Is the “American Dream” worth the wait? According to Suren, a software developer of Indian origin from Texas, the wait for a green card can be up to 100 years! And that’s just the beginning of the challenges.
Suren advises students who want to study in the US to think twice about this decision. In one of his posts, Suren said: “Don’t come to the US to study. Once you finish your studies, looking for an H-1B visa will become your full-time job.”
But the struggle doesn’t end with obtaining an H-1B visa. Suren highlighted the challenge of obtaining a green card. He said, “The wait time for a green card is 100 years if you’re born in India. It’s a never-ending nightmare.” His words paint a grim picture for those hoping to settle permanently in the U.S., especially those from countries like India, where wait times are notoriously long due to high demand.
But what exactly is a Green Card?
A Green Card, officially called a Permanent Resident Card, is a document issued by the US government that grants the holder permanent resident status and allows him or her to live and work in the US indefinitely. This card also opens the possibility of becoming a US citizen after a few years, usually between three and five.
Suren’s warning was in response to a post by US Ambassador Eric Garcetti, who is promoting the Education USA Fairs across India. These fairs are designed to attract Indian students to US universities and provide them with the opportunity to meet representatives from more than 80 institutions. Ambassador Garcetti’s post reads: “Students and parents, I am very pleased to invite you to our #EducationUSA Fairs taking place across India this month.”
However, Suren was quick to counter the ambassador’s optimistic message. In his post, he accused US officials of misleading prospective students and warned: “Please don’t come to the #USA. These are lies. You don’t believe me? Talk to anyone who has come here to study in the last decade.” He called on US immigration authorities to update these outdated visa regulations, saying: “Please correct the visa regulations from the 1950s @USCIS.”
Suren’s post went viral and resonated with many who have experienced the harsh realities of the U.S. immigration system.
Why is this a problem for Indian students?
Suren pointed out that many Indian students come to the U.S. with significant student loans and expect to find well-paying jobs that will help them pay back those loans. But with no clear and straightforward path to permanent residency, many end up in a vicious cycle of visa extensions and job insecurity, and are left with the question: “What do I do after I graduate?”
Please do not come to #USAThese are lies.
You don’t believe me? Talk to anyone who has come to study here in the last decade.
– Your dreams will be shattered.
– After completing your education there is no future.
– Your entire career will consist of #H1B Visas.
– Green Cards for Indians… https://t.co/EJ1XRa74mJ— Surenk (@TheSurenk) 8 August 2024
Internet users react
Suren’s post sparked a wave of reactions on social media, with many users sharing his concerns. One user shared, “Yes. True. One day I asked my colleague who is on an H-1B visa when he will become a US citizen. I was shocked to learn that there is a 100-year waiting list.” This comment reflects widespread disbelief and frustration among those facing similar challenges.
Another user, Satya, opined that working in India could be a better option for today’s youth, stating, “Smart people with good education and talent have more opportunities in India in the next decade or so. Waiting for a GC in the US is horrible! It’s not worth it unless you are going there only for the reasons mentioned above. Immigration is a big problem now more than ever, especially for ‘legal immigrants’.”
One user highlighted the constant fear of job loss that plagues many Indian professionals in the US. “The Indians who are now planning to come to the US for higher studies will have to extend their H1B visas all their lives and will be constantly at risk of losing their jobs. No green card for Indians.”
I agree! I live in the United States and moved here from India 21 years ago. Times were different then. Now it is India’s time in the next two decades and smart people will be more successful here than in the US. People go to top universities in the US to have a better education or a better life…
— SATYA (@ssatyatweets) 9 August 2024
What is the real problem?
Ajay Sharma, immigration consultant and founder of Abhinav Immigration Services, explains it for us:
Obtaining a green card and becoming a permanent resident in the United States or another country is a privilege, not a right. Each year, the United States sets a legal cap on the number of green cards it can issue. These quotas determine how many green cards can be issued each year, and they apply to everyone – no matter where you come from or what visa you have.
The problem is: The US can only issue a maximum of 675,000 green cards per year. However, as of February 2024, a whopping 34.7 million people were waiting for a green card. That means some people have to wait almost 50 years! It’s a long, hard wait and shows how much patience and determination it takes to get through this process.
Now let’s look at the numbers in more detail. There are only 140,000 employment-based green cards available for 2024, and that category includes H-1B visa holders, so it’s easy to see why wait times are getting longer and longer.
Why is the waiting time so long?
“It is simply a question of supply and demand mismatch. Anyone who applies for an H-1B visa knows this from the beginning and understands the difficulties involved,” Ajay Sharma told Business Standard.
There are several ways to apply for a green card: family sponsorship, employment, special categories such as refugees, and a few others. H-1B visa holders applying for a green card are just one of these groups.
But the quota is not the only problem. There is another major hurdle: you need the support of your employer to apply for a green card. The process begins with the employer you work for on your H-1B visa. They must first try to find a US citizen or green card holder for the position. If they are unsuccessful, they can nominate you for a green card.
“Another concern is that the rules about whether your spouse can work are constantly changing depending on who is in power at the time. This uncertainty makes things even more difficult.
And then there is the problem with the children. They are only considered dependents until they turn 21, so families are under pressure while they wait for their green card,” he explains.
“And here’s the catch: just because you apply doesn’t mean you’ll get the grant. Your application could be rejected for a number of reasons, leaving you in limbo for years,” he adds.
What is the current situation regarding Green Cards?
For the 2024 fiscal year, around 34.7 million people have applied for a green card. By comparison, in 1996, the number was only around 10 million. The US government plans to approve around 1.1 million green card applications this year. This means that only 3 out of 100 applicants will be successful. The rest will have to wait – or may never be approved.
A particularly high proportion of Green Card applicants are of Asian descent, with a significant proportion being Indian Americans. These individuals often have advanced degrees and make important contributions to the U.S. economy, particularly in fields such as technology, medicine and science.
How many Indians are waiting for a Green Card?
According to the U.S. Immigration and Citizenship Services (USCIS), over a million Indians are currently waiting for a green card. These individuals often face wait times that can stretch for decades, a situation that is exacerbated by annual caps and country-specific restrictions on the number of green cards issued. This backlog affects not only the primary applicants but also their families, as their access to permanent residency and, hence, citizenship is delayed.
The Department of Homeland Security estimated that there were 12.9 million green card holders living in the United States in 2022, of whom 9.2 million received citizenship. The Covid-19 pandemic temporarily slowed immigration, but numbers are recovering. There were over a million new green card holders in 2022 alone.
What does the data say about the Green Card backlog?
A study by the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP) using USCIS data shows that over 1.2 million Indians are waiting in the three main employment-based green card categories. This backlog includes people in high-demand fields such as technology, medicine and science. The wait for many of these applicants can stretch for decades, and some projections suggest that without legislative action, it could take nearly two centuries to clear the backlog.
The main reason for these long wait times is the annual cap on employment-based green cards of 140,000, coupled with a 7% cap per country. This cap disproportionately affects countries with larger populations of highly skilled professionals, such as India. As a result, many Indian immigrants face significant delays in obtaining permanent residency, despite the high demand for technical talent in the United States.
