Trump upends green card process as administration demands applicants 'leave the US before applying'
The rule change will have knock-on effects for thousands of families applying for citizenship.
The Trump administration will now require those seeking US green cards to leave the country during the application process, it's been revealed.
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US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said on Friday that people seeking to gain green card status must do so outside the US, noting consular processing will take place outside of the country "except in extraordinary circumstances".
It means the majority of applicants seeking green cards in order to live and work in the United States will now likely have to leave the country during the entirety of the application process.
It's the latest push by the administration to curb immigration to the US and eradicate what it has described as "illegal aliens".
It's a change that could see the lives of hundreds of thousands of people thrown into chaos as they apply for the right to legally and permanently live and work in the US.
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The new rule, which has already been criticised by lawmakers and attorneys and is likely to face strong legal opposition, was announced by the Trump administration on Friday.
US Citizenship and Immigration Services said the rule provides exemptions for “extraordinary circumstances,” Zach Kahler, a spokesperson for the agency said in a statement on Friday.
“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 US illegally after being denied residency,” Kahler said.
In response to the proposed rule change, Representative Delia C. Ramirez, an Illinois Democrat, took to X to speak out on what she described as a “beyond cruel” policy.
She went on to ask for the dismantling of the DHS “piece by piece.”
Meanwhile, Representative Greg Stanton, an Arizona Democrat, took to X to note: “America is able to attract the top researchers, doctors, & engineers because of our worker visa programs.”
It follows the resignation of Tulsi Gabbard is resigning from her job as President Donald Trump's director of national intelligence.
The intelligence chief said her husband's cancer diagnosis was behind the decision to step back.
She confirmed her resignation will take effect on June 30.