Every legal route to US residency, explained
The current system was built in 1965 and retooled in 1990. About two-thirds of green cards are granted based on family ties. The rest are based on employment or for humanitarian reasons. A 'diversity visa lottery' is for people from countries that are underrepresented in the U.S., including many in Africa.
The United States also admits hundreds of thousands of workers, foreign students and exchange visitors a year on temporary visas.
Repeated attempts to expand legal immigration have failed in Congress. In 2013, the Senate approved legislation that would have granted a path to citizenship to millions of people, but it died in the House.
There is little appetite in Congress or the White House to expand legal immigration amid President Donald Trump's drive for mass deportations. Still, there are some cracks, even among Republicans. Trump has expressed sympathy at times for companies that rely on H-1B visas, largely for the tech industry, and for people who came to the U.S. with their parents as young children, known as 'Dreamers.'
Trump is bypassing Congress to replace EB-5 visas for investors with his 'Trump Gold Card,' which charges $5 million for a green card.
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