Most people seeking green cards will have to leave the country to apply for permanent residency, rather than do it from inside the US, the Trump administration said Friday.
The policy shift could impact millions, including high-skilled tech workers, employees on H1-B visas, and spouses of US citizens.
The new policy, which sets up potentially years-long delays for applicants, will face legal challenges: “You can’t, through a stroke of a pen, overturn a statute,” attorney Todd Pomerleau told ABC News. “It’s illegal, and it’s going to get shut down in court.”
The announcement ricocheted through the tech industry, with critics arguing it could disrupt scientists and AI startups.
“Harmful move for tech, business, and America broadly,” LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman wrote.
Officials said the “policy allows our immigration system to function as the law intended instead of incentivizing loopholes.”