The wait time for green cards in the United States has reached alarming figures, reaching 179 years in some cases, after Donald Trump's administration imposed strict limits on granting permanent residence. The current waiting queue for green cards has reached 1.2 million people, according to a report by the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP).
Federal immigration legislation limited the number of visas granted annually to 140,000, with a cap of 7% for each country. This combination of factors has created an unprecedented situation for immigrants seeking permanent residence in the United States.
Immigrants from populous countries, such as India and China, are subject to wait times of decades or more. A Chinese citizen who applies for a green card in the EB-2 category, which covers most professionals with a master's degree, could face a wait of approximately 25 years.
The situation is even more dramatic for professionals from India, for whom the estimated wait is 179 years, according to the NFAP, a nonprofit organization based in Virginia that studies immigration.
