Indian American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi has urged the senators to include provisions to address the massive green card backlog in the ongoing negotiations on the Senate passage of the Build Back Better (BBB) Act (H.R. 5376). The Act was passed by the House of Representatives a week ago.
“As my colleagues in the Senate continue to review the text of the Build Back Better Act we passed through the House of Representatives last week, I urge them to move quickly to pass this transformational legislation while including the provisions I spearheaded to strengthen our economy by addressing the green card backlog that currently affects more than 1.2 million high-skilled workers,” Krishnamoorthi said in a statement on November 26.
Pointing out to the heartbreaking stories of high-skilled workers and their families who have had to face decades-long green card queues and children forced to self-deport, the congressman said, “Our nation has always benefited from welcoming talented minds from across the world to build lives, start businesses, and create jobs here. The robust immigration reforms of the BBB Act will help us continue that truly American tradition.”
The version of the Build Back Better Act that the House approved on November 19 amends the Immigration and Nationality Act registry cut-off date to allow individuals who entered the US prior to January 1, 2010, to apply for green cards while recapturing family-sponsored and employment-based green cards unused since 1992.
“The Senate must move quickly to pass the entire Build Back Better Act to bring the relief that so many families in our country need,” he urged in his statement.
