Trump Mandates Green Card Applicants Return Home to Process Residency Citing Original Immigration Law

United States President Donald Trump has ordered that Nigerians and other foreign nationals seeking permanent residency must return to their home countries to complete the application process, with exemptions granted only in rare situations.

The update was made public on Friday. In a press release, US Citizenship and Immigration Services said the shift is intended to uphold what it called the “original purpose” of US immigration statutes.

The agency explained that individuals pursuing an adjustment of status will now have to file their residency petitions through American consular offices overseas, under the oversight of the US Department of State.

“We’re going back to the original purpose of the law to make sure foreign nationals go through our immigration process the right way,” USCIS stated. “Henceforth, anyone in the US temporarily who wants a Green Card must go back to their home country to apply, unless exceptional circumstances apply.”According to USCIS spokesperson Zach Kahler, the change is expected to curb the number of migrants who remain in the country unlawfully after their residency bids are rejected.

“This policy lets our immigration framework operate as lawmakers designed, rather than rewarding ways around it,” Kahler said. “When applicants file from their home country, it cuts down on the need to track and deport those who go underground and stay in the US illegally after a denial.”USCIS noted that the rule will mainly impact temporary entrants such as students, tourists, and workers admitted on nonimmigrant visas.

“Nonimmigrants including students, temporary workers, and tourists are admitted for a limited time and specific reason,” the agency said. “Our system assumes they will depart when that period ends. That stay was not meant to serve as the starting point for a Green Card application.”The agency also said shifting residency processing abroad will allow it to redirect limited resources toward other priorities.

It added that USCIS will be able to devote more attention to petitions involving victims of violent offenses, human trafficking cases, naturalization requests, and other services within its mandate.

“The statute was written this way intentionally, and even though it has been disregarded for years, enforcing it will make the system more equitable and efficient,” USCIS said.This follows a December 2025 move by Trump to temporarily suspend processing of green card and citizenship filings from Nigerians and nationals of other countries recently added to the US travel restrictions, as reported by CBS News.

That suspension applies to legal immigration petitions handled by USCIS and primarily targets immigrants from certain African and Asian nations. Many of those impacted are already residing lawfully in the US and were seeking to change their immigration status or obtain citizenship.

The Trump administration also instructed USCIS to halt all immigration petitions, including those for permanent residency and citizenship, from nationals of 19 countries subject to the travel ban announced in June.

The action came after the Thanksgiving-week killing of two National Guard soldiers in Washington DC, an incident allegedly committed by an Afghan national.