The Trump administration announced a policy change that would require many temporary immigrants who want green cards to apply from abroad, reversing a long-standing approach that allowed applicants to complete the process within the United States. USCIS said applicants would generally have to leave and submit applications in their home country unless they qualify for “extraordinary circumstances.” The policy could affect international students, temporary workers, and asylum or related cases depending on how USCIS interprets eligibility categories such as “economic benefit” or “national interest,” which it suggested might allow some people to remain in the U.S. While USCIS did not specify an effective date, the announcement immediately raised confusion for aid groups and immigration lawyers. For higher education institutions, the risk is practical: disrupted status planning for international students and staff, heightened compliance uncertainty for international offices, and potential impacts on research staffing and campus operations tied to immigration-dependent roles.