Foreign nationals living temporarily in the United States may now have to leave the country before applying for a green card, after the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced a new immigration policy on Friday.
Under the revised rule, individuals seeking permanent residency in the US will be required to complete the green card application process through the State Department from their home countries instead of adjusting their immigration status while staying in the US.
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“An alien who is in the U.S. temporarily and wants a Green Card must return to their home country to apply,” the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said.
“This policy allows our immigration system to function as the law intended instead of incentivizing loopholes,” it added.
USCIS said the policy would help the agency focus resources on processing other immigration cases. The agency also said officers would continue to examine requests for extraordinary relief on a case-by-case basis.
Immigrant aid organisations criticised the move. HIAS, a refugee support group, said the policy could force trafficking survivors, abused children and other vulnerable migrants to return to countries they had fled in order to complete their green card applications.
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The policy is part of a wider immigration crackdown under U.S. President Donald Trump. Over the past year, the administration has tightened several immigration rules, including reducing visa durations for students, exchange visitors and media workers.
In January, the State Department said it had revoked more than 100,000 visas since Trump returned to office the previous year.
