*The Trump administration has announced a sweeping change to the green card application process, directing people who entered the United States on temporary visas to leave the country and apply for permanent residency from abroad. The shift marks a significant departure from decades of established immigration practice.
Under the new policy, non-immigrant visa holders, including students, tourists, and temporary workers, will no longer be permitted to adjust their immigration status from within the United States, NBC News reports. USCIS spokesperson Zach Kahler confirmed the change in a statement, saying the temporary visa system was never intended to serve as a gateway to permanent residency.
“Our system is designed for them to leave when their visit is over. Their visit should not function as the first step in the Green Card process,” Kahler said. He added that the policy shift would “make our system fairer and more efficient” while freeing up USCIS resources to handle other case types, including applications from victims of violent crime and human trafficking.
The practical reach of the policy is significant. According to Doug Rand, who previously served at USCIS, green card filings typically reach around one million annually, and approximately half of those applicants submit their paperwork without ever leaving U.S. soil. Rand was blunt in his assessment of the administration’s intent. “The purpose of this policy is exclusion,” he said, pointing out that travel bans already restrict entry from more than 100 countries, effectively leaving many applicants with no viable path forward.
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World Relief, a Christian humanitarian organization, cautioned that the burden of the policy would fall squarely on everyday families.
“This policy, impacting individuals who meet the legal requirements for a green card, will force apart husbands from wives and children from their parents,” said Myal Greene, the group’s president and CEO. “There’s simply no compelling reason for this cruel, anti-family policy change, and I hope and pray it will be reversed, whether by administrative reconsideration, congressional action or the courts.”
The announcement is among the latest in a series of actions the Trump administration has taken targeting legal immigration pathways into the United States.
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