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Washington DC. Days ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US, the Biden administration has relaxed rules by issuing policy guidelines on eligibility criteria for people waiting for green cards to live and work in the US.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting America from 21 to 24 June at the invitation of US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. During this, PM Modi will also address the joint session of Congress (US Parliament) on 22 June.
IT professionals of India (Indians ) will get big help
Just ahead of PM Modi’s all-important US visit, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has issued new guidelines regarding the eligibility criteria for initial and renewal applications for Employment Authorization Document (EAD), which can lead to a green card or permanent residence permit. Indian IT professionals seeking residency are expected to be of great help.
Green Card is officially known as a Permanent Resident Card. It is a document issued to immigrants to the US as proof that the bearer has been granted the privilege of permanent residence.
The immigration law provides for the issuance of approximately 140,000 employment-based green cards each year. However, each year only seven percent of those green cards can be given to people from any one country.
Relaxation in new guidelines for green card
The new USCIS guidelines outline certain requirements that applicants must meet to be eligible for an initial EAD based on extenuating circumstances. These include being the principal beneficiary of an approved Form I-140, being in lawful nonimmigrant status or an authorized grace period, not filing an adjustment of status application, and meeting certain biometrics and criminal background requirements.
USCIS also exercises discretion to determine whether an applicant meets compelling circumstances that justify the issuance of employment authorization.
How will NRIs get help?
Ajay Bhutoria, a prominent Indian-American community leader and immigrant rights advocate, says, “These measures are an important step toward helping people facing challenging circumstances and ensuring their ability to work lawfully in the United States.” ‘
He says the non-exhaustive list of qualifying circumstances provides people with an opportunity to present evidence supporting their case. “For example, individuals with approved immigrant visa petitions in oversubscribed categories or chargeable territories may demonstrate compelling circumstances by presenting evidence such as school or higher education enrollment records, mortgage documents, or long-term lease records,” he added.
Bhutoria says this provision could prove important in situations where families face compulsions to return to their home country due to the potential loss of their homes, school dropouts, or job losses.
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