Indians Will Now Have To Wait Longer To Get The US Green Card

by Shreya Ghosh
Indians Will Now Have To Wait Longer To Get The US Green Card

Are you dreaming to live your lavish American dream? Well, you have to wait a bit longer to get a US Green card. The number of applicants for the US green card is increasing exponentially but only 7% against applications for a country is rounded off for the US Green card. In between, almost a hundred thousand Indians apply for these cards every year. Hence, they have no choice but to wait for some time, even longer.

Indians Will Have To Wait To Get The US Green Card

As per a recent report by the US immigration agency, 3,69,322 applicants are awaiting visa availability. These applicants have approved employment visa petitions. Most of these huge numbers of applicants fall under the EB2 category and EB3 category. Various technology companies use these two categories for sponsoring visas for immigrant professionals. These visas come with the option of permanent residency. And people can use this visa option to get a green card. 

Also read: 5 Michelin Star Restaurants In The US That Offer Indian Food With A Modern Twist 

Do You Know Which Country Applied The Highest Number Of Employment-Based Green Cards?

The answer to this question is Indians. Indians applied the highest number of petitions for the employment-based green card. In the first two quarters of fiscal 2022, which is from October 2021 to March 2022, Indians filed for the highest I-140 petitions. The US Citizenship and Immigration Services released the numbers. Talking about numbers, this agency got a total of 37,719 applications in the past 6 months. During the span of the last 6 months, they approved 25,274 applications. These approved applications also include some previously filed applications. 

Also read: An Indian Mom’s Recipe Created ‘Chai Pani’ The Best Restaurant In The US 

Immigrants who have H-1B and L-1 visas, can work and stay in the United States for only a strict period of time. This is the reason behind such a demand for Green cards or permanent residency in the US. Indians have to wait long to live their dream life in the United States now. There are many more reasons behind the delay. The managing partner at LawQuest shared with the ET, “They have not provided the number of family members attached to these principal applicants, which is important because visas granted to family members are counted towards the per-country maximum allowed each year. So, we are looking at several decades of wait time.”

First Published: July 27, 2022 4:08 PM