US Orders Green Card Applicants to Complete Process From Home Countries
- 7 hours ago
- 2 min read
The United States government has announced a major change to its immigration process, directing foreign nationals seeking permanent residency to return to their countries of origin to complete their green card applications, except under special circumstances.
The new directive was issued by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services under the administration of President Donald Trump as part of broader immigration reforms aimed at tightening residency procedures.
According to the agency, individuals currently in the United States on temporary visas will no longer be allowed to complete adjustment-of-status applications within the country in most cases. Instead, applicants are expected to process their residency requests through American consular offices located in their home countries.
USCIS explained that the policy is intended to restore what officials described as the original framework of US immigration law. Authorities argued that the change would strengthen compliance with immigration rules and reduce cases of individuals remaining in the country illegally after failed residency applications.
Agency spokesperson Zach Kahler said the updated process would discourage abuse of immigration loopholes and improve enforcement efforts. He noted that applicants who are denied residency abroad would be less likely to overstay temporary visas in the United States.
The policy will affect several categories of temporary visa holders, including students, tourists and foreign workers currently residing in America. USCIS maintained that temporary visas were designed for short-term visits and should not automatically become pathways to permanent residency.
Officials also stated that routing applications through overseas consular offices would allow immigration authorities to redirect resources toward other priorities, including citizenship applications, naturalisation cases, victims of violent crimes and human trafficking investigations.
The latest move follows earlier immigration restrictions introduced by the Trump administration. In late 2025, US authorities temporarily suspended the processing of some green card and citizenship applications involving nationals from countries affected by American travel restrictions, including several African and Asian nations.
Many affected applicants were already living legally in the United States and seeking permanent residency or citizenship when the restrictions were introduced.
Comments