Indian and in need of permanent resident status in US? Wait for twelve years
- Indians applying for permanent residency in the US, also known as Green Card, have to wait for twelve years
- Green Card is the immigration status of a person authorised to live and work in the US permanently
- India is one of the top countries whose residents get Green Cards every year
Getting permanent citizenship in the United States of America has just got tougher. According to a report, Indians applying for permanent residency, also known as Green Card, in one employment-related category are on a 12-year waiting list.
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Green Card is the immigration status of a person authorised to live and work in the US permanently. A Green Card holder can apply for US citizenship after five years of residency. This period is shortened to three years if married to a US citizen.
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In 2015, about 36,318 Indians changed their status to permanent residency while 27,798 Indians are new arrivals who received lawful permanent residency in the form of a Green Card, Pew Research said.Â
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"In one employment-related category, people from India applying for permanent residence as skilled employees currently have a 12-year waiting list. In other words, the government currently is processing applications filed in May of 2005," the report said.Â
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In 2015, a total of 508,716 new arrivals received lawful permanent residency in the form of a Green Card and 542,315 people adjusted their status.
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Since 2004, a total of 7.4 million people who changed their status and 5.5 million new arrivals have received lawful permanent residency in the form of a Green Card.
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People who come for employment, refugees and people granted asylum make up for the majority of the Green Card holders.
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India is one of the top countries whose residents get Green Cards every year.Â
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