INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Existing laws impose per-country-limit of seven per cent of total green cards issued.
As a Cato Institute
report appeared on Saturday stating that the highly qualified Indians would take around 151 years to fetch the US green card under EB-2, it
is vital to understand what it means
There are several categories under which green cards are issued
The first is known as EB-1 (also known as first preference), which is meant for the ones with extraordinary abilities
The second category is EB-2 (second preference) wherein highly skilled professionals apply for green card
The third and the last is EB-3 (third preference), which is meant for mere graduates
EB stands for employment-based
Since the maximum number of applicants are in the EB-2 category (4.3 lakh), and the USCIS caps the total number of green cards issued at
seven percent for each applicants from country, the limited number of green cards on offer will lead to a long wait, and with more numbers
piling up year after year, thus adding to the wait that might stretch for 151 years, claimed the report.A wait too long for a US green card:
Immigration under EB-1: It is meant for those who demonstrate extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics
through sustained national or international acclaim
The achievements must be recognized in your field through extensive documentation
No offer of employment is required
According to the USCIS, there are 34,824 Indian applicants under EB-1 category
Along with their 48,754 spouse and children, 83,578 Indians are in line for green card under EB-1 category
This means a total of over 83,000 Indians are awaiting green cards under the EB-1 category.2
The extraordinary immigrants from India (EB-1) will have to wait only six years, Cato Institute said in its latest report3
Immigration under EB-2: This is the category of professionals with advanced degrees
This means that the job you apply for must require an advanced degree and you must possess such a degree or its equivalent (a baccalaureate
degree plus 5 years progressive work experience in the field)
According to the USCIS, there were 2,16,684 primary Indian applicants under EB-2 category and 2,16,684 spouses and children, thus making a
This means a total of 4.3 lakh Indians are applying for the EB-2 category of green cards.4
At current rates of visa issuances, they will have to wait 151 years for a green card.5
Immigration under EB-3: This is meant for the applicants who must be able to demonstrate at least 2 years of job experience or training and
must be performing work for which qualified workers are not available in the United States
As of April 20, there were 54,892 Indians in this category
Clubbed with 60,381 spouses and children, the total number of Indians waiting for green card in EB-3 category are 1,15,273
This means a total of 1.15 lakh applicants are awaiting the EB-3 category green card in comparison to 4.3 lakh applicants for EB-2 and
83,000 in the EB-1 category.6
In all the categories, there are a total of 306,400 primary Indian applicants waiting for their green cards
Clubbed with their spouses and children numbering 325,819; as many as 632,219 Indians in all are waiting for their green cards8
The existing laws impose per-country-limit of seven per cent of total green cards issued.9
Cato Institute notes that that for employment-based green cards, the per-country limit only applies in full force when the category is
filled up, meaning that if some green cards would go to waste, Indian immigrants can receive above the per-country limit of 7 per cent.10
Each category of green cards EB-1, EB-2, EB-3, is guaranteed a minimum of 40,040 green cards, so the allocation between categories does not
adjust when one category has higher demand than the others.
