A new immigration policy update under the Trump Administration is fueling anxiety among immigrant communities after the introduction of procedural changes for green card applicants.
The Trump administration declared on May 22 that the majority of temporary visa holders must now leave the country and apply for green cards from their own country.
Visitors, temporary employees, and students who are already in the country will typically need to undergo consular processing overseas and will no longer be able to change their status domestically.
The impact of the rule change is likely to be greatest on those nations that send the greatest number of green card recipients.
According to the Office of Homeland Security Statistics' latest publicly accessible data, at least 199 countries granted green cards in fiscal year 2023.
The regions with the highest percentages of green card holders in 2023 were Asia and North America, followed by South America, Europe, and Africa.
Data from 2023 shows that, at roughly 180,500, immigrants from Mexico received the most Green cards from within the United States.
The new regulation drastically restricts the path for immigrants already in the US, making it difficult for them to convert to permanent residency without first leaving the country.
