Some applicants face 179-year waits as visa backlogs reach historic levels.
Nearly one million Indians are stuck in the US green card queue, with some facing wait times that could stretch 179 years. The backlog reflects the per-country visa cap of 7% of total green cards issued annually—a rule that creates severe delays for nationals of high-population countries.
For Indian applicants, the wait is especially acute. Employment-based green cards, which dominate Indian applications, are capped at 140,000 per year across all countries. India's share, limited by the per-country ceiling, means applicants can wait decades even after receiving a job offer and labor certification.
The per-country visa cap creates a bottleneck that can turn a green card pursuit into a decades-long process.
If you're an Indian national pursuing a US green card through employment, expect a multi-year process. Some visa categories (EB-1 for priority workers, EB-2 for advanced degree holders) move faster than EB-3 (skilled workers), but all face significant delays. Consider whether you can sustain your current visa status (H-1B, L-1, or other work visa) during the wait, and plan accordingly with your employer and immigration attorney.
Source: original report ↗
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