US shifts green card applications abroad under tougher new rule

Foreign nationals seeking green cards in the United States will generally have to apply from outside the country under a new policy announced by US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

USCIS said on Friday that applicants who are in the US temporarily and want to adjust their immigration status to obtain permanent residency should return to their home country and apply through the State Department.

The agency said officers would consider relevant facts and information on a case-by-case basis when deciding whether extraordinary relief is justified.

The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees USCIS, said the change was aimed at ensuring the immigration system operates as intended.

“This policy allows our immigration system to function as the law intended instead of incentivising loopholes,” the department said.

USCIS said the new approach would also free up agency resources to process other immigration cases.

Aid groups warn of risks to vulnerable migrants

However, the move has drawn criticism from aid groups. HIAS, which provides services to refugees and other immigrants, warned that the policy could force trafficking survivors and abused or neglected children to return to dangerous countries they had fled in order to continue their applications for US permanent residency.

The policy change is the latest in a series of measures taken by President Donald Trump’s administration over the past year to tighten migration to the United States.

Last year, the Trump administration moved to shorten visa durations for students, cultural exchange visitors and members of the media.

In January, the State Department said it had revoked more than 100,000 visas since Trump returned to office the previous year.