The Times of India reports that EB-1A petitions have tripled in four years as H-1B limits and backlogs push skilled applicants from India and China toward the self-petition green card — citing Loren Locke's CBS News commentary.
From the Article
"They've been put in a situation just that's super untenable, which increases desperation, which increases risk taking."
Locke Immigration Law's Take
The Times of India's coverage carries the CBS News investigation to the audience most directly affected by it: skilled professionals from India, who — alongside applicants from China — bear the brunt of the per-country green-card backlog the article describes. For an Indian engineer or researcher facing a decades-long wait in EB-2 or EB-3, the EB-1A's appeal is structural, not aspirational: it is self-petitioned, so it does not depend on an employer staying willing and solvent through a multi-year process, and it is current for most of the world. That is exactly why demand has tripled.
Loren's point in the underlying reporting — that the line between legitimate profile-building and manufactured credentials "can be difficult to spot" — matters more, not less, when the surge is driven by applicants under genuine backlog pressure. The temptation to buy authorship slots, citations, or pay-to-win awards is strongest among people who have a real claim but lack the documented record to prove it yet. With USCIS now operating a dedicated vetting center and signaling retroactive review of approved petitions, a borderline filing is no longer just a denial risk; it can unwind a green card years later.
Key Takeaways
- EB-1A petitions have tripled in four years while approval rates fell from ~67% to ~50% under intensified review.
- India and China applicants drive much of the demand because the self-petitioned EB-1A bypasses both the H-1B lottery and the per-country immigrant-visa backlog.
- This is an international re-report of the CBS News investigation — the primary coverage, with Loren's full quotes, is our CBS News mention.