Over 1 Million Indians Await Highly Skilled Immigrant Visas in US

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Over one million Indians are facing prolonged waits in US employment-based immigration queues.
Such estimations come following the figures provided by the US government.
USCIS figures indicate significant delays for highly skilled Indian professionals seeking permanent residency due to low annual quotas.
Over one million Indians are waiting in US employment-based immigration backlogs due to the problems in the US immigration system.

Such conclusions have been made based on the data provided by the United States government, VisaGuide.World reports.

Statistics provided by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services reveal that a large number of highly skilled professionals from India are subject to decades-long waits in order to obtain permanent residence through a green card as a result of the low annual quota for other countries.

Long waiting times bring additional difficulties for applicants and their family members, in addition to also affecting the US’ ability to attract and also retain talent.

A report from Forbes notes that more than 1.2 million nationals from India, taking into account dependents, are waiting in the first as well as second and third employment-based green card categories, based on the statistics from the USCIS. The data shows approved l-140 immigrant petitions as of November 2, 2023.

A Green Card is a US permanent resident permit permitting foreigners to legally move to the US. There are different categories of Green Cards from which internationals can benefit, based on the figures from the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP), including family-sponsored, employment-sponsored, and returning resident and diversity visa green cards.

E-B1, E-B2 & E-B3 Categories

Each year, about 140,000 green cards are available by the USCIS. This visa category has three main categories: E-B1 and E-B3.

E-B1 visa is designed for Individuals of Extraordinary Ability in fields such as business, arts, science, athletics and other fields that belong to this category.
According to the USCIS, there are a total of 51,249 principals in the employment-based first preference known as EB-1 visa. Besides, NFAP shows that an additional 92,248 dependents for 143,497 Indians in the first preference backlog.

EB-2 category allows foreigners with verified job offers from US-based companies to work legally in the US, with US employers being required to file petitions on behalf of the green card applicants.
There were a total of 419,392 principals in the employment-based second preference known as the EB-2, as of November 2, 2023, according to Forbes report.

Data from the NFAP reveals that an additional 419,392 dependents for a total of 838,784 Indians in the second preference backlog.

Through the E-B3 category all visa applicants are required to be fully sponsored by their prospective employers.
USCIS revealed that 138,581 principals are in the employment-based third preference with NFAP estimating an additional 138,581 dependents for a total of 277,162 Indians in the third preference backlog.

Visa applicants under E-B2 and E-B3 categories are required to have their Program Electronic Review Management (PERM) applications to be certified by the Department of Labor (DOL). For a period of 180 days of PERM certification, applicants are required to file l-140 immigrant petition forms with the USCIS.