The Trump administration has announced a significant and surprising shift in long-standing United States immigration policy, requiring foreign nationals currently living in the country who wish to obtain a green card to leave the United States and submit their applications from their home countries instead.
For more than half a century, foreign nationals with legal status in the United States — including spouses of American citizens, holders of work and student visas, as well as refugees and asylum seekers — were permitted to apply for permanent residency and complete the entire process without ever leaving the country. This “adjustment of status” is one of the oldest practices in American immigration law, and one of the simplest and easiest routes to legal permanent residency status available to hundreds of thousands of individuals living and working in the US.
Under the new policy announced by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), that pathway is effectively being closed for most applicants. Foreign nationals who are temporarily present in the United States and wish to become lawful permanent residents — commonly known as green card holders — must now return to their country of origin and apply through a U.S. embassy or consulate there. Exceptions will be made only in “extraordinary circumstances,” with USCIS officials holding the authority to determine on a case-by-case basis whether an applicant qualifies for such an exemption.
The agency justified the change by stating that non-immigrant visa holders — including students, temporary workers, and tourists — come to the United States for a specific, limited purpose and are expected to depart once that purpose is fulfilled.
“Non-immigrants, such as students, temporary workers, or those on tourist visas, come to the United States for a short time and for a specific purpose. Our system is designed for them to leave when their visit ends. Their visit should not function as a first step in the green card process,” the agency stated.
Immigration lawyers, advocacy groups, and immigrant communities across the country have reacted with confusion and concern. Critics argue that the policy adds unnecessary hardship and uncertainty for hundreds of thousands of people who have built their lives legally in the United States. According to Doug Rand, a former senior adviser at USCIS during the Biden administration, approximately 600,000 people already residing in the United States apply for a green card each year. He described the intent behind the policy as explicitly aimed at reducing the number of people who gain permanent residency, which he noted is a recognized pathway to U.S. citizenship.
USCIS has not yet clarified when the new rules will take effect, whether applicants will be required to remain abroad throughout the entire application process, or how the policy will impact those whose green card applications are already pending.
The move is the latest in a series of measures taken by the Trump administration to restrict and limit legal immigration into the United States, adding to existing travel restrictions affecting citizens of dozens of countries.
