American Green Card holders will require additional screening before they can return to the United States, the White House said on Saturday.
As reported by Reuters, earlier, a Department of Homeland Security official said people holding Green Cards, which authorise bearers to become legal permanent U.S. residents, were included in President Donald Trump‘s executive action temporarily barring people from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States.
“It will bar Green Card holders,” the acting Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman, Gillian Christensen, had said.
A senior White House official later sought to clarify the situation, saying Green Card holders who had left the United States and wanted to return would have to visit a U.S. embassy or consulate to undergo additional screening.
“You will be allowed to re-enter the United States pending a routine rescreening,” the official said.
However, according to the official disposition as posted on U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website (www.uscis.gov), you only need to visit a U.S. embassy or consulate outside the United States for Green Card Renewal for every reason other than as newly stipulated by the Trump administration.
The USCIS instruction states, “If you are outside the United States and your green card will expire within 6 months (but you will return within 1 year of your departure from the United States and before the card expires), you should file for your renewal card as soon as you return to the United States.
“If you are outside of the United States when the card expires and you have not applied for the renewal card prior to your departure, you should contact the nearest U.S. Consulate, USCIS office, or U.S. port of entry before attempting to file Form I-90 for a renewal green card.
“You should renew your green card if you are a permanent resident with a Form I-551 valid for 10 years and the card is either expired or will expire within the next six months.”
