US Orders Green Card Applicants to Leave the Country and Apply From Abroad in Major Immigration Shift

In a sweeping and unexpected policy reversal, the United States announced Friday that foreign nationals seeking a green card must now leave the country and apply from their home nation, ending a practice that has been in place for more than half a century. The move has triggered widespread confusion among immigration lawyers, aid groups and families who fear the change could lead to prolonged even indefinite separations.

For decades, people living legally in the US including spouses of American citizens, holders of work and student visas, refugees and those granted humanitarian protection have been able to complete the entire permanent residency process from within the country. The new directive from US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) dismantles that system, requiring applicants to return home unless they qualify for what the agency calls “extraordinary circumstances,” a standard USCIS officers will determine on a case‑by‑case basis.

In its announcement, USCIS argued that temporary visitors should not treat their stay as the first step toward permanent residency. “Nonimmigrants, like students, temporary workers, or people on tourist visas, come to the US for a short time and for a specific purpose. Their visit should not function as the first step in the Green Card process,” the agency said.

Immigration experts say the shift is part of a broader effort by the administration to make legal immigration more difficult, both for those already in the US and for those hoping to come. Former USCIS adviser Doug Rand noted that roughly 600,000 people apply for green cards from inside the US each year. “The goal of this policy is very explicit,” he said. “They want fewer people to get permanent residency because permanent residency is a path to citizenship.”

USCIS has not clarified when the policy will take effect, whether applicants must remain abroad for the entire process, or how the rule applies to those whose applications are already underway. In a statement to the Associated Press, the agency suggested that individuals who provide an “economic benefit” or serve the “national interest” may be allowed to stay, while others will be required to depart.

Legal advocates warn the consequences could be severe. Many applicants come from countries where US consulates are closed, unsafe or facing years‑long appointment backlogs. For some, leaving the US could mean being unable to return at all due to existing travel bans or visa suspensions. Humanitarian groups say the policy could create a “Catch‑22,” forcing families apart with no clear path to reunification.

Immigration lawyers spent Friday combing through the policy memo, trying to determine who will be affected. They say the change could apply to a wide range of people from spouses of US citizens to doctors on work visas, religious workers, students, and those with humanitarian protections. At some consulates, visa appointments already take more than a year, raising fears of long delays and widespread uncertainty.

Organizations that assist immigrants say they are already hearing from anxious clients. “It’s really hard to tell how this is going to be applied,” said Jessie De Haven of the California Immigration Project. “I do think it might have a chilling effect on people applying.”