Green Card rules: What Trump's travel ban could mean for future applicants

A draft policy reviewed by the US Department of Homeland Security suggests new Green Card limits for nationals of countries already covered by Donald Trump's travel ban

Months after Donald Trump brought in a travel ban covering 12 countries, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) may soon be required to follow through with related restrictions. Internal papers from the Department of Homeland Security, reported by the New York Times on Thursday, point to possible new limits on Green Cards for people from countries already covered by the ban. The documents suggest the proposed policy sits within the former president’s broader immigration crackdown, although it has not been finalised.

 

Who may be affected under a revised Green Card rule?

 

Trump’s June directive blocked nationals of 12 countries from entering the United States. Most of the affected nations were in Africa and the Middle East. They were:

 

• Afghanistan

• Myanmar

• Chad

• The Republic of Congo

• Equatorial Guinea

• Eritrea

• Haiti

• Iran

• Libya

• Somalia

• Sudan

• Yemen

 

Restrictions were also applied to nationals of seven more countries. These did not amount to a complete entry ban, but they barred people from obtaining tourist or student visas or securing permanent residency. These countries were Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. India is not on the list.

 

Trump said in June that the ban followed a domestic terrorist attack that “underscored the extreme dangers posed to our country by the entry of foreign nationals who are not properly vetted.” He also said people from certain places were more likely to overstay their visas.

 

What exceptions were allowed?

 

The travel ban carried several exemptions. These covered:

 

• Individuals holding valid visas or Green Cards

• Athletes visiting for the 2026 World Cup or the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles

• Afghans eligible for the Special Immigrant Visa programme

• US government personnel with Special Immigrant Visas

• People with immigrant visas issued to ethnic or religious minorities facing persecution in Iran

 

The US Secretary of State may also widen the list on a “case-by-case” basis when an applicant’s presence is judged to support a national interest.

 

USCIS stays quiet as former officials criticise the draft policy

 

With the policy still in draft form, USCIS has declined to comment, according to NYT. Doug Rand, who served as a senior official at the agency during the Biden administration, said the documents point to “country-specific factors” that could influence future Green Card cases.

 

“Having something that applies to you based on your country is absurd. This is a radical change,” said Rand, according to the New York Times. He argued that the approach would affect people who are already living lawfully in the US, calling it “an escalation” of the Trump team’s approach to legal immigration.