May 23 (THE AFRICAN PORTAL) – The United States government has announced a major immigration policy change that could significantly affect Ghanaians living in the US on temporary visas and seeking permanent residency.
Under a new directive from the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), most immigrants applying for green cards will now be required to leave the United States and complete the process at a US embassy or consulate abroad, usually in their home countries.
The move means many Ghanaians in the US on student, visitor or temporary work visas may no longer be able to apply for permanent residency while remaining in the country, except in what the US government describes as “extraordinary circumstances”.
The policy, announced on Friday, is part of President Donald Trump’s administration’s broader effort to tighten immigration controls and curb illegal immigration.
Previously, many immigrants could apply for permanent residency through a process known as “adjustment of status”, allowing them to remain in the US while their applications were processed.
Under the new rules, however, many applicants — including Ghanaians — may be required to return home and continue the process through the US Embassy in Accra or another American diplomatic mission abroad.
USCIS said the changes were intended to reduce cases in which individuals remain in the US illegally after their applications are rejected.
“When aliens apply from their home country, it reduces the need to find and remove those who decide to slip into the shadows and remain in the US illegally after being denied residency,” the agency said.
For many Ghanaians, the policy is likely to create uncertainty, particularly for families who have already established lives in the US while awaiting green card approvals.
Immigration experts warn that applicants who leave the US for consular processing could face delays, visa denials or difficulties returning to America, especially if their temporary visas expire during the process.
USCIS spokesperson Zach Kahler defended the policy, saying temporary visits to the US “should not function as the first step in the green card process”.
“From now on, an alien who is in the US temporarily and wants a green card must return to their home country to apply, except in extraordinary circumstances,” he said.
It remains unclear whether Ghanaians and other immigrants with pending adjustment-of-status applications will be allowed to continue under the previous system.
A USCIS spokesperson told the BBC that applicants whose cases are considered economically beneficial to the US or in the national interest may still be permitted to continue their applications from within the country.
The green card process can take months or even years. According to the Cato Institute, more than one million legal immigrants are currently awaiting decisions on their adjustment-of-status applications.
Critics say the policy could disrupt families, employers and students who relied on the previous system.
Michael Valverde, a former senior USCIS official, described the move as “largely unprecedented” and warned it would create “tremendous uncertainty” for immigrants who had complied with existing immigration procedures.
The latest measure adds to a series of immigration restrictions introduced by the Trump administration, including visa limitations affecting citizens from dozens of countries.
Under US immigration law, people who overstay their visas risk deportation, future visa ineligibility and re-entry bans that can last up to 10 years.
