WASHINGTON: In a move that could benefit thousands of Indian-Americans waiting for their green cards, an advisory commission of the US President has approved the recommendation that more than 2,30,000 unused green cards for family and employment categories since 1992 be recaptured.
A green card, known officially as a Permanent Resident Card, is a document issued to immigrants to the US as evidence that the bearer has been granted the privilege of residing permanently.
This includes the recapture of more than 2,30,000 unused employment-based green cards from 1992 to 2022 and processing a portion of these every fiscal year in addition to the annual limit of 1,40,000 for this category, Indian-American entrepreneur Ajay Bhutoria, who is a member of President Biden’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, said in his set of recommendations submitted before the commission on Thursday.
“Recapture Unused green cards and Prevent Future Green Card Waste” aims to address bureaucratic delays in the green card application process and provide relief to individuals waiting in backlogs, he said.