A viral post on X has reignited debate over whether the H-1B visa is truly temporary, pointing to home purchases, long-term mortgages and lengthy green card backlogs involving Indian nationals.
The post claims that Indian nationals purchased $2.2 billion worth of residential property in the United States last year.
“Always follow the money. Nobody believes the H-1B visa is temporary. Not even the banks,” it said.
The argument is based on data from the National Association of Realtors’ 2025 report. According to the figures cited, Indian buyers purchased $2.2 billion worth of US residential real estate during the year.
Nearly 97 per cent of these buyers were already living in the United States when they purchased their properties. Around 66 per cent bought homes as their primary residences, the highest share among the leading countries of origin for international buyers.
Indian buyers were also more likely to depend on financing than other foreign purchasers.
The report said only a small share paid entirely in cash, while 57 per cent obtained mortgages from US lenders.
The viral post questioned why banks were willing to approve standard 30-year mortgages for people whose H-1B visas are generally issued in three-year periods.
“A 30-year mortgage against a visa issued three years at a time only makes sense in one way: the lender expects the borrower to stay,” the post argued.
It also referred to the lending policies of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, saying qualifying loans given to non-permanent residents can be purchased under standards similar to those applied to US citizens.
The post then asked how a person holding a three-year visa could qualify for a 30-year home loan.
According to the author, the answer lies in the American Competitiveness in the Twenty-First Century Act, commonly known as AC21.
Under the law, some H-1B workers with employment-based green card applications pending beyond certain stages can continue extending their visa status even after reaching the usual six-year limit.
The post claimed that this system effectively allows many workers to remain in the country through repeated one-year or three-year extensions.
It also linked the issue to the lengthy employment-based green card backlog faced by Indian nationals.
Citing estimates from the Cato Institute, the post said the queue includes around 1.1 million Indians and that new applicants could face a wait of more than a century under the existing system.
The argument is that as long as the green card application remains pending, eligible H-1B workers may continue seeking visa extensions.
The post also cited US Citizenship and Immigration Services data, claiming that around 65 per cent of H-1B approvals in the 2024 financial year were for workers already in the country rather than new arrivals.
Based on these factors, the author argued that banks and mortgage underwriters already treat many H-1B workers as long-term residents in practice.
According to the post, a pending green card application and continued employment provide lenders with confidence that the borrower’s income and stay in the United States are likely to continue.
However, buying a home or receiving a long-term mortgage does not itself change an individual’s immigration status. H-1B workers must still maintain valid status and comply with US immigration rules.
