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Ulviyya Poladova

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The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced stricter requirements for obtaining a Green Card, the document that grants foreign nationals the right to permanently live and work in the United States, AzerNEWS reports.

According to USCIS spokesperson Zach Kahler, individuals who are temporarily residing in the U.S. and wish to apply for permanent residency will now generally be required to return to their home countries to complete the application process, except in "extraordinary circumstances."

Kahler stated that the updated approach is intended to align immigration procedures with long-standing legal principles and improve overall enforcement efficiency.

He explained that requiring applicants to file from abroad would reduce the likelihood of individuals remaining in the country illegally after a visa denial, thereby decreasing the need for enforcement actions and deportation procedures.

USCIS officials noted that the decision reflects a renewed emphasis on enforcement of long-standing statutory provisions that, according to the agency, had been applied inconsistently in previous years.

Image: James Lawler Duggan / Reuters