• Trump toughens process to obtain green card
  • Green card applications from country of origin
  • USCIS changes immigration rules

The administration of President Donald Trump announced a change to the immigration process for people seeking permanent residency in the United States.

  • Why it matters: The government will require migrants with temporary visas to leave the country in order to apply for a “green card” through a US consulate in their country of origin.

The measure will impact people with tourist, work, or student visas who currently can request an adjustment of status from within the United States.

Green card process will require leaving the country

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said the provision already existed in the Immigration and Nationality Act.

According to the agency, previous governments had not strictly applied that rule, according to Efe.

Under the new policy, foreigners with temporary visas will have to return to their countries to request permanent residency.

The process must be completed at State Department consulates.

The policy includes nonimmigrant visas such as B-1 and B-2, intended for tourism and business.

It also includes F-1 and M-1 visas for academic and technical training students.

In addition, it covers temporary work categories such as H-1B, H-2A and H-2B.

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Currently, some people request adjustment of status inside the United States.

That happens when they qualify for permanent residency in the US through marriage, employment or family reunification.

During that process, migrants can renew their temporary permits while waiting for a decision.

The process can take several years.

Trump tightens immigration process

The Trump administration seeks to modify that system and require applicants to complete the procedure outside the United States.

The government indicated that there will only be exceptions in special circumstances.

However, it did not detail what those exceptional cases will be.

USCIS spokesperson Zach Kahler defended the measure in an official statement.

“We are returning to the original purpose of the law to ensure that foreigners properly navigate our immigration system,” he said.

Kahler said that foreigners who are temporarily in the US will have to return to their countries to request permanent residency.

He added that the measure seeks to reduce unlawful stays in US territory.

“This reduces the need to locate and deport those who decide to remain illegally,” he said.

The spokesperson also maintained that the provision was ignored for years.

According to USCIS, enforcing the law will allow for a “fairer and more efficient” system.

The measure adds to Trump’s restrictive policy

The announcement is part of the immigration strategy promoted by the Trump administration.

The policy seeks to reduce irregular immigration through stricter controls and deterrence measures.

At the same time, the government has promoted restrictions on regular migration pathways and asylum requests.

The new policy could affect thousands of temporary migrants who hoped to change their status inside the country.

Those seeking to obtain a “green card” will now have to face the process from abroad.

So far, USCIS has not specified when the measure will officially begin to be applied.

It also has not reported how applications already started inside the United States will be processed.