Highlights:
- DHS says green card applicants must return to their home countries to apply.
- The policy changes a system that had remained in place for more than 60 years.
- Immigration advocates say the move will separate families and disrupt lives.
- More than 1 million immigrants in the US are waiting for green cards.
- Aid groups warn the rule could harm trafficking survivors and vulnerable children.
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on Friday (22) that many immigrants applying for green cards while living in the United States will now have to leave the country and complete the process abroad.
The change was announced in a policy memo issued by US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the agency overseen by DHS. The memo instructed immigration officers to review cases individually and decide whether extraordinary relief should be granted.
The decision marks a major shift in US immigration policy. The process for applying for green cards had remained mostly unchanged for more than six decades.
“An alien who is in the US temporarily and wants a Green Card must return to their home country to apply,” said the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which has oversight of USCIS.
“This policy allows our immigration system to function as the law intended instead of incentivizing loopholes.”
People seeking green cards usually apply in one of two ways. Some apply at US consulates outside the country. Others apply while already living in the United States through a process known as “adjustment of status”.
Under the new policy, many immigrants currently living in the US may now be required to leave the country while waiting for their green card applications to be processed. The change is expected to affect mixed-status families across the country.
Applicants could be forced to leave behind jobs, homes and family members for an unknown period of time while their applications move through the system. Immigration agencies are already dealing with a large backlog of visa and green card cases.
According to an analyst at the Cato Institute, more than 1 million immigrants in the United States are currently waiting for green cards.
It is still unclear how the policy will affect green card applications that are already pending.
Immigration aid groups criticized the new rule soon after it was announced. HIAS, an organization that supports refugees and other immigrants, said the policy could force vulnerable people to return to countries they had fled.
The group said USCIS was making survivors of trafficking and abused or neglected children return to dangerous places in order to complete their applications for permanent residency in the United States.
The latest move is part of a wider immigration crackdown by President Donald Trump’s administration over the past year.
Last year, the administration shortened the length of visas for students, cultural exchange visitors and members of the media.
In January, the state department said it had revoked more than 100,000 visas during Trump’s second administration.
The administration has also taken actions against immigrants who already have legal status in the United States, including refugees and other protected groups.
