US lawmaker pitches for the removal of country specific quota in Green Card

High-skilled Indian immigrant workers are stuck due to the "arbitrary" cap on Green Cards: Lawmaker

A top American lawmaker has demanded the removal of country-specific quota for legal permanent residency in the US, arguing that over seven lakh high-skilled immigrant workers from India are stuck on a cycle of temporary work visas due to the "arbitrary" cap on Green Cards.

"More than 700,000 high-skilled immigrant workers from India are in the US today on temporary work visas. These people are working hard every day helping grow our economy, raising their children as Americans right here in our communities," Congressman Kevin Yoder from Kansas said in his remarks on the floor of the US House of Representatives.

"But under our immigration system they are stuck on a cycle of temporary work visas, unable to change jobs or even start their own small business to create more American jobs. They're stuck because of the arbitrary seven per nation cap on employment-based green cards," the Republican lawmaker said.

"Right now, there's a mother in Greenland whose unborn child will be able to obtain permanent residence in America before someone from India who is already here and have been working here for years. That's absurd and it's wrong," he said.

Yoder said the bill Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act introduced by him, having more than 230 co-sponsors, would fix this problem.

"It would transition us to a first come first serve merit-based legal immigration system. It would help these people in need and it would help create new jobs," the Republican Congressman said on the House floor.

A report released early this month said the average wait time for an Indian technology professional or those seeking green card under employment category is more than 12 years.