Fluent in English? Check. U.S. bachelor's degree? Check. Nobel Prize? No? Then if the White House-backed RAISE Act is passed, you might be out of luck immigrating to the United States, Time reports. The new merit-based immigration bill would allow entry to applicants with the highest number of points — but as the legislation is currently written, many American citizens likely wouldn't even be able to meet the minimum 30 points required.
The super strict guidelines are the point, supporters say. "The RAISE Act ends chain migration and replaces our low-skill system with a new, points-based system for receiving a green card," President Trump said during the introduction of the legislation. "This competitive application process will favor applicants who can speak English, financially support themselves and their families, and demonstrate skills that will contribute to our economy. The RAISE Act prevents new migrants and new immigrants from collecting welfare and protects U.S. workers from being displaced."
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