Los Angeles, Jul 10 (IANS): Pakistan-origin actor-comedian Kumail Nanjiani says it took him over a decade to get his permanent residence in the US.

Nanjiani on Monday night tweeted: "I feel like people think immigrating to the US is super easy. The gates are wide open. Nothing could be further from the truth. It took me 15 years to get my Green Card. Getting any kind of visa is difficult. Becoming a citizen is extremely difficult and rare."

His tweet comes in the wake of the controversy around US President Donald Trump's policy about illegal immigrants.

Trump and his administration have come under heavy criticism for adopting a zero-tolerance approach to people illegally crossing over the American border from Mexico, with officials currently separating parents from their children as they are taken into custody.

Nanjiani has carved his own niche in the film and comedy world, but it was "The Big Sick" -- on an interracial couple which deals with cultural differences after the woman becomes ill -- which pushed him into prominence.