According to an analyst at the Cato Institute, nearly one million immigrants are currently waiting for green cards in the United States.
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Foreigners applying for a US green card will now have to return to their home countries to complete the process. The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced the change on Friday, local time. USCIS did not say when the change would take effect or whether it would affect pending applications.
Foreigners can apply for a green card while living in the US. Former USCIS senior adviser Doug Rand said that about 600,000 people apply for a green card each year. He said the announcement was made to prevent new people from obtaining a green card and citizenship.
“Foreigners who temporarily reside in the US and want to get a green card will now have to return to their home countries to apply,” the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said. The agency oversees USCIS.
The green card process in the US has not changed for the past 60 years. Foreigners could apply for a green card while in the US or through the relevant consulates when they returned home.
However, since Donald Trump became president for the second term in 2025, one strict immigration policy after another has been introduced. ‘This policy is intended to operate our immigration system according to the letter of the law rather than encouraging loopholes,’ DHS said.
According to an analyst at the Cato Institute, about one million immigrants are currently waiting for a green card in the US. HIS, an aid group that has been providing services to refugees, said that the rule will cause problems for refugees.
‘This rule is forcing children from abused, vulnerable areas to return to the same dangerous places,’ HIS said.
