In a major overhaul of the U.S. legal immigration system scheduled to take effect ahead of 2026, the Trump administration has announced a sweeping revision to the permanent residency application process that will upend decades of established policy. Under the new rule unveiled by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services on Friday, most applicants seeking green cards will no longer be permitted to complete their entire application process while residing in the United States. Instead, they will be required to return to their countries of origin to submit and finalize their applications from abroad.
This policy shift marks the end of a longstanding practice that has allowed would-be permanent residents to remain in the U.S. throughout the often lengthy application timeline. For thousands of affected immigrants, the new requirement means uprooting their lives: leaving stable U.S.-based employment, separating from family members who may remain in the country, and stepping away from established communities, all for a process that can stretch on for months or even years.
The change is projected to impact a substantial share of the U.S. legal immigration population. Data from fiscal year 2024 shows that roughly 1.4 million people obtained lawful permanent resident status in the U.S. that year alone, giving a clear indication of the scope of people who could be affected by the new rule going forward.
Administration officials have defended the policy, framing it as a targeted measure to cut down on the number of people who overstay their legal status in the U.S. Officials argue that requiring applicants to complete the process from their home countries “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 administration notes that exemptions will be available for extraordinary circumstances, but has so far released no detailed guidance on what will qualify for an exemption.
Critics across the political and policy spectrum have pushed back sharply against the new rule. Democratic lawmakers have labeled the policy “cruel”, warning that it will cause irreversible harm to America’s global reputation as a destination for top global talent. One sitting congressman argued that the policy will directly benefit U.S. geopolitical competitors including China and Russia, by pushing skilled immigrant professionals to relocate their careers and expertise to other countries. Immigration policy analysts have additionally criticized the rule as logically flawed, arguing that it will erode the United States’ competitive position in the global business landscape by restricting access to skilled immigrant labor.
While cracking down on unauthorized immigration has remained a top policy priority for the Trump administration since it took office, legal experts widely expect the new green card requirement to face immediate and extensive legal challenges in federal courts over the coming weeks, as immigrant advocacy groups prepare to file lawsuits to block the policy from taking effect.