Memo Pushes Green Card Applications Overseas, Upending Immigrant Families

A May 2026 draft memo would end the option to apply for a green card from inside the U.S. (adjustment of status), forcing many applicants to return to their home countries to apply instead. The change could trigger long separations, disruptions to education or work, and uncertain chances of re-entry, affecting hundreds of thousands annually. Legal scholars question the memo’s basis, and critics argue it would chill lawful immigration, while supporters frame it as realigning pathways for temporary visa holders.