Why Indians have to wait for 134 years to get a Green Card

Why Indians have to wait for 134 years to get a Green Card

A Green Card is a document that grants permanent residency status to foreign nationals in the United States. It allows them to live and work in the US without any restrictions, and to enjoy many benefits such as access to education, health care, and social security. It also opens the path to citizenship after five years of continuous residence.

However, getting a Green Card is not easy, especially for Indians. According to a recent report by the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank, the backlog for employment-based Green Cards for Indians has reached alarming levels, with an estimated waiting time of 134 years. This means that many applicants will die before they receive their Green Cards.

The main reason behind this situation is the country-based quota system, which limits the number of Green Cards available for each country to seven per cent of the total annual limit. This creates a huge disparity between the supply and demand of Green Cards, especially for countries like India, China, Mexico, and the Philippines, which have a high number of applicants.

For example, in 2020, the total annual limit for employment-based Green Cards was 140,000. Out of this, only 9,800 were allocated for India, which has a population of 1.3 billion and a large pool of skilled workers who seek to immigrate to the US. On the other hand, countries like Iceland, Monaco, and Liechtenstein, which have very small populations and low demand for Green Cards, also received the same quota of 9,800 each.

This means that an Indian applicant who filed for a Green Card in 2020 would have to wait until 2154 to get it, assuming no change in the system. In contrast, an applicant from Iceland, Monaco, or Liechtenstein would get it immediately or within a few months.

This system is unfair and inefficient, as it does not reflect the actual needs and contributions of the applicants. It also harms the US economy and society, as it prevents many talented and qualified individuals from joining the American workforce and contributing to its innovation and growth.

The only way to solve this problem is to change the system and make it more fair and efficient. The US Congress has the power to do so by passing legislation that would eliminate or increase the country-based quotas and create a merit-based system that would prioritize applicants based on their skills, qualifications, and contributions.

Several bills have been proposed in the past to achieve this goal, such as the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act and the Immigration Innovation Act. However, none of them have been passed due to political gridlock and opposition from some groups who fear that increasing immigration would harm American workers or change the cultural fabric of the country.

Therefore, it is important that both the public and the policymakers understand the benefits of reforming the Green Card system and support such efforts. Doing so would not only help millions of Indians who are stuck in limbo, but also benefit the US as a whole by attracting and retaining more talent and diversity.