Biden cancels Trump-era bans on some immigrant visas

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President Biden this week lifted a Trump administration ban on green cards during the coronavirus pandemic that was blocking most legal immigration to the United States.

Biden, in his proclamation Wednesday, said shutting the door on legal immigrants "does not advance the interests of the United States."

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"To the contrary, it harms the United States, including by preventing certain family members of United States citizens and lawful permanent residents from joining their families here," he said. "It also harms industries in the United States that utilize talent from around the world."

Biden added: "And it harms individuals who were selected to receive the opportunity to apply for, and those who have likewise received, immigrant visas through the Fiscal Year 2020 Diversity Visa Lottery."

Former President Trump last spring halted issuing green cards until the end of 2020, saying it protected the job market amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The Trump administration first announced limits on the issuance of green cards for immigrants in April. In June, Trump expanded the order to limit several guest worker programs, including new H-1B tech worker visas, H-2B seasonal worker visas, certain J work and education exchange visitor visas and L executive transfer visas, with some exceptions.

Trump’s proclamation noted that recent spikes in COVID-19 cases have surpassed previous highs in June, as well as the implementation of pandemic-related restrictions that placed further strain on U.S. businesses. The effect of recently approved vaccines and other treatments "has not yet been fully realized" for the U.S. labor market, he added.

Trump, on Dec. 31, extended the order through the end of March, after deeming immigrants a "risk to the U.S. labor market."

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Members of the Biden transition team were critical of the Trump administration’s immigration policies on the campaign trail, arguing that they were too draconian and discriminatory. 

The United States makes available up to 55,000 visas a year for immigrants whose nationalities are underrepresented in the U.S. population. The visas must be used within six months of being obtained.

Meanwhile, Biden has proposed legislation that would limit presidential authority to issue future bans against immigrants.

The president has not said whether there will be any redress for visa lottery winners who lost out because of the pandemic-era policies. But he is calling for the U.S. to increase the number of diversity visas available via the lottery each year from 55,000 to 80,000.

Fox News' Thomas Barrabi and the Associated Press contributed to this report.