Published on 5/30/2026
The administration of US President Donald Trump retracted a decision it announced on May 22 requiring foreigners seeking permanent residency to submit their applications from outside the United States, following a wave of widespread criticism and dissatisfaction.
Reports from the Ministry of Homeland Security stated that the new procedures will not be applied comprehensively to all applicants for a green card, but rather will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
The ministry explained that the directives were merely a reminder to employees to use their discretion in determining whether the applicant should leave the country to submit his application.
This decline comes after a previous announcement by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services stipulating that foreigners temporarily residing in the United States must return to their countries to apply for permanent residency, except in exceptional cases.
Department spokesman Zach Kaler considered at the time that categories such as students and temporary workers enter the country for specific and limited purposes, and that the system is designed for them to leave after the end of their residency period, and not to use this residency as a first step to obtaining a “green card.”
The decision sparked angry reactions from human rights organizations and law firms, which warned of its legal and humanitarian repercussions, considering that it might confuse immigration procedures and negatively affect the conditions of thousands of applicants.
Democratic Representative Chuy Garcia also described the move as “absurd and cruel,” warning that it could force thousands of regular immigrants, including spouses of US citizens, to leave their families and businesses for long periods to complete their procedures from abroad.
According to data reported by the Washington Post, the United States grants more than one million permanent residency cards annually, while more than half of the applications are submitted from within the country, which makes any change in the application mechanism have a wide impact on the immigration system.
The administration had previously justified the measure as contributing to reducing the illegal presence of some applicants after their applications were rejected, by diverting the application process to consular channels abroad.
This comes within a broader policy adopted by Trump, who pledged – during his election campaign – to expel millions of irregular immigrants, and his administration has suspended several legal mechanisms that enable people to obtain residency in the United States since he took office.
