of the wall which will be financed by fees collected at the boarder, and a point system for those applying for U.S. citizenship.
- Applicants will earn points based on things like age, skills, education, wealth, and ability to learn English, according to Newsweek. “You will get more points for being a younger worker, meaning you will contribute more to our social safety net. You will get more points for having a valuable skill and offer of employment and advanced education or a plan to create jobs,” Trump said.
- This revamped system would give priority to those with higher incomes and limit the amount of people who can receive visas through family ties or who are seeking asylum.
- The president emphasized the need for stricter guidelines and said “We want immigrants coming in; we cherish the open door, but a big proportion of those immigrants should come in through merit and skill.”
According to the New York Times about 60 percent of all visas will go to immigrants with skills or offers of employment. This would increase not only the education level of immigrants, but also the average salary from $43,000 to $96,000.
