The Green Card, or Permanent Resident Card, is crucial for immigrants seeking permanent residence in the United States
PRAVASISAMWAD.COM
US lawmakers, led by Congressmen Raja Krishnamoorthi and Larry Bucshon, have called on President Joe Biden to address the significant backlog and 195-year wait period for Indian Green Card applicants. The Green Card, or Permanent Resident Card, is crucial for immigrants seeking permanent residence in the United States, PTI and IANS reported.
The bipartisan group of 56 lawmakers sent a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, requesting executive action to provide relief to high-skilled employment-based visa holders. They urged the administration to designate all dates for filing employment-based visa applications in the Bureau of Consular Affairs’ Employment-Based Visa Bulletin as “current.”
The current situation is aggravated by the seven percent country cap on employment-based Green Card allocation, disproportionately affecting countries like India, where the backlog has reached an astonishing 195 years. Indian tech professionals, a significant portion of highly skilled STEM talent and US-educated graduates, are particularly impacted, hindering the country’s technological edge and innovation.
The Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Studies (FIIDS USA) separately appealed to President Biden, emphasizing the barriers the backlog creates for Indian immigrants who wish to contribute to the country’s growth and development. FIIDS has been actively advocating for relief for Indian H-1B visa holders stuck in Green Card processing through petitions and engagements with representatives and organizations.
President of Immigration Voice, Aman Kapoor, emphasized that implementing the proposed measure would be a game-changer for nearly one million high-skilled immigrants, granting them basic human rights like job mobility and travel. Kapoor pointed out that the root of the problem lies in a “discriminatory” immigration system that forces Indian nationals to wait for up to 200 years for a Green Card, while citizens from other countries face no such delays.
The lawmakers’ proposed solution of marking all dates as “current” would allow employment-based applications to be filed without being hindered by country-based priority dates. This relief would enable thousands of individuals to navigate the US immigration system legally and potentially become eligible for employment authorization to change jobs, start businesses, and travel abroad without penalties.
Without this administrative action, individuals remain in a state of uncertainty, with some forced to stick to one employer due to their Green Card status. Congressman Krishnamoorthi stressed the need to address bureaucratic delays in the legal immigration system to strengthen the economy and create jobs. Congressman Bucshon also highlighted the lack of flexibility for visa backlog immigrants to change jobs or travel freely.
President of Immigration Voice, Aman Kapoor, emphasized that implementing the proposed measure would be a game-changer for nearly one million high-skilled immigrants, granting them basic human rights like job mobility and travel. Kapoor pointed out that the root of the problem lies in a “discriminatory” immigration system that forces Indian nationals to wait for up to 200 years for a Green Card, while citizens from other countries face no such delays.
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