Over 1.2 Million Indians Face Extremely Long Wait Time Because of Green Card Backlog
- The delays are projected to grow without Congressional action, as the pileup for Indians is estimated to reach 2,195,795 by 2030, taking 195 years to clear.
Over 1.2 million highly skilled professionals from India, and their dependents, are facing an extremely long wait time for their green cards. These backlogs are in the EB-1, EB-2 and EB-3 categories, resulting in delays and wait times longer than that of other nationals.
These findings, reported by Forbes, were revealed by the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP) after analyzing the USCIS data as of Nov. 2, 2023. “These long wait times can cause problems for both individuals and their families, and can also make it harder for the U.S. to attract and keep talented workers,” the NFAP said, as reported by Forbes. says the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP) after analyzing the USCIS data.
The NFAP separated the number of Indians waiting in each employment-based category in the green card backlog. In the EB-1 category, there is an estimated 143,497 Indians, including workers with extraordinary abilities, outstanding professors and researchers, and multinational executives or managers.
The EB-2, includes professionals with advanced degrees and people with exceptional ability in science, arts or business, has a pileup of roughly 838,784. Forbes notes that “the USCIS data from 2020 suggest that the Indian backlog in the EB-2 category rose by more than 240,000 or 40% in approximately three years.”
In the EB-3 category, there’s an estimate of138,581 skilled workers and professionals whose jobs require a bachelor’s degree. “An additional 138,581 dependents for a total of 277,162 Indians” are also in the third preference backlog,” according to USCIS data.
The backlog is projected to grow without Congressional action, Forbes said, adding that the Congressional Research Service (CRS) “estimated the backlog for Indians in these categories to reach 2,195,795 by 2030, taking 195 years to clear.”
The long wait for green cards is because of two main things in the U.S. law — the yearly limit on green cards for jobs, set at 140,000, and the rule that no country can get more than 7% of those green cards. This rule hits hard on skilled workers from big countries like India, China, and the Philippines. The NFAP estimates that nearly 148,000 Chinese professionals and their dependents are waiting in the employment-based green card backlog, with approximately 83,000 in the second preference and 41,000 in the third preference, reported Forbes.
According to the Visa Bulletin, which is released monthly by the US Department of State, Indians in the second preference category who have filed their green card application before May 15, 2012, are currently eligible. “Applicants for immigrant visas who have a priority date earlier than the application date in the [Visa Bulletin] chart may assemble and submit required documents to the Department of State’s National Visa Center,” according to the State Department.
(Top graphic/U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)