Washington: Indian nationals applying for employment-based green cards in the United States could face extraordinarily long waits, with some new applicants potentially looking at delays of up to 179 years, according to an analysis by the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP).

The analysis, based on data from the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), examined backlogs in the employment-based EB-1, EB-2 and EB-3 preference categories.

According to the report, Indian applicants face the longest delays because of a combination of high demand for employment-based immigration, country-specific visa limits and the large number of Indian professionals working in the US, particularly in science, technology and engineering.

US immigration law currently caps employment-based green cards at around 140,000 annually. In addition, no more than 7% of employment-based immigrant visas can generally be issued to nationals of a single country in a fiscal year.

The restrictions have contributed to a substantial backlog for Indian nationals. As of December 2025, nearly one million Indians were estimated to be waiting in the US employment-based immigration backlog, the NFAP said.

Backlog rises by more than 20%

The combined backlog in the EB-1, EB-2 and EB-3 categories was estimated at 1.26 million people in December 2025, up 20.6% from approximately 1.05 million in April 2020, according to the report.

The EB-3 category accounted for the largest share of the backlog at 30.1%, followed by EB-2 at 22.9% and EB-1 at 16.6%.

For Indian applicants entering the system this year, the estimated waiting period varies considerably by category.

The NFAP analysis estimates that a new Indian applicant in the EB-2 category could face a wait of up to 179 years, while the estimated wait for EB-3 applicants could be around 38 years. Applicants in the EB-1 category could face a wait of approximately four to five years.

For Chinese applicants, the estimated maximum wait is considerably lower, at up to 25 years, according to the analysis.

The report said such prolonged delays can have significant consequences for both workers and US employers. Many highly skilled foreign professionals remain in the country for years on temporary H-1B visas while waiting for their employment-based green card applications to progress.

NFAP said the lengthy backlogs could undermine the ability of US companies to attract and retain highly skilled workers while creating significant uncertainty and hardship for affected employees and their families.

Trump’s immigration crackdown

The green card backlog comes amid broader changes to US immigration policy under President Donald Trump, who returned to the White House for a second term in January 2025.

Trump’s administration has pursued a wide-ranging immigration crackdown, with a strong focus on deportations and stricter enforcement. The administration has also taken steps affecting legal immigration, including changes to visa policies and higher fees for certain applicants.

Critics, including human rights organisations, have accused the administration of adopting discriminatory immigration policies and raising concerns over due process and free speech. The administration has maintained that its immigration measures are aimed at strengthening national security and enforcing US immigration laws.

The administration has also faced criticism over actions involving foreign nationals whose visas or immigration status were affected by political activities or participation in protests, including demonstrations related to the Israel-Gaza conflict.

Indian-born residents constitute one of the largest foreign-born populations in the US. There were approximately 3.2 million Indian immigrants in the country as of 2024, according to available estimates.

The issue has particular significance for Indian technology professionals, many of whom enter the US on H-1B visas and subsequently seek permanent residency through employment-based green card categories.

The NFAP analysis highlights the growing disparity between the demand for employment-based immigration and the statutory limits on the number of green cards available each year, with Indian professionals facing the most severe consequences because of the country-specific restrictions.