[Updated] Short answer: act now.
The incoming president campaigned on a hard line approach to immigration, and while some of his more draconian proposals sound so cataclysmic that it’s hard to believe they’ll go off as planned, we have to assume that there will be changes that will negatively affect immigrants and immigration.
With that in mind, if you or people you know are considering status changes, get them started sooner than later. Those who currently have Temporary Protected Status (TPS) or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) should definitely explore possible status changes because early signals suggest that those programs are vulnerable. The Haitian workers in Springfield, Ohio that he wrongly accused of eating people's pets are in the country legally because of TPS, so there's a good chance he will try to remove their protection.
Applying for a change does not guarantee anything, but petitions that are in the pipeline under the current administration will at least get the benefit of the Department of Homeland Security working with the current staffing levels and none of the changes have been implemented that made the process harder during his previous administration.
Like you, we don’t know for sure what will come next, but since the incoming president campaigned on making immigration harder, we should take him as his word and plan accordingly.
Photo by Rocio Ramirez on Unsplash.
Updated November 12, 10:04 a.m.
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