An Indian-origin immigration advocate said the reason so many Indians get H-1B visas is not by choice, but because of flaws in the US immigration system that make it very difficult for them to obtain permanent residency.Siddharth, founder of the American Indian Defense Council, posted on X that the long wait for green cards forces many Indians to remain in the H-1B program for years. “Not because Indians like to get temporary visas,” he wrote, “but because the green card system will not allow them to leave the temporary visa program.”In his post, Siddharth referred to the way the US allocates green cards, saying that Indian people face much longer waiting times than people from many other countries.
“India gets the same share as Iceland,” he wrote, adding that for Indians, the wait for an EB-2 green card can exceed 134 years, while for citizens of Pakistan and Somalia, it can be less than two years.He said the system treats people with the same job, employer and skills differently based solely on where they are born. “A different birthplace equals a different life,” Siddharth wrote. He added that Indians are not “stuck” on H-1B visas by choice, but rather “trapped by a system that penalizes application from one country while freely granting green cards to others.”
Furthermore, he pointed to the cumulative human impact, claiming that more than 400,000 Indian applicants will die before they receive a green card.
The comments come at a time when the US, under the Trump administration, is making several changes to the H-1B work visa program affecting Indian workers and employers. US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) replaced the traditional random lottery for H‑1B visas with a wage-based selection system, giving priority to higher-paid and highly skilled applicants.
This change took effect on February 26, 2026, and applies to the 2027 season.The annual cap on H-1B visas remains at 85,000, but the agency also introduced a hefty $100,000 solicitation fee for employers seeking H-1B workers.Meanwhile, many Indian applicants for H-1B visas have faced long waits for appointments to complete visa stamp interviews in India, with some postponed to 2027. US officials said the delay stems from enhanced vetting and security procedures, not from discrimination against any nationality.Separately, U.S. immigration experts have noted a sharp decline in H-1B applications, which they attribute in part to changes such as higher fees. These developments are forcing some Indians working or seeking to work in the United States to explore other visa options or postpone their plans as they face longer wait times and new rules.
