US Now Requires Green Card Applicants to Apply From Home Country

The United States has introduced a major shift in its immigration policy, requiring most green card applicants to leave the country and complete the process from their home nations instead of adjusting their status while staying inside the US.

The new rule is expected to directly affect thousands of immigrants currently living in America on student, tourist and temporary work visas, many of whom had been using existing legal provisions to apply for permanent residency without returning home.

Under the policy announced Friday by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), applicants will no longer be allowed to move toward permanent residency from within the United States except under what the agency described as “extraordinary circumstances.” Applicants will now have to complete the process through US embassies or consular offices in their own countries.

The Donald Trump administration has presented the move as part of a broader effort to tighten immigration controls and curb what it calls misuse of the system.

For years, people entering the US on temporary visas had been able to remain in the country while applying for green cards through status adjustment procedures. The new policy signals the end of that pathway for most applicants.

USCIS spokesperson Jack Calhaller said the administration no longer intends to make it easier for temporary visa holders to transition into permanent residency after arriving in the United States.

The US Department of Homeland Security also posted on X that “the era of exploiting the immigration system is over.”

Concerns Over Family Separation and Legal Uncertainty

Immigration lawyers and rights advocates have sharply criticized the decision, warning that the change could throw millions of families and workers into uncertainty.

They argue that the previous system allowed applicants to stay together with their families while waiting for immigration processing, which in many cases already takes years.

The new policy could now force applicants to leave the United States without any guarantee they will be allowed to return quickly — or at all.

Immigration expert Michael Valverde told the BBC that even immigrants who have been following legal procedures could face serious risks under the new system.

According to him, some individuals who leave the US for consular processing may later be denied re-entry, leaving families separated and employment disrupted for extended periods.