With the election of former President Donald Trump to a second term, it is well understood that changes are on the horizon across the U.S. immigration system come January. Trump and his advisers have been vocal about their intentions to curtail U.S. immigration, and while much public attention remains on border security and proposals for mass removals of the undocumented population, significant impacts to lawful immigration pathways are also expected. Drawing from the policies of Trump's first term and the proposals outlined in Project 2025, it is clear that reforms targeting employment-based and other legal immigration processes are forthcoming, signaling a more restrictive environment ahead.

During his first term, Trump’s immigration advisers and agency leadership introduced a range of policies designed to complicate the legal immigration process. By increasing delays, fostering confusion, and heightening the rate of denials, the system became more burdensome and costly for U.S. employers and their sponsored employees, as well as for individual applicants. This added more complexity to an already strained system, making it even more difficult for many to navigate.