Trump Administration Forces Green Card Applicants to Return to Home Countries
New immigration policy could affect hundreds of thousands of people and lead to family separations as most foreigners must now apply from abroad.
The Trump administration announced Friday that most foreigners seeking green cards will be required to return to their home countries to apply, marking a dramatic shift in immigration policy that could upend the lives of hundreds of thousands of people currently in the United States. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said it would only grant green cards to people inside the country in "extraordinary circumstances," forcing applicants to go through consular processing abroad instead.
The policy change affects people who entered the country lawfully through temporary visas and are seeking permanent residency, including students, spouses of U.S. citizens, and foreign workers across various industries. According to a memo issued by the agency, the new approach represents a fundamental restructuring of how the legal immigration system operates, moving away from domestic processing that has been standard practice for decades.
"This policy allows our immigration system to function as the law intended instead of incentivizing loopholes," said Zach Kahler, a spokesman for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. "When aliens apply from their home country, it reduces the need to find and remove those who decide to slip into the shadows and remain in the U.S. illegally after being denied residency." The agency emphasized that the change aims to prevent people from remaining in the country illegally if their applications are denied.
Immigration lawyers expressed immediate concern about the widespread implications, particularly the potential for extended family separations. The process of obtaining a green card typically takes months or longer, meaning families could be separated for extended periods while applications are processed overseas. The memo did not detail which groups would be eligible for exceptions, though agency officials suggested that refugees would not be subject to the new requirements.
The announcement was met with confusion and chaos as immigration lawyers scrambled to understand the scope of the policy and which exceptions might apply. Kahler indicated that people who "provide an economic benefit or otherwise are in the national interest will likely be able to continue on their current path," but specific criteria for such determinations remain unclear. Legal experts predicted the policy change would face immediate court challenges, setting up another immigration battle in federal courts.
