US lawmaker revives bill offering Green Card pathway for H-1B visa holders

A Democratic senator has renewed his push for legislation that would create a pathway to lawful permanent residency for millions of long-term US residents, including H-1B visa holders. If enacted, the proposal would allow individuals who have lived continuously in the US for at least seven years to apply for permanent residency.California Senator Alex Padilla on Monday reaffirmed support for his Renewing Immigration Provisions of the Immigration Act of 1929 Bill, first introduced last year. He described the measure as a "commonsense" fix to what he called an "outdated" immigration system and said it was aimed at countering President Donald Trump's "systemic attacks" on immigrants."A year ago, I introduced this bill to push back against the Trump administration's cruel treatment of hardworking immigrants," Padilla said. "Since then, President Trump's campaign of fear has only escalated, with families living under constant uncertainty despite having built their lives in this country. Congress cannot continue to ignore millions of long-term residents who contribute to our economy and communities every day. It's past time to modernise our immigration laws and create a fair pathway to lawful permanent residency."According to Padilla's office, the legislation would make more than eight million people eligible to apply for green cards, including Dreamers, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders, children of long-term visa holders, essential workers and highly skilled professionals, including H-1B visa holders who have spent years waiting for employment-based green cards.The Bill proposes amending Section 249 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, commonly known as the Registry provision, which allows the Secretary of Homeland Security to grant lawful permanent resident status to certain individuals who have lived in the US since a specified date and meet other eligibility requirements.Originally enacted in 1929, the Registry provision was last updated in 1986 during the Reagan administration. Under the current law, only individuals who entered the US before January 1, 1972, qualify. Padilla's proposal would replace the fixed cut-off date with a rolling seven-year residency requirement, eliminating the need for Congress to periodically amend the law. His office noted that only 305 people adjusted their status under the Registry provision between 2015 and 2019, arguing that the decades-old cut-off has rendered the mechanism largely ineffective.The legislation is co-led by Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin and co-sponsored by several Democratic senators, including Cory Booker, Tammy Duckworth, Adam Schiff, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, among others. It has also received endorsements from more than 30 organisations.The renewed push comes as the US employment-based immigration system continues to struggle with massive green card backlogs, particularly affecting Indian H-1B professionals because of the 7 per cent per-country visa cap. Every year, tens of thousands of highly skilled Indians, especially in the technology and scientific sectors, apply for permanent residency, but demand far exceeds the annual country limit, resulting in waiting periods that can stretch for years or even decades.Indians are estimated to account for nearly 80 per cent of the employment-based green card backlog, with some applicants facing waits of 15 years to several decades. Against this backdrop, Padilla's proposal seeks to broaden access to permanent residency for millions of long-term US residents, including thousands of skilled foreign workers caught in the existing backlog.- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Jul 28, 2026 11:56 IST