Indian techies to benefit as US House removes country cap on Green Cards

The US lawmakers on Wednesday passed a bill that would benefit almost 300,000 Indians living in the US. The bill is aimed at lifting the present 7 percent country-cap on issuing Green Cards, a move that would help thousands of high-skilled Indian IT Professionals.

People who hold a green card can live permanently and take up employment in the US. The latest bill, if signed into law, would reduce the waiting time for talented professionals from India and other countries who have applied for permanent residency in the States.

Indian IT professionals who are in the US on the H-1B work visas are the most affected by the current immigration system which imposes a 7 percent country-cap on the allotment of Green Cards. 

Lifting the per-country quota would be beneficial for the Indian IT professionals who have been waiting for the permanent legal residency for more than a decade. Under the current norms set by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services, only 7 percent of the visas will be issued to natives of any one independent country in a fiscal year.

However, according to the Congressional Research Service (CRS), the new bill would eliminate the 7 percent country cap for employment-based immigrant visas and also remove an offset that reduced the number of visas from people from China.

The bill, however, is yet to be passed by the Senate, where the Republicans have a majority.