New Delhi, May 24, 2026 — The US has clarified a newly announced Green Card policy that would otherwise require some foreign nationals to leave the United States and complete their permanent-residency processing from their home countries. The clarification offers exemptions for certain applicants, providing relief to many Indian professionals waiting years for employment-based green cards.
A day after the administration unveiled rules that could force migrants to return home to finish Green Card applications, a United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) spokesperson, Zach Kahler, said applicants whose cases provide economic benefits to the US or serve the national interest are likely to be exempt from the requirement. That carve-out would ease the burden on many H‑1B holders and other temporary workers who face long waits for permanent residency.
Under the earlier process, many foreign nationals could pursue adjustment of status while remaining in the US as their petitions were adjudicated. The updated USCIS guidance signals that officials will enforce the Immigration and Nationality Act more strictly, meaning the change could require applicants to be in their home countries when their status shifts from a temporary visa to permanent residency.
For Indian applicants particularly, employment-based green-card queues can stretch a decade or more—often 10 to 15 years—making the prospect of returning to India to complete processing financially and socially impractical. Kahler’s remarks were aimed at narrowing the policy’s impact on those whose work or applications are judged to benefit the US economy or national interest.
The broader move is part of a series of measures by the administration to tighten immigration rules. “Non-immigrants, like students, temporary workers, or people on tourist visas, come to the US for a short time and for a specific purpose,” Kahler said. “Our system is designed for them to leave when their visit is over.”
The clarification does not fully spell out which categories or cases will qualify for exemptions, leaving implementation and case-by-case determinations to USCIS. But it signals that not all applicants on temporary visas will be forced to complete Green Card processing abroad, and that those contributing demonstrable economic or national-interest value may be allowed to remain for adjustment of status.
