US green card applicants will now have to return to home countries to apply, DHS says | US immigration
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said Friday that aliens who want to adjust their immigration status in the United States to get a green card will have to do so from outside the country through the state department, in a move criticized by aid groups, policy analysts and immigration lawyers.
USCIS announced the move in a policy memo directing officers to evaluate relevant factors and information on a case-by-case basis when determining whether extraordinary assistance is necessary.
The green card process had not changed in more than 60 years, and it marked the Trump administration’s latest major move on immigration policy.
“An alien who is temporarily in the United States and wants a Green Card must return to his home country to apply,” said the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees USCIS.
“This policy allows our immigration system to operate as the law intends rather than encouraging loopholes.”
More than 1 million legal immigrants in the US, according to an analyst from the Cato Institute to wait on their green cards.
People apply for green cards in two different ways: by applying at a U.S. consulate abroad or by applying for a green card while already in the U.S., this is called “adjustment of status.”
With the new USCIS policy, many green card applicants in the United States will likely need to leave the country while their cases are pending; This will especially impact mixed-status families across the country by forcing green card applicants to leave their jobs, homes, and relationships for an unknown period of time. The agency is currently struggling with a backlog of visa and green card cases.
It is unclear how ongoing green card cases will be affected.
HIAS, an aid group that provides services to refugees as well as other immigrant groups, said USCIS is forcing victims of trafficking and abused and neglected children to return to dangerous countries they fled to process their applications for green cards that grant permanent residence in the United States.
Friday’s policy change was the latest in a series of steps taken by Donald Trump last year to tighten immigration to the United States. Last year, the Trump administration moved to shorten visa deadlines for students, cultural exchange visitors and members of the media.
In January, the state department announced it had canceled more than 100,000 visas under the second Trump administration. The administration has also attacked other immigrants with legal status in the United States, such as refugees and other protected immigrants.
Reuters contributed reporting
