US Green Cards: Longer wait times troubling families, making it harder to retain skilled workers

More than a million Indians are stuck in a queue for green cards according to US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) data. The reason specified by the authorities is that a specific number of green cards are given to people from a specific country and it is having a low annual quota as of now.

Long wait times making it harder for US to attract talent

The data released by USCIS shows that many highly skilled professionals including doctors, scientists and engineers are waiting for their cards and this is even taking decades for processing. 

These long waits are causing issues for both the individuals and their families, also making it hard for the US authorities to attract and retain talented individuals who can add to the workforce, says the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP) after analysing the USCIS data.

Rise in Indians waiting for US Green Card

According to Forbes,The National Foundation for American Policy conducted a study for the USCIS data and found that over 1.2 million Indians, including dependents, are currently waiting for green cards in the top three employment categories. 

The categories are as follows,

First Preference (EB-1): 

Working professionals falling in this category are considered to have extraordinary abilities. Professors,  Researchers, Scientists fall in this  category. An estimated 143,497 Indians are waiting to get a green card in this category. 

Second Preference (EB-2):

This employment based second preference also known as EB-2 includes professionals such as doctors, engineers and those who have highly qualified degrees and academic qualifications. There are 838,784 individuals of Indian origin who are waiting for the EB-2 green card and according to statisticians, the number of  people applying for this category has grown at a constant rate.

According to a Forbes report, “The USCIS data from 2020 suggest that the Indian backlog in the EB-2 category rose by more than 40% amounting to 240,000 in approx 3 years”. 

Third Preference (EB-3):

This employment category requires people with a qualification of a bachelor’s degree. According to the USCIS data, a 138581 number of individuals are in employment based on the 3rd category. NFAP estimates an additional 138581 dependents are waiting for the green card approval making a total of 277162 Indians in the third preference category.

Without congressional action, the number of backlogs are expected to increase. The Congressional Research Service (CRS) estimated the backlog for Indians in these categories to reach 2,195,795 by Financial Year 2030, taking 195 years to clear. 

⁠Trump’s proposal to grant US Green Cards to foreign grads

Former US President, Donald Trump shifted his stance on immigration ahead of the upcoming 2024 US presidential elections. He has proposed automatic Green Cards for foreign students graduating from USA colleges and universities. 

In a podcast interview, Trump said that he would grant green cards as part of diplomas to students, emphasising this move so as to retain talented young prodigies in the country so that they add up in the workforce.

He added, “What I want to do and what I will do is, you graduate from a college, I think you should get a green card automatically as part of your diploma, a green card to be able to stay in this country.” 

This was in reply to a statement by Calacanics that “Promise us you will give us more ability to import the best and brightest minds around the world to the USA.”