Recently, the most trending news in the U.S. immigration industry has been the introduction of the Green Card points-based proposal. Following Trump's announcement of the "biggest immigration reform in half a century," the latest U.S. immigration points-based algorithm has attracted widespread attention. According to the new proposal's scoring criteria, a minimum of 30 points is required to be eligible to apply for a U.S. Green Card.
Detailed criteria for the new points-based proposal:
★ Age:
18-21 years old: 6 points
22-25 years old: 8 points
26-30 years old: 10 points
31-35 years old: 8 points
36-40 years old: 6 points
41-45 years old: 4 points
46-50 years old: 2 points
(Points for those under 18 and over 50 are 0, but you can still apply if you are over 50.)
★ Education Level:
Points are calculated based on the applicant's highest level of education.
Possessing a high school diploma equivalent to a U.S. high school diploma or a foreign equivalent certificate: 1 point
Foreign bachelor's degree: 5 points
U.S. bachelor's degree: 6 points
Foreign master's degree in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM): 7 points
U.S. master's degree in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM): 8 points
Foreign professional or doctoral degree: 10 points
U.S. professional or doctoral degree: 13 points
U.S. professional degree (MBA, JD, MD): 13 points
★ English Proficiency:
English proficiency is determined by standardized English tests, with points awarded based on the overall ranking of the scores.
Applicants with fluency below 60%: 0 points
Between 60%-70% of the overall ranking: 6 points
Between 70%-80% of the overall ranking: 10 points
Between 80%-90% or higher of the overall ranking: 11 points
100% of the overall ranking: 12 points
★ Investment in the U.S.:
Invest $1.35 million in a U.S. business, maintain it for three years, and the applicant must play an active role in the management of the business: 6 points
Invest $1.8 million in a U.S. business, maintain it for three years, and the applicant must play an active role in the management of the business: 12 points
★ Extraordinary Achievements:
Nobel Prize winner, or applicant has achieved equivalent accomplishments in other scientific or social science fields, as determined by a USCIS officer: 25 points
Applicant has won an individual Olympic medal within the 8-year period of application, or has won first place in a major international competition for an Olympic event, as determined by a USCIS officer: 15 points
★ Job Offer Salary:
To stimulate wage growth, for applicants who have already obtained a job offer in the U.S., the salary level is the sole consideration factor.
If the salary is 150% of the local median household income: 5 points
If the salary is 200% of the local median household income: 8 points
If the salary is 300% of the local median household income: 13 points
★ Spouse
If the Green Card applicant has a spouse, the spouse is also subject to this points-based assessment standard for calculation.
[Worldway Interpretation]
1. To obtain a Green Card, at least 30 points are required, with selection based on merit from high to low.
According to the provisions of this new proposal, reaching 30 points is a mandatory requirement for immigrating to the U.S. and is the first step in applying for a Green Card.
Although all applicants who meet the points requirements are eligible to apply for immigration, the immigration bureau will only issue a fixed quota of 140,000 spots per year, issuing invitations from high to low scores, in order of priority!
2. The difficulty of obtaining a Green Card through investment immigration has increased significantly.
This proposal has adjusted the investment amount to the $1.35 million and $1.8 million proposed in the current immigration bureau proposal, a 3.7-fold increase from the current minimum EB-5 investment amount of $500,000.
In addition to the surge in investment amount, the new proposal also requires investors to "actively participate in management." In other words, if the applicant does not have the time or willingness to participate in active management, or does not have a business partner to cooperate with, even if the investment amount meets the conditions, they will not be able to obtain the corresponding points.
3. Spouses must also reach 30 points to immigrate.
Under the current EB-5 policy, the applicant's spouse and their unmarried children under 21 years of age can obtain a U.S. Green Card together. However, if referring to the new proposal, the spouse's application must also reach 30 points, which undoubtedly raises the threshold significantly.
4. Can the bill become law?
Generally speaking, for a bill to become law, it needs to go through the following major stages:
Bill introduction — Senate vote — House of Representatives vote — Presidential signature — becomes law. Currently, it is uncertain whether Trump's points-based immigration proposal will eventually pass.
[Summary]
Overall, according to Trump's points-based immigration system, U.S. investment immigration not only faces a sharp increase in investment amounts but also increased difficulty in areas including age, language proficiency, and educational background. The application threshold will become higher and higher. It can basically be predicted that if Trump's immigration points system is truly implemented, more than half of current investors may lose their eligibility to immigrate to the U.S.