The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has to issue 280,000 green cards before the end of the fiscal year on September 30.
As of mid-June, USCIS and the US Department of State have issued more visas than they did till the same time in the financial year 2020-21 (FY21). Closures and curtailed operations at US embassies led to a high number of available employment-based green cards.
USCIS’ weekly issuance of visas is double of it was until the same time last year in FY21. The two agencies collectively issued 149,733 employment-based immigrant visas till May 31.
The USCIS in a statement said it all steps to ensure that maximum available visas are used by the end of the fiscal.
According to data from US visa office, as many as 66,781 unused employment-based green cards were available against 1.4 million immigrant applicants, a majority of whom are Indians.
Despite issuing 180,000, which is more than the average number of visas issued in a typical year, the USCIS still fell short fo the total available permits.
According to a TOI report, the wait time for employer-sponsored green cards exceeded the three-year limit in 2022.
Employers-sponsored visa applications undergo six steps including a pre-filing stage that requires the applicant and employer to furnish documents to establish the eligibility of a green card. This stage is followed by the Department of Labour evaluating prevailing wages, skills, and area code.
