[cletus]

All of the factors I listed apply to China. But even though both countries have similar populations, around two-thirds of H1B applicants are Indian nationals. Bodyshops are a big factor here. This flood of H1B applications is a big factor in everyone having to go through a lottery.

So if two-thirds of the H1B applicants are Indian nationals but the current system caps per-country green cards at 7% (per category), you see why Indian nationals have a much longer wait time than anyone else.

In saying that I'm not denying others (eg China, Mexico, the Phillipines) don't have long wait times too.

[huy-nguyen]

This is a great point that is rarely mentioned. China has larger population than India yet has a much shorter backlog so is it really the fault of the US immigration system that India has a long backlog? The Indian outsourcing industry and India’s lower level of economic development are parts of the problem.