Green Card: New US bill could give Green Cards to 8 million immigrants. But will it pass?

Time of India

2 days ago

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Immigrants in the US could qualify for lawful permanent resident status (commonly known as a green card ) if they have lived in the country continuously for at least seven years before applying, do not have a criminal record, and meet all other current eligibility requirements — according to a bill proposed to be introduced in the US Senate by Senator Alex Padilla. The announcement comes against the backdrop of what the bill's backers describe as the 'indiscriminate' immigration enforcement practices of the Trump administration, according to a Times of India report.The bill is likely to be tabled in the US Senate next week, though immigration experts remain doubtful about its passage. Senator Padilla, a senior member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, recently drew national attention after being forcibly escorted from a press event led by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Senator Dick Durbin will co-sponsor the bill in the Senate, with Representative Zoe Lofgren leading the House version.'This overdue update would provide a much-needed pathway to a green card for more than 8 million people, including Dreamers, forcibly displaced individuals (Temporary Protected Status holders), children of long-term visa holders, essential workers, and highly skilled members of our workforce, such as H-1B visa holders , who have been waiting years for a green card to become available,' says a release from Padilla's office.If enacted, the bill would support hundreds of Indian nationals caught in a lengthy backlog for employment-based green cards and address the issue of family separation due to children 'ageing out' at 21. Currently, these children must either shift to an international student visa or leave the country. A March 2023 study by David J. Bier of the Cato Institute estimated India's EB-2 and EB-3 backlog at 10.7 lakh, with around 1.34 lakh children expected to age out before receiving a green card.Technically, the bill seeks to amend Section 249 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, known as the "Registry," which gives the Secretary of Homeland Security discretion to grant lawful permanent resident status to individuals who have been in the country since a specified date and meet other criteria. Section 249 was last updated in 1986, and the current cutoff date for eligibility remains January 1, 1972 — more than 50 years ago.Senator Padilla had introduced a similar bill in September 2022, which is now being revived and reintroduced. The 'Renewing Immigration Provisions of the Immigration Act of 1929' would amend the Registry statute by updating the eligibility cutoff, allowing individuals who have lived in the US for at least seven years before filing an application to qualify for permanent residency.'Americans know there's a better path forward than the Trump administration's cruel scapegoating of hardworking immigrants and fearmongering in California communities,' said Padilla. 'We believe that if you've lived here for over seven years, paid taxes, contributed to your community, and have no criminal record, then you deserve a pathway to legalization. My bill is a commonsense fix to our outdated immigration system — the same kind of reform Republican President Ronald Reagan embraced four decades ago, calling it a 'matter of basic fairness.' This legislation creates no new bureaucracies or agencies — it simply updates a longstanding pathway to reflect today's reality and provide a fair shot at the American Dream for millions of Dreamers, TPS holders, and highly skilled workers who have faced delays and uncertainty for decades.'(With TOI inputs)