What Will Happen With US Immigration After the 2024 Election?

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RIF Trust Speculates on the Future of Immigration in the United States

US immigration is a buzzword in the rapidly upcoming election. Binu Varghese, our Regional Director – India, has been watching events from afar yet closely. That’s because the US EB-5 Investor Visa is a well-established favourite with Indian HNWIs.

“I’m not a political analyst, by any means” Binu insists. “But there is overlap with my role as a Residency by Investment expert.”

“RIF Trust advisors keep up to do with what is happening with the world of politics. We’re all too aware of elections transforming a HNWI into a new residency investor.”

“In terms of the US election, both candidates have laid out their immigration agenda. Despite this, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) looks like it will remain relatively unchanged. So United States residency remains a safe and stable programme.”

US Immigration in the 18th Century

Technically, US immigration history starts with the formation of the United States. On Thursday, July 4, 1776 came the famous Declaration of Independence with the 13 colonies proclaiming their separation from Great Britain. According to Steven Pincus, professor of history at Yale University, this declaration was pro-immigrant.

That’s down to, as Pincus explains, the fact that “George III, the American Patriots pointed out, had reversed generations of imperial policy by ‘refusing to pass’ laws ‘to encourage … migrations hither’. Patriots, by contrast, welcomed new immigrants.”

“They knew that British support for the immigration of Germans, Italians, Scottish Highlanders, Jews and the Irish had done a great deal to stimulate the development of British America in the 18th century. State-subsidised immigrants populated the new colony of Georgia in the 1730s.”

The History of US Immigration from the 19th Century to the Present Day

Moving on to the 19th century and the United States became the emigrating country of choice for departing Irish families. The potato famine of 1845 was a major push factor but the Irish were being pulled before. The Library of Congress has chronicled Irish-Catholic Immigration to America.

This institution shares some interesting statistics: “Between 1820 and 1860, the Irish constituted over one third of all immigrants to the United States. In the 1840s, they comprised nearly half of all immigrants to this nation. Interestingly, pre-famine immigrants from Ireland were predominately male, while in the famine years and their aftermath, entire families left the country.”

It was the 1840s that brought the first wave of Asian immigrants. Chinese workers were first on the scene after the discovery of gold in Califorians. Indians, Japanese, and Koreans followed in their wake.

In the 20th century, US immigration continued. Not for nothing did the United States became known as the Nation of Immigrants. This is what GCSE History students learn in the UK, along with schoolchildren all around the world.

1990 saw the launch of the EB-5 Visa. It was set up to attract foreign direct investment in the United States. There’s an annual limit of this Employment-Based Fifth Preference Visa, equating to around 10,000 visas issued yearly,  as in “7.1 percent of the worldwide employment limit.”

USCIS Under Trump

The Economist predicts that Donald Trump is “preparing an assault on America’s immigration system.” In the run-up to the Tuesday, November 5 2024 election, Trump has certainly been spouting plenty of anti-immigrant rhetoric. His speeches use language that’s far removed from the spirit of the Declaration of Independence.

But for a more complete forecast of the face of US immigration under potential future president Trump, specifically regarding the EB-5 visa, one has to examine his years in office as the 45th president of the United States. What happened during the period from 2017 to 2021 could be telling. Let us take a look in greater detail.

Using his platform on the social media network then known as Twitter, Trump tweeted that “In light of the attack from the Invisible Enemy, as well as the need to protect the jobs of our GREAT American Citizens, I will be signing an Executive Order to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States!” Good to his word, in late April 2020, signed this Executive Order.  Yet the EB-5 and other immigration routes survived the cull and it’s unlikely that Trump will reverse a program extended by his successor, Joe Biden, until 2027.

USCIS Under Harris

That same Economist article paints the Democratic Party candidate Kamala Harris as more pro US immigration. They do note though that she has shifted to the right in order to appeal to a broader voter base. However, as Biden’s vice-president, she is also unlikely to call for a suspension of the EB-5 extension.

Generally, Harris has labelled the present US immigration system as “broken”. She’s pledged to reform USCIS. The main focus on her position about immigrants is cracking down on the illegal variety and defending her record under Biden.

The last word on Harris’ stance on USCIS has to cover the person beyond the politician. If elected as president, she will be the first child of two immigrants to the US: Jamaica-born father Donald J. Harris and Shyamala Gopalan Harris, born and raised in Chennai, India. Harris is the very encapsulation of the multicultural American Dream.

Make the EB-5 Your Essential Investment in 2024

Pre-election pledges might swing votes but they rarely define presidential terms. For all his hot air, Trump is tipped to be less forthright in his US immigration policies. Harris is someone who has seemingly shifted from a position on the left to one more friendly to Wall Street but many suspect this to avoid being pigeonholed.

The US EB-5 does not seem to be under any immediate threat whether the US public elect Harris or Trump. But to enjoy the advantages that come with the programme as soon as possible, the earlier you apply; the better.

We’re here to address any queries you may have about the benefits that accompany the EB-5. These include greater access to the best US universities. So, contact us now and we’ll show you how to take the first step towards a green card, US citizenship, and United States passport that allows you to enter 178 visa-free destinations.