US PRESIDENT Donald Trump has reversed the migration clock worldwide by being the jury, judge and executioner.
During his first presidency, Trump issued 472 executive actions, narrowing humanitarian protections and restricting legal immigration, bypassing Congress and ignoring a Supreme Court rebuff.
Despite the courts’ refusal to validate the president’s “most cherished priorities, Trump has introduced new tariffs, renewed efforts to fire Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook and issued new executive orders to limit birthright citizenship.” (Washington Post, Aug. 11, 2026)
Two travel bans were issued in 2019 and 2025, blocking certain new permanent and temporary visa holders from 39 countries.
In addition, the State Department exerted efforts to deny visa issuance to low-income immigrants likely to rely on public benefits under Section 212(a)(4) of the Immigration and Nationality Act and added steps to the visa application process by requiring additional information from applicants as well as access to the social media accounts of visa applicants for the last five years — purportedly to increase security vetting.
Public charge
A visa refusal, or ineligibility, under section 212(a)(4) of the INA (State Department website) means that the consular officer determined that an applicant is likely to become a public charge in the United States.
A refusal, or ineligibility, under section 212(a)(4) can be overcome in certain circumstances:
(1) Immigrants — Most immigrant visa applicants are required to submit an affidavit of support from the US sponsors who filed petitions for them. If the US sponsor does not meet the requirements of the affidavit of support, the applicant may present a second affidavit of support from a qualifying joint sponsor.
The affidavit of support in itself does not overcome the inadmissibility criteria. When determining whether an applicant is ineligible for a visa under INA 212(a)(4)(B), consuls are required to consider the “totality of circumstances” for the issuance or refusal of an immigrant visa. These include age, health, assets, resources, financial status and education or skills.
(2) Nonimmigrants must demonstrate sufficient financial support during the length of temporary stay in the US. Public charge denials are less frequent for nonimmigrant visa applications, except in cases where a visa applicant is seeking medical treatment in the United States.
Aftereffects crossed northern border and across the world
As if on cue from President Trump’s restriction of legal immigration and border control, Canada introduced additional measures to “restore balance and control of the immigration system while providing stability to those already living, working, and contributing to our country.”
The Canadian government announced a “reduction in the share of temporary residents to 5 percent of the total population by the end of 2026, including an intake cap on most study permit applications and to work permits issued to the spouses of international students and foreign workers.” (Supplementary Information for the 2025–2027 Immigration Levels Plan)
Commonwealth of Nations member in lockstep
Australia also prioritizes the permanent residency applications of applicants already in the country.
While maintaining its annual immigrant admission target at 185,000, the Australian government announced that the 2026-2027 permanent migration program will have a 70:30 split between the skilled migrants and family sponsorship categories, allocating 129,590 places to migrants already living in Australia.
This onshore-focused, timely transitions to permanent residency for migrants already living, working and contributing to Australia is aimed at further reducing Australia’s net overseas migration (NOM).
On the temporary migration column, Australia has made it harder and more expensive to study and work.
ABC News Australia’s Aug. 7 report said “Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke is finalizing a suite of measures to clamp down on temporary visas and reduce the number of overseas arrivals,” a move seen as a counter to the call of One Nation and coalition parties to reduce the country’s net migration numbers from the current 300,000 to 225,000 by 2028.
The Australian government’s visa fee increases for students and workers between 2022 and 2026 were imposed with little to no warning or consultation aimed at preventing temporary migrants from staying longer.
“When people come to Australia for a temporary purpose and they complete that purpose, then the default expectation must be that without a pathway to permanency, then they leave promptly,” Assistant Immigration Minister Julian Hill of the Labor Party recently emphasized during a Law Council conference earlier this month.
Visa holders ‘gaming the system’
Labor Party leaders claim that “student visas nearly doubled from 383,910 in 2017 to 528,000 in 2026. These temporary visa categories, along with skilled migrants and New Zealanders, account for the majority of Australia’s net overseas migration figure.”
“Between 2017 and 2026, the number of overstaying temporary migrants in Australia on a bridging visa more than tripled from 130,450 to 413,000, while the number of backpacker visas had doubled in the same period from 146,340 to 225,650.”
Overstayers on bridging visas are allowed to stay in the country and work while waiting for the decision — which could take up to eight years.
Reducing net migration is also UK govt’s thrust
Estimates from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) suggest that the UK’s total net migration was 171,000 in 2025, “lower than net migration levels during the 2010s, a sharp decline compared to the year ending March 2023, when net migration peaked at a historical high of 944,000.
In May 2025 the government published a white paper policy, “Restoring control over the immigration system,” intended to make it harder to move to and settle in the UK, in effect-reducing net migration.
Departing Kiwis replaced by temporary migrants
New Zealand’s net migration gain spiked in the wake of the global financial crises (GFC) from 2013 onwards and then again during and after the pandemic. New Zealand experienced even higher rates of immigration during 2023, with a quarter of a million arrivals and a net gain from migration of 130,900, including 29,300 international students (International Universities New Zealand).
This was accompanied by increasing numbers of New Zealand citizens emigrating — “55 percent to 58 percent heading directly to Australia for higher wages and lower cost of living.”
Back to the US of A
On Sept. 18, 2026, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said the federal government will officially announce changes to the current DHS rule on public charge.
The new rule “removes the limitations on which public benefits may be considered in a public charge inadmissibility determination and is moving away from a bright-line test of primary dependence on a cash benefit.”
Immigrant visa applicants who are likely to receive public benefits face visa refusal, including those who may be required to post public charge bond.
Last month, Luisa — the spouse of a US citizen — was given a 221(g) temporary refusal letter requiring her to submit documentation to establish that she will not be, nor is likely to be, a burden to the US government.
Despite having a sister-in-law for a joint sponsor, Luisa’s IR1 visa application was finally refused last week under 212(a)(4) because she was unemployed and relying only on the remittances from her petitioner/husband.
Luisa said that on the day she was denied her visa, there were several other immigrant visa applicants refused under the public charge rule.
The clock continues to run — backwards.