Payoshi Bisht, Pune
The US House of Representatives introduced a Bill aimed at reducing the green card backlog and potentially eliminating country-based discrimination faced by thousands of immigrants in their race for employment.
The legislation members for the bill include three influential Congress members, two of whom are of Indian origin namely Raja Krishnamoorthi and Pramila Jaypal. Rich McCormick is the third legislator to collaborate in presenting the reform bill. The main goal of this bipartisan legislation is to ensure that American employers prioritize immigrant hiring based on their merits and capabilities rather than the place of their birth.
“As we work to build the economy of the future, we cannot allow high-skilled workers to languish in the green card backlog, left unable to fully establish themselves as Americans and contribute more fully to our nation,” Krishnamoorthi said.
He highlighted the negative impact of country-based discrimination on the skilled workers who have to face long queues for green cards eventually preventing them from making their full contributions to the country. Around 95% of immigrants employed in the United States are presently residing and working in the country under temporary visas as they await visa availability.
In contrast to the previous bill which only restricted employment at a rate of 7% per country, the new bill seeks to reshape the employment-based immigration system. HR 6542, also known as the Immigration Visa Efficiency and Security Act of 2023, is an attempt to fortify the US economy and boost its global competitiveness. It aims to shorten the lengthy green card backlog for thousands of Indian-Americans seeking permanent status. This visa would create a more secure environment for the process of immigrant employment to take place properly. It will revolutionize the old employment system which only granted the “green card” to those who significantly contributed to the US economy depending on the immigrants’ birthplace.
Similar to the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act version approved by the Senate in December 2020, this bill incorporates an extended transition period of nine years. This duration aims to guarantee that no nations are left out of visa allocations during the gradual removal of per-country caps.