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NORTH AmERIcAN Newsline AUGUST 27, 2021 | The Indian Eye 20

green Card baCKlog

Congressman raja Krishnamoorthi,

colleagues support those already with

employment in US

The move would help thousands of Indian IT professionals

Our Bureau instead.
Most workers in the employment-based
Washington, DC Green Card backlog are already in the

n Indian American lawmaker, along United States on temporary nonimmigrant
with several of his compatriots, are visas, such as the H-1B visa for workers
Aurging their colleagues to support in specialty occupations, that are renew-
their move which will clear the employ- able but greatly restrict beneficiaries from
ment-based Green Card backlog that is reaching their full potential.
plaguing the immigration department. On H-1B holders are unable to change jobs
Monday, August 23, Congressman Raja or start their own businesses – despite the
Krishnamoorthi and several of his col- fact that they have been shown to boost
leagues push this effort as part of budget overall productivity, wages, and new pat-
reconciliation. ents, the letter said.
The move, if included in the reconcili- “The temporary nature of the H-1B visa
ation package and passed into law would forces beneficiaries to live in a constant
help thousands of Indian IT profession- state of uncertainty, preventing them from
als who are currently stuck in agonizing becoming entrepreneurs, buying homes,
Green Card backlog. “It is imperative any employing more Americans, or otherwise
immigration package include provisions fully establishing themselves as permanent
to address the employment-based Green fixtures within the American economy,”
Card backlog, which is damaging Ameri- said the letter.
can competitiveness and abandoning 1.2 tors today, the lawmakers write. “An especially painful aspect of the
million people to perpetual nonimmigrant “This is because there is effectively a H-1B experience is that dependent chil-
status,” Krishnamoorthi said. Green Card ban on high-skilled immi- dren, known as ‘Documented Dreamers’,
He called on his Congressional col- grants from India, China, and other coun- are often forced to self-deport to their
leagues to join him in sending a letter to tries with large populations of workers country of birth if they reach age 21 before
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate eager to remain in America and power their parent obtains a green card, despite
Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on the forward our economy and social safety net having lived most of their lives in the Unit-
need to address the employment-based programs for generations to come,” the ed States,” it said.
Green Card backlog as part of budget rec- letter said. Failure to provide a path to lawful per-
onciliation. “Right now, no more than seven per- manent residence for the 1.2 million peo-
“I call on my colleagues to immediate- cent of employment-based green cards ple in the employment-based Green Card
ly raise this important issue with leader- are available to individuals from a single backlog, most of whom are H-1B visa
ship and ensure that relief for backlogged country, which has created a decades-long holders, would be tantamount to staging
high-skilled workers is included in the fi- backlog for would-be immigrants from In- an economic recovery with one hand tied
nal package. Our economic recovery from dia and China. behind our back, they wrote.
COVID-19 depends on it,” he said. Indian nationals face a particularly Permanently relegating H-1B holders
As of now, the American economy is daunting backlog of 80 years, and an an- to nonimmigrant status while China, Rus-
unable to access the full international tal- ticipated 200,000 will die before achieving sia, and other major powers are ascendant
ent pool of high-skilled workers already lawful permanent resident status,” it said. on the world stage – and hungry to be
present and working in the United States This arbitrary cap is keeping some of the home to the innovators of the 21st century
today – indeed, the very scientists, inven- world’s most talented individuals from – is simply nonsensical, they wrote. “This
tors, health care workers, entrepreneurs, permanently calling America home, en- can and must be addressed in the budget
and other professionals that give the Unit- couraging them to take their inventions, reconciliation package currently under ne-
ed States its edge over its global competi- expertise, and creativity to other countries gotiation,” the letter said.

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