The Biden Administration Let Over 200,000 Green Cards Go to Waste This Year

[WhiskeyGrinder]

https://immigrationimpact.com/2021/10/05/unused-green-cards-biden-2021/#.YWrtVqBOlE4

The Biden administration failed to issue more than 200,000 permanent resident visas (or “green cards”) that were allotted in fiscal year 2021 for immigrants sponsored by U.S. employers or family members.

Roughly 150,000 visas for family-based immigrants and as many as 80,000 visas for employment-based immigrants had gone unused by September 30, which was the last day of the 2021 fiscal year.

This falls drastically short of the total number of green cards—675,000—that the government can issue each year. Out of this total, 480,000 visas are reserved for “family preference” immigrants; 140,000 for employment-based immigrants; and 55,000 for Diversity Visa lottery winners.

This marks the second year in a row that over 100,000 family-preference visas have gone unused. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic caused U.S. embassies and consulates abroad to close, which temporarily halted immigrant visa processing. In addition, the Trump administration used the pandemic as a pretext to implement a ban on the issuing of many immigrant visas. As a result, 122,000 family-preference visas went unused and were added to the 2021 cap on employment-based visas, which raised the total to 262,000.

[jimfields33]

1. Sorry this happened but the president has a ton on his plate.

Next year it will be better and the year after that even more so and on and on.

[empedocles]

3. President Biden as a ton of 'me right now' claims on his plate

[Hestia]

5. True, plus CNN or MSNBC had a very short segment on all the hiring still to be done due to

tfg hollowing out of all the agencies that had virtually been abandoned. It's something like 40,000 positions still open. It was a week or so ago that it aired.

[hunter]

2. Too many U.S. Americans reject an orderly and just immigration process.

Unethical employers demand a supply of undocumented workers who are easily abused, while xenophobes and people who think the economy is a zero-sum game believe immigrants will take "their" jobs.

If we all supported comfortable living wages, a strong social safety net, and aggressive enforcement of labor laws, then immigration wouldn't depress the job market, it would only enhance it.

[Hestia]

6. There are supposed to be "employers" salivating over hiring of Afghan refugees.

My first thought was well, have to hire crews due to keep them from exploitation.

[FirefighterJo]

4. Or people

Are thinking twice before deciding to move to the States?

[former9thward]

7. Uh, no.

There is a backlog of almost a half a million people waiting to come into the U.S. legally.

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/visas-backlog.html