U.S. Reportedly Orders Most Green Card Applicants to Apply From Abroad

The Trump administration has issued a sweeping policy directive requiring most temporary visa holders and humanitarian parolees living in the United States to return to their home countries to complete green card applications, Laura Romero reported for ABC News.

New reported immigration rules have sparked controversy over green card processing.

The policy memo, issued by US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) as part of an immigration crackdown, instructs officers to treat U.S.-based “adjustment of status” applications as an “extraordinary form of relief.”

“We’re returning to the original intent of the law to ensure aliens navigate our nation’s immigration system properly,” USCIS spokesperson Zach Kahler said in a statement.

“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.”