By Ayo Kehinde
Foreigners seeking permanent residency in the United States will now be required to return to their home countries to process their green card applications, following a new immigration policy announced on Friday by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services under the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.
The USCIS disclosed the decision in a policy memo directing immigration officers to evaluate requests for extraordinary relief on a case-by-case basis when considering whether applicants may be exempted from the new requirement.
Under the revised policy, foreigners who are temporarily residing in the United States and wish to obtain lawful permanent residency will now be required to complete the application process through the United States Department of State from outside the country.
The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees USCIS, defended the move, saying it was designed to restore the immigration system to what it described as its intended legal framework.
“An alien who is in the U.S. temporarily and wants a Green Card must return to their home country to apply. This policy allows our immigration system to function as the law intended instead of incentivizing loopholes,” DHS said in a statement.
It further stated that the new policy would free up agency resources and improve the processing of other immigration-related cases.
The decision, however, has sparked criticism from immigrant rights groups and humanitarian organisations, which warned that the measure could expose vulnerable migrants to danger by forcing them to return to unsafe environments.
Among the groups opposing the policy is HIAS, a refugee aid organisation that provides services to asylum seekers, trafficking survivors, and other migrants.
HIAS said the policy could compel survivors of human trafficking, abused and neglected children, and other vulnerable immigrants to return to countries they previously fled to complete their green card applications.
According to the organisation, the move may place many applicants at renewed risk, especially those escaping violence, persecution, or political instability.
Friday’s announcement is the latest in a series of immigration restrictions introduced by the Trump administration since the president returned to office.
Last year, the administration moved to shorten the duration of visas issued to foreign students, cultural exchange visitors, and members of the media.
Earlier this year, the State Department announced that more than 100,000 visas had been revoked since Trump resumed office as part of a broader immigration enforcement drive.
