Green card categories that have faced or may face reductions
In fiscal 2017, 748,746 people received family-based U.S. lawful permanent residence. The program allows someone to receive a green card if they already have a spouse, child, sibling or parent living in the country with U.S. citizenship or, in some cases, a green card. Immigrants from countries with large numbers of applicants often wait for years to receive a green card because a single country can account for no more than 7% of all green cards issued annually. President Donald Trump said his legislation, when proposed, would prioritize family-based green cards to immediate family members. Today, family-based immigration – referred to by some as “chain migration” – is the most common way people gain green cards, in recent years accounting for about two-thirds of the more than 1 million people who receive them annually. This share could decline to about one-third under the president’s proposal.
In fiscal 2017, 137,855 employment-based green cards were awarded to foreign workers and their families. The Trump administration’s points-based plan would increase the number of green cards granted due to having certain skills. The new system would eliminate a green card for immigrant investors who put money into commercial U.S. enterprises that are intended to create jobs or benefit the economy. This path to a green card, the EB-5 program, has drawn criticism from some lawmakers.
Green card categories that have faced or may face  | reductions  | Admission categories for fiscal 2017 lawful permanent residents  | 5%  | 6%  | Diversity visa  | Other 68 .618  | program  | 51,592  | 11%  | Refugees 120, 356  | Refugees 120, 356  | 66%  | Family  | sponsored  | immigrants  | 748 .746  | 12%  | Employment-  | based immigrants  | 137 _855  | Note: Other includes parolees and asylees  | Source U.S Department of Homeland Security  | PEW RESEARCH CENTER 