Trump administration to require most green card applicants to leave U.S. first
The Trump administration on Friday announced a sweeping policy designed to make it harder for immigrants already in the U.S. to get permanent residency.
Officials said they would eliminate the option for many immigrants seeking a green card to complete the process without having to leave the U.S. Instead, in most cases, those immigrants will be required to return to their home countries in order to apply for an immigrant visa overseas through an American consulate, officials said.
Current and former U.S. immigration officials told CBS News the memo published Friday would likely have wide-ranging implications, forcing groups like students, tourists and other temporary visa holders, as well as those who entered legally but overstayed their visas, to leave the country before trying to obtain a green card through sponsorships filed by U.S. citizen spouses or employers.
For many immigrants, going back home could make it difficult or impossible for them to return to the U.S.
Citizens of 39 countries, most of them in Africa and Asia, currently face outright bans or restrictions from entering the U.S. under a proclamation , known as the "travel ban," signed by President Trump on national security grounds. A separate Trump administration policy has paused all grants of immigrant visas for people in 75 countries seeking to move to the U.S. permanently, arguing that they could become economic burdens. Additionally, in most cases, people who overstayed their visas and have lived in the U.S. illegally for some time would trigger 10-year bans from reentering the country if they leave.
Michael Valverde, who was a senior official at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services under Republican and Democratic administrations until his departure last year, said Friday's announcement would "disrupt the plans of hundreds of thousands of families and employers annually."