US announce policy wey mandate foreigners to apply for green cards from dia home kontris

Di US don announce one new policy wey mean say most immigrants wey want green card gatz leave di kontri and apply for embassy or consulate wey dey dia home kontris.

US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) make di informate on Friday, wia dem say pipo wey dey seek change in status gatz do so through consular processing outside of di kontri "except for extraordinary circumstances".

Di move wey be part of Trump administration efforts to curtail illegal immigration, dey close loophole wey bin don allow visa holders and visitors to apply for green card while dem still dey for US.

Critics of di policy say di longstanding system bin allow families to stay togeda during di lengthy application process.

Di new method fit also make am difficult or impossible for some immigrants wey leave di kontri in hope say dem go gain green card, to return.

Di USCIS policy memo say pipo such as students, temporary workers or pipo on tourist visas gatz go through di Department of State from outside di US.

"Wen aliens apply from dia home kontri, e dey reduce di need to find and remove dose wey decide to slip into di shadows and remain for US illegally afta dem get residency denial," USCIS tok. Dem add say e go make di "fairer and more efficient".

Di Department of Homeland Security, wey dey oversee USCIS, write on X: "Di era of abusing our nation immigration system don ova."

"We dey return to di original intent of di law to ensure aliens navigate our nation immigration system properly," USCIS tok-tok pesin Zach Kahler tok.

"From now on, alien wey dey for US temporarily and want green card gatz return to dia home kontri to apply, except for extraordinary circumstances."

Kahler say di policy go allow di immigration system "to function as di law bin intend instead of giving incentive to loopholes" and say make visits "no function as di first step for di green card process".

E neva clear weda pending green card applications go dey affected.

One tok-tok pesin for di USCIS tell di BBC say as di policy dey rolled out, "pipo wey present applications wey provide economic benefit or otherwise dey for di national interest go likely dey able to continue on dia current path".

"Odas fit dey asked to apply abroad depending on individualised circumstances," di tok-tok pesin tok.

Obtaining green card na multi-step process wey fit take months to several years.

Currently na more dan one million legal immigrants dey wait for approval on dia adjustment-of-status green card applications, according to di Cato Institute director of immigration studies.

Kahler argue say following di law go make di majority of cases to dey handled by di US State Department for consular offices abroad and free up USCIS resources to focus on processing oda cases wey fall under dia purview - such as visas for victims of violent crime and human trafficking, and naturalisation applications, among odas.

Di move dey consistent wit longstanding immigration law and court decisions, di agency tok. Immigration officers bin dey directed to "consider all relevant factors and information on a case-by-case basis wen dem dey determine weda alien warrant dis extraordinary form of relief".

Michael Valverde, wey be senior official for USCIS under both Republican and Democratic administrations until im departure last year, tell di BBC US media partner CBS say Friday announcement go "disrupt di plans of hundreds of thousands of families and employers annually".

"Dis na largely unprecedented move wey go limit lawful immigration to di US greatly," Valverde tok. "Pipo wey follow di rules faithfully now face ogbonge uncertainty."

Di Trump administration don ban or restrict citizens from nearly 40 kontris.

Anoda policy from di administration dis year don pause di issuance of visas to immigrant visa applicants from 75 kontris.

Overstaying US visa fit lead to deportation, ineligibility for future visas and re-entry bans wey fit last up to 10 years, according to di US State Department.