Green Card Seekers Must Leave U.S. to Apply, Trump Administration Says - The New York Times

Skip to contentSkip to site indexPolitics Today’s PaperU.S. Immigration CrackdownGreen Card SeekersAbrego Garcia CaseCosts of DeportationsICE Agent Charged in ShootingBirthright Citizenship CaseAdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTSupported bySKIP ADVERTISEMENTGreen Card Seekers Must Leave U.S. to Apply, Trump Administration SaysThe change is likely to affect hundreds of thousands of people. It could also lead to more family separations as spouses or relatives wait for application decisions, immigration lawyers said.Listen · 4:54 min Share full article579There are various pathways for foreigners to obtain green cards, which grant them the ability to live and work in the United States as permanent residents. Credit...Libby March for The New York TimesBy Madeleine Ngo and Albert SunMay 22, 2026Leer en español

See more of our coverage in your search results.Encuentra más de nuestra cobertura en los resultados de búsqueda. Add The New York Times on GoogleAgrega The New York Times en Google The Trump administration said on Friday that most foreigners seeking green cards will have to return to their home countries to apply, a remarkable change that could make it more difficult for hundreds of thousands of people to obtain permanent residency.U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the agency that oversees the legal immigration system, said it would grant green cards to people inside the country only in “extraordinary circumstances.” People applying for permanent residency, which is one step away from citizenship, will have to go through consular processing outside the country instead, according to a memo issued by the agency.“This policy allows our immigration system to function as the law intended instead of incentivizing loopholes,” Zach Kahler, a spokesman for the agency, said in a statement. “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.”The change could upend the lives of people who entered the country lawfully through temporary visas and are seeking green cards to remain in the United States, including students, spouses of U.S. citizens and a wide range of foreign workers. The process of obtaining a green card — which gives immigrants the right to live in the country permanently and provides a path to citizenship — takes months or longer, meaning families could be separated for extended periods.The memo was immediately met with confusion and chaos as immigration lawyers scrambled to understand which exceptions would be granted. Many also expected the policy change to be met with legal challenges.The agency did not detail which groups would be eligible for an exception, only suggesting that refugees would not be subject. Mr. Kahler said in a statement that people who “provide an economic benefit or otherwise are in the national interest will likely be able to continue on their current path.” It was unclear, though, which foreign workers would be exempt and if exceptions would extend to skilled foreign workers on H-1B visas, for instance.The policy is a major escalation of the Trump administration’s efforts to curb legal immigration and reflects how the president’s crackdown has broadened beyond immigrants living in the country unlawfully. Federal officials have in recent months sought to strip some naturalized citizens of their status and review thousands of green card holders to root out immigrants they believe should be deported.The change is likely to lead to more families being separated as spouses or relatives wait for decisions on their applications, immigration lawyers and former homeland security officials said. It could also lead to longer processing times as consulates around the world manage an influx of new cases.“Our consular processing system through which they would have to apply is already overburdened,” said Sarah Pierce, a former policy analyst at Citizenship and Immigration Services who is now the director of social policy at the center-left think tank Third Way. “So that means we could have families separated for months or years.”About 1.4 million green cards were granted in 2024, with more than 820,000 approved for people inside the country through a process called “adjustment of status,” according to Department of Homeland Security data. Over the past two decades, more than 500,000 people have received green cards via adjustment of status each year, except for in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic.Most green cards issued in the last 10 years were to people already in the countryThe majority of people who became legal permanent residents while in the U.S. were sponsored by a relative or an employer.

Number of green cards issued each fiscal year
Note: Fiscal years run from Oct. 1 of the previous calendar year through Sept. 30. Green cards issued while in the U.S. are through adjustment of status.Source: D.H.S. Office of Homeland Security Statistics.The New York TimesThere are various pathways for foreigners to obtain a green card. People with temporary visas can apply to adjust their status if they have spouses who are U.S. citizens, for instance. Certain foreign workers and parents of citizens who are at least 21 years old are also eligible for green cards.More than 70 percent of people who received a green card through marriage did so through adjustment of status, totaling about 250,000 people in 2024.Some immigration attorneys said they were inundated with calls and emails from clients on Friday asking how the new memo could affect their cases.Robert O’Malley, an immigration attorney in Grand Rapids, Mich., said several clients called to ask if their spouses needed to leave the United States, or if they would be able to stay together.“I’ve done my best to assuage those fears,” Mr. O’Malley said. “But I’m really just trying to digest this six-page memo and wait for further guidance so that we know how to best advise our clients.”Madeleine Ngo covers immigration and economic policy for The Times.Albert Sun is a data reporter and graphics editor at The Times who covers immigration.A version of this article appears in print on  , Section A, Page 13 of the New York edition with the headline: Green Card Change: Leave U.S. to Apply. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | SubscribeSee more on: U.S. Politics, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Homeland Security Department, Donald TrumpRead 579 commentsShare full article579Related ContentAdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTSite IndexSite Information Navigation© 2026 The New York Times CompanyNYTCoContact UsAccessibilityWork with usAdvertiseT Brand StudioPrivacy PolicyCookie PolicyTerms of ServiceTerms of SaleSite MapCanadaInternationalHelpSubscriptionsManage Privacy Preferences

The Trump administration has announced a significant change regarding the process for foreigners seeking green cards, mandating that most applicants must return to their home countries to apply for permanent residency. This policy shift is projected to affect hundreds of thousands of individuals and immigration lawyers anticipate it may lead to increased family separations as spouses or relatives await application decisions.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the agency overseeing the legal immigration system, indicated that green cards will only be granted to individuals residing within the country under "extraordinary circumstances." Consequently, applicants for permanent residency will be required to undergo consular processing outside the United States. Zach Kahler, a spokesman for the agency, stated that this policy is designed to allow the immigration system to operate according to its intended framework rather than incentivizing legal loopholes, arguing that applying from the home country reduces the need to locate and remove those who remain illegally in the U.S. after being denied residency.

This change poses substantial difficulties for various groups, including students, spouses of U.S. citizens, and foreign workers who entered the country lawfully on temporary visas and seek permanent residency. The process of obtaining a green card is lengthy, sometimes taking months or longer, which exacerbates the potential for extended family separations while waiting for decisions. The announcement immediately generated confusion and prompted immigration lawyers to seek clarification regarding which exceptions would be applied to the new rules.

While the agency did not detail specific categories for exceptions, it mentioned that refugees would not be subject to this requirement. Kahler further suggested that individuals who provide an economic benefit or are in the national interest would likely be permitted to follow their existing application paths. However, the ambiguity surrounding which foreign workers or skilled workers, such as those on H-1B visas, would be exempt remains unclear.

The policy represents a significant intensification of the administration's efforts to regulate legal immigration. Federal officials have engaged in actions to review green card holders and strip status, reflecting a broader crackdown that extends beyond those residing unlawfully. Furthermore, experts suggested this shift could result in longer processing times as foreign consulates globally manage the influx of new applications, placing strain on their already burdened systems. Sarah Pierce, a former policy analyst at USCIS, noted that this can lead to family separations spanning months or years.

Statistically, in 2024, one point four million green cards were granted, with over eight hundred twenty thousand approved for those inside the country through adjustment of status, a process frequently involving sponsorship by relatives or employers. Over the past two decades, more than half a million people have obtained green cards through adjustment of status annually, excluding the period during the COVID-19 pandemic. The vast majority of green cards issued in recent years were to individuals already present in the United States.