Indian IT workers to benefit from U.S. immigration bill

Per-country cap for employment-based green cards may go

(FILES) In this file photo US President Joe Biden speaks from the Resolute Desk prior to signing executive orders related to immigration in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, February 2, 2021. - Democrats unveiled legislation on February 18, 2021 for President Joe Biden's plan to create a path to citizenship for 11 million undocumented immigrants, saying there is no justification for denying them a permanent home in the United States. Top Democrats said the legislation, blocked for more than a decade by Republicans, is "long overdue," noting that most of those it will address have lived in the country for many years, with homes, businesses and US-born children and grandchildren. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP)

In a major move that will benefit thousands of Indian IT professionals in America, the Biden administration has introduced an immigration bill in Congress, which, among other things, proposes to eliminate the per-country cap for employment-based green cards.

The U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021 proposes a pathway to citizenship to 11 million undocumented workers, elimination of per-country quota for employment-based green cards and work authorisation for dependents of H-1B foreign workers. The bicameral immigration bill, if passed by both the chambers of the Congress — House of Representatives and the Senate — and signed into law by the President, would bring citizenship to millions of foreign nationals, including undocumented workers and those who came to the country legally. Those waiting for a green card for more than 10 years would get the legal permanent residency immediately as they would be exempted from the visa cap.

Indian IT professionals waiting for more than a decade now, and whose number runs into thousands, are likely to be the biggest beneficiaries . Authors of the bill, Senator Bob Menendez and Congresswoman Linda Sanchez, said the bill establishes a vision of immigration reform that is expansive and inclusive.