US Bill offers green cards pathway to long-term visa holders with public-service jobs

Business To Business, Washington, 09 September 2026:   Indian-American Congressman Ami Bera and Democratic Representative Deborah Ross have introduced legislation that would offer permanent residency to eligible 'Dreamers' and children of long-term visa holders who take up public-service jobs in the United States.
 
The SERVICE for America Act would cover young immigrants working in health care, education, public safety, the military, social work, early-childhood education, government and nonprofit organisations.
 
The proposal is particularly significant for 'Documented Dreamers' -- children who entered the United States legally as dependents of employment-based visa holders but risk losing their dependent status when they turn 21 while their families remain trapped in lengthy green-card queues.
 
Many such young immigrants are members of Indian families affected by the heavy backlog in employment-based permanent-residency applications.
 
"Dreamers and Documented Dreamers are already giving back to our country as teachers, health care workers, service members, and public servants," Bera said.
 
"They are stepping up, serving their communities, and doing their part to make our country stronger. The SERVICE for America Act creates an earned pathway to permanent residency and gives these young people the certainty and peace of mind they deserve as they continue to build their futures in America," he said.
 
The bill would establish a new W nonimmigrant visa for qualifying public-service employees. It would be valid for three years and could be extended once for another three years while the recipient continued working in an eligible job.
 
To qualify for the visa, an applicant would generally have to have lived legally in the United States for at least five years as the dependent child of an employment-based nonimmigrant or have received protection under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals programme.
 
Applicants would also have to be employed in a qualifying public-service position or possess a job offer contingent on receiving the new status.
 
The spouses and minor children of W-visa recipients would be eligible for the same status and authorised to work in the United States.
 
The legislation would permit eligible immigrants to apply for lawful permanent residency after working in a qualifying public-service job for at least two years. Applicants would generally need to have been physically present in the United States for an aggregate period of at least seven years.
 
"Those who dedicate themselves to serving our communities and the country they call home deserve the opportunity to build their futures here," Ross said.
 
"Our country needs more social workers, teachers, service members, and caretakers. Dreamers and Documented Dreamers are stepping up to fill these roles. It's past time to fix our broken immigration system and give these young people a pathway to lawful permanent residency," she said.
 
The measure would also make eligible DACA recipients and qualifying children of employment-based visa holders eligible to serve through AmeriCorps.
 
Dip Patel, founder of Improve The Dream, welcomed the proposal, saying it would help children of long-term visa holders who could otherwise age out of their families' pending green-card applications.
 
"We appreciate the introduction of the Service for America Act, which will allow many long-term immigrants who grew up here and are fully contributing to our country to receive a sense of permanency," Patel said.
 
"Many children of long-term visa holders who grew up here lawfully, but age out of their pending green card applications due to backlogs, would be afforded a pathway to stay and contribute in the only country they've called home," he said.