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President Joe Biden has signed an executive order that seeks to overhaul legal immigration to the US that is dependent on social security.

Biden's order repeals tough measures on legal immigration dependent on Social Security. The measures were intended to protect US taxpayers from being forced to pay the bill for federal benefits provided to foreign nationals seeking green cards.

In May 2019, President Trump signed an executive order enacting laws that placed all financial responsibility on the family member or business sponsor of a foreign national seeking a green card if they had previously used Social Security programs. The order relieved the state, or more specifically taxpayers, of the need to cover the costs of immigrants.

The rule introduced by Trump last year made it less likely that foreign nationals would receive green cards for permanent residence in the US if they had previously received Social Security benefits, including any income support cash benefits, supplemental insurance income, temporary assistance for needy families and food stamps.

When Trump first released the government's levy rule in 2019, polls showed the policy was hugely popular with Americans. About 6 in 10 Americans said they supported ending legal immigration that depended on Social Security, including 56 percent of Latinos and 71 percent of black Americans.

For years, big business lobbies have condemned the state duty rule because they have said they need legal immigrants dependent on welfare to grow the economy, increase the number of consumers and provide a low-wage workforce in the US.

Biden's attempt to repeal the state duty rule would result in a billion dollar tax increase for US taxpayers.

In 2017, the National Academy of Sciences noted that state taxpayers are billed about $1,600 per immigrant annually to pay for their welfare, and found that immigrant households consume 33 per cent more cash benefits than US citizen households.