For over 200,000 Indians, the wait for a green card is longer than their lifetimes

Over 200,000 Indians who have filed petitions for permanent residency in the US could die of old age before receiving green cards, David J Bier, an immigration policy analyst at libertarian think tank Cato Institute, wrote in a March 30 policy brief. Skilled Indian workers make up 75% of the employment-based green card backlog, with over 700,000 of them in line. Currently, the number of green cards issued each year is limited to 140,000.