Trump forces Green Card applicants to leave US: Tech leaders say they 'Don't understand why'

Key Takeaways

• From AI researchers to startup founders, prominent voices across American industry are raising alarm after the Trump administration ordered most foreigners seeking permanent residency to leave the country and apply from abroad, in a move critics are calling legally questionable and economically damaging.
• A sweeping change to the American green card system announced on Friday has drawn swift and pointed criticism from technology executives, immigration lawyers, lawmakers and policy experts, who warn the new rule could separate families, hollow out the country's scientific and academic workforce, and expose hundreds of thousands of legal immigrants to years trapped in backlogged overseas appointment systems.
• What the New Green Card Rule Requires US Citizenship and Immigration Services announced on Friday that foreigners seeking permanent residency in the US will now be required to leave the country and apply at a US consulate in their home nation, rather than adjusting their status from within the United States.
• "From now on, an alien who is in the US temporarily and wants a green card must return to their home country to apply, except in extraordinary circumstances," said Zach Kahler, a spokesman for US Citizenship and Immigration Services.
• The new rule applies broadly to any foreigner who entered the US on a temporary non-immigrant visa, including students, employees on H-1B or L visas and visitors.