Foreigners seeking to change their immigration status in the United States to obtain a green card will have to do so from abroad through the State Department, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on Friday, in a move that was criticized by humanitarian groups.
USCIS announced the change in a policy memorandum, instructing officials to consider relevant factors and information on a case-by-case basis when determining whether granting extraordinary relief is justified, Reuters reports.
"A foreign national who is temporarily in the U.S. and desires a Green Card must return to his or her country of origin to apply," said the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which oversees USCIS.
"This policy allows our immigration system to function as the law intended, rather than encouraging the exploitation of legal loopholes."
USCIS said the new policy will free up agency resources to focus on processing other cases.
HIAS, an aid organization that provides services to refugees and other immigrant groups, said USCIS is forcing survivors of trafficking, as well as abused and neglected children, to return to the dangerous countries they fled from in order to process their green card applications, which grant them permanent residency in the US.
Friday's policy change is the latest step in a series of measures taken by US President Donald Trump over the past year to tighten control over migration to the United States.
Last year, the Trump administration took steps to shorten the length of visas for students, cultural exchange visitors, and media representatives.
In January, the State Department announced that it had revoked more than 100,000 visas since Trump took office a year ago.
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