U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced a major change to green card processing for certain people seeking lawful permanent residency. Under the new policy framework, many nonimmigrants—explicitly including students and temporary workers—must leave the U.S. and apply for permanent residency abroad, with USCIS officers determining if “extraordinary circumstances” apply. The policy is expected to restrict a process that historically allowed eligible individuals already in the U.S. to complete permanent residency steps domestically. The agency’s statement also indicated that people who provide “economic benefit” or serve “national interest” could likely stay. The shift comes alongside broader administration actions aimed at reducing legal immigration, with potential knock-on effects for university international students, researchers, and workforces reliant on stable immigration pathways.