Trump administration says green card policy change won't affect qualified applicants

The Trump administration sought to reassure immigrants and employers over a recent green card policy change, saying it will not prevent qualified applicants from obtaining permanent residency in the US, media reports said Saturday.

The clarification came after concerns that new guidance issued by US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) could force hundreds of thousands of green card applicants to leave the country and complete their cases at US consulates abroad, according to CBS News.

The earlier guidance appeared to narrow the use of a process known as "adjustment of status," which allows certain immigrants sponsored by relatives or employers to remain in the United States while pursuing permanent residency.

Following criticism from immigration lawyers, business groups and immigrant advocates, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the guidance merely restates "longstanding law and policy."

"The policy will not prevent any alien from obtaining a green card who legitimately and properly qualify," CBS quoted the DHS as saying.

The department added that the change "will have no noticeable impact on highly qualified applicants and skilled professionals who have followed the law."

But former USCIS chief counsel Lynden Melmed said the administration's latest explanation appears to narrow the scope of the original guidance.

He said the policy is still likely to create additional burdens for applicants and attorneys by requiring more evidence to justify completing the process within the United States.

"The underlying policy will still slow legal immigration but at least they are toning down the rhetoric," Melmed said, according to the outlet.

The policy shift seems to be part of Trump administration efforts to both crack down on illegal immigration as well as allow less legal immigration from many countries, largely in the Global South.