US new immigration rule: What happens if Indian immigrants don’t carry ID 24x7? Impact on H-1B visa, green card holders

The US administration under President Donald Trump has under a new rule made it compulsory for all foreign nationals in America to carry the proof of their legal status at all times, failing which they will have to face consequences. This includes H-1B visa holders as well as Indians settled in America, as part of Trump's new executive order ‘Protecting the American People Against Invasion’, which came into effect on April 11.

Under the new rules, those who are not registered with the legal system or are illegal immigrants will face serious consequences.

“All noncitizens 18 and older must carry this documentation at all times. This administration has directed DHS to prioritise enforcement, there will be no sanctuary for noncompliance,” the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a statement.

US immigration rule: What happens if you do not comply?

• Criminal penalties: If you fail to register or do not carry your ID card like H-1B visa or student visa at all times, you may have to face penalties. According to a report by Reuters, illegal immigrants may have to pay $998 a day for staying in the US after receiving their final deportation order.
• Imprisonment: Non-registration can also lead to a jail term of up to six months.
• Deportation: Without proper legal documents with you, you can face deportation from the US.

Who will be impacted by the new US rule?

The new regulations, which have come into effect on April 11, is poised to have several consequences on immigrants in the US, including Indians.

Illegal immigrants: The new rule is primarily directed towards illegal immigrants in the US, with Donald Trump promising to deport the largest number of these individuals under his administration.

Legal immigrants: Immigrants who are registered with the US legal systems will also be affected by the law. Those who have valid visas, H-1B visas, green cards., etc will not have to register again but will have to carry such IDs at all times.

Indians: Indians are one of the largest immigrant groups in the US, with a population of around 5.4 million that have H-1B visas, student visas or no visa at all. Around 220,000 of them are illegal. Therefore, both legal and illegal Indian immigrants in the US will be affected.

Effects of US immigration rule

Registration will be mandatory for everyone 14 and older without legal status. People registering have to provide their fingerprints and address, and parents and guardians of anyone under age 14 must ensure they registered. Children of immigrants will have to re-register themselves and submit their fingerprint within the first 30 days of turning 14.

The implementation of the immigration rules comes shortly after a US court allowed the Trump administration to go ahead with a plan to make immigrants illegally living in or entering the United States register with the federal government or face fines or imprisonment.