‘Fourteen years of waiting’: Immigration lawyers reveal calculations to push Indian H-1B green card holders to UK
With the future of the U.S. H-1B visa program still in question, many highly skilled professionals are quietly exploring another option.
An increasing number of Indian engineers and researchers living in the United States are considering the UK’s Global Talent visa while still retaining their long-term plans in the United States, said Indian-origin immigration lawyer Yash Dubal. The main reasons are simple: years of green card backlogs and continued uncertainty about the U.S. immigration system.
Yash Dubar on rising UK interest
and american bazaarYash Dubal, CEO and director of London-based AY & J Solicitors, said his company has received more inquiries about H-1B visas from Indian professionals working in the United States.
Dubal said many of these applicants are engineers and researchers in their thirties. Most have spouses on H-4 visas and children born in the United States. While they built their lives in the United States, many spent years waiting for permanent residency.
He explained that the UK’s global talent visa It becomes attractive because it provides a faster path to resolution. Unlike the skilled worker visa, it is tied to the individual rather than the employer. Applicants do not need a job offer, employer sponsorship or minimum wage. They can change jobs, work independently, provide consulting services, or start a business.
Dubal told the publication, “The April 2026 visa announcement puts the EB-2 India date as July 2014, which means there is a 14-year wait for a green card. The UK Global Talent visa allows you to settle in three years.”
Why should H-1B holders explore the UK?
Global Talent Visa launched in 2020 as part of post-Brexit UK migrant system. It is available to professionals in fields such as digital technology, engineering, research, academia, science, humanities and the arts. Applicants must first obtain accreditation from a UK accredited body before applying.
Dubal said many professionals underestimated their chances of qualifying. He said Indian engineers who approach his company are often closer to meeting requirements than they realize.
He also emphasized that most people have not given up on their plans for the United States. Instead, families are opening up second pathways in case immigration uncertainty persists.
“Indian H-1B holders are not abandoning the U.S. program. They are putting together the U.K. program as a hedge,” Dubal told American Market.
Dubal added political The controversy surrounding the H-1B program has encouraged more people to consider alternatives. In his view, many professionals no longer view immigration uncertainty in the United States as a short-term issue and are making plans accordingly while continuing to pursue U.S. goals.
