The Trump administration now requires foreigners seeking a green card to return to their country…

In a six-page document published by the Trump administration, it is stated that applicants for permanent residency status will now have to apply to U.S. consular services in their home country.

On Friday, May 22, the Trump administration tightened its immigration policy by requiring, with few exceptions, applicants for permanent residency in the United States to go through the process in their home country, rather than from U.S. territory as is often the case.

“From now on, a foreigner who temporarily stays in the United States and wants to obtain a ‘green card’ must return to their home country to apply, unless under exceptional circumstances,” wrote Zach Kahler, spokesperson for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USICS), in a statement on Friday.

Visa holders with limited duration, “such as students, temporary workers, or people with a tourist visa, come to the United States for a short period and a specific reason. Our system is designed for them to leave when their stay is over. Their stay should not serve as a first step toward the ‘green card’ process,” he explains.

“Absurd and cruel,” according to a Democratic official

Currently, some visa holders present in the United States can adjust their status to become permanent residents.

In a six-page document published by the Trump administration, it is stated that applicants for this status must now apply to U.S. consular services in their home country.

“This new policy will force thousands of LEGAL immigrants, including spouses of American citizens, to leave their home, family, and work for weeks or even months to obtain their ‘green card’ outside the United States,” warns Democratic representative Chuy Garcia.

> “This is an absurd and cruel policy,” the official criticizes.

Over one million green cards issued each year

The Trump administration defends a policy shift that “reduces the need to hunt down and deport those who decide to fly under the radar and stay in the United States illegally after being denied permanent resident status.”

According to the Washington Post, the United States issues over a million “green cards” each year, and until now, over half of applicants have been on U.S. soil.

In the broad anti-immigration campaign led by Donald Trump since his return to the White House, another legal immigration pathway, for refugees, has also been largely closed off.