A new bill introduced by U.S. Senator Alex Padilla aims to create a faster and more accessible pathway to permanent residency for millions of immigrants, including many Indian H-1B visa holders facing decades-long Green Card backlogs.
The Renewing Immigration Provisions of the Immigration Act of 1929, commonly known as the Registry Bill, would modernize U.S. immigration law by expanding eligibility for lawful permanent residency to long-term residents who have lived continuously in the United States for at least seven years, have no serious criminal record, and meet other Green Card requirements.
If enacted, the legislation could benefit more than 8 million people, including H-1B visa holders, Dreamers, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) recipients, children of long-term visa holders, and other essential workers.
Indian professionals stand to benefit significantly. Although Indians receive more than 70% of H-1B visas issued annually, they face some of the longest waits for employment-based Green Cards because of the annual 140,000 employment-based Green Card cap and the 7% per-country limit. According to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), more than 1.2 million Indians are currently waiting in the employment-based Green Card backlog.
The proposed legislation would also replace the current fixed Registry eligibility date with a rolling seven-year requirement, allowing future applicants to qualify without requiring Congress to repeatedly amend the law.
Senator Padilla said the bill is intended to provide long-term immigrants who have contributed to the U.S. economy and communities with a fair opportunity to obtain permanent resident status. He argued that current immigration laws have failed to keep pace with modern realities and called for reforms to address prolonged uncertainty for millions of residents.
The bill has been reintroduced in the Senate but has not yet been passed. It must receive approval from both the Senate and the House of Representatives before it can be signed into law by President Donald Trump.
