A new policy issued on May 21, 2026 blocks the current practice of permitting green cards to be issued to those who have entered the United States on a non-immigrant visa, such as a B1 or B2 or F1 or H2, requiring any such person to return to their home country for processing of the adjustment application though the consular process.

Policy Memorandum PM-602-0199 describes the issuance of a green card as a matter of discretion, and states the intention NOT to exercise that discretion except in extraordinary circumstances, thereby blocking a vast number of applicants who may find a basis for adjustment of status after arriving in the US on a non-immigrant visa, presumably for work or family reasons.

Because of the dramatic cuts to State Department staff and understaffing of embassies, this is expected to vastly increase the time and cost for any legal immigration, in keeping with the current Administration’s goals of stopping any immigration from anywhere other than whites from South Africa or other wealthy or connected countries, a dramatic reversal of American policy over the last decades since WWII.  While details of how officers will implement this directive are not settled, a major impact is expected to be on the ability of married couple to begin life in the United States following marriage, since consular processing will require spouses to return to their home country before beginning married life in the US.   For many, this will prove to be a substantial financial burden.