A Timeline of Trump’s Hard-line Immigration Changes

Since Trump was voted into the White House, he has prioritised making the immigration policies stricter in an attempt to improve security and protect jobs for US citizens. Whilst he has seen support for many of his changes, there have also been many challengers, including the supreme courts, who have tried to prevent numerous immigration changes.

Here is a summary of the changes he has made or proposed so far:

2017

-Executive orders on sanctuary cities and border wall

-The administration introduced a ban for nationals of eight (majority-Muslim) countries from visiting the US

-Refugee admissions reduced to lowest rates since introduction of resettlement program in 1980

-Increase in ICE arrests of unauthorized immigrants

-Cancellation of DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals)

-Removed Temporary Protected Status for Haiti, Nicaragua and Sudan nationals

-New requirements for visa holders issued

-Updated travel restrictions

2018

-Release of initial framework for immigration plan

-Trump signs memorandum to deploy troops at US-Mexico border

-Announcement that parents crossing border with their children will be prosecuted

-Trump states intention to end birth right citizenship

-Presidential proclamation to prevent illegal immigrants claiming asylum

-Zero tolerance and family separation

-2018 cap for refugee admissions went from 110,000 in 2017 to 45,000 and only 22,491 were admitted

-Public charge rule introduced, affecting green card applications

-Visa application requirements now include obtaining health care

2019

-Denial rate for H-1B visa applications doubled

-Proposals for visa fee increases announced

-Agreement with Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador to accept asylum applicants diverted at US border

-Refugee admission cap set to 30,000

–Social media checks added to visa application

2020 (so far)

-Green card holder law changes

-Six more countries added to travel ban

This is just a summary of some of the biggest changes that Trump’s administration has introduced but if he stays in power, even more changes and stricter policies are expected. The president has always maintained that his policy changes are there to protect the citizens of the US from risks such as terrorism. However, there are many parties both in the US and outside of the country that are concerned about his actions.

Can ESTA still be used for visiting US?

The Visa Waiver Program, which entitles citizens from the agreed 39 countries to apply for an ESTA instead of a US visa is still in place. This means that people with citizenship in countries that have passed the required criteria and are deemed as low risk, can visit the US without the need for a lengthy visa application. These countries include the UK, Italy, France, Germany, Australia, New Zealand and many more countries with low visa rejection rates.

An ESTA can easily be applied for using the online form –  https://www.estaform.org/ and if accepted, the ESTA will electronically link to a biometric passport. This makes it quite straightforward to visit the US for business or tourism purposes, provided the applicant meets all of the required criteria and passes the screening.