For more than a century, the United States has imposed strict limits on legal immigration, leading to a surge in illegal immigration and an overwhelming number of green card applications.
This piece delves into the roots of immigration regulations and maps out the increase of pending cases in the system. It brings to light a flawed immigration process that neglects to guide eager migrants towards fulfilling their vision of settling in America through lawful and systematized means. An appalling fact looms over those in line vying for permanent residency in the US; a meagre proportion, about 3% of hopeful candidates, can anticipate obtaining permanent residency in the fiscal year of 2024. The number of pending applications has significantly increased, reaching approximately 34.7 million at the start of this fiscal year. This is a sharp increase from the 10 million applications in 1996, worsening the overall statistic.
Before the enactment of immigration limits in 1921, approximately 98 per cent of immigrants were approved annually. Nevertheless, when the limits were enforced, this percentage plummeted to an average of 16 per cent. Fast forward to 2023, and 3.8 per cent of green card applicants received the green light, leading to an exclusion rate of 96.2 per cent. The percentage drops even further, reaching a mere 3%. A contributing factor to the delay in green card applications is the ongoing inability of the government to distribute all the available green cards within the predetermined limits.
Approximately 35 million people have applied for green cards, while the total allowance (inclusive of uncapped processing needs) for FY 2024 is just shy of 1.1 million. Essentially, this means that an astounding 97% of green card applicants who have already applied will be left disappointed in the coming year.
Green Card Lottery Challenges
The Green Card Lottery, which attracts the most applicants each year (22.2 million in 2023 for FY 2024), comes with its own difficulties. Despite the growing demand, the number of available spots in the lottery has remained unchanged at around 55,000. The chances of winning the lottery have decreased by about 80 per cent since 1995, giving applicants a meagre 0.25 per cent probability of receiving a green card, which equates to alarming odds of 1 in 400.
Family-Sponsored Green Card Struggles
The process of immigrating through family sponsorship falls under two categories: capped and uncapped. Categories within the capped system, which consist of siblings of U.S. citizens, adult children, and the spouses and minor children of green card holders, are limited to 226,000. Those within the uncapped system such as immediate relatives have infinite spots but get stuck experiencing significant processing delays due to its complicated processes. Consequently, the number of individuals seeking family-sponsored approval has risen significantly, with a total of 8.3 million now waiting.
Employment-Based Green Cards
The obstacles to obtaining employment-based green cards in the United States remain substantial, as it is anticipated that only 8 percent of the 1.8 million pending applications will be granted in the fiscal year 2024. This suggests a continuing rise in the backlog, which was approximately 1.2 million in 2018 and has now increased to 1.8 million as of March 2023. Each year, a total of 140,000 employment-based green cards are permitted, with any unused family-sponsored green cards being included in this figure. Between 2021 and 2023, the limit for employment-based visas saw a temporary rise because family-sponsored immigrant visas were not being issued during this period.
In this day and age, close to 97% of hopeful applicants are rejected for entry into the US. This staggering number translates into a sense of helplessness for people all around the world who harbour aspirations of entering the United States through legal channels. It is this feeling that incites many to enter the nation via unauthorized means.
