Most Legal Immigrants Won’t Need to Leave US to Get Green Card: DHS

The policy will not prevent aliens ‘from obtaining a green card who legitimately and properly qualify,’ a Department of Homeland Security official said.

Immigrants await their turn for green card and citizenship interviews at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office in Long Island City, Queens, in New York City, on May 30, 2013. John Moore/Getty Images

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) clarified a recent policy change that would affect visa holders and green card applicants, following a new policy by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) requiring some visa holders and humanitarian parolees to return to their home countries for further processing.

“This policy will not prevent [aliens] from obtaining a green card who legitimately and properly qualify,” an administration official told The Epoch Times on June 1. “It will result in some aliens who do not merit the discretionary benefit ultimately applying with the Department of State overseas rather than USCIS in the United States. This is another tool to address fraud and abuse which exist in our immigration system.”