US bill seeks to increase number of Green Cards

WASHINGTON: A legislation that seeks to push for a merit-based immigration system and increase the allotment of Green Cards by 45% annually has been introduced in the US House of Representatives and may benefit Indian techies if signed into law.

Backed by the Trump administration, the Securing America’s Future Act, if passed by Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump, will end the diversity visa programme and reduce the overall immigration levels from currently averaging 1.05 million to 260,000 a year.

Indian-American technology professionals, who come to the US mainly on H-1B visas and opt for Green Cards or legal permanent residence status, are expected to be a major beneficiary of the bill.

As per unofficial estimate, there are nearly 500,000 Indians waiting in the queue for Green Cards and have to seek annual extensions of their H-1B visas. Many wait for decades to get their Green Cards.

The H-1B programme offers temporary US visas that allow companies to hire highly skilled foreign professionals working in areas with shortages of qualified American workers.

The increase in the number of Green Cards per annum is likely to reduce their wait period drastically.

Having a Green Card, officially known as a Permanent Resident Card, allows a person to live and work permanently in the United States.