An Indian-origin investor says he waited eight years to get his green card.
An Indian-origin investor shared his green card journey, but came under fire on social media for siding with those who wait decades for permanent residency in the US but don’t get it.
The post by Arnav Sahu, a Silicon Valley investor, came in the context of the US administration’s new green card rule which stipulates that many applicants will have to leave the US and return to their home country to apply for their green card as an adjustment of status as an applicant can change their non-immigrant visa to a green card, and this will only be allowed in cases where the administration deems appropriate – and not in all cases.Sahu said it took eight years to get a green card, and it was faster since he applied through a private petition via EB-1.
The EB-1 program is intended for individuals with exceptional abilities and distinguished professors, researchers, managers, and executives. Not everyone can qualify for this, so the wait is shorter. “I know people who have been in the country for 25 years, have children and still don’t have a green card,” Sahu wrote.Sahu was responding to Canadian engineer Treville Blackwell’s comment regarding the new rule. “People may not know that the processing time for green card applications ranges from months to years.
So someone could come in on O-1 or H-1B, work for 5 years, become critical in their role, apply, and then have to give up their job. “It’s incredibly harmful to American industry,” Blackwell said.However, the story of Sahu’s eight-year wait did not go down well with social media users as they questioned why foreigners felt entitled to a green card in the US. They also noted that the backlog began because the system allowed too many people to obtain green cards.
“This is evidence that too many were allowed in,” one wrote. “If the amount is right, the envisioned system can handle the influx.”
Another wrote: “Why do Indians expect special treatment? I’m an immigrant too and it took us much longer to get citizenship. You’re coming on a temporary visa. Temporary. No one owes you a green card because you keep extending the temporary status you have.”Reacting to the situation presented by Sahu, where people have been living in the US for 25 years with their families and children and are still on a temporary visa, social media users wondered why these people are not leaving the US. “Why do they have children on a temporary visa?” Someone asked.Another asked: “It took me 12 years. That’s the process. So what’s your goal? It’s not supposed to be tariffs for everyone. The US, just like India, Australia, Canada etc, has the right to be selective.”