For thousands of students, skilled workers, and legal immigrants in the USA, the path to obtaining a green card has typically continued from within the country's borders. However, the Donald Trump administration now wants to change this process.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has announced in a new directive that individuals who are in the USA on temporary visas and wish to obtain permanent residency must, in most cases, leave the USA, return to their home country, and apply for an immigration visa through U.S. embassies and consulates.

Government officials view this decision as a way to close "legal loopholes" in the immigration system and say that the distinction between temporary and permanent residency should be more pronounced. However, this policy has faced widespread backlash from immigration lawyers and green card applicants.

Charles Koch, an American immigration lawyer, has described this action as contrary to the law and believes there is a high likelihood that courts will halt it in the coming days. According to him, if this policy is implemented, green card applicants will no longer be able to easily change their residency status from within the USA and will have to follow the entire process from outside the country; a process that could be more time-consuming, costly, and complicated.

This decision affects all foreign nationals, but it will create more challenges for citizens of countries like Iran, where the USA does not have a consulate; as they will be forced to go to third countries for interviews and administrative procedures.

Despite the issuance of this directive, its final fate is still uncertain. Immigration lawyers have reported plans to file lawsuits, and many expect this case to be brought to court very soon. For now, the only thing that seems certain is the increased anxiety of immigrants awaiting their green cards.

Source: Euronews