The United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) announced this Friday, the 22nd, that foreigners who wish to apply for a green card will have to return to their countries of origin.
Officially called a Permanent Resident Card, the green card is a document that guarantees a person the right to legally live and work permanently in the USA.
“We are returning to the original intent of the law to ensure that aliens correctly navigate our country’s immigration system,” said USCIS spokesman Zach Kahler.
“From now on, a foreign national who is in the US temporarily and wants a green card must return to their home country to apply, except in extraordinary circumstances,” he added.
It did not specify what these “extraordinary circumstances” would be, but USCIS said officials will be instructed to consider “all relevant factors and information on a case-by-case basis” to determine whether an alien falls under them.
Kahler further stated that the measure aims to ensure that the immigration system “works as the law intended, rather than encouraging loopholes.”
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“When aliens apply from their home countries, it reduces the need to find and remove those who decide to hide and remain in the U.S. illegally after being denied residency,” he said.
The spokesperson added that the American system is designed so that people with non-immigrant visas, such as tourists, students and temporary workers, leave the country at the end of their visit, and that this period “should not act as the first step in the green card process”.
The measure is part of a series of actions adopted by US President Donald Trump to restrict immigration into the country.
In January, days before Trump completed a year in office, the State Department reported that it had revoked more than 100,000 visas since the beginning of the Republican’s second term. Among the canceled documents were around 8,000 student visas.
“We will continue to deport these criminals to keep America safe,” the ministry said at the time.
