The Trump administration announced major new immigration rules requiring many green card applicants to leave the United States and apply from their home countries instead.
WEBDESK – MediaBites News
The Trump administration has announced a major change to America’s immigration system, requiring many immigrants seeking green cards to leave the United States and apply from their home countries instead.
The new policy, revealed Friday by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services, marks one of the biggest immigration changes in decades and is already drawing sharp criticism from immigrant advocates, attorneys and refugee organizations.
Under the updated rules, immigrants temporarily living inside the U.S. who want permanent residency will generally no longer be allowed to complete the green card process while remaining in the country.
Instead, applicants will be required to return to their home nations and apply through U.S. consulates abroad.
The Department of Homeland Security defended the move, saying the policy restores the immigration system to its “intended” legal structure and prevents abuse of loopholes.
For more than 60 years, many immigrants already living in the U.S. were allowed to apply for permanent residency through a process known as “adjustment of status” without leaving the country.
Immigration experts warn the new rules could disrupt the lives of more than one million immigrants currently waiting for green cards, according to estimates from the Cato Institute.
Critics say the changes may force applicants to leave jobs, families, homes and children behind while their cases remain pending overseas for unknown periods of time.
Advocacy groups also fear the policy could place vulnerable migrants at risk, including trafficking survivors, abused children and refugees who fled dangerous conditions in their countries of origin.
HIAS accused immigration authorities of forcing some migrants back into potentially unsafe environments simply to continue the residency process.
The policy change is the latest in a broader immigration crackdown under Donald Trump, whose administration has introduced stricter visa policies, increased deportation efforts and tighter immigration enforcement since returning to office.
Last year, the administration reduced visa durations for students, journalists and cultural exchange visitors, while the State Department reportedly revoked more than 100,000 visas earlier this year.
Immigration lawyers say uncertainty remains over how pending green card cases will be handled under the new policy, raising anxiety among families across the United States.
The move is expected to trigger legal challenges and intensify political debate over immigration as the 2026 election season approaches.
