To get this visa, immigrants will have to leave the US…

The United States government recently announced a major change in the procedures for obtaining a permanent residence permit, known as the “Green Card”.

According to the new rule, most people seeking this permit will no longer be able to apply for it while living and working in the US. They will have to return to their country of origin and apply through the US embassy there.

This decision is part of the Trump administration’s tougher policies on immigration, not only illegal immigration, but also legal immigration. Until now, many people who regularly lived in the USA – for example with a work visa or after being married to an American citizen – could apply for a “Green Card” without leaving the country.

Every year about 500 thousand people benefited from this procedure. The new change is expected to create major practical and human consequences. The process will become longer and more complicated because applications will be handled by US consular offices outside the US, which have fewer staff and resources.

For many families this may mean temporary or even long-term separation. One of the biggest concerns is the risk that the application will be rejected. If this happens, the person who left the US may no longer be allowed to return, even if they previously lived and worked there legally.

For this reason, many immigrants and immigration lawyers have strongly criticized this decision. US authorities argue that the measure aims to avoid cases where people who receive a negative response to the “Green Card” then stay illegally in the US.

An immigration services spokesman said that there will be exceptions only in “exceptional circumstances”, such as for individuals who bring economic benefits or are considered important to the US national interest.

However, the lack of details has created a lot of confusion. Many lawyers reported being contacted by thousands of people concerned about their status. Many people don’t know if the rule will also apply to applications that are already in the process.

This is not the Trump administration’s first crackdown on legal immigration. In 2025, the government significantly increased the costs of H-1B visas, used for skilled foreign workers. It also launched a process to review thousands of permanent residency permits and even strip some naturalized citizens of their citizenship.

Critics say these policies risk harming the American economy, which depends in many sectors on the labor of skilled immigrants. Universities, technology companies and the health sector have warned that the new restrictions could make the US less attractive to international talent.

On the other hand, Trump supporters argue that immigration should be more tightly controlled and that the current system has been abused for years. They believe that tougher rules will help protect jobs and national security.

The immigration debate remains one of the hottest topics in American politics. The “Green Card” decision shows that the Trump administration intends to fundamentally change the way the US manages the entry and integration of immigrants into the country. square

Source: prizrenpost