Yesterday, the White House apparently leaked a draft of the proposed executive action on immigration. The list, apparently, includes relief for 4.5 million undocumented people,extended deferred action for Dreamers, increased salary for ICE staff, allows 50% discount to the first 10,000 people who apply for citizenship, increase border security, allow undocumented folks to join the military.
The one that caught my eye was this : Tech jobs though a State Department immigrant visa program would offer another half-million immigrants a path to citizenship. This would include their spouses as well.
State Department program? Only the J-visa program is run by the state. But that is a non-immigrant visa and does not lead to citizenship. E-visas are applied for at the embassy but there is a mechanism for that application in the US. The E2 already allows spouses work visas. The trouble with the E visa is that it is Treaty Country specific. The J-visa on the other hand is not country specific. So, will the J-visa program be expanded upon?
If the State Department program will be the one expanded upon, what about people legally in the US?
Will the unused visas be recaptured because those numbers are calculated by the State Department. So many questions!
I, like my readers, cannot wait to see the details, especially as applicable to startups. As more news on this is released, we will write about it. So stay tuned!
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMvgSU8XgnE]