U.S. Bombshell: What Nigerians, Other Foreigners Must Now Do to Get Green Cards – P.M. News
By Kazeem Ugbodaga
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, USCIS, has announced a major policy shift restricting the granting of “adjustment of status” applications within the United States, saying such relief will now be approved only in extraordinary circumstances.
Under the new policy memo released on Friday, USCIS said foreign nationals, including Nigerians, seeking permanent residency, commonly known as a Green Card, would generally be required to leave the United States and complete the immigration process through U.S. consular offices in their home countries.
The agency said the decision was in line with long-standing immigration laws and court rulings governing adjustment of status applications.
According to USCIS, immigration officers have now been directed to evaluate requests for adjustment of status on a strict case-by-case basis, considering all relevant factors before granting what the agency described as an “extraordinary form of relief.”
USCIS spokesman, Zach Kahler, said the policy was aimed at restoring the original intent of U.S. immigration law and discouraging abuse of the system by temporary visa holders.
“We’re returning to the original intent of the law to ensure aliens navigate our nation’s immigration system properly,” Kahler stated.
“From now on, an alien who is in the U.S. temporarily and wants a Green Card must return to their home country to apply, except in extraordinary circumstances,” he added.
Kahler argued that the policy would help reduce the number of immigrants remaining unlawfully in the United States after unsuccessful residency applications.
“This policy allows our immigration system to function as the law intended instead of incentivizing loopholes,” he said.
According to USCIS, the new approach would also enable the agency to redirect limited resources toward other immigration priorities, including naturalisation applications, visas for victims of violent crimes and human trafficking, and other humanitarian cases.
The agency specifically stressed that nonimmigrant visa categories, including student visas, tourist visas and temporary work permits, were designed for short-term visits and should not automatically become pathways to permanent residency.
“Nonimmigrants, like students, temporary workers, or people on tourist visas, come to the U.S. for a short time and for a specific purpose,” Kahler explained.
“Our system is designed for them to leave when their visit is over. Their visit should not function as the first step in the Green Card process,” he added.
USCIS maintained that processing most Green Card applications abroad through the U.S. Department of State would make the immigration system more efficient and fairer.
The announcement is expected to have major implications for thousands of immigrants currently residing in the United States on temporary visas and seeking permanent residency without leaving the country.
