For thousands of Indians chasing the American dream, the wait for U.S. green card just got even more uncertain. The U.S. immigration system is now sitting on a record-breaking 11.3 million pending cases, signaling one of the worst backlogs in its history.
Fresh data from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), shows that 1.6 million new cases were filed between January and March 2025 alone. This is the first major release since Donald Trump returned to the White House.
While the number of applications keeps rising, USCIS processed only 2.7 million cases this quarter down, sharply from 3.3 million during the same period last year. That’s also a 12 percent drop from the previous quarter, making it clear that the system is slowing down just when demand is surging.
“There is zero per cent chance that processing times will speed up at any time under the Trump administration,” according to Charles Kuck, founding partner at Kuck Baxter Immigration in Atlanta stated to Business Standard. “The consular processing is grinding to a halt and USCIS is intentionally slow walking almost all cases (except naturalisation and marriage cases),” he added.
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This backlog isn’t just a statistic. It’s already hitting critical immigration forms that green card applicants and workers rely on. Take Form I-90, used to replace green cards. The average wait time for it shot up from under a month to over eight months in just one quarter, a staggering 938 percent jump.
Then there’s Form I-765, which allows people to work legally in the U.S. while their green card is being processed. Initial applications for this form surged by 87 percent, and the total number of pending cases including renewals and reissues has now crossed 2 million, up from 1.2 million. The net backlog, meaning cases stuck beyond normal processing times, has grown by nearly 181 percent.
“Backlogs can significantly delay approvals for both initial petitions and extensions, creating uncertainty for employers and foreign workers alike. In some cases, visa holders may be forced to pause travel or employment plans while awaiting adjudication,” said Michael Wildes, managing partner at Wildes & Weinberg PC to Business Standard.
As the green card backlog keeps growing, even seasoned professionals who’ve lived and worked in the U.S. for years are being forced to step away from their careers due to paperwork delays. Collie Greenwood, CEO of the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA), resigned on July 17 after his work permit expired and he was still waiting for his green card. Greenwood, a Canadian citizen, took early retirement even though his green card is reportedly “imminent,” according to the agency.
USCIS confirms that delays like this aren’t unusual, even for high-ranking professionals with approved petitions. The wait can be especially long for applicants from countries with high demand like India, China, or Mexico. In some categories, the timeline stretches well beyond ten years, leaving lives and careers uncertain.
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Under the Trump administration’s new 2025 immigration rules, getting a green card has become even more complicated. One big change now requires applicants to submit a fresh medical exam every time they file, even if they’re just refiling or updating an old application.
USCIS just updated its rules on Form I‑693 (the medical exam and vaccination form required for a green card application). As of June 11, 2025, any I‑693 signed by a civil surgeon on or after November 1, 2023 is now considered valid only for the specific immigration application it was filed with the Form I‑485, Adjustment of Status form. If that application is withdrawn or denied, the medical form can’t be reused. It stands expired with the case and a new one must be submitted. This reverses an earlier policy (effective April 4, 2024), which allowed I‑693 forms signed after November 2023 to remain valid indefinitely. But USCIS decided that unlimited reuse could pose public health risks, so they pulled back on that approach.
The administration has brought back in-person marriage interviews for couples applying through family-based green card routes. In addition, USCIS is increasing its use of social media checks, using AI to flag antisemitic or extremist content that could be used to deny or even revoke a green card. Altogether, these changes point to a bigger shift toward stricter, merit-based green card rules, with a strong focus on enforcement and fraud prevention.