USCIS Rule Requires Foreigners to Apply for Green Cards from Home Countries

The US government announced a new rule on Friday requiring foreigners to leave the United States and apply for green cards from within their home countries.

The announcement is as the latest maneuver in a series of attempts the Trump administration has taken to restrict and limit immigration for people from dozens of countries.

What did the USCIS say about the new rule?

"From now on, an alien who is in the US temporarily and wants a green card must return to their home country to apply, except in extraordinary circumstances," US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) spokesman Zach Kahler said in a statement.

"Nonimmigrants, like students, temporary workers, or people on tourist visas, come to the US for a short time and for a specific purpose," Kahler said, adding, "Our 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."

Kahler said having green card seekers apply from their home nation "reduces the need to find and remove those who decide to slip into the shadows and remain in the US illegally after being denied residency."

Announcement sows confusion

According to The Washington Post, more than one million green cards are issued each year in the US and, up until now, more than half of the applicants are already in the US.

Immigration experts are trying to understand the policy memo to decipher who it would apply to.

USCIS has not clarified the details about the new rule, like when the change would be implemented, whether individuals would be required to stay in another country throughout the entire process, or how the new rule would apply to foreigners whose green card applications are already underway.

USCIS described the change as a return to "the original intent of the law” and closing a "loophole.”

However, immigration lawyers have argued that it was a longstanding practice for many people to change their status in the US and that for many people returning home could be unsafe, and many do not have a US embassy to apply to in their home countries.