The United States remains the destination of choice for millions of foreign nationals pursuing careers, building businesses, and seeking permanent homes. But for a growing number of people, the path to stability in the US has become longer, less predictable, and more precarious than ever. Two groups in particular face acute and immediate challenges: Indian nationals trapped in the employment-based green card backlog, and nationals of the 75 countries currently subject to the US immigrant visa processing pause. For both groups, secondary citizenship — once considered a tool reserved for the ultra-wealthy — has become a practical, accessible, and strategically important option worth serious consideration.

This article addresses each population in turn, explains the specific challenges they face, and outlines how secondary citizenship can meaningfully improve their situation.

 

Part One: Indian Nationals on H-1B Visas

Are you an Indian national stuck in the green card backlog — but without $800,000 to spend on an EB-5 visa and no clear path to an EB-1? You are not alone, and secondary citizenship may be the most practical strategy you have never considered. With programs starting as low as $100,000, it has become far more accessible than most people realize — and can make a genuine difference in quality of life while you wait out one of the longest immigration backlogs in the world.

Compounding the backlog challenge is a US consular system in India that has become increasingly restrictive and congested. Wait times for visa appointments currently range from 25 to over 245 days depending on the consulate — and as of the time of this publication, US consulates in India are only granting interview appointments to individuals who are citizens of India. This means that Indian nationals requiring a new visa stamp must return to India to obtain one, navigating one of the most backlogged consular pipelines in the world. Secondary citizenship can help sidestep these obstacles entirely, and for the right candidate, it is a strategy worth taking seriously.

 

• The Green Card Backlog

The most significant challenge facing Indian nationals in H-1B status is the employment-based green card backlog. For those born in India, it currently takes 10–12 years simply to become eligible to file for adjustment of status after a PERM labor certification is initially filed. Accounting for the full process, individuals born in India should reasonably expect to receive a green card roughly 12–14 years after their first PERM-based green card process was initiated.

And the wait does not end there. Even after receiving a green card, a permanent resident must wait an additional five years before applying for US citizenship — and once filed, naturalization processing can easily take another 12–24 months. In total, an Indian national can expect to wait at least 18 years from the time a green card process is initiated before becoming eligible for a US passport.

 

• The Passport Problem

While waiting, Indian nationals are also constrained by the limited travel power of their passport. An Indian passport currently provides visa-free access to only 18 countries, with visa-on-arrival or electronic travel authorization access to an additional 48. By contrast, a US passport offers visa-free travel to 105 countries, with streamlined access to another 58. Even after finally achieving permanent resident status, Indian nationals remain dependent on their Indian passports for all international travel outside of the United States — for potentially another 7 years or more.

 

• A Faster Path to a US Visa Stamp

Beyond travel benefits, secondary citizenship from certain countries can dramatically simplify the process of obtaining a US visa stamp — a practical but often overlooked advantage.

US visa processing in India is notoriously unpredictable and backlogged. As of the time of this publication, wait times for a visa appointment at US consulates in India range from approximately 25 days to over 245 days depending on the consulate location, with Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and New Delhi each experiencing different demand levels. As noted above, US consulates in India are currently only granting appointments to Indian citizens — meaning that even those who have secured permanent residency or other status must navigate this bottleneck when a visa stamp is needed for international travel.

Citizens of Antigua & Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, and Vanuatu are eligible to have their US visas processed at the US Embassy in Barbados. As of this publication, wait times there are approximately 36 days — a fraction of what applicants face in India. The Barbados embassy is also widely regarded as more straightforward in its processing. Barbados is approximately 4.5 hours from New York and 3.5 hours from Miami, making a visa run logistically simple and far less disruptive than navigating India’s consular backlog from abroad.

 

Part Two: Nationals of Immigrant Visa Pause Countries

 

In addition to the longstanding challenges facing Indian nationals, a separate and more recent development has placed nationals of 75 countries in an equally precarious position. The US government has implemented an immigrant visa processing pause for citizens of these countries, based on a determination of elevated public benefits usage risk. The impact of this pause is broad and immediate.

The pause affects immigrant visa processing at US Department of State consular posts worldwide, adjustment of status (Form I-485) filings at USCIS, and pending petitions including Forms I-130, I-129, and I-140. In practical terms, this means that nationals of the listed countries may find their green card processes stalled, their pending petitions frozen, and their pathways to permanent residency significantly disrupted — regardless of how far along in the process they may be.

The 75 countries currently subject to the pause include: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Burma, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominica, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, The Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyz Republic, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Pakistan, Republic of the Congo, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, and Yemen.

 

• The Dual Nationality Exemption

There is, however, a critical exemption built into the pause policy: dual nationals are exempt. This means that a citizen of one of the 75 listed countries who also holds citizenship in a country not on the pause list may be treated as a national of their non-paused country for purposes of immigrant visa processing and USCIS adjudications.

This exemption transforms secondary citizenship from a quality-of-life improvement into a potential lifeline. For nationals of pause countries who are in the midst of green card processes or have pending petitions, obtaining citizenship in an eligible country could mean the difference between a stalled case and one that continues to move forward. The urgency here is significantly greater than for Indian nationals in the backlog — the impact is not merely inconvenience, but a direct disruption to cases that may already be years in the making.

 

• Choosing the Right Country: A Critical Distinction

Not all citizenship-by-investment programs are equally useful for nationals of pause countries. Several of the most popular and affordable Caribbean CBI programs — including Dominica, Antigua & Barbuda, Grenada, St. Kitts & Nevis, and St. Lucia — are themselves on the pause country list. Obtaining citizenship in one of these countries would not trigger the dual nationality exemption, as both nationalities would remain subject to the pause.

For nationals of pause countries seeking to utilize the dual nationality exemption, the most strategically sound options are citizenship-by-investment programs in countries that are not on the pause list. Based on the current list, the following programs are most relevant: Vanuatu (fastest processing, 1–2 months, $130,000 donation), Turkey ($400,000 real estate investment), Malta (EU citizenship, $600,000+), and Portugal (residency-to-citizenship pathway, €250,000–€500,000). These countries are not on the pause list and would therefore provide a viable basis for the dual nationality exemption.

This is a nuanced and rapidly evolving area of law. The pause policy, its exemptions, and its application to specific case types and stages may change. Nationals of pause countries considering this strategy should consult with experienced immigration counsel before making any investment decisions.

 

Citizenship by Investment — Program Overview

The following programs represent the most accessible and well-established options currently available. Countries marked with an asterisk (*) are on the US immigrant visa processing pause list and are not recommended for nationals of other pause countries seeking to utilize the dual nationality exemption. They remain potentially useful for Indian nationals and other non-pause country nationals.

Country	Min. Investment	Timeline	Residency Requirement
Dominica*	$100K (donation)	3–6 months	None
Antigua & Barbuda*	$100K (donation)	3–6 months	5 days within 5 years
St. Lucia*	$100K (donation)	3–6 months	None
Grenada*	$150K (donation)	4–6 months	None
St. Kitts & Nevis*	$250K (donation)	4–6 months	None
Vanuatu	$130K (donation)	1–2 months	None
Turkey	$400K (real estate)	3–6 months	None
Egypt*	$250K (real estate)	6–12 months	None
Jordan*	$750K (investment)	3–6 months	None
Cambodia*	$245K (investment)	3–6 months	None
Malta	$600K+ (donation + real estate)	12–36 months	12 months required
Moldova*	€100K (donation)	3–6 months	None
North Macedonia*	€200K (investment)	6–12 months	None
Portugal	€250K–€500K	5–6 years total	~35 days over 5 years

* These countries are on the US immigrant visa processing pause list and are not currently recommended for nationals of other pause countries seeking to utilize the dual nationality exemption.

Note: Investment minimums listed are floors. Government fees, legal fees, and due diligence costs typically add $20,000–$50,000 or more to the total. Real estate investments may be resold after a holding period of 3–5 years, making them partially recoverable, unlike donation-based programs.

 

Conclusion

 

The US immigration system is presenting an unprecedented set of challenges to two distinct but overlapping populations. For Indian nationals, the burden is one of time — an 18-year journey to a US passport, compounded by consular bottlenecks that make even routine visa stamping a logistical ordeal. For nationals of the 75 immigrant visa pause countries, the challenge is more immediate: a policy that can freeze pending petitions, stall adjustment of status cases, and halt consular processing with little warning.

Secondary citizenship addresses both problems, though in different ways. For Indian nationals, it expands travel freedom, simplifies the visa stamping process, and in the case of Grenada, opens the door to E-2 visa eligibility. For nationals of pause countries, it may do something far more consequential: trigger the dual nationality exemption and restore forward momentum to cases that have been frozen in place.

With citizenship-by-investment programs starting at $100,000 — a fraction of the $800,000 required for EB-5 — secondary citizenship is no longer a tool reserved for the ultra-wealthy. For the right candidate, it may be the most important immigration decision they make.

 

How Meltzer Hellrung Can Help

 

At Meltzer Hellrung, we understand that navigating US immigration restrictions is not just a legal challenge — it affects how you travel, how you build your career, and how you plan your life. Our team works closely with both Indian nationals in the green card backlog and nationals of immigrant visa pause countries to identify practical strategies that protect and advance their immigration goals, including evaluating secondary citizenship options tailored to each client’s specific situation.

It is also worth noting that Meltzer Hellrung’s practice extends well beyond US immigration. We assist clients with immigration matters globally, and are equipped to help you navigate the citizenship-by-investment process in the countries outlined in this article, as well as broader international mobility needs that may arise along the way. Whether you are seeking to expand your travel options, protect a pending petition, or explore the dual nationality exemption, we are here to help you make informed decisions with experienced counsel.

If you would like to explore whether secondary citizenship is the right move for you, we would welcome the opportunity to talk. Reach out to us at meltzerhellrung.com to schedule a consultation.