Green card seekers must leave U.S. to apply, Trump administration says

Post by parineum » Sun, May 24, 2026, 12:20 AM UTC

bonsai_spool wrote: post #381

pixelatedindex wrote: post #359

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> and paid over $100,000 in taxes last year alone Genuinely curious, what does taxes have to do with it? Everyone pays taxes, legal or illegal in some form. I don’t think paying your dues should make you more likely to get through the pipeline. After all, you paid those taxes because you made good money, which is what people come here for.

I think the point is that they are contributing to the US, and were the best option for their employer, and are supporting their communities, etc. All things that we should be supporting if we are indeed wishing our nation to prosper. A plurality of Americans don’t pay federal income taxes, so we’re essentially turning away someone who is building up our country.

Post by [deleted] » Sun, May 24, 2026, 12:22 AM UTC

cloche wrote: post #511

abalashov wrote: post #377

This is insane. I cannot fathom how I, nor educated and talented people I know, could have possibly stayed in the US back in the day if this requirement had been in place then. Applying for a greencard while working on an H, J or O-class visa is extremely common. Far from a loophole, applying from inside the US is the only reasonable way to apply for a greencard. Depending on the country of origin, there may not even…

Unfortunately, I think this is the point. They want to push the needle so that even legal immigration is restricted or difficult (unless you happen to pay them directly) https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/23/us/politics/trump-legal-i...

Post by nonfamous » Sun, May 24, 2026, 12:25 AM UTC

geertj wrote: post #528

There does appear to be a limited walk back for dual intent visa holders (H1B and L1) “A spokesperson for US Citizenship and Immigration Services, however, told Semafor that H1-B visa holders and high-skilled workers might not be affected in the near term.” Source: https://www.semafor.com/article/05/22/2026/trump-orders-gree...

Post by conartist6 » Sun, May 24, 2026, 12:27 AM UTC

abalashov wrote: post #550

radsj wrote: post #519

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think it applies to folks on H or L visas. Wording from the site: "Nonimmigrants, like students, temporary workers, or people on tourist visas, come to the U.S. for a short time and for a specific purpose. Our system is designed for them to leave when their visit is over. Their visit should not function as the first step in the Green Card process. "

I'm not sure I share your optimism. What is a worker on an H-class visa, if not a "temporary worker"? I read this with the assumption that "nonimmigrant visa" applies to every category of visa listed here under "Nonimmigrant Visa Categories": https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-inf...

Post by sigmar » Sun, May 24, 2026, 12:30 AM UTC

thallium205 wrote: post #543

abalashov wrote: post #377

This is insane. I cannot fathom how I, nor educated and talented people I know, could have possibly stayed in the US back in the day if this requirement had been in place then. Applying for a greencard while working on an H, J or O-class visa is extremely common. Far from a loophole, applying from inside the US is the only reasonable way to apply for a greencard. Depending on the country of origin, there may not even…

The UK, the EU, Japan, and Australia all have identical rules to this policy.