{
  "id": 4883545,
  "title": "US Green Card: How 7% country cap could trap 1 million Indians in 179-year wait — is there a way out? Expert weighs in",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/01/us-green-card-how-7-country-cap-could-trap-1-million-indians-in-179",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-09-01T14:53:29.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Live Mint",
    "slug": "live-mint",
    "url": "https://www.livemint.com/news/india/us-green-card-how-7-country-cap-could-trap-1-million-indians-in-179-year-wait-is-there-a-way-out-expert-weighs-in-11788264940232.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Indian professionals applying for US permanent residency may face lengthy waits, with some Green Card wait times potentially reaching 179 years, according to an analysis by the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP). This estimation primarily affects high-skilled Indian nationals filing an employment-based immigrant petition between January 2026 or later. The NFAP's August policy brief highlighted that around 79% of applicants are currently stuck in the employment-based Green Card backlog, numbering nearly one million Indian nationals. The country-specific cap on Green Cards has led to significantly longer waiting periods for professionals from India, compared to other nations like China and the Philippines, whose applicants often face shorter queues. Rajiv Khanna, an immigration lawyer, pointed out that the wait time calculation overlooks the protections offered to H-1B workers after their I-140 petition is approved. Once an employee completes the required period, they can continue to receive H-1B extensions while waiting for their Green Card priority dates to become current. Furthermore, the process of arriving at the I-140 stage typically takes 1 to 1.5 years, offering eligible employees some relief during the lengthy wait. Khanna also mentioned that periodic fluctuations in the Green Card system can cause an increase in Green Card approvals, potentially shortening waiting periods for some applicants.",
  "summary": "Indian professionals may face a Green Card wait period of up to 179 years, especially in the EB-2 category, according to NFAP. Nearly one million Indian nationals are in the Green Card backlog, largely due to country-based caps limiting applicants from India to 7% of total allocations.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}