Padilla Revives 7-Year Green Card Registry Bill; Long-Term H-1B Workers Likely to Benefit

California Senator Alex Padilla introduced S. 2468, the Renewing Immigration Provisions of the Immigration Act of 1929, on July 28, 2025. On July 27, 2026, he renewed his call for Congress to pass it. The Senate measure remains referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

WASHINGTON — Millions of long-term immigrants in the United States, including some Indian professionals caught in lengthy employment-based green card queues, could gain a new route to permanent residency under legislation that California Senator Alex Padilla is urging Congress to revive.

But the proposal is not a new bill introduced in 2026 and has not become law. Padilla introduced S. 2468, the Renewing Immigration Provisions of the Immigration Act of 1929, on July 28, 2025. On July 27, 2026, he renewed his call for Congress to pass it. The Senate measure remains referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The bill would overhaul a little-used provision of US immigration law known as “Registry.” Under current law, qualifying immigrants generally must have entered the United States before January 1, 1972 and lived here continuously since then, along with satisfying other statutory requirements. Congress last changed the Registry cutoff in 1986.

Padilla’s proposal would replace the fixed 1972 date with a rolling standard. The bill text says an applicant would need to have entered the United States at least seven years before applying. Because the legislation otherwise amends the existing Registry framework, applicants would still have to satisfy the remaining eligibility requirements under Section 249 of the Immigration and Nationality Act. If enacted, the change would take effect 60 days after enactment.

That distinction is important: seven years of residence would not automatically produce a green card. Registry currently includes requirements involving continuous residence, good moral character and specified grounds of admissibility.

Padilla’s office estimates that more than 8 million people — more than 80 lakh — could gain a potential pathway to permanent residency under the change. The senator’s office specifically lists Dreamers, Temporary Protected Status holders, children of long-term visa holders, essential workers and highly skilled workers such as H-1B visa holders among people who could benefit if they individually qualify. The figure is an estimate cited by the bill’s supporters, not a guarantee that 8 million applications would be approved.

“Congress cannot continue to ignore millions of long-term residents,” Padilla said while renewing his push for the legislation in July, arguing that the Registry system should be modernized. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin is co-leading the measure, while other Democratic senators and independent Senator Bernie Sanders are among its supporters. Representative Zoe Lofgren is leading the House version.

The House companion, H.R. 4696, was introduced on July 23, 2025 and referred to the House Judiciary Committee.

Why the proposal matters to Indians waiting for green cards

The Registry proposal could be particularly significant for some Indian professionals who have spent many years in the United States in temporary immigration classifications while waiting for employment-based permanent residency.

The State Department’s August 2026 Visa Bulletin identifies India as one of the countries subject to oversubscription under the employment- and family-based immigrant visa system. The statutory per-country limit for preference immigrants is 7% of the relevant annual totals.

The backlog is especially visible in employment categories. For August 2026, the State Department lists the Indian EB-2 final-action category as unavailable, while the EB-3 final-action date for India is January 1, 2014. The department separately announced in May that all available FY2026 EB-2 immigrant visas for applicants chargeable to India had been used.

If Padilla’s proposal became law, a qualifying long-term resident could potentially pursue permanent residency through the separate Registry provision rather than waiting solely for an employment-based visa number. Padilla’s own bill materials explicitly identify H-1B workers waiting for green cards as intended potential beneficiaries.

The measure could similarly offer another possible route for some “documented Dreamers” — children who came legally to the United States as dependents of parents on employment visas but can lose dependent status when they age out — provided they meet the Registry requirements. Padilla’s office specifically includes children of long-term visa holders among the groups the legislation is designed to help.

There is, however, no immediate change for H-1B holders or green card applicants. S. 2468 has not been enacted, and qualifying immigrants cannot currently apply under a seven-year Registry rule.

The proposal also faces a difficult legislative path. Republicans currently hold majorities in both the Senate and the House, while the Registry legislation is being led primarily by Democrats and has not advanced beyond the committee stage in the Senate.