Amidst a high voltage electioneering for an election cycle expected to be very close, an effort is being made to convince eligible Green Card holders to get their citizenship and register to vote for the November 5 polls.
A Green Card, known officially as a permanent resident card, is an identity document showing a person has permanent residency in the United States.
A significantly large number of Green Card holders are Asian Americans and Indian Americans.
“If you have a green card and you have been here five years, get your citizenship. There's time. Register to vote. In many states, you have to register in advance, and there are deadlines. And finally, create a WhatsApp group, get 20 of your friends on there, remind each other every day why it's important, and get out to vote,” Shekar Narasimhan, Chairman and founder of the Asian American Pacific Islanders (AAPI) Victory Fund, told PTI in an interview.
The AAPI Victory Fund is one of the first of its kind SuperPac focused exclusively on building the political power of the Asian American Pacific Islander community.
Narasimha said the presidential candidacy of Vice President Kamala Harris has generated an unprecedented level of energy and enthusiasm among Indian Americans, Asian Americans and other communities.
“Being excited and translating that into votes are often two rather distinct things. It's how you take that energy, persuade people that it's worth their while, make sure that they are if they haven't applied for citizenship, and they can get it in three weeks,” he said.
Under the administration of President Joe Biden, one can get citizenship in three weeks, he said, adding that to be eligible to become a citizen, a Green Card holder needs to have a minimum of five years of stay in the US.
“So, get your citizenship if you haven't done it. Register to vote. Vote, and then organise others to go and vote,” Narasimhan said, adding that all this can be done in 100 days.
The Department of Homeland Security estimates that 12.9 million Green Card holders lived in the US in 2022. Of these, 9.2 million Green Card holders were eligible to become US citizens in fiscal 2022, based on meeting US residence and other requirements for application, as per the official estimate.
Typically, about 1 million people become Green Card holders each fiscal year.
Like nonimmigrant admissions, Green Card admissions for permanent residence were relatively low in FY 2020 (707,362) and FY 2021 (740,002), likely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Admissions increased to 1,018,349 in FY 2022; 46 per cent were new arrivals to the United States, and 54 per cent adjusted to Green Card status from a nonimmigrant status within the US.
