Is It Still Worth Betting on Employment-Based Immigration?

Green Card
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1

With H-1B lottery odds getting worse each year and the green card process becoming painfully long, is it still realistic to rely on employment-based immigration?

Even if you win the H-1B lottery, the road to a green card is brutal. Right now:

  • EB-1A for Chinese nationals has a 3-year backlog.
  • EB-2 for Chinese applicants takes 7+ years.
  • Even ROW (Rest of World) EB-2 is approaching 3 years.

Will priority dates keep getting worse, or will there be a self-correcting balance? Some factors to consider:

  • Declining international student enrollment due to rising difficulties in staying.
  • Increasing layoffs, leading to higher PERM denial rates.
  • NIW (National Interest Waiver) standards getting stricter.

Is there still hope, or should people start looking at alternative paths (other visas, career changes, or leaving the U.S.)? Would love to hear insights from those who have gone through the process or are planning ahead.

2

Even you consider using NIW, you will still follow the queue of EB-2, which means you skip the perm, but you still have to wait for 5+ yrs for i-140 approval and i-485.

The only fastest way is getting married with a US citizen, you will get your GC in 1-2 yrs.

However I think you are lucky enough, as an Indian, we need to wait for 10+yrs…To fulfill our American Dream, I think the waiting time deserves.

3

Thank you for your response!
Ya Chinese and Indian probably are the 2 most struggle group here in the US.Let’s hang in there together!

4

Well, I just submitted my eb2 perm form, it takes me almost 1.5 years to prepare for that, long journey, so if you can do NIW, that will be much better, at least you can save 1 year.

5

Honestly… it’s getting harder to stay optimistic. H-1B is now basically a lottery ticket, and even if you win, the green card feels like a second lottery — except slower and with more paperwork.

I know people who’ve been stuck in EB-2 for 8+ years, unable to change jobs or make life plans. Even ROW applicants are starting to feel the squeeze. NIW used to be a solid Plan B, but now it’s turning into Plan Maybe.

That said, I don’t think employment-based immigration is dead — but you really need backup plans now:

  • CPT to bridge time
  • E2 if you’re from a treaty country
  • Explore Canada, Europe, or remote options if your field allows
  • Some are even switching careers to get into cap-exempt H1Bs (teaching, nonprofits, etc.)

There’s still hope, but depending on one system is too risky now. Diversifying your immigration “portfolio” might be the new survival strategy.