The United States government has unveiled a new immigration policy requiring most foreign nationals seeking permanent residency complete all green card applications from their countries of origin.
The policy, announced on Friday by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), marks another tightening of immigration rules under President Donald Trump’s administration and is expected to affect temporary visa holders already living in the US, including students, tourists and foreign workers.
Under the new arrangement, individuals in the United States on temporary visas will generally no longer be permitted to convert their status to permanent residency while remaining in the country, except in “extraordinary circumstances”.
US immigration authorities said applicants would instead be required to process their residency applications through American embassies or consulates abroad.
Explaining the decision, USCIS said the move was intended to restore what it described as the original framework of the country’s immigration laws.
“We’re returning to the original intent of the law to ensure aliens navigate our nation’s immigration system properly,” the agency said.
“From now on, an alien who is in the U.S. temporarily and wants a Green Card must return to their home country to apply, except in extraordinary circumstances.”
The agency noted that the new rule would discourage abuse of the immigration system and reduce the number of people remaining in the country unlawfully after unsuccessful residency applications.
Zach Kahler, spokesperson for USCIS, said the previous system encouraged loopholes that complicated immigration enforcement.
“This policy allows our immigration system to function as the law intended instead of incentivising loopholes,” he said.
“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.”
USCIS further argued that temporary entry into the United States was never intended to become an indirect route to citizenship or permanent settlement.
“Nonimmigrants, like students, temporary workers, or people on tourist visas, come to the U.S. for a short time and for a specific purpose,” the statement reads.
“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.”
Officials also said routing applications through overseas consular offices would free up resources for other immigration-related services, including naturalisation applications and support for victims of trafficking and violent crimes.
“The law was written this way for a reason, and despite the fact that it has been ignored for years, following it will help make our system fairer and more efficient,” USCIS added.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) echoed the policy shift in a social media post on Friday, signalling a tougher immigration posture by the administration.
“An alien who is in the U.S. temporarily and wants a Green Card must return to their home country to apply,” DHS wrote.
“This policy allows our immigration system to function as the law intended instead of incentivizing loopholes. The era of abusing our nation’s immigration system is over.”
The latest directive is expected to have significant implications for Nigerians and other foreign nationals who enter the US on temporary visas and later seek permanent residency.
Nigerians remain among the leading recipients of non-immigrant visas issued by the United States in Africa.
The policy also comes months after the Trump administration suspended the processing of certain green card and citizenship applications involving nationals of countries affected by US travel restrictions.
That measure, introduced in late 2025, reportedly affected immigrants already residing legally in the US who were attempting to adjust their status or obtain citizenship.
As of 2024, about 3.6 million people were living in the US on temporary visas, excluding tourists, according to the Seattle Times.
