Indians may soon be able to jump the employment-based Green Card backlog queue and obtain permanent residency in the United States (US) by paying a supplemental fee, also known as super-fee, if a new House bill is passed into law, PTI reported.
The move will help thousands of Indian information technology professionals if it is included in the reconciliation package and passed into law.
According to the portion of the Reconciliation Bill released by the US House Judiciary Committee, which has jurisdiction over immigration, the move will also help legal dreamers (children of H-1B holders who have aged out or will age out and who have turned 21) to obtain permanent residency and citizenship, The Times of India reported.
An employment-based immigrant applicant with a "priority date that is more than two years before can adjust to permanent residence without numerical limits by paying a supplemental fee of $5,000," PTI reported.
A family-based immigrant, sponsored by a US citizen and has a "priority date that is more than two years before", the fee for getting a Green Card would be $2,500.
However, the Bill will not eliminate country caps for green cards or increase the annual quota of H-1B visas.
The provisions will become a law once approved by the Judiciary Committee, the House of Representatives, and the Senate and have been signed by the president.
(With inputs from PTI and The Times of India.)
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