‘Indian H1-B holders are not...’: Immigration lawyer says waiting on green cards for years is pushing professionals towards UK

Indian professionals holding the coveted US H1-B visa are increasingly turning their gaze towards the United Kingdom, driven by agonizingly long green card queues and a rapidly shifting American immigration landscape. With the US Green Card backlog for Indian nationals now stretching to a fourteen-year wait for some categories and crucial US legislative proposals threatening further restrictions, the UK's Global Talent Visa offers a compelling, quicker path to permanent settlement. This isn't a mere preference; it's a strategic 'arithmetic' calculation by skilled engineers and researchers in their thirties, many with families established in the US, as noted by immigration lawyer Yash Dubal. The exodus consideration comes amid significant turbulence in US immigration. The July 2026 Visa Bulletin recently declared the EB-2 India category 'unavailable' and retrogressed EB-1 India, effectively freezing green card approvals for many. This follows the introduction of a new wage-based selection process for H1-B visa in February 2026, a proposed $100,000 supplemental fee for certain overseas H1-B hires, and a highly restrictive 'End H-1B Visa Abuse Act of 2026' in Congress that proposes a three-year freeze on new H1-B visa, drastically reduced caps, and even the elimination of Optional Practical Training (OPT). Meanwhile, the UK's Global Talent Visa, launched post-Brexit in 2020, stands out for its flexibility: it requires no employer sponsorship, no job offer, no minimum salary, and can lead to Indefinite Leave to Remain in as little as three years. This migration trend poses a substantial challenge to US competitiveness, potentially draining its talent pool in critical sectors like technology and research, while simultaneously bolstering the UK's appeal as a global hub for skilled workers. The question isn't whether Indian professionals are abandoning their American dreams, but rather how many will hedge their bets by securing a faster, more stable future across the Atlantic. Observers will be closely watching whether the US introduces any counter-measures or reforms to retain this vital workforce, or if the current policy direction solidifies a new, more rapid global talent migration pathway.