A Democratic senator has presented a new proposal to provide millions of long-term US citizens, including Indian H-1B visa holders, with a route to permanent residency in the US amid US President Donald Trump’s ongoing anti-immigration campaign. If the bill is passed, it would allow immigrants who have been in the country continuously for at least seven years to apply for a Green Card.
More than eight million people would benefit from Senator Alex Padilla of California’s proposal, which would update an immigration law that hasn’t been revised since 1986.
“A year ago, I introduced this bill to push back against the Trump administration’s cruel treatment of hardworking immigrants,” Padilla stated in a statement released by his office. “Since then, President Trump’s campaign of fear has only escalated, with families living under constant uncertainty despite having built their lives in this country,” he said. “Millions of long-term residents who make daily contributions to our communities and economy cannot be ignored by Congress. Modernizing our immigration rules and establishing a just route to lawful permanent status is long overdue.
However, Republicans are working in the opposite direction, so the bill’s success is still only a pipe dream.
Immigrants who have lived in the United States for a minimum of seven years are eligible to apply for lawful permanent resident status under the Renewing Immigration Provisions of the Immigration Act of 1929. In addition, applicants would have to fulfill all current conditions for qualifying for a green card and have no criminal history.
Temporary Protected Status holders, vital workers, and children of long-term visa holders would all be covered by the bill. Highly qualified professionals, such as those with H-1B visas who have been waiting years for employment-based green cards, may also benefit from it.
Indian professionals, who make up a sizable portion of H-1B visa holders and frequently have to wait a long time for permanent residency due to employment-based green card constraints, saw the suggestion as important. The Immigration and Nationality Act’s Section 249, also referred to as the Registry, would be modified by the bill.
This clause grants the Homeland Security secretary the authority to award permanent residency to specific individuals who satisfy certain criteria and have resided in the nation since a given date. The deadline for eligibility is currently January 1, 1972. A seven-year rolling requirement would take the place of that set deadline under Padilla’s plan.
The modification would become operative 60 days after it was passed. Dick Durbin, the Senate Democratic Whip, is co-leading the effort. As co-sponsors, fourteen additional senators have joined on. In the House, California Representative Zoe Lofgren is spearheading comparable legislation.
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