Former US President Donald Trump has announced that if re-elected, he will implement a plan to automatically grant Green Cards to foreign students upon their graduation from American colleges and universities.
This policy would significantly benefit students from India, the second-largest source of international students, if Trump follows through on this promise. Indian students, along with those from China, who form the largest group, comprised 53 percent of all international students enrolled in 2023.
However, the Trump campaign later clarified that this program would involve a rigorous vetting process to exclude "all communists, radical Islamists, Hamas supporters, America haters and public charges (poor foreigners who are unable to fend for themselves and need government)".
Trump made these remarks during a podcast with two Silicon Valley investors on Thursday.
When asked if he would commit to bringing the best and brightest from around the world to America, he responded affirmatively, adding, "What I will do is - you graduate from a college, I think you should get automatically, as part of your diploma, a Green Card to be able to stay in this country, and that includes junior colleges."
A Green Card permits the holder to live and work in the US permanently, a key step towards full citizenship. The US currently issues approximately 1 million Green Cards annually and hosts about 1 million international students each year, primarily from China and India.
If Trump implements this policy, it would significantly expand the program, potentially doubling the number of Green Cards issued each year.
However, it remains to be seen if Trump will fulfill this promise. During his tenure from 2017 to 2021, his administration sought to limit immigration, specifically targeting Indian nationals on H-1B visas. Initially, he had supported the H-1B program before taking office.
A large number of Indian students in the US transition to work for American companies on H-1B visas before eventually obtaining Green Cards and citizenship. Notable examples include Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen. Trump's proposed policy would eliminate the need for an intermediary work visa stage, granting Green Cards directly upon graduation.
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