US Bill Renews Green Card Pathway for Long-Term H-1B Visa Holders

Washington–A senior Democratic senator has renewed an effort to provide millions of long-term U.S. residents, including H-1B visa holders, with a pathway to permanent residency as the Trump administration steps up immigration enforcement.

Sen. Alex Padilla of California said the proposal would modernize an immigration provision that has not been updated since 1986. The measure could benefit more than 8 million people, according to information released by his office.

The Renewing Immigration Provisions of the Immigration Act of 1929 would allow immigrants to apply for lawful permanent resident status after living continuously in the United States for at least seven years.

Applicants would also need to have no criminal record and satisfy all other existing green card eligibility requirements.

The legislation would cover Dreamers, Temporary Protected Status holders, essential workers and children of long-term visa holders. It could also benefit highly skilled workers, including H-1B visa holders who have spent years waiting for employment-based green cards.

The proposal could be particularly significant for Indian professionals, who account for a large share of H-1B visa holders and often face lengthy green card backlogs because of employment-based limits.

“A year ago, I introduced this bill to push back against the Trump Administration’s cruel treatment of hardworking immigrants,” Padilla said.

“Since then, President Trump’s campaign of fear has only escalated, with families living under constant uncertainty despite having built their lives in this country,” he said.

“Congress cannot continue to ignore millions of long-term residents who contribute to our economy and communities every day. It’s past time to modernize our immigration laws and create a fair pathway to lawful permanent residency.”

The bill would amend Section 249 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, commonly known as the Registry. The provision gives the homeland security secretary discretion to grant permanent residency to certain immigrants who have lived in the country since a specified date and meet other requirements.

The current eligibility cutoff is Jan. 1, 1972. Padilla’s legislation would replace that fixed date with a rolling seven-year residency requirement. The change would take effect 60 days after the bill becomes law.

Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin is co-leading the measure, which has 14 additional Senate co-sponsors. Rep. Zoe Lofgren of California is leading companion legislation in the House.

More than 30 labor, immigration and civil rights organizations have endorsed the proposal, including the AFL-CIO, Service Employees International Union, UNITE HERE, United Farm Workers and the National Immigration Law Center.

Congress created the Registry in 1929 and has updated it four times, most recently during the Reagan administration in 1986. Only 305 people adjusted their immigration status through the provision between 2015 and 2019, according to Padilla’s office.

The legislation faces an uncertain path in Congress because of deep partisan divisions over immigration.

Padilla, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, has also introduced measures addressing immigrant essential workers and children who were brought legally to the United States as dependents of work-visa holders. (Source: IANS)