'Not stuck by choice': Indian American explains why H-1B visas are dominated by Indians and Green Cards trap them in temporary status

Sidharth, founder of the Indian‑American Advocacy Council, posted on X that the long waits for Green Cards force many Indians to remain in the H‑1B programme for years and are not a matter of choice.

“An Indian‑American immigration advocate has said that the reason so many Indians are on H‑1B visas is not by choice, but because of flaws in the United States’ immigration system that make it extremely difficult for them to obtain permanent residency”

The Times of India

He wrote: “It is not because Indians love being on temporary visas.

The Times of India

It is because the Green Card system will not let them leave the temp visa program.”

Sidharth highlighted how the Green Card allocation treats applicants differently by birthplace, saying “India gets the same quota as Iceland,” and that the wait for an EB‑2 Green Card for Indians can exceed 134 years while citizens of Pakistan and Somalia can wait less than two years.

He argued the system treats people with the same job, employer and skills differently based only on their place of birth and wrote: “Different birthplace equals different lifetime.”

The Times of India

Sidharth said Indians are not “stuck” on H‑1B visas by choice but are “trapped by a system that punishes demand from one country while handing Green Cards freely to others,” and he claimed more than 400,000 Indian applicants will die before they ever receive a Green Card.

“An Indian‑American immigration advocate has said that the reason so many Indians are on H‑1B visas is not by choice, but because of flaws in the United States’ immigration system that make it extremely difficult for them to obtain permanent residency”

The Times of India

His comments come as the United States, under the Trump administration, is making several changes to the H‑1B work visa programme that affect Indian workers and employers.

US Citizenship and Immigration Services replaced the traditional random lottery for H‑1B visas with a wage‑based selection system that gives priority to higher‑paid and higher‑skilled applicants, a change that took effect on February 26, 2026 and applies to the 2027 cap season; the annual cap remains at 85,000 and USCIS has introduced a $100,000 petition fee for employers.

Many Indian applicants have faced long waits for visa‑stamping interviews in India, with some appointments postponed into 2027, which US officials attribute to enhanced vetting and security measures rather than discrimination.

The Times of India

US immigration experts have also noted a sharp drop in H‑1B filings, which they partly attribute to changes such as the high fee, and these developments are forcing some Indians to explore other visa options or postpone plans.