DHS to require green card applicants to return to home countries to apply

The Trump administration announced a new policy requiring individuals with temporary visas who are seeking green cards to return to their home countries and apply through consular processing, marking a significant shift from current practice. The change, reported by NBC News on May 22, 2026, will impact how applicants adjust their immigration status and will be enforced by the Department of Homeland Security.

DHS to require green card applicants to return to home countries to apply 03:24 UP NEXT Suicides in ICE detention centers rise in past year as NBC News obtains 911 calls 04:12 ICE may be at World Cup matches in U.S. 02:01 ‘They wanted to kill me’: Teen mistakenly detained by ICE 02:13 Teen with terminal cancer makes plea for release of detained parents 01:52 Inside the heated clashes over the Trump administration's deportation plans 02:36 'It's heart wrenching': Ms. Rachel shares stories of kids in detention centers 09:19 Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons resigns 00:24 ICE agent charged with assault for allegedly pointing gun at people driving in Minneapolis 01:59 Minnesota investigates the ICE arrest of a Hmong American man as a possible kidnapping 05:02 Family of man shot by ICE in California speaks out 03:15 ICE officers involved in California shooting 01:48 Trump addresses birthright citizenship, mail-in ballots during executive order signing 06:37 'Unbelievable job': Trump praises ICE at airports, open to deploying National Guard 02:11 Children's entertainer Ms. Rachel comforts boy at Dilley detention center 00:44 Trump’s plan for border wall worries local residents and politicians 03:30 Gregory Bovino to retire from U.S. Border Patrol 01:01 Lawmakers push back against plans to turn warehouses into detention centers 04:27 Trump administration wants House GOP to focus on removing criminals, not ‘mass deportations’ 04:35 Trump fires DHS Secretary Kristi Noem 02:27 Hallie Jackson NOW DHS to require green card applicants to return to home countries to apply 03:24 Copied The Trump administration announced that people with temporary visas seeking to adjust their immigration status to obtain green cards must return to their home countries to “do so through consular processing,” in a major change from current practice. NBC News' Jonathan Allen explains the impact and how the new requirement will be enforced.May 22, 2026