{"id":8009,"date":"2026-09-03T17:12:32","date_gmt":"2026-09-03T17:12:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=8009"},"modified":"2026-09-03T17:12:32","modified_gmt":"2026-09-03T17:12:32","slug":"green-card-wait-for-most-indian-immigrants-is-now-179-years-after-trump-imposed-tough-limits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=8009","title":{"rendered":"Green Card wait for most Indian immigrants is now 179 years after Trump imposed tough limits"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Indian professionals in the US now have to wait 179 years for Green Cards \u2014 after the Trump administration put tough limits on how it issues permanently residency. <\/p>\n

Read more Trump blocked again from restricting birthright citizenship by Biden judge: \u2018Almost certainly unconstitutional\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

The current green card backlog has hit 1.2 million people as federal immigration law restricted the number that can be doled out each year to 140,000 \u2014 with no more than 7% going to any one country, according to a new report by the National Foundation for American Policy. <\/p>\n

This means immigrants from large countries \u2014 like India and China \u2014 are subject to wait times of decades or more before being granted permanent residency.<\/p>\n

According to the data, a Chinese national applying for a green card with EB-2 status \u2014 that is, most professional workers with master\u2019s degrees \u2014 could be waiting approximately 25 years. <\/p>\n

For professionals from India, the estimated wait 179 years, according to the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP) \u2014 a Virginia-based nonprofit that studies immigration and international trade.<\/p>\n

Workers from the Philippines, meanwhile, have a wait of just a few months.<\/p>\n

The longest wait times for coveted EB-1 green cards \u2014 reserved for those with \u201cextraordinary ability\u201d \u2014 sit around four to five years for Indian nationals and five years for applicants from China.<\/p>\n

The NFAP argues that the long wait times makes it harder for US-based employers to hire and retain foreign-born workers, and burdens immigrant families.<\/p>\n

Read more Saylor Hayes\u2019 suspected mom seen telling locals non-verbal daughter is missing, praying she \u2018fell asleep\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cMany Americans don\u2019t realize how challenging it can be to immigrate legally to the United States, even for the most highly skilled and innovative people in the country,\u201d Stuart Anderson, executive director of the NFAP, told the San Francisco Chronicle.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are people who want to become Americans and are willing to wait years for the chance.\u201d<\/p>\n

For those holding temporary H-1B work visas, which are most often given to those in the tech sector, pending green card applications keep them mired in so-called \u201cH-1B limbo,\u201d requiring them to stay in specialty professions where their employer sponsors their application.<\/p>\n

If an H-1B worker is laid off, they have just 60 days to find another job or leave the country, according to the outlet. The Trump administration says it intends to impose a $103,000 administrative fee for H-1B visa applications, complicating matters further as the federal government has curtailed the number of H-1B holders in the country.<\/p>\n

Kevin Lynn, executive director of the D.C.-based Institute for Sound Policy, who opposes the H-1B visa system, claims the current setup allows US companies to hire foreign workers and pay them less than their US counterparts, arguing it negatively impacts American jobseekers.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t need these tech workers,\u201d he told the Chronicle.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese employment visa programs that have led to this logjam have negatively impacted American innovation and inventiveness. \u2026 If you don\u2019t want to be in that backlog, don\u2019t come to the United States, don\u2019t participate. That\u2019s a choice someone makes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Lindsay Clancy jury struggling to reach a verdict \u2014 experts reveal the most likely outcome<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Trump administration’s immigration crackdown is putting downward pressure on the number of skilled immigrants being given green cards each year, with wait times for some foreign nationals now reaching nearly 200 years.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8008,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8009","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-us-news"],"yoast_head":"\nGreen Card wait for most Indian immigrants is now 179 years after Trump imposed tough limits - Metro Transit Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=8009\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Green Card wait for most Indian immigrants is now 179 years after Trump imposed tough limits - Metro Transit Review\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Trump administration's immigration crackdown is putting downward pressure on the number of skilled immigrants being given green cards each year, with wait times for some foreign nationals now reaching nearly 200 years.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=8009\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Metro Transit Review\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-09-03T17:12:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=8009#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=8009\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7cd7bd9683106710eed62ba5da559b14\"},\"headline\":\"Green Card wait for most Indian immigrants is now 179 years after Trump imposed tough limits\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-09-03T17:12:32+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=8009\"},\"wordCount\":540,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=8009#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/ce1d15ffd6a977b6a83946b1331c586d.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"US News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=8009#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=8009\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=8009\",\"name\":\"Green Card wait for most Indian immigrants is now 179 years after Trump imposed tough limits - Metro Transit Review\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=8009#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=8009#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/ce1d15ffd6a977b6a83946b1331c586d.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-09-03T17:12:32+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7cd7bd9683106710eed62ba5da559b14\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=8009#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=8009\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=8009#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/ce1d15ffd6a977b6a83946b1331c586d.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/ce1d15ffd6a977b6a83946b1331c586d.webp\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":799},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=8009#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Green Card wait for most Indian immigrants is now 179 years after Trump imposed tough limits\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Metro Transit Review\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7cd7bd9683106710eed62ba5da559b14\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Green Card wait for most Indian immigrants is now 179 years after Trump imposed tough limits - Metro Transit Review","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=8009","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Green Card wait for most Indian immigrants is now 179 years after Trump imposed tough limits - Metro Transit Review","og_description":"The Trump administration's immigration crackdown is putting downward pressure on the number of skilled immigrants being given green cards each year, with wait times for some foreign nationals now reaching nearly 200 years.","og_url":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=8009","og_site_name":"Metro Transit Review","article_published_time":"2026-09-03T17:12:32+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=8009#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=8009"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7cd7bd9683106710eed62ba5da559b14"},"headline":"Green Card wait for most Indian immigrants is now 179 years after Trump imposed tough limits","datePublished":"2026-09-03T17:12:32+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=8009"},"wordCount":540,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=8009#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/ce1d15ffd6a977b6a83946b1331c586d.webp","articleSection":["US News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=8009#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=8009","url":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=8009","name":"Green Card wait for most Indian immigrants is now 179 years after Trump imposed tough limits - Metro Transit Review","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=8009#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=8009#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/ce1d15ffd6a977b6a83946b1331c586d.webp","datePublished":"2026-09-03T17:12:32+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7cd7bd9683106710eed62ba5da559b14"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=8009#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=8009"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=8009#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/ce1d15ffd6a977b6a83946b1331c586d.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/ce1d15ffd6a977b6a83946b1331c586d.webp","width":1200,"height":799},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=8009#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Green Card wait for most Indian immigrants is now 179 years after Trump imposed tough limits"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/","name":"Metro Transit Review","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7cd7bd9683106710eed62ba5da559b14","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/metrotransitreview.com"],"url":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8009","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8009"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8009\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8008"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8009"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8009"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8009"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}