Bipartisan Green Card Backlog Bill Needed Now, Top Democrat Says

Employers are struggling to retain top foreign talent, and protracted green card application backlogs also threaten the long-term legal status of the children of temporary visa holders, witnesses told members of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship and Border Safety Tuesday.

After hearing testimony, Senate Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) told Republican colleagues that he wants to advance bipartisan legislation to address those lengthy backlogs.

“Let’s put a bill before this committee,” Durbin said. “I don’t want to be guilty of not trying.”

Lawmakers in this Congress have proposed multiple bills to tackle the wait times without serious progress; ...