On Wednesday, President Biden repealed the suspension of certain visas for immigrants that was initially put in place by Trump. The suspensions significantly limited legal immigration to the United States during the Covid-19 pandemic.
When Trump first used his executive power in April of 2020 to restrict certain visas, he stated that the suspension was necessary to keep immigrants from competing with US workers for jobs amidst the economic downturn caused by the pandemic. The ban largely affected immigrants hoping to move to the US permanently via petitions filed by their families, as well as a visa lottery program to allow immigrants from underrepresented countries to move to the US.
Biden’s move to repeal the ban came on the basis that the ban did more harm than good by preventing families from being together and harming industries that utilize talent from around the world. President Biden had been pressured by certain advocates to revoke Trump’s immigration restrictions, which were set to expire on March 31st of this year.
Some restrictions, like those for guest workers on H1-B visas, are still under restrictions, but those are still set to expire on March 31st.
