New immigration policy update Trump administration This has heightened anxiety in the immigrant community following changes to the green card application process.
In an effort to tighten immigration regulations, the Trump administration announced on May 22 that most temporary visa holders must now leave the country and apply for green cards from their home countries.
Visitors, temporary employees and students who are already in the country generally need to undergo consular processing overseas and can no longer change status at home.
The changes come amid backlogs and uncertainty across the immigration system and impact on existing applicant pipelines.
Read more: Why does Trump force green card applicants to leave the United States first?
Which country’s immigrants have been hardest hit?
Not every country will be equally affected by the Trump administration’s new rules.
The rule changes are likely to have the greatest impact on countries with the largest number of green card recipients. More applicants from these countries rely on pathways that may require adjustment of status
According to the latest public data from the Office of Homeland Security Statistics, at least 199 countries issued green cards in fiscal year 2023.
The regions with the highest proportion of green card holders in 2023 are Asia and North America, followed by South America, Europe and Africa. With more applications from these countries passing through the immigration system each year, these places are expected to be among the hardest hit by the new policy.
Figures for 2023 show that approximately 180,500 people from Mexico The person with the most green cards from within the United States.
Cuba (81,600) and India (78,100) followed Mexico in second and third place. Other countries include the Dominican Republic, China, Philippines, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Brazil and El Salvador.
Read more: U.S. backs down on some areas after ‘leaving country’ rules to seek green card
What impact will it have on immigration?
Adjustment of status is a way for many people who are already in the United States to apply for a green card without leaving the country.
The new regulations significantly limit this path for immigrants already in the United States by redefining it as a “special” exception rather than a regular option.
Under the new policy, people arriving on temporary visas, such as students (F-1), skilled workers (H-1B), intracompany transferees (L-1), and tourists (B-1/B-2), generally cannot convert to permanent residence without first leaving the country.
USCIS spokesman Zach Kahler said the change would make the system “fairer and more efficient” by preventing people from staying in the U.S. after being rejected.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, the measure ends “abuse” of the system.
