Skilled immigrants from India now face an estimated wait of 179 years to obtain a Green Card, a significant increase attributed to immigration policies enacted by the Trump administration. This extended timeline is part of a larger backlog affecting 1.2 million individuals seeking permanent residency in the United States.
Federal immigration law limits the number of Green Cards issued annually to 140,000, with a cap of 7% per country. This restriction disproportionately affects immigrants from populous nations like India and China, leading to wait times measured in decades or more. For comparison, Chinese nationals applying for an EB-2 visa, typically for professionals with master's degrees, could face a wait of approximately 25 years. Immigrants from the Philippines, however, experience wait times of only a few months.
The National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP), a Virginia-based nonprofit, reported these findings. The report also indicates that wait times for EB-1 Green Cards, reserved for individuals with extraordinary ability, are around four to five years for Indian nationals and five years for Chinese applicants.
According to Stuart Anderson, executive director of the NFAP, these prolonged wait times pose challenges for U.S. employers seeking to hire and retain foreign-born talent. He noted that highly skilled individuals who wish to become American citizens often face considerable hurdles. "Many Americans don’t realize how challenging it can be to immigrate legally to the United States, even for the most highly skilled and innovative people in the country," Anderson told the San Francisco Chronicle. "These are people who want to become Americans and are willing to wait years for the chance."
For those holding temporary H-1B work visas, common in the tech sector, pending Green Card applications can lead to a state of "H-1B limbo." This situation requires them to remain in specialized professions where their employer sponsors their visa application. If an H-1B worker is laid off, they have a limited 60-day window to secure new employment or depart the country.
Kevin Lynn, executive director of the Institute for Sound Policy, has voiced opposition to the H-1B visa system, arguing that it allows U.S. companies to hire foreign workers at lower wages, negatively impacting American job seekers. "We don’t need these tech workers," Lynn stated. "These employment visa programs that have led to this logjam have negatively impacted American innovation and inventiveness. … If you don’t want to be in that backlog, don’t come to the United States, don’t participate. That’s a choice someone makes."