- Indian nationals face up to 179 years wait for US employment-based green cards, says NFAP analysis
- Backlogs arise from visa limits, high demand, and per-country caps on immigrant visas
- About one million Indians were in the US employment-based green card backlog by 2025
While an employment opportunity in the US may offer a route to living and working in the country, securing permanent residency can involve years of uncertainty. A recent analysis has put the scale of that wait into perspective, estimating that some Indian nationals seeking employment-based US green cards could face a theoretical wait of up to 179 years. The finding has once again drawn attention to the country's immigration backlog and the challenges faced by skilled foreign workers planning a long-term future in the US.
Why Is The Us Green Card Wait So Long For Indians?
The estimate comes from the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP), which analysed data from the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Its analysis looked at backlogs across the employment-based first, second and third preference categories.
Indian professionals face particularly long delays because of a combination of factors, including existing visa backlogs, statutory limits on the number of employment-based immigrant visas that can be issued to nationals of each country, and high demand for foreign-born scientists and engineers in the US.
Under US immigration law, around 140,000 employment-based green cards can be issued each year. In addition, no more than 7 per cent of employment-based immigrant visas can generally be allocated to nationals of a single country in a given year.
According to NFAP's analysis, nearly one million people from India were waiting in the employment-based immigration backlog as of December 2025.
The organisation said these delays, which many people encounter while living in the US on temporary H-1B status, can make it difficult for American companies to attract and retain skilled workers and can create significant uncertainty for individuals and their families.
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What Exactly Is A US Green Card?
A Green Card, officially called a Permanent Resident Card, allows an individual to live and work permanently in the United States. It is different from a temporary work visa such as the H-1B. While a work visa can allow a foreign national to work in the US for a specified period under particular conditions, permanent residency provides a longer-term immigration status.
Who Can Apply For A US Green Card?
Eligibility depends on an individual's circumstances. The US government has several categories through which a person may qualify for permanent residency.
These include:
- Green Card through family
- Green Card through employment
- Green Card as a special immigrant
- Green Card through refugee or asylee status
- Green Card for human trafficking and crime victims
- Green Card for victims of abuse
- Green Card through other categories
- Green Card through registry
Each category has different eligibility criteria and application requirements. Applicants should check the requirements for the category that applies to their circumstances before beginning the process.
How Does The US Green Card Application Process Work?
The process varies according to the applicant's category. For many applicants, however, it involves at least two key stages: an immigrant petition and an application for permanent residence.
In most cases, another person or organisation must file the immigrant petition on the applicant's behalf. This is commonly referred to as sponsoring or petitioning for the applicant. However, certain categories allow eligible individuals to file a petition for themselves.
Once the immigrant petition has been approved and an immigrant visa is available in the relevant category, the applicant generally proceeds with either a Green Card application with USCIS or an immigrant visa application through the US Department of State, depending on their circumstances.
Also Read: US Green Card Alert: US EB-1 Visa May Turn 'Unavailable' For Indians
The process can include:
Filing an immigrant petition
An eligible sponsor or, in certain cases, the applicant themselves, files the appropriate immigrant petition.
Applying for permanent residence
After the petition is approved and a visa is available, the applicant can proceed with the relevant Green Card or immigrant visa application.
Attending a biometrics appointment
Applicants may be required to provide fingerprints, photographs and a signature as part of the process.
Attending an interview
Depending on the application and category, the applicant may be required to attend an interview.
Receiving a decision
USCIS or the relevant US authority then decides on the application.
Should Indians Still Apply For A US Green Card?
For Indian professionals considering an employment-based Green Card, the scale of the backlog makes the decision a complicated one.
The NFAP's 179-year estimate highlights how severe the theoretical queue can become under the current system, although individual wait times can vary depending on factors such as the employment-based category, priority date and movement in visa availability.
The long waits have also triggered discussion online, particularly among Indians who have lived or worked in the US. Some Reddit users argued that the possibility of a lengthy wait has not historically stopped professionals from moving to the country for career opportunities.
Others questioned whether aspiring migrants should continue viewing the US as their primary long-term plan, while another user offered a more optimistic interpretation of how family-based immigration could eventually provide an alternative route for some people.
These are individual online opinions and do not represent official guidance or immigration advice.
For anyone considering the US as a long-term destination, understanding the Green Card system is therefore important before making major career or relocation decisions. Employment-based permanent residency can offer a path to settling in the country, but for Indian nationals in particular, the current backlog means that the journey can be exceptionally long and uncertain.
