Note: On April 22, 2020, President Trump signed an official proclamation suspending some permanent immigration for 60 days. More details about the proclamation can be found here.
As many news outlets have reported, President Trump published a tweet on Monday saying, “I will be signing an Executive Order to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States.” Although we have not seen the exact language of the executive order, the following is based on news reports of what the order may say.
What We Know Now:
On April 21, 2020, the President said that this executive order will apply “only to people seeking green cards, last 60 days and won’t affect workers entering the country on a temporary basis.” The executive order is still being drafted, but the President added that he intends to sign it Wednesday, April 22, 2020.
What this Means for You:
Since the executive order is still being written, we don’t know yet how it will affect anyone. But the President has made it clear that temporary workers shouldn’t be affected, and it may only affect people who are seeking to enter the country as permanent residents, and only for 60 days.
News outlets are reporting that the order seems to be “largely symbolic” due to the fact that all U.S. consulates and embassies have already been closed and are not issuing green cards and all USCIS offices are closed for in-person services and are not interviewing either.
We are cautiously hopeful that the executive order will not result in any long-term effects on immigration. Any substantial change to immigration law is likely to be challenged in court, and judges are likely to issue an injunction, which would forbid the implementation of the order while the case works through the courts – a process which is likely to take several months.
We will continue to watch this closely to see the exact language of the executive order, and we will immediately publish an update to keep you informed.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/21/politics/donald-trump-immigration-coronavirus/index.html