US Green Card New Rule: Another tough decision of Trump government, now you will have to leave America and apply for green card from your home country.

A very strict and worrying policy change has come to the fore for thousands of Indian professionals and other foreign immigrants dreaming of permanent residence in America i.e. Green Card. Donald Trump administration has officially announced a new strict immigration policy. Under this new rule, most of the foreign citizens applying for Green Card will now have to leave the US soil and return to their home country and complete the further process from there. This sudden change is being considered as a big and tough blow for those people who were hoping to get permanent residency while living in America without leaving the country. What is the new rule and how will the entire system change? According to new strict guidelines issued by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), foreign nationals currently living in the US on any temporary visa (such as student or work visa) will have to return to their home country as usual to proceed with the green card process. Under the previous rules, in many cases people could easily obtain a green card through the ‘Adjustment of Status’ process while still living legally within the US. But now under the new rules this in-country process will be approved only in extremely exceptional circumstances, and each application will be examined strictly on an individual basis. International students and H-1B work visa holders will be most affected. The most widespread and direct impact of this new policy is going to be on international students studying in America, H-1B work visa holders and those immigrants who reached there on tourist visa, who were in the green card queue for a long time. The Trump administration has a strong argument that the basic purpose of any foreign citizen coming to America on a temporary visa is to stay there only for a fixed and limited period. Therefore, the lengthy legal process for a green card or permanent residence should not be considered an extension of that temporary stay. After all, why did the Trump administration take this tough decision? USCIS and the Department of Homeland Security clearly state that the main objective of this policy change is to strictly enforce US immigration laws in their true and original form. According to officials, this step will effectively curb the incidents of illegal stay in America even after the expiry of the visa period. The government believes that this policy will completely remove the legal loopholes in the immigration system and ensure transparent compliance with the rules. Its wide-ranging impact on Indian immigrants and families has made the Indian community one of the most educated, affluent, and fastest-growing immigrant groups in the United States. For this reason, the biggest impact of this policy is sure to be seen on the Indian workforce: Historical data: If we look at the official data for the financial year 2024, about 49,700 people of Indian origin had acquired US Citizenship. Second largest group: With this huge figure, Indian immigrants had emerged as the second largest group in the world to acquire US citizenship after Mexico. Change in plans: After the implementation of this new policy, thousands of Indian IT professionals, engineers, students and their families standing in the endless waiting list for Green Card will be forced to completely rethink their future plans and career setup. Administrative rationale and use of resources: The Trump administration has defended this policy, claiming that shifting the processing of green card applications to US embassies and consulates abroad would significantly reduce the workload on domestic USCIS offices. The remaining resources and officials can be used for other priority and sensitive tasks—such as expediting citizenship applications, preventing human trafficking, and expediting the processing of special visa cases for victims of violent crimes. Experts and immigration lawyers believe that this new system will not only make the entire process of getting a green card extremely lengthy, but will also become extremely complicated administratively. Currently, there is deep concern among millions of migrant families about how hard this policy will have a practical impact on their current employment and family stability.