The new mandate, part of Trump’s “extreme vetting” of immigrants, will slow down green card process.
H-1B and L-1 visa holders who have applied for green card will need to give an in-person interview to obtain permanent residency starting this fall, as part of Trump administration’s decision to expand “extreme vetting.”
The new requirement was first reported by Politico, which said it “will apply to anyone moving from an employment-based visa to lawful permanent residency.” The publication said on Friday that a US Citizenship and Immigration Services confirmed the requirement, which will likely “slow the process of obtaining” green card.
Besides H-1B and L-1 visas, O and R-1 visas also come under the employment based visas. O visas are issued to those that possess “extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics.” R-1 visa is used to hire temporary religious workers from abroad.
Another group that will also undergo the in-person interview is, in addition to those on employment-based visas, is visa holders “who are family members of refugees or people who receive asylum.”
According to Politico, almost 168,000 immigrants obtained green cards in these two categories, with most — “roughly 122,000” — moving from “employment-based visa to a green card.”
Quoting an email sent by acting USCIS Director James McCament to some staffers, the publication said “the new policy will take effect Oct. 1.”
Carter Langston, a USCIS spokesperson, told Politico that the policy is “part of a comprehensive strategy to further improve the detection and prevention of fraud and security risks to the United States.”
Aparna Dave, an immigration attorney based in Gaithersburg, MD, told The American Bazaar that the new requirement is “not technically a change of law,” and “there was a time period when they interviewed everybody.”
Dave said the new mandate will further slow down the green card process for those of H-1B and L-1.
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