An Indian‑American immigration attorney has said that the reason so many Indians are on H‑1B visas is not by choice, but because of loopholes in the United States immigration system that make it extremely difficult for them to obtain permanent residence.Siddhartha, founder of the Indian‑American Advocacy Council, posted on Twitter that the long wait for a green card forces many Indians to remain in the H‑1B program for years. He wrote: “This is not because Indians like to stay on temporary visas. It is because the green card system will not let them leave the temporary visa program.”In his post, Siddharth pointed to the way the US allocates green cards, saying Indian people face a longer wait than people from many other countries. “India gets the same quota as Iceland,” he wrote, adding that for Indians, the wait for an EB‑2 green card can exceed 134 years, while for citizens of Pakistan and Somalia it can be less than two years.He said the system treats people with the same job, employer and skills differently based on their place of birth. Siddhartha wrote, “Different birthplaces equal different lifetimes.” He said Indians are not “trapped” on H‑1B visas of their own free will, but are “trapped in a system that penalizes demand from one country while freely handing out green cards to others.” Furthermore, he cited the humanitarian impact of the backlog, claiming that more than 400,000 Indian applicants would die before receiving a green card. The comments come as the United States under the Trump administration is making several changes to the H‑1B work visa program that are impacting Indian workers and employers. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has replaced the traditional random lottery for H‑1B visas with a salary-based selection system, giving priority to high-paid and highly-skilled applicants. This change took effect on February 26, 2026, and applies to the 2027 cap season.The annual cap on H‑1B visas remains at 85,000, but the agency also introduced a substantial $100,000 petition fee for employers seeking H‑1B workers.Meanwhile, many Indian applicants for H‑1B visas have faced long waits for appointments to complete visa‑stamping interviews in India, with some postponed until 2027. US officials have said the delay is due to increased checks and security measures, and not discrimination against any nationality.Separately, US immigration experts have noted a steep decline in H‑1B filings, which they partly attribute to changes such as higher fees. These developments are forcing some Indians working or wanting to work in the United States to explore other visa options or postpone their plans in the face of longer waits and new rules.