Thousands Of Indians Waiting For Green Cards Will Benefit From United States Move

The United States has announced that it will offer job authorization cards to some non-immigrant categories, including those awaiting green cards, for a period of five years, benefiting tens of thousands of Indians living in the nation.

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that the maximum validity duration of Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) for certain non-citizens who must apply for employment authorization would be increased to 5 years for initial and renewal EADs.

According to the federal agency, these include applicants for asylum or withholding of removal, adjustment of status under INA 245, and suspension of deportation or cancellation of removal.

It said that raising the maximum EAD validity period to five years is intended to significantly reduce the number of new Forms I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, it receives for renewal EADs over the next several years, contributing to its efforts to reduce associated processing times and backlogs.

However, whether the noncitizen retains employment authorization is determined by their underlying status, circumstances, and EAD filing type, according to the statement.

For example, if an individual receives an EAD under the category based on a pending adjustment of status application for the maximum validity period of 5 years, and the adjustment application is later denied, their ancillary employment authorization may be terminated before the expiration date listed on their EAD.

According to a new study, over 10.5 lakh Indians are in line for an employment-based Green Card, and 4 lakh of them may die before receiving the much-desired legal certificate of permanent residency in the United States.

A Green Card, also known as a Permanent Resident Card, is a document issued to immigrants to the United States as proof that the bearer has been granted the right to reside permanently. The per-country caps are numerical restrictions on the granting of green cards to citizens of specific nations.

As per the study conducted by David J Bier of the Cato Institute, an American libertarian think tank, the employment-based Green Card backlog reached a new high of 1.8 million cases this year.

“India accounts for approximately 1.1 million of the 1.8 million cases in the backlog (63%). Another roughly 250,000 (14%) come from China”, the report reads.

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