The United States government announced on Friday a sweeping change to its immigration rules, requiring most foreigners already living in the country on temporary visas to leave the United States and apply for permanent residency — a so-called green card — from their home countries. The policy, outlined in a memorandum from US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), effectively ends the widespread use of "adjustment of status," a longstanding process that allowed temporary visa holders, including students, tourists and workers, to apply for permanent residency without leaving American soil.
Under the new directive, green card applications will be handled by the US Department of State at American consular offices abroad. USCIS will approve applications domestically only in "extraordinary circumstances" and on a "case-by-case basis." USCIS spokesman Zach Kahler framed the change as a return to the law's original intent. "From now on, an alien who is in the US temporarily and wants a green card must return to their home country to apply," he said. "This policy allows our immigration system to function as the law intended instead of incentivising loopholes." The agency also argued the shift would free up USCIS resources to focus on other priorities, such as applications from victims of violent crime and human trafficking, as well as naturalisation cases.
The announcement fits within the Trump administration's broader effort to tighten both legal and illegal immigration pathways. Officials said the policy would reduce the number of people who, after being denied residency, choose to remain in the United States illegally rather than depart. Immigration officers have also been directed to assess whether an applicant's conduct was "inconsistent" with the purpose of their original visa.
The practical consequences, however, could be significant for millions of people. Critics and immigration advocates warn that applicants sent abroad could face lengthy backlogs at US consulates, potentially separating families for extended periods. The policy affects a wide range of nationalities — including the large Indian community, which faces some of the longest green card waiting lists due to per-country caps, as well as Nigerians, of whom an estimated 460,000 to 500,000 reside in the United States. For Nigerians specifically, the change compounds existing restrictions: the Trump administration had earlier imposed a travel ban affecting several Nigerian visa categories, citing security and vetting concerns.
Why this matters: the adjustment of status process has for decades been a primary route through which spouses of US citizens, parents of US-born children and long-term workers secured permanent legal status without disrupting their lives in America. By rerouting that process overseas, the new policy introduces substantial uncertainty for hundreds of thousands of people currently in the US on temporary visas who had begun or planned to begin the green card process — and raises broader questions about the future shape of legal immigration to the United States.