How Trump’s Latest Immigration Move Clouds the Path to Green Cards
Lawyers said the guidance could force some immigrants to pursue green cards abroad and left companies unsure how many workers will be affected.
- On Friday, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services announced it would grant 'adjustment of status'—the process letting immigrants apply for green cards without leaving the US—only in 'extraordinary circumstances,' prompting Business Insider to speak with six immigration lawyers who described a holiday weekend packed with anxious client calls.
- Lynden Melmed, a partner at Bay Immigration Law and former USCIS chief counsel, abandoned his long weekend with family visiting from Germany to handle urgent client matters, while multiple lawyers compared the rollout to President Donald Trump's September H-1B fee increase that sparked initial alarm.
- At Bay Immigration Law, Otto Van Maerssen said clients anxiously asked 'is it even possible now to adjust status?'; Brian Hunt at Fragomen reported his team 'pretty much worked all weekend'; and Divij Kishore at Flagship Law observed 'a sense of fatigue' among clients questioning whether staying in the US remained viable.
- USCIS spokesperson Zach Kahler said the guidance likely wouldn't impact 'people who present applications that provide an economic benefit,' though attorney Loren Locke warned the memo had 'thrown a lot of uncertainty into something that's been very stable and very predictable for decades, out of nowhere, with no warning.'
- Practical questions about pending applications, international travel restrictions, and whether companies should brief executives remained unresolved; Hunt offered guarded optimism that 'the vast majority will ultimately not be affected,' yet Locke described the situation as 'chaotic' as lawyers awaited USCIS clarification on the memo's true scope.
32 Articles
32 Articles
Confusion and uncertainty as Trump administration changes green card application process
WASHINGTON (AP) — When President Donald Trump’s administration announced last week that it would require green card seekers to apply from their home countries instead of in the U.S., immigration attorney Flavia Santos Lloyd’s phone began ringing off the hook with clients worried about the implications for them. Lloyd wasn’t sure what to tell them, but she knew the confusing new policy would slow down applications. “It has a chilling effect becau…
NBC Chicago
NBC New YorkHow Trump’s latest immigration move clouds the path to green cards
When President Donald Trump’s administration announced last week that it would require green card seekers to apply from their home countries instead of in the U.S., immigration attorney Flavia Santos Lloyd’s phone began ringing off the hook with clients worried about the implications for them. Lloyd wasn’t sure what to tell them, but she knew the confusing new policy would slow down applications. “It has a chilling effect because we have some ca…
Trump's green card memo dropped before a holiday weekend. Immigration lawyers say clients panicked.
A Friday memo from the USCIS disrupted weekend plans for several immigration lawyers.Robert Nickelsberg/Getty ImagesUSCIS issued new green-card guidance before the holiday weekend.BI spoke with six immigration lawyers about the fallout from the memo.Lawyers said anxious clients asked whether their yearslong plans had changed overnight.Lynden Melmed was supposed to be spending part of his Friday with family visiting from Germany. They were tourin…
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