• The Trump administration mandates that foreigners on temporary visas must leave the US to apply for green cards.
• This policy aims to close loopholes and reinforce the legal immigration system.
• Immigration advocates warn that the policy could endanger vulnerable individuals returning to unsafe conditions.
• USCIS states that exceptions will be made on a case-by-case basis under extraordinary circumstances.
• The change could significantly impact many families, potentially limiting legal immigration pathways.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced a new immigration policy requiring foreigners currently in the United States to return to their home countries to apply for green cards. This significant shift, effective immediately, targets those with temporary nonimmigrant visas, such as students and workers, and marks a substantial change from longstanding practices allowing in-country applications for permanent residency, except under extraordinary circumstances, according to Indiatimes and Al Jazeera.

This policy aims to eliminate “loopholes” in the immigration system that have allegedly allowed visa holders to apply for permanent residency while remaining in the U.S. The Department of Homeland Security emphasized that adjustment of status is a discretionary benefit, not an automatic right, underscoring that visa holders should leave the U.S. when their purpose for being there has ended, as reported by Reuters and South China Morning Post.