Recent visa updates reveal that more than one million Indians are experiencing extensive waiting periods for US green cards, surpassing the wait times for Chinese nationals. The backlog, highlighted by data from the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), is attributed to a cap on green cards per nation and a limited annual quota. Highly skilled professionals, including doctors, engineers, and scientists, are among those enduring potentially decades-long waits. Reports indicate a staggering 838,784 Indians on the waitlist, a backlog that has surged in recent years. Analysis by the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP) underscores the disparity, with over 1.2 million Indians awaiting clearance in various employment-based categories. Notably, wait times for Indian applicants far exceed those from other countries, a trend attributed to the per-country limit on green cards. The prolonged delays also impact family reunification, with Indian applicants often separated from their spouses and children. As the second-largest group in the backlog, Indian applicants must have filed before May 15, 2012, to remain eligible, as per State Department regulations.
Source:timesofindia
