Also...The Biden administration is scrapping a citizenship test developed under the Trump administration that critics say was designed to make it tougher for immigrants to become Americans. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will revert back to the 2008 version of the test, the agency said Monday, saying the 2020 test developed by the previous administration “may inadvertently create potential barriers” to citizenship.
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Trump administration expanded the pool of potential questions test takers might be asked from 100 to 128. It also upped the total number of questions applicants would be asked and must answer correctly from 6 out of 10 to 12 out of 20.
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In addition to the changes to the test, the Trump administration also raised the cost to apply to take it from $640 to $1,160.
The Hill
Former President Donald Trump had frozen "green cards" for new immigrants, and halted temporary work visas for skilled workers, managers and au pairs in the H-1B, H-4, H-2B, L-1 and J categories, to protect jobs. He argued that the dramatic clamp down on legal immigration was vital to safeguarding the U.S. labor market during pandemic.
But on Wednesday Biden said the earlier policy has prevented qualified and eligible non-U.S. residents from entering the country, "resulting, in some cases, in the delay and possible forfeiture of their opportunity ... and to realize their dreams in the United States."
The reversal by the new administration means that hundreds of thousands of foreigners who had expected to wait until the end of March for the chance to apply for the coveted visas, can do so immediately.
NPR
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