Trump administration to require most green card applicants to leave U.S. first

Politics Trump administration to require most immigrants seeking green cards to leave the U.S. first By Camilo Montoya-Galvez Camilo Montoya-Galvez Immigration Correspondent Camilo Montoya-Galvez is the Immigration Correspondent at CBS News, where his reporting is featured across multiple programs and platforms, including national broadcast shows, CBS News 24/7, CBSNews.com and the organization's social media accounts. Read Full Bio Camilo Montoya-Galvez May 22, 2026 / 2:59 PM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google The Trump administration on Friday announced a sweeping policy designed to make it harder for immigrants already in the U.S. to get permanent residency, or a green card, furthering its campaign to sharply limit legal immigration.Officials said they would eliminate the option for many immigrants seeking a green card to complete the process without having to leave the U.S. Instead, in most cases, those immigrants will be required to return to their home countries in order to apply for an immigrant visa overseas through an American consulate, officials said.Current and former U.S. immigration officials told CBS News the memo published Friday would likely have wide-ranging implications, forcing groups like students, tourists and other temporary visas holders, as well as those who entered legally but overstayed their visas, to leave the country before trying to obtain a green card through sponsorships filed by U.S. citizen spouses or employers.For many immigrants, going back home could make it difficult or impossible for them to return to the U.S. Citizens of 39 countries, most of them in Africa and Asia, currently face outright bans or restrictions from entering the U.S. under a proclamation, known as the "travel ban," signed by President Trump on national security grounds. A separate Trump administration policy has paused all grants of immigrant visas for people in 75 countries seeking to move to the U.S. permanently, arguing that they could become econo...