We are flying into 2024. Let’s thank the Almighty for blessing us with another year of new goals and milestones. A new year brings along new hopes and new opportunities for whatever remains unachieved in the year passing by. Nearly 5 million Americans and immigrants of Indian origin are glorifying their motherland, India, in the US through their achievements in different walks of life and contributing to their adopted home in myriad ways.
Naturally, they have some expectations from their motherland and the land of American Dream. 2023 saw fulfilment of some of their wishes, such as a new Indian consulate in the West Coast (Seattle) and the approval of H1B visa renewal within the US. There are some other wishes like dual citizenship, no ageing out of children on H4 visa, no per-country cap on Green Cards to Indians, a federal holiday on Diwali…that have made it to their list of ‘New Year’ resolutions.
Dual Citizenship
To get a foreign citizenship is to lose Indian citizenship since the Constitution of India denies dual citizenship to overseas Indians. In 2022 alone, a record 2,25,620 Indians renounced their Indian citizenship to become citizens of the US or other countries. The yearly statistics on citizenship renunciation fuel a debate about whether dual citizenship is the solution, sparking NRIs’ hopes for policy amendment allowing them to reap the benefits of holding both Indian and US (or other foreign) citizenship.
Both naturalized US citizens of Indian-origin and the inflated community of Indian immigrants pursuing American Dream in the United States have been demanding dual citizenship for years, but the government of India continues to maintain its stance against their demand. Most recently, the question of whether Indians abroad would be able to hold their Indian passports alongside foreign passports resurfaced in the Parliament, to which the External Affairs Minister of India responded clarifying that and security challenges are major deterrents to granting dual citizenship.
That’s why the continued demand for dual citizenship is among economic the New Year resolutions on the checklist of Indian Americans. Though they are eligible for OCI cards which enable them to visit, live and work in India indefinitely, they don’t hold any right to invest in agricultural properties and contest elections in India. They are not entitled even to voting rights in India. Dual citizenship will give them greater global mobility.
Removal of Per-Country Cap on Employment-Based Green Cards
The removal of the 7% cap on employment-based green cards remains to be one of the long-standing resolutions of Indians in USA, whose contribution to the US economy has been immense. The US immigration law limiting the annual issuance of employment-based green cards to 140,000 and further implementing a 7% country-wise cap on this allotment is at the root of the mounting backlog cases, increasing wait times, and more importantly, jeopardizing the immigration status of children on the verge of aging out.
There has been a history of immigration reform bills and acts seeking to either phase out or raise the per-country cap on employment-based green cards. But none of these bills saw the light of the day, to the sheer dismay of 1.1 million Indians stuck in the mire of green card backlog with a wait period of 134 years – nearly double the average lifespan. Alternate proposals like green card recapture have been approved by the US Presidential Advisory Council, but yet to take effect.
Now, Indians have pinned their hopes on the Immigration Visa Efficiency and Security Act of 2023 (HR 6542). Introduced in the US House of Representatives by 3 influential US lawmakers including Indian American Raja Krishnamoorthi and Pramila Jayapal, the bill addresses unfair immigration policies and proposes to eliminate the per-country cap on employment-based green cards. 2024 will decide the fate of this bill, and hopefully, it turns the tide in favor of Indians.
Federal Holiday on Diwali
To get Diwali recognized as a federal holiday has been one of the resolutions of Indians in America since before the legislation – Deepavali Day Act – was introduced in 2021. The fast-growing populace of Indian immigrants throughout the US is still awaiting conversion of the bill into a law. Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi and Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney are among the key members who backed the act in the House of Representatives in a bid to make Diwali the 12th federal holiday in the United States.
Meanwhile, Diwali has begun to be observed as a public school holiday in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. More and more US States are declaring October as ‘Hindu Heritage Month’. Since 2009, the ceremony of lighting a ceremonial lamp has been a sort of Deepavali tradition with US Presidents in the White House. Even as Indians’ cultural identity and their contribution to America’s ethnic diversity as well as socio-economic growth is being acknowledged more than ever, their demand for a federal holiday on Diwali is still unmet. May 2024 see this resolution be fulfilled for nearly 5 million Indian-origin people in America!
More Nonstop Routes to India from USA
At nearly 5 million, the rapidly growing Indian-origin community constitutes the second-largest immigrant group in the USA. A sizable portion of them call Seattle, Dallas, Atlanta, Houston, Boston, Los Angeles, and Detroit their home away from home. For years, they have been lobbying with Indian diplomats, Consul Generals, and airlines like Air India for nonstop flights to India. Few Indian American leaders have also started petitions urging to expand direct flights to India from Seattle, Dallas, Los Angeles and other US cities.
Nonstop flights to India from Charlotte or RDU Airport, North Carolina will facilitate frequent business trips of high-profile Indian professionals based in the Research Triangle Area. They have been vocal about the hassles involved in one-stop or two-stop itineraries such as long layovers, missed connections, transit visa issues, etc. Their appeals and demands are yet to yield results.
On the other hand, Air India’s plans to launch nonstop flights to Boston and Los Angeles came as welcome news for Indians in New England and Southern California. The airline is most likely to introduce nonstop service to Boston and Los Angeles in 2024 coinciding with the induction of its brand new A350-900 aircraft into international operations. With the fleet being upgraded and modernized as per the $400-million refurbishment plan, Air India is eying to expand its US-India nonstop service network beyond New York, Newark, Chicago, San Francisco, and DC.