US Work Visas Face Rising Uncertainty as Backlogs Grow

The American Immigration Council's analysis of a decade of USCIS data found that while approval rates for temporary high-skilled visas like H-1B remain high, the agency is processing them more slowly. Temporary visa backlogs have grown by 175.6%, and employment-based green card backlogs have quadrupled, according to the reports released Tuesday.

Employers are spending an estimated $300 million annually on premium processing fees to expedite approvals, a cost that underscores the severity of the delays. The reports also found that in some high-skilled green card categories, denial rates have risen sharply, adding to the uncertainty for workers seeking permanent residence.

The Council's researchers said the system's strain is most acute for workers trying to move from temporary status to a green card. Even after USCIS approves an immigrant petition, workers can wait years for a visa to become available, with no guarantee of when or if they will get one.

Nan Wu, the Council's director of research, said the United States continues to recruit high-skilled workers but fails to offer them a predictable path to permanence. 'The U.S. government is basically telling high-skilled workers, we want your talent to build companies, conduct research, treat patients, and grow the U.S. economy, but we can't tell you whether you'll be able to build a future here,' she said.

The reports recommend that Congress and the administration take steps to reduce backlogs, including recapturing unused visa numbers and modernizing the processing system. The Council argues that without such changes, the United States risks losing global talent to countries with more streamlined immigration systems.