The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced a shift in green card immigration policy, ordering that migrants who have applied for a lawful permanent status must leave the country.
“We’re returning to the original intent of the law to ensure aliens navigate our nation’s immigration system properly. From now on, an alien who is in the U.S. temporarily and wants a Green Card must return to their home country to apply, except in extraordinary circumstances,” said USCIS Spokesman Zach Kahler. “This policy allows our immigration system to function as the law intended instead of incentivizing loopholes. When aliens apply from their home country, it reduces the need to find and remove those who decide to slip into the shadows and remain in the U.S. illegally after being denied residency.”
Kahler added that the system is “designed for them to leave when their visit is over.”
“Their visit should not function as the first step in the Green Card process. Following the law allows the majority of these cases to be handled by the State Department at U.S. consular offices abroad and frees up limited USCIS resources to focus on processing other cases that fall under its purview, including visas for victims of violent crime and human trafficking, naturalization applications, and other priorities,” he continued. “The law was written this way for a reason, and despite the fact that it has been ignored for years, following it will help make our system fairer and more efficient.”
Last year, the Trump administration announced a re-evaluation of the green cards of those from 19 countries in the wake of the shooting against two National Guard members.
