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US freezes Green Card processing: 4 major ways Indians may be impacted
The Trump administration has reportedly paused the processing of Green Cards filed by some people, a step that can greatly impact Indians.
The Trump administration has reportedly paused the processing of Green Cards filed by some people, including approved refugees. This is part of the US President’s larger policy to clamp down on immigrants.
A report by CBS News said that the requests for legal permanent residency that were filed by immigrants who were granted asylum or refugee status have been suspended. This step can affect Indians in four major ways.
US freezes green card applications – four ways Indians may be affected
Indian nationals face some of the longest green card backlogs because of per-country caps. Several Indian immigrants on H-1B visas are awaiting their green cards and further delays could lead to their work permits expiring. One way the recent pause could affect Indians is that this can lead to potential job loss and deportation risks.
Laura Collins, director at the Bush Institute-SMU Economic Growth Initiative, told NBC News, “All these people who are approved to remain in the United States have already passed government scrutiny.” She said that further delays are not necessary.
Second, some employment-based applicants might even have to wait decades for approval, the Cato Institute found. This pause could further extend the delays.
Third, Indian immigrants who were sponsoring family members now may have to face separation for a prolonged time.
Lastly, Indians will be affected by the Green Card freeze as the move will impact those applying for permanent residency. There were more than 2.9 million immigrants in the US as of 2023, and Indians are expected to be the primary community that could face legal uncertainties.
Notably, more than 51,000 Indian nationals applied for asylum in the US in 2023, which was a huge increase from previous years. It was the highest number of asylum requests during the recorded period. Per a research by Johns Hopkins University, the number of Indians seeking asylum in the United States increased from 9,000 in 2018 to 51,000 in 2023, which was a 466% rise in five years.
