Over 1 Million Indians Face Years-Long Wait for US Green Cards

According to data from the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), more than a million Indians are currently waiting for green cards in the United States due to a cap on the number of green cards issued to individuals from specific countries and a low annual quota. Highly skilled professionals, including doctors, engineers, and scientists, face incredibly long wait times, potentially stretching for decades, as per a Forbes report.

The USCIS data reveals that Indians are stuck in a backlog across the top three employment-based categories. This includes around 143,497 individuals waiting in the EB-1 category, 838,784 in the EB-2 category, and 138,581 principals in the EB-3 category, with additional dependents. The wait times for Indians are notably longer than those from other countries due to the per-country limit on green cards.

Without changes to the current system, the backlog is projected to grow substantially, reaching an estimated 2,195,795 by FY 2030. The National Foundation for American Policy is urging Congress to address this issue, as the prolonged wait times not only affect individuals and their families but also impact the US's ability to attract and retain talented workers from India.