The Trump administration announced Friday that most noncitizens currently living in the United States who apply for green cards will now be required to leave the country and complete the process from their home nation.
According to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, adjustment of status applications inside the United States will only be granted under “extraordinary circumstances” evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
Under the new policy, applicants seeking lawful permanent resident status will instead have to complete what is known as consular processing through the United States Department of State while remaining outside the country.
The administration says the move is intended to restore what officials describe as the original purpose of temporary visa programs.
“We’re returning to the original intent of the law to ensure aliens navigate our nation’s immigration system properly,” USCIS spokesperson Zach Kahler said in a statement.
“From now on, an alien who is in the U.S. temporarily and wants a green card must return to their home country to apply, except in extraordinary circumstances,” Kahler added.
Administration officials argue that temporary visas — including student visas, tourist visas, and temporary work permits — were never intended to become stepping stones toward permanent residency.
“Nonimmigrants, like students, temporary workers or people on tourist visas, come to the U.S. for a short time and for a specific purpose,” Kahler said. “Their visit should not function as the first step in the green card process.”
The administration also argued that shifting applications overseas will reduce immigration enforcement burdens and allow USCIS to redirect resources toward other priorities, including naturalization cases and visas for crime victims.
Officials say the policy could help reduce the number of individuals who remain in the country illegally after visa overstays or denied residency applications.
Critics of the move, however, argue the policy could create major humanitarian and logistical problems for immigrants who have built lives and families in the United States.
Many green card applicants reportedly have spouses or children who are American citizens, pay taxes, and fill workforce shortages across various industries.
Immigration advocates have also warned that forcing applicants to leave the country could trigger long processing delays and uncertainty for families separated during the process.
The administration has not clarified whether United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement will actively begin deporting individuals with pending green card applications.
The announcement quickly sparked reactions online, including from Maye Musk, the mother of entrepreneur Elon Musk.
Maye Musk shared her own immigration experience on social media, describing multiple medical screenings, travel requirements, and years-long delays before eventually obtaining U.S. citizenship.
“Nothing was easy,” she wrote. “It took another five years before I could get citizenship. Worth it.”
Legal challenges to the policy are widely expected as immigration groups and civil liberties organizations prepare to contest the administration’s interpretation of federal immigration law.
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