A day after announcing restrictions on green card applications filed from inside the US, the US immigration agency has partially softened its stance.
According to a policy memo dated May 22, workers who demonstrate an economic benefit or are in the national interest will likely be allowed to continue on their current path and apply for the permit from within America.
US Citizenship and Immigration Services spokesman Zach Kahler said: “People who present applications that provide an economic benefit or otherwise are in the national interest will likely be able to continue on their current path while others may be asked to apply abroad depending on individualized circumstances”.
The developments are being watched closely by Indian professionals, who make up an estimated 71% of all approved H-1B applications and bear a disproportionate share of the policy’s potential impact.
Many are caught in decade-long backlogs in the EB-2 and EB-3 employment-based green card categories, and had until this week assumed that maintaining legal status through that wait was sufficient to secure permanent residency.
