H-1B Visa Holders Have To Wait For Decades To Receive A Green Card, Says Dmitry Litvinov, CEO Of Dreem

H1B visa holders want to obtain citizenship in the US. The US green card is one way towards the goal. Indian AI professionals on H-1B visas have to wait for decades to obtain a green card. Innovation is booming in the US, but there is no solution for the long waiting periods.

The delay costs not only the H-1B visa holder but also the position of the United States as the world's leading AI player.

Financial Express interviewed Dmitry Litvinov, CEO and Founder of Dreem. Litvinov revealed the problems faced by Indian AI professionals in the US who have an H-1B visa. He also discussed how the professionals seeking US green cards are impacted.

"Indian professionals on H-1B visas are at the heart of the U.S. AI ecosystem. They are AI data scientist, AI engineers, Product managers of AI products, etc. From FAANG companies to cutting-edge research labs and high-growth startups, Indian-born scientists and engineers fill critical roles. Many of them hold advanced degrees from American universities and work on everything from foundational models to real-world AI deployment," says Dmitry Litvinov.

He further stated that despite the contributions of the Indian professionals, they face "multi-decade waits" for permanent residency due to country caps and green card backlogs. Hence, they face barriers due to the US visa policies. They have to wait due to a massive backlog in the EB2 category, which includes NIW.

AI is recognised as a field of national interest in the U.S., making the EB2 National Interest Waiver (NIW) visa an attractive option for AI specialists, allowing them to apply for a green card without an employer sponsor.

"While exact figures aren’t published, conservative estimates put over half a million Indian nationals in the U.S. on H-1B visas, predominantly in the tech sector," says Litvinov.

He says that according to the National Foundation for American Policy of USCIS data, there were over 1.2 million pending EB-2/EB-3 applications filed by Indian nationals. They had to wait for 10–20 years, even for those eligible for a National Interest Waiver (2024 numbers), to obtain a green card.

When the Financial Express asked how much impact this issue has on professionals seeking US green cards, Litvinov stated, "Status is crucial. Without green cards, many Indian AI professionals in the U.S. are employed at FAANG companies and are hesitant or unable to join startups. This reluctance hinders the dynamic, entrepreneurial development of new technologies and creates unfair competition for talent between startups and large corporations."