The United States Government has unveiled a sweeping immigration policy change that will require most foreign nationals seeking permanent residency to process their green card applications from their countries of origin, effectively ending the long-standing practice of adjusting immigration status from within the US.
The policy, announced on Friday by US Citizenship and Immigration Services, marks the latest tightening of immigration rules under President Donald Trump’s administration.
It is expected to affect a wide range of temporary visa holders currently residing in the US — including international students, tourists, and foreign workers.
Under the new rules, individuals on temporary visas will generally no longer be permitted to transition to permanent residency status while remaining on US soil, except under what authorities described as “extraordinary circumstances.” Instead, applicants will be required to present themselves at US embassies or consulates in their home countries to complete the process.
USCIS framed the shift as a return to the original intent of American immigration law. “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,” the agency stated.
USCIS spokesperson Zach Kahler said the previous system had created exploitable loopholes that complicated enforcement. He argued that requiring applicants to apply from abroad would reduce the number of individuals who remain in the country unlawfully after being denied residency.
The agency also maintained that temporary visas were never designed as a gateway to permanent residence, noting that nonimmigrants — whether students, tourists, or temporary workers — are admitted for specific, limited purposes and are expected to leave when those purposes are fulfilled.
Officials added that redirecting green card processing to overseas consular offices would free up domestic immigration resources for other priorities, including naturalisation cases and support programmes for trafficking victims and survivors of violent crimes.
The Department of Homeland Security reinforced the announcement on social media, declaring that the era of what it called abuse of the US immigration system was over.
