Obama could, for instance, expand permanent residency immigration, or green cards for family, diversity and employment-based categories by ending the practice of counting dependents against the cap.
The president could also try to make changes to the H-1B visa program, possibly by creating a priority system that favors U.S.-based firms or by setting restrictions that affect the largest users – offshore outsourcing firms – thus, making it easier for other firms competing for the 85,000 H-1B visas.
The administration has not outlined its next steps on immigration, but it does have ways of changing immigration without Congressional action.
