The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has clarified that most immigrants applying for permanent residency, commonly known as a Green Card, will not be required to leave the United States while their applications are being processed.
The clarification follows concerns triggered by a recent announcement from US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), which led some applicants and immigration advocates to believe that individuals seeking permanent residency would generally have to return to their home countries and wait there until their cases were decided.
According to DHS, no major policy change has been introduced. Officials said the guidance was simply a reminder of existing authority granted to immigration officers, who assess each application on a case-by-case basis.
The department explained that factors such as visa overstays, immigration violations, or other legal issues may affect individual cases. However, for the vast majority of applicants, the current process remains unchanged.
US officials emphasized that most Green Card applicants will continue to be allowed to stay in the country while awaiting decisions on their residency applications.
The clarification comes amid growing scrutiny of US immigration policies and follows recent measures by the Trump administration aimed at tightening immigration procedures and increasing oversight of residency applications.
Immigration experts say the latest statement should reassure many applicants who feared they might be forced to leave the United States during the review process. DHS reiterated that existing rules remain largely intact and that no broad requirement has been introduced for applicants to depart the country while their cases are under consideration.
