The Decline of Legal Immigration

Alex NowrastehLegal immigration collapsed in the last year of the Trump administration. The number of green cards issued abroad were declining prior to the pandemic, partly for policy and other reasons, but the American government ’s overreaction to COVID-19 caused immigration to collapse as we’ve detailedhere,here,here,here, andhere.Since President Biden took office in January 2021, the recovery of legal immigration has been much slower than weanticipated. The new vaccine mandate for immigrants (as we ’re seeing in other countries with theNovak Djokovic scandal), the remaining closure of many embassies and consulates that reduceinterviews for visas and their subsequent issuance, thedelayed release of extra visas approved by Congress, and additionalhaphazardly imposedtravelrestrictions have greatly reduced the scope oflegal immigration.Despite those restrictions, the number of legal immigrant visas issued abroad has partly recovered from a  low of 697 (that’s not a typo) in May 2020 to 35,647 in November 2021 (Figure 1). That’s 16 percent below the average of 42,390 immigrant visas issued monthly from January 2017 through February 2020, during Trump’s presidency but prior to COVID-19. December 2021 and January 2022 will likel y show lower numbers.As bad as the numbers for immigrant visas are, the number of non ‐​immigrant visas issued abroad every month is even worse. Non‐​immigrant visas are for students, temporary workers, tourists, and others who can...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - Category: American Health Authors: Source Type: blogs