- Senator Padilla proposes a rolling registry standard for green card eligibility after seven years.
- The bill could grant permanent residency to eight million long-term residents including Dreamers.
- Proposed changes would eliminate the outdated nineteen seventy-two cutoff for registry applications.
U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla renewed his push Monday for legislation that would update the federal immigrant registry and open a potential green card pathway for about 8 million people, including H-1B holders who have lived in the United States for at least seven years.
Padilla’s green card bill, called the Renewing Immigration Provisions of the Immigration Act of 1929, would replace the registry’s fixed cutoff with a rolling residency standard. Applicants would need seven years of continuous residence and a clean criminal record.
The proposal targets immigrants who have spent years in the country but remain unable to secure permanent residence through existing channels. Its intended beneficiaries include highly skilled workers, Dreamers, people with Temporary Protected Status and long-term essential workers.
Padilla announced the renewed effort July 27. He framed the measure as a response to uncertainty facing immigrant families and to the treatment of long-term residents under the Trump administration.
“A year ago, I introduced this bill to push back against the Trump Administration’s cruel treatment of hardworking immigrants. Since then, President Trump’s campaign of fear has only escalated, with families living under constant uncertainty despite having built their lives in this country. Congress cannot continue to ignore millions of long-term residents who contribute to our economy and communities every day. It’s past time to modernize our immigration laws and create a fair pathway to lawful permanent residency.”
The proposal would replace a 1972 cutoff with seven years of residence
The bill would amend Section 249 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, the provision commonly known as the registry. Congress has not updated its current date since 1986.
Under the existing rule, only people who have lived in the United States since January 1, 1972, can apply for permanent residence through registry. That cutoff excludes people who arrived decades later, even when they have built their lives and careers in the country.
Padilla’s proposal would use a rolling eligibility date instead. A person who completes seven continuous years of residence could apply, subject to the criminal-record requirement.
The measure would not be limited to employment-based applicants. It also identifies Dreamers, TPS holders and essential workers as potential beneficiaries. Essential workers include long-term residents who worked on the front lines during previous national emergencies.
Indian professionals face the longest employment-based waits
The proposal’s employment impact centers on professionals caught in decades-long green card backlogs, particularly applicants from India. A residency-based registry could bypass the per-country caps that currently slow the employment-based process.
That would give eligible workers a route separate from repeated temporary visa renewals. It could also reduce the uncertainty surrounding the “dual intent” expectations that accompany temporary employment status.
Demand for the H-1B program remains high. USCIS announced July 17 that it had reached the FY 2027 H-1B cap, underscoring the limits of a system that continues to rely on temporary status while workers wait for permanent residence.
The bill would create eligibility for a green card, not automatically grant one. Applicants would still have to meet the proposal’s conditions, including continuous residence and a clean criminal record.
USCIS has treated adjustment of status as discretionary grace
The renewed congressional push comes as USCIS changes how officers evaluate adjustment of status. On May 21, 2026, the agency issued Policy Memorandum PM-602-0199.
The memorandum instructs officers to treat adjustment of status as an “act of discretionary grace” rather than an entitlement, including for people who satisfy all statutory requirements. USCIS has not endorsed Padilla’s proposal, which remains a congressional initiative.
That policy setting increases the contrast between temporary status and permanent residence. A worker may meet the statutory requirements for adjustment yet still face a discretionary decision under the agency’s updated approach.
Padilla’s proposal would change the underlying eligibility framework instead of modifying the H-1B renewal process. It would make length of residence the central trigger for registry eligibility.
The registry would cover workers and other long-term residents
The estimated 8 million potential beneficiaries span several immigration categories. Their circumstances differ, but the bill groups them around long-term residence and ties to U.S. communities.
- H-1B visa holders: Highly skilled professionals facing employment-based backlogs.
- Dreamers: Undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children.
- TPS holders: People protected under Temporary Protected Status.
- Essential workers: Long-term residents who worked on the front lines during previous national emergencies.
The registry proposal therefore reaches beyond the employment-based system. Its seven-year standard would apply to people whose current immigration category, or lack of permanent status, has kept them outside the existing 1972 cutoff.
Padilla’s statement said Congress should act for residents who contribute to the economy and communities every day. The proposal now places that argument before lawmakers through an effort to modernize the registry provision.
The current registry date remains January 1, 1972. The proposed replacement would measure eligibility by seven years of continuous residence instead.
