Trump Orders Nigerians Seeking Green Cards To Apply From Home Countries
United States President, Donald Trump, has directed that Nigerians and other foreign nationals seeking green cards must now return to their home countries to complete the application process, except in special or extraordinary cases.
The new immigration policy was announced on Friday by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), which said the move is aimed at restoring what it described as the original purpose of America’s immigration system.
According to the agency, foreign nationals currently staying temporarily in the United States will no longer be allowed to complete their permanent residency applications from within the country in most cases. Instead, they will be required to process their applications through U.S. consular offices in their home countries under the supervision of the U.S. Department of State.
USCIS explained that the decision would mainly affect people on temporary visas, including students, tourists, and workers.
The agency stated that the policy would help reduce the number of people remaining illegally in the United States after their residency applications are denied.
USCIS spokesman Zach Kahler said the policy would make the immigration system more effective and discourage abuse of loopholes.
“This policy allows our immigration system to function as the law intended instead of encouraging people to remain in the country illegally after failed applications,” he said.
The agency also noted that processing applications abroad would allow immigration officials to focus more on other areas such as citizenship applications, victims of violent crimes, human trafficking cases, and other immigration services.
USCIS stressed that temporary visas were originally designed for short visits and not as a pathway to permanent residency.
The latest development follows earlier restrictions introduced by the Trump administration in 2025, when the processing of green card and citizenship applications involving Nigerians and nationals of other affected countries was temporarily suspended under a travel ban policy.
The suspension reportedly affected several immigrants already living legally in the United States who were seeking to adjust their immigration status or become American citizens.
