Long wait times for Green Cards among Indians are against American principles, according to Senator

A US senator’s video criticizing the protracted application process Indians must endure in order to get green cards has gone viral. Senator Mike Lee of Utah claims in the 45-second film that although Germans only had to wait a year to get green cards, Indians must wait ten years. It was deemed “anti-ethical to American values” by him.

Someone posted the video and claimed that the US was awarding Green Cards to people based only on their ethnicity.

A green card is a document that allows someone to reside in the US forever. One may be obtained in a few different ways, such as winning the lottery, having relatives in the US, or receiving a work offer.

Germans with comparable credentials may only have to wait a year, but Indians seeking employment-based Green Cards may endure wait lengths of more than ten years.

This backlog hinders the US’s ability to draw in top talent and deters talented immigrants.

Immigration rules guarantee that the requirements for these paths are equitable and non-discriminatory, enabling those who fulfill the requirements to remain in the United States permanently.

On the other hand, worries regarding prejudice have been raised online.

On X (previously Twitter), many have contended that the Green Card system isn’t really fair and that permanent residence is granted based on ethnic prejudice.

“Almost two million individuals currently working in America are denied US permanent residency or the ability to travel based solely on their ethnicity,” a social media user said on X. Their children are deported if they pass away. If they do not get their own visa once their children grow up, they will be deported.”

With many professionals having to wait more than ten years, nearly a million Indians are stranded in a lengthy line for US green cards. Over 1.2 million Indians are on the waiting list, according to USCIS data, with significant backlogs in the EB-1, EB-2, and EB-3 categories.

The user posted a video on X of Senator Mike Lee of Utah discussing the national cap problem.

The Senator talks about how “Germans only have to wait for the Green Card for 12 months while Indians wait for over a decade” in a 45-second video.

“An Indian applicant will most likely have to wait a decade or longer to receive a Green Card, whereas a German applicant with the exact same skills, degrees, and job experience applied at the same hour and on the same day for an employment-based Green Card—the German applicant might wait as long as twelve months,” said Utah Senator Mike Lee.

The senator went on, “This kind of system is anti-ethical to American values and our country’s interest in recruiting the very best and very brightest.”

The majority of the Indian backlog is served by the EB-2 category, which also covers those with remarkable talent in the sciences, arts, or business. Professionals with advanced degrees fall into this category.

There are an estimated 838,784 Indians in this backlog who are waiting. According to USCIS statistics, this backlog has increased dramatically in the last several years.

According to the Congressional Research Service (CRS), it will take 195 years to clear the backlog for Indians in these categories, reaching 2,195,795 by FY 2030, as reported by Forbes.

“An individual approved in 2023 shouldn’t be granted something before someone approved in 2012 for the same thing.” It’s unfortunate that in 2024 we will still need to debate this issue. #RemoveCountryCap,” a user on X expresses outrage.

“It’s not a decade, that misconception gets repeated over and over again, its over 130 years. Wait now,” said another user. There are one million and eight thousand people on the queue each year. Examine the fourth row in the image.”