The Trump administration has announced a major shift in U.S. immigration policy, requiring most temporary visa holders seeking permanent residency to return to their home countries before applying for green cards.
Under the new directive, individuals currently in the United States on non-immigrant visas — including students, tourists and temporary workers — will no longer be allowed to adjust their immigration status from within the country except under what officials described as “extraordinary circumstances.”
In a statement on Friday, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) spokesperson Zach Kahler said applicants would now be required to complete the green card process through U.S. consular offices abroad.
“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,” Kahler said, arguing the measure would discourage visa overstays and strengthen immigration enforcement.
The administration said the move is intended to make the immigration system “fairer and more efficient” by allowing USCIS to focus resources on other priorities, including naturalization applications and visas for victims of violent crimes and human trafficking.
Immigration experts and advocacy groups, however, strongly criticized the decision.
Former USCIS official Doug Rand said nearly half of the approximately one million annual green card applicants traditionally apply from within the United States through a process known as “adjustment of status.”
“The purpose of this policy is exclusion,” Rand said, warning that applicants forced to leave the U.S. could face difficulties re-entering the country, especially those from nations affected by travel restrictions.
Christian humanitarian organization World Relief also condemned the policy, calling it “cruel” and “anti-family.” The group warned that the change could separate spouses and children for extended periods while applications are processed abroad.
“This policy will force apart husbands from wives and children from their parents,” said World Relief President and CEO Myal Greene, urging the administration or courts to reverse the decision.
The policy marks the latest in a series of immigration measures introduced by the Trump administration targeting both undocumented and legal immigration pathways in the United States.
