CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Standing outside Wyoming’s capitol building Monday afternoon, Anuj Christian held a sign that read “Save America” and “Remove Country Cap.”
The Washington D.C. resident is traveling to the capitol building of all 50 states to raise awareness about “unfair” limitations on the number of skilled workers per country that can obtain an employment-based green card. Christian began his cross-country journey in March and hopes to visit all the states by March 2024. The Cowboy State is his 31st stop.
U.S. immigration law allows 140,000 of those types of green cards per year. Only 7% of the cards can go to individuals from a single country, a limitation known as “country caps.” The caps can create extensive backlogs that leave immigrants and their families waiting years to receive their green cards.
“It’s unfair for everyone who came here on a student visa or work visa, [who] are already paying taxes and providing services,” he said. “This is a skill-based category; some people have more skill and experiences than others, but can’t get a green card just based on the country of birth.”
The process hits close to home for Christian, who immigrated 14 years ago from India to pursue his master’s degree. After securing a job with a company, his application for permanent residency was approved in 2019. He is now on a waitlist to receive it. Indians represent the second largest U.S. immigrant group, however, and an applicant can face up to a 134-year wait.
Christian said not many Americans are aware of just how many people are trying to apply for residency and how limited the positions are.
“They are surprised because they had this impression that country cap applies for when people come through the country [for immigration],” he said. “They don’t know that the people who are already here who came here on student visa and work visa, they are already in the country, they are suffering.”
The cross-country advocate plans to visit Nebraska and Idaho before heading back to Washington D.C. for work. After a few months, he’ll pick up the journey again. Across the different states, Christian said he has experienced the same encouraging responses.
“I have never met anyone who is against this,” he said. “Most people say they are in favor of legal immigration. The response has been good.”
Christian isn’t the only one who has been demanding the removal of the country cap.
In December 2022, a group of Silicon Valley tech workers from India marched in San Jose, California, to demand better means to secure a green card. A group of Indian American frontline healthcare workers held a demonstration in front of the U.S. Capitol in March 2021 urging lawmakers and the Biden administration to end the 7% quota.
Their concerns have reached Capitol Hill. In 2021, the Equal Access to Green cards for Legal Employment, or EAGLE, Act, was introduced in Congress to eliminate the per-country green card cap and raise the family-based green cards from 7% to 15%. The act failed to pass, however, and has been repeatedly introduced in the House since then.
