The 150-year wait: An immigrant's quest

This is a conversation with Ashish Patel, who came to the U.S. on an H1B Visa, a visa that allows companies to hire highly skilled, specialized workers from around the world. He was granted status as an immigrant in 2011, but will wait decades for a green card without changes to the current immigration laws. In this conversation, Patel discusses his 10-year effort to change the immigraiton quota system that now means immigrants from countries like India would wait more than 150 years for a green card.

He also discusses why his wife couldn’t work, and what it’s like to live with uncertainty. For some, he said, the U.S. system is too difficult to navigate, and recently many are opting to make their homes in Canada instead.

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In weekly episodes of WashingTown U.S. Congressional Representative Ben McAdams, D-UT talks about his experiences in Washington, D.C. during his new job as congressman from Utah's 4th district. In each episode the congressman will bring to you an inside look into the personal and professional life of a serving representative and how the political scene of Washington, D.C. looks and feels to an active participant.