The Trump administration has announced a significant shift in green card rules, prompting critics to argue the new approach could dramatically raise the barrier to applying — and, for some, effectively shut the door altogether.
US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) revealed the update on Friday (May 22), framing it as part of the administration’s broader push to ‘crack down’ on illegal immigration in the US.
A green card — formally a permanent resident card — gives someone the right to live and work in the United States on a permanent basis.
Under the newly stated policy, however, people pursuing a green card will generally need to apply from outside the US rather than while already in the country.
USCIS said individuals seeking to adjust their status must do so through consular processing abroad ‘except in extraordinary circumstances’.
Opponents of the move say the previous process — which can stretch from seven months to several years — allowed families to remain together in the US while cases were being decided, something they warn may no longer be possible for many applicants.
In a statement, USCIS said: “When aliens apply from their home country, it reduces the need to find and remove those who decide to slip into the shadows and remain in the US illegally after being denied residency,” USCIS said.
USCIS also argued the change would make the overall system ‘fairer and more efficient’.
The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees USCIS, wrote on X: “The era of abusing our nation’s immigration system is over.
“We’re returning to the original intent of the law to ensure aliens navigate our nation’s immigration system properly.”
They concluded: “From now on, an alien who is in the US temporarily and wants a green card must return to their home country to apply, except in extraordinary circumstances.”
Officials have not yet said whether the update will apply to applications that are already in the pipeline.
For context, more than one million legal immigrants are currently awaiting decisions on green card applications, according to the Cato Institute’s director of immigration studies.
Authorities also have not defined what will qualify as the ‘extraordinary circumstances’ that could allow someone to apply from within the US despite the general rule.
The announcement is the latest action tied to the administration’s wider effort to tighten legal immigration pathways for people already in the country as well as prospective arrivals.
USCIS did not specify when the new policy will take effect.