United States President Donald Trump has introduced a new immigration directive requiring Nigerians and other foreign nationals applying for permanent residency to return to their home countries to complete the green card process, except in rare and exceptional cases.
The announcement was made on Friday through the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, which explained that the policy is aimed at restoring what it described as the original structure of American immigration law. Under the new arrangement, individuals already in the United States who wish to adjust their status must now process their applications through US consular offices abroad under the supervision of the Department of State.
According to the agency, the decision is intended to ensure that applicants follow proper immigration procedures and to reduce cases where individuals remain in the country after their applications are denied.
A spokesperson for the agency, Zach Kahler, said the updated rule is designed to close loopholes in the system and discourage unlawful stay after visa expiration or rejection. He added that processing applications from applicants’ home countries would make enforcement easier and reduce the need for removal operations.
The policy is expected to mostly affect non immigrant visa holders such as international students, temporary workers and tourists, who typically enter the United States for limited periods and specific purposes. Officials stressed that such visits were never intended to serve as the starting point for permanent residency applications.
The agency further explained that shifting more cases to overseas consular processing would help free up internal resources. This would allow more attention to be directed toward applications involving victims of crime, human trafficking survivors and naturalisation requests.
USCIS maintained that the rule reflects long standing legal intent, noting that although it has not always been strictly followed in recent years, returning to it would improve fairness and efficiency within the immigration system.
The new directive comes amid a broader tightening of immigration measures under the Trump administration, which has recently taken additional steps affecting applicants from several countries.
Earlier reports indicated that green card and citizenship processing for Nigerians and other nationals from selected countries were temporarily paused following updates linked to a wider travel restriction policy. That move affected both new and pending applications, including those from individuals already living legally in the United States.
Authorities linked some of these policy changes to security concerns following a reported incident in Washington during the Thanksgiving period, which prompted renewed scrutiny of immigration procedures.
With the latest directive now in place, thousands of prospective immigrants, including many Nigerians, may be required to return home to continue their residency applications through US embassies and consulates.
