US Bill pushes for more Green Cards

Washington, A legislation backed by the Trump administration pushing for merit-based immigration and increasing the allotment of Green Cards by a hefty 45 per cent annually has been introduced in the House of Representatives, a move that could benefit Indian techies if signed into law.
500,000 Indians have been waiting in queue for Green Cards
120,000 of these cards are available annually at present in the US
175,000 will be the count after 45% raise if Bill is signed as law
The legislation ‘Securing America’s Future Act’, if passed by Congress and signed into law by US President Donald Trump, will end the diversity visa programme and reduce the overall immigration levels from currently averaging 1.05 million to 260,000 a year.
Indian-American technology professionals, who come to the US mainly on H-1B visas and opt for Green Cards or legal permanent residence status, are expected to be a major beneficiary of the ‘Securing America’s Futures Act’. As per unofficial estimate, there are nearly 500,000 Indians waiting in the queue for Green Cards and have to seek annual extensions of their H-1B visas. Many wait for decades to get Green Cards. The H-1B programme offers temporary US visas that allow companies to hire highly skilled foreign professionals working in areas with shortages of qualified American workers.
The increase in the number of Green Cards per annum is likely to reduce their wait period drastically. Having a Green Card, officially known as a Permanent Resident Card, allows a person to live and work permanently in the US. However, the elimination of chain migration is likely to badly affect those Indian-Americans who are planning to bring their other family members to the US.
Securing America’s Future Act eliminates Green Card programmes for relatives, other than spouses and minor children.
A merit-based immigration system, the Trump administration feels would admit the best and the brightest around the world while making it harder for people to come to the country illegally.
Observers say this could benefit technically-qualified people from countries like India and China.
The legislation creates a workable agricultural guest worker programme to grow the US economy, authors of the legislation said. In a late-night statement, the White House said the legislation “would accomplish the President’s core priorities for the American people”.