On the issue of immigration, President Donald Trump has expressed that he wants to make changes to the US immigration system, by admitting immigrants based on their job skills.
Trump wants to adopt Canada and Australia’s immigration policy that operates under a merit-based system.
That means those with advanced degrees and special skills are given higher priority.
Currently, America’s immigration system is largely based on family petitions.
Data from the Migration Policy Institute shows that in 2014, family-based immigrants made up 64 percent of all new legal permanent residents in the US.
Meantime Senator Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas, has introduced a bill that would push for the US to adopt the merit-based immigration system.
Under Sen. Cotton’s plan, legal immigration would be reduced by half — from about a million a year to about 500,000.
His bill says that people with legal status in the US can petition for their children and spouses — but not their parents.
Attorney Lou Tancinco joins Pinoy Panawagan to talk about Trump’s plan, the merit-based system of immigration, and how it will affect kababayans in the States.
