Trump Orders Migrants to Apply Abroad for Green Cards

The Trump administration has announced that many legal immigrants seeking permanent residency in the United States will now have to leave the country and apply for green cards from their home nations, marking a major shift in immigration policy.

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The new guidance, issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services on Friday, limits the long-standing “adjustment of status” process that has allowed immigrants already living legally in the US to apply for permanent residency without leaving the country.

Agency officials described the move as a return to the original purpose of immigration law, while critics said it would disrupt the lives of millions of legal immigrants.

New rules for green card applicants

Under the policy, people living temporarily in the US on student, work or other visas will generally be required to return to their home countries to seek permanent residency. Exceptions will apply only in what the administration described as “extraordinary circumstances.”

USCIS spokesperson Zach Kahler said the administration was seeking to ensure immigrants “navigate our nation’s immigration system properly.”

“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 in a statement.

He added that the change would reduce the number of people who remain in the US illegally after being denied residency applications.

The policy coincides with a halt in immigrant visa processing by the U.S. Department of State in 75 countries, further complicating immigration pathways for applicants abroad.

Adjustment of status curtailed

For decades, adjustment of status has been one of the main legal pathways to permanent residency in the US. The process allowed eligible immigrants already in the country to change from temporary visas to green cards without leaving.

Students, temporary workers and spouses of US citizens have commonly used the system to secure permanent residency.

David Bier, director of immigration studies at the Cato Institute, said the process had been used by more than half of legal immigrants over the past generation.

Bier criticised the administration’s decision, arguing that Congress intended eligible immigrants to remain in the US while their applications were processed.

“These are all people who qualify to stay here permanently and Congress clearly wanted them to have a way to stay,” Bier wrote on social media.

He also described the administration as hostile to legal immigration, warning the changes could cost immigrants their jobs and separate families.

Growing immigration backlog

The policy arrives as USCIS faces a large backlog of pending immigration cases. Bier said there are already around one million pending adjustment-of-status applications.

The backlog has expanded since the Trump administration ordered a pause on immigration applications around Thanksgiving last year after the fatal shooting of a National Guard member in Washington, DC. That earlier policy remains the subject of legal challenges.

Legal experts also expect the latest directive to face court scrutiny. Opponents may argue that such a significant change to immigration procedures should have gone through a formal public rulemaking process before being implemented.

While the administration maintains the policy restores the original intent of immigration law, immigration advocates warn it could create uncertainty for long-term residents who have legally built their lives in the United States.

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Adapted by ASEAN Now. Source 23 May 2026