indians are among the largest ethnic groups legally immigrating to the united states. the immigration of indians has taken place in several waves since the first indian came to the united states in the 1700s. a major wave of immigration to california from the region of punjab took place in the first decade of the 20th century. another significant wave followed in the 1950s which mainly included students and professionals. the elimination of immigration quotas in 1965 spurred successively larger waves of immigrants in the late 1970s and early 1980s. with the technology boom of the 1990s, the largest influx of indians arrived between 1995 and 2000. this latter group has also caused surge in the application for various immigration benefits including applications for green card. this has resulted in long waiting periods for people born in india from receiving these benefits.