The US Department of Homeland Security has announced that it's speeding up the process for green card and visa applications, according to Kristi Noem, the country's new Secretary of Homeland Security. However, critics are questioning whether this claim is backed up by tangible evidence.
While Noem points out that more people than ever before have become naturalized US citizens since the Trump administration took office, she doesn't provide concrete numbers or details on how these improvements were achieved. In fact, recent data from the agency responsible for processing immigration applications, USCIS, paints a very different picture.
USCIS is currently facing its biggest backlog in history, with over 11 million pending applications waiting to be processed. This includes forms such as H-1B visa petitions, work authorization requests, and skilled worker green card applications, which account for the majority of the agency's workload.
The statistics are staggering: in the second quarter alone, USCIS received over 1.7 million forms from applicants seeking employment-based immigration status. The average wait time for these applications is now almost three and a half years - an increase on previous figures.
It's worth noting that while Noem claims progress has been made, her comments seem to be part of a coordinated effort by the administration to appear more sympathetic towards legal immigration. This appears to be in contrast to the White House's hard-line deportation policy, which prioritizes removing millions of undocumented immigrants from the country.
The question on everyone's mind is whether these "improvements" are actually being felt across all categories of immigration, or if certain groups are benefiting more than others. With mounting delays and long waits for many applicants, it's clear that there's still much work to be done in streamlining the system.
As one expert pointed out, "America will lose the global talent competition when other countries grant green cards in a matter of weeks or months, not years." It seems time for the US government to take drastic action and simplify its immigration process, rather than just making vague claims about progress.
While Noem points out that more people than ever before have become naturalized US citizens since the Trump administration took office, she doesn't provide concrete numbers or details on how these improvements were achieved. In fact, recent data from the agency responsible for processing immigration applications, USCIS, paints a very different picture.
USCIS is currently facing its biggest backlog in history, with over 11 million pending applications waiting to be processed. This includes forms such as H-1B visa petitions, work authorization requests, and skilled worker green card applications, which account for the majority of the agency's workload.
The statistics are staggering: in the second quarter alone, USCIS received over 1.7 million forms from applicants seeking employment-based immigration status. The average wait time for these applications is now almost three and a half years - an increase on previous figures.
It's worth noting that while Noem claims progress has been made, her comments seem to be part of a coordinated effort by the administration to appear more sympathetic towards legal immigration. This appears to be in contrast to the White House's hard-line deportation policy, which prioritizes removing millions of undocumented immigrants from the country.
The question on everyone's mind is whether these "improvements" are actually being felt across all categories of immigration, or if certain groups are benefiting more than others. With mounting delays and long waits for many applicants, it's clear that there's still much work to be done in streamlining the system.
As one expert pointed out, "America will lose the global talent competition when other countries grant green cards in a matter of weeks or months, not years." It seems time for the US government to take drastic action and simplify its immigration process, rather than just making vague claims about progress.
... i mean, Noem says more people have become naturalized since Trump but all that means is more people are trying to get in lol. 11 million pending applications is insane 
and 3.5 years wait time is just ridiculous. it's like they're setting applicants up for failure. i don't think we can trust her numbers on this one, sounds like an attempt to spin the narrative. what's really going on? are certain groups getting faster processing times than others? 
anywayz, USCIS backlog is straight up crazy 11 million+ pending apps is like, a lot 
u need a map to navigate thru that 
& avg wait time 3.5 yrs? dat sounds like more of the same old slow process 
what's good is dat ppl r speaking out about this stuff tho 
but seriously, we need change, not just empty promises 
. The new Secretary of Homeland Security is trying to spin some kind of success story with these "improvements", but let's be real, the numbers don't lie. 11 million pending applications is just plain crazy 
. And those long wait times? Forget about it! Three and a half years for a green card? That's just not fair to people who are trying to build their lives here.
. It's all about optics at this point. And what about the ones who are actually losing out? The global talent competition you mentioned earlier? Yeah, we should be worried. We need a system that can keep up with the times, not one that's bogged down in red tape.
I'm so done with the lack of transparency from the new Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem. Like I get it, she wants to seem all inclusive and welcoming to legal immigrants but can't we have some actual numbers or data to back it up? 
And those wait times are getting longer by the day... three and a half years?! That's like, almost 10 years if you ask me. 
What's going on over there? Are they just making it up as they go along? 
those numbers are not making me feel hopeful about the future of skilled immigration in this country 
.
... It's time for drastic changes, not vague claims of progress 
! We all know USCIS is drowning in a sea of paperwork 
. What about the actual numbers? Where's the data? 
. We need real solutions, not just empty promises 
. And let's be real, USCIS is basically drowning under all these applications 
. If the admin really wants to simplify the process, they gotta actually put their money where their mouth is 
. Can't just promise progress and expect everyone to believe it 
. If the sec. of homeland security really wants to improve the green card process, they need to tackle this massive backlog ASAP 
, not just make empty promises 
. We need real change, not just a Band-Aid solution for the global talent competition 
.
that's crazy talk 
! Noem saying progress when data says otherwise 
? 
how many ppl are gettin green cards? 
or is it just a select few 
we need real change not empty promises 
I'm curious what's really going on with all these immigration changes 
.
, this is crazy! 11 million pending apps? That's like, whoa... how are they even supposed to keep up with that? It's not like they're going to magically make everything better overnight 
. And the fact that the wait time for these applications is almost three and a half years? That's just heartbreaking 
. I can imagine how frustrating it must be for people who are just trying to start their new life in this country, only to be stuck in limbo for so long. We need some real changes here, not just empty promises