MEGATHREAD- What does a Trump Presidency mean for visas? (merged)

[TBoneTX 45,324]

Thread is moved from US Immigration News & Discussion to General Immigration Discussion and merged with Megathread.

[Anitafeliz 1,133]

https://www.quora.com/As-a-green-card-holder-should-I-be-afraid-of-Donald-Trump

I found this... don't know if It helps.

Edited November 9, 2016 by Anitafeliz

[Jawaree 717]

Personally I think life will go on as usual, there will be changes made but he alone cannot

do it & there are members of his party that does not agree with all his rants the outcome

really spoke to the place the US has now become..

Politicians says a lot of things they cannot do, repealing Obamacare he may try at a great expense

building the Mexican wall...certainly he will just that he cannot cover the complete border & pp will come

slowing down ppl from Muslim countries entering US I think will happen in a tactful manner, in the name of Nat'l Security

immigration reform will be a challenge still, like to all other Prez. ICE may get a bit more power & more rules are coming

I figure he will be a one term Prez if he undo all Obama has done & we all will go on living.

If here illegal , look to get legal, if you were deported & re-entered now is the time to pack, mail & send comfort

stuff to your home & return, or take the chance of going to prison on re-entry. If one has a visa to visit do so then

leave in a timely manner. Visa quota cuts will be coming. Lets pray the division & hate lessens.

[SunflowerSweet 1,321]

Come on Guys, come one. It is so clear you guys dont live in us. So clear.

Donald Trump does not much have influence in the united states. We have "checks and balances" so he is not a king. Period.

Now, do you remember when obama and bush said he will let illegal immigrants to become a citizen? Both of them could not passed that bill. So it is not easy to pass a bill they want. Plus, when we had the obamacare it took years and years to put on progress. So the new immigration law will take months and years to see in progress. Also, do you know more illegals have been deported in Obamas administration than other administrations? No, you all guys think Obama is the best thing ever happen to U.S.

So, dont panic. The system in the US is very different than our nations. FBI-CIA and all other departments work freely.

Also, he was kind a soft at the speech. This is interesting too.

However, the racistm nazisim will rise. I have heard in a bar in Alabama once Donald won the president, people were scream "Build that wall, Build that wall " Well, this is bad. One day, he can say terrible things to illegal immigrants and Muslims and next day we will see the reactions on the streets. This is not good. Thats what we should worry about.

Dont forget, Presidents do not have much impact in the united states since we have checks and balances.

I agree that it seems like many in this people in this thread don't understand how the federal government works, but I'm not necessarily sure I wouldn't discount you as one of them.

The checks and balances are significantly less effective when the ideologies of all 3 branches that are suppose to be checking each other line up. It's how the ACA was passed through during the brief time the Democrats had close to total control of the Congress.

Thankfully Trump does not have "full" control as the majority in the Senate looks like it will be slightly short of 60 seat majority needed to block filibusters, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have significantly more power than if the Senate would have swung blue like predicted.

Look I am really not trying to scare anyone here, but there are some deep misunderstandings here that I think are dangerous if not corrected or at least applied to criticism. The biggest thing I learned last night is that this time around we cannot rely on conventionally held beliefs on how politics work because so much of what Trump did was against those beliefs.

The checks and balances system, while historically effective over all, has never been tested in the sort of situation we are in now. Never has their been this level of polarization, or a candidate that has been so divisive, even within his own party.

If anyone takes anything from what I am trying to say here let it be this: We can no longer rely on traditional assumptions about how the political process in the US works, and that's coming from someone who has dedicated the majority of her higher education career into studying and interpreting that exact system. The territory we are entering now is new. Voting patterns that have been consistent for decades have been shattered. The very system and establishment that everyone is claiming will safeguard us from anything Trump tries to do is being criticized like never before. It's just not something we have ever seen, and most everyone from pundits to reporters to those in Academia will tell you the same thing.

[Boiler 45,541]

He did register, he has a GC.

He is required under Obama to carry his GC.

[ColGil 126]

I came in through same-sex marriage with K1 visa. He may place a supreme court judge who could overturn that. I'm still on AOS. I hope his win doesn't affect us negatively. ?

I too came in through same-sex marriage but we filed the I-130. I am in the process of removing the conditions on my GC. Here's my concern:

Trump (and the Republicans in general) oppose same sex marriage nationally, preferring to leave the decisions at the state level. If the decision to nationalize same-sex marriage is reversed, then I am only considered legally married in the states who recognize same-sex marriage. The issue is that the USCIS is federal, and therefore wouldn't recognize my marriage as legal. If I have my full GC at the time this potential change happens then I'm good because I'm a legal resident. What I'm concerned about is if this (again, potentially) comes into effect before the USCIS review my petition to remove conditions. After all I checked the box which says I've been legally married to the same person on the original petition, and because of my legal marriage I request they remove conditions. If the marriage isn't recognized at a federal level then they may have the power to deny my petition on the grounds that I am not legally married and therefore have no claim to residency in the US.

All we can do is sit back, watch from afar, and hope for the best. Or I guess move back to the UK and start a petition for my husband to come over.

[jericho29 2]

He did register, he has a GC.

He is required under Obama to carry his GC.

Who has a GC?

What is GC? Green Card?

[IcezMan_IcezLady 582]

I too came in through same-sex marriage but we filed the I-130. I am in the process of removing the conditions on my GC. Here's my concern:

Trump (and the Republicans in general) oppose same sex marriage nationally, preferring to leave the decisions at the state level. If the decision to nationalize same-sex marriage is reversed, then I am only considered legally married in the states who recognize same-sex marriage. The issue is that the USCIS is federal, and therefore wouldn't recognize my marriage as legal. If I have my full GC at the time this potential change happens then I'm good because I'm a legal resident. What I'm concerned about is if this (again, potentially) comes into effect before the USCIS review my petition to remove conditions. After all I checked the box which says I've been legally married to the same person on the original petition, and because of my legal marriage I request they remove conditions. If the marriage isn't recognized at a federal level then they may have the power to deny my petition on the grounds that I am not legally married and therefore have no claim to residency in the US.

All we can do is sit back, watch from afar, and hope for the best. Or I guess move back to the UK and start a petition for my husband to come over.

I think you should read about Loving vs Virginia

If something like what you said were to happen, i think that story will be akin to it.

[Mme D 22]

Hi Everyone,

All of you applying for family-bases visas, please don't be afraid of Donald Trump. You can read his official paper on his specific immigration policy here:

https://assets.donaldjtrump.com/Immigration-Reform-Trump.pdf

You can read his specific policies towards the end, which mostly deal with illegal immigrants and bringing in foreign workers. Your green cards will be safe. Here is what he has to say on that:

"Immigration moderation. Before any new green cards are issued to foreign workers abroad, there will be a pause where employers will have to hire from the domestic pool of unemployed immigrant and native workers."

He is not taking anything away from current green card holders living here, or foreigners obtaining a green card through a family-based visa. There is also very little mention in his policies of heavier scrutiny or banning people from certain areas. If anything, he shoes support for getting a visa the legal way, which is what we're all doing!

For all of us, obtaining visas for our loved ones is a painfully long and stressful process. I hope you won't add this to your worries, because you really don't need to. Getting a visa the legal way, for the most part, is not going to change.

Good luck and God bless you.

[LumpyLump 0]

He did register, he has a GC.

He is required under Obama to carry his GC.

I think she's talking about the registry Trump wants to create for all Muslims in the US.

[jg121783 3,915]

Very little will change (except perhaps all the red tape being removed from the process) for people immigrating legally. The big changes will be for illegal aliens and "refugees" with terrorism ties. Trump has said more than once he wants to make things easier for people coming here legally. Being in the middle of the process of petitioning for my wife and step son myself I see some simple steps that could be taken to easily streamline things. It is pretty sad that I have to explain to my family that Trump winning will not in any way affect the visa process for my wife and step son. My wife's friends who have already immigrated here are making her worry for no reason and I have to explain to her there is nothing to worry about. The corporate media says one thing about Trump's immigration policies and Trump says something totally different. I would suggest looking at Trump's speeches (not just the short soundbites on ther nightly news) instead of trusting every word the TV says.

[lilsweetie 32]

I would not be concerned if you are going through it right now, I would be more concerned if I were planning to apply in the future - say a year from now - because by then there would be time for him to make changes. But not in the short term, immediate future (3-6 months) that I can see. Things move slowly in government, changes are often slow. Look at the USCIS fee increases. It was discussed much earlier this year and is only going into effect in December!

[RandB 156]

I too came in through same-sex marriage but we filed the I-130. I am in the process of removing the conditions on my GC. Here's my concern:

Trump (and the Republicans in general) oppose same sex marriage nationally, preferring to leave the decisions at the state level. If the decision to nationalize same-sex marriage is reversed, then I am only considered legally married in the states who recognize same-sex marriage. The issue is that the USCIS is federal, and therefore wouldn't recognize my marriage as legal. If I have my full GC at the time this potential change happens then I'm good because I'm a legal resident. What I'm concerned about is if this (again, potentially) comes into effect before the USCIS review my petition to remove conditions. After all I checked the box which says I've been legally married to the same person on the original petition, and because of my legal marriage I request they remove conditions. If the marriage isn't recognized at a federal level then they may have the power to deny my petition on the grounds that I am not legally married and therefore have no claim to residency in the US.

All we can do is sit back, watch from afar, and hope for the best. Or I guess move back to the UK and start a petition for my husband to come over.

Interesting. But USCs in same-sex relatinships have been able to bring their spouses to the US on a family-based visa since 2013 - how did those couples get their green cards? Also, how can the USCIS deny that your marriage is legal if it was legal at the time you got married? New laws can't change things that was legal in the past (forgot the term for it).

I am a K1 filer in a same-sex relationship. I am most likely getting married in spring, so I'm not too worried about same-sex marriages becoming illegal again by then. However, I am worried Trump's policies will affect my adjustment of status and removal of conditions. Worst case, I'll bring my future wife to Norway.

Edited November 9, 2016 by RandB

[K1samesexVisa 0]

i was so scared but after reading comments somehow i feel at ease, i have my interview schedule on 25th of this month and i panic when i heard negative things about immigration, k1 visa for gay marriage which i know i should be worried too but come on, i'm half way there to finally be with my "wife" .. we had our holyunion rite here PH coz its not legal in here then we'll get married in the US but now everything is scary

[mallafri76 1,012]

I hate to say it, but I think there will end up being some significant immigration reform. Not only did Trump win the Presidency, but there is now a Republican controlled House, Senate, and Executive Branch. American sentiment towards Muslims is not terribly good right now. I think a big reason Trump won, was the pandering to the hysterical masses.

Not to mention a "Republican" Supreme Court. I think it's safe to say that we'll see a lot of changes in the coming years, including to immigration policies. But don't worry, as long as you're a white, straight male, you'll be fine.