The Trump administration is now eyeing a policy that would make it more difficult for immigrants to obtain US permanent residency if they come from countries listed under the travel ban introduced earlier this year.
Green cards, asylum approvals and higher-tier long-term visas could all be affected by the potential policy shift.
The plans were first reported by The New York Times, citing internal documents from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The move appears to be a further bid to reduce immigration rates to the US, given the pattern of crackdowns on undocumented immigrants, visa revocations, and increased application fees introduced since US President Donald Trump took office in January. The new polices have already led to a 17 percent decrease in foreign student enrollment in US universities, the biggest drop in a decade.
The travel ban executive order targets 12 countries: Afghanistan; Burma; Chad; the Republic of the Congo; Equatorial Guinea; Eritrea; Haiti; Iran; Libya; Somalia; Sudan; and Yemen.
