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The U.S. government has walked back its intention, announced on May 22, to require applicants for permanent residency, known as a “green card,” to process their applications in their country of origin, The New York Times reported.
The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees immigration matters, told the New York newspaper on Friday that the new policy would ultimately not apply to all applicants, but would instead be handled on a “case-by-case” basis.
“It simply served as a reminder to officers to use their discretionary authority to require, or not require, applicants to leave the United States in order to complete their application,” the Department told The New York Times.
In a statement, the Department said the new measure actually “reiterates long-standing established policy and law.”
“This policy will not have a significant impact on highly qualified applicants and talented professionals who have followed the law,” it added.
“The president continues to prioritize immigration that strengthens America culturally, socially, and financially, while preventing mass immigration from the third world that harms our country and Americans,” the Department also stated.
The announcement represents an abrupt reversal after U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) had announced days earlier that “from now on, a foreign national who is temporarily in the United States and wants a green card must return to their country of origin to apply, except in extraordinary circumstances.”
USCIS spokesperson Zach Kahler explained at the time that holders of limited-duration visas, such as students, temporary workers, or people with tourist visas, “come to the United States for a short period and for a specific purpose.”
“Their visit should not function as the first step in the process of obtaining a green card,” he warned.
Several migrant rights advocacy groups, as well as law firms, had expressed concern over the measure, which could create confusion among permanent residency applicants.
Democratic Congressman Chuy García described the new policy at the time as “absurd and cruel.”
According to The Washington Post, the United States grants more than one million permanent residency permits each year, and until now, more than half of the applicants were already inside the country.
As part of Donald Trump’s offensive against immigration since his return to the White House, another legal immigration pathway, refugee admissions, has already been largely closed.