Trump Mandates Overseas Green Card Applications to End Domestic Status Adjustments

US President-elect Donald Trump plans to implement a policy requiring all foreign nationals seeking permanent residency to apply for green cards from their home countries. The move targets the "adjustment of status" mechanism, which currently allows individuals on temporary visas to transition to permanent residency without leaving the United States. End of Domestic Status Adjustments Under current federal regulations, foreign workers, spouses of US citizens, and other eligible visa holders can file Form I-485 to adjust their legal status while residing in the US. The proposed mandate would eliminate this internal processing, forcing applicants to exit the country and undergo consular processing at US embassies or consulates in their nations of origin. This shift would affect hundreds of thousands of applicants currently residing in the US under various non-immigrant categories. The policy change is designed to ensure that all vetting and interviews for permanent residency occur outside US borders. Transitioning to mandatory consular processing is expected to significantly increase the administrative burden on the Department of State, which manages diplomatic posts globally.…