Senator Padilla reintroduces green card bill to scrap 1972 cutoff date

Congress cannot continue to ignore millions of long-term residents who contribute to our economy and communities every day, said California Senator Alex Padilla

Published - July 29, 2026 05:07 pm IST | Washington

PTI

A Democratic Senator has made a fresh bid to advance legislation that would create a pathway to lawful permanent residency for millions of long-term U.S. residents, including H-1B visa holders.

California Senator Alex Padilla on Monday (July 27, 2026) reiterated support for his Renewing Immigration Provisions of the Immigration Act of 1929 bill, which he first introduced last year.

The bill aims to provide a "commonsense" fix to the U.S.'s "outdated" immigration system and counter President Donald Trump's "systemic attacks" on migrants across the country.

The legislation would allow long-term U.S. residents to apply for permanent residency if they have lived in the country continuously for at least seven years before filing the application.

"A year ago, I introduced this bill to push back against the Trump administration's cruel treatment of hardworking immigrants," Mr. Padilla said.

"Since then, President Trump's campaign of fear has only escalated, with families living under constant uncertainty despite having built their lives in this country.

"Congress cannot continue to ignore millions of long-term residents who contribute to our economy and communities every day. It's past time to modernise our immigration laws and create a fair pathway to lawful permanent residency," he said.

Who Would Benefit

If enacted, the proposed legislation would provide a pathway to green cards for more than eight million people, including:

• Dreamers — undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children
• Forcibly displaced individuals — Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders
• Children of long-term visa holders
• Essential workers
• Highly skilled professionals — such as H-1B visa holders who have been waiting years for employment-based green cards

How the Bill Would Work

The bill proposes amending Section 249 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, commonly known as the Registry provision. This provision gives the Secretary of Homeland Security discretion to register certain individuals for lawful permanent resident status if they have been in the country since a specified date and meet other eligibility requirements.

• Section 249 was first codified in 1929 and last updated in 1986 during the Reagan administration.
• The current eligibility cutoff date remains January 1, 1972.
• Mr. Padilla's legislation proposes replacing the fixed cutoff date with a rolling eligibility date, eliminating the need for Congress to periodically amend the law.

According to a statement from Mr. Padilla's office, only 305 people adjusted their immigration status under the current Registry provision between 2015 and 2019, rendering the 1972 entry cutoff largely ineffective.

Support for the Bill

The bill is co-led by Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin and co-sponsored by U.S. Senators:

• Cory Booker
• Tammy Duckworth
• Andy Kim
• Ben Ray Lujan
• Edward J. Markey
• Jeff Merkley
• Chris Murphy
• Patty Murray
• Bernie Sanders
• Brian Schatz
• Adam Schiff
• Tina Smith
• Elizabeth Warren

The legislation has also received endorsements from over 30 organisations.

Context: Green Card Backlogs

The U.S. employment-based immigration system has long been plagued by green card backlogs, particularly affecting Indian H-1B professionals due to per-country visa caps.

• Tens of thousands of highly skilled Indian professionals — primarily in the tech and science sectors — apply for permanent residency each year.
• Because demand from India vastly exceeds the 7% annual allotment, a significant queue has formed.
• Data suggest that Indians account for roughly 80% of the entire pending employment-based green card backlog.
• Wait times are estimated to range from 15 years to several decades.