Trump Administration Forces US Green Card Applicants to Return Home, Affecting Kenyans

Kenyans on temporary visas in the United States now face a new hurdle in their path to permanent residency: they must return home to complete the process.

<cite index="21-9,21-10,21-11">The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has introduced changes requiring most temporary visa holders to pursue consular processing outside the United States rather than adjusting their status domestically, with applicants expected to return to their countries of origin and complete the process through US embassies abroad.</cite> <cite index="21-12">USCIS has described adjustment of status as a discretionary form of relief, giving immigration officers greater authority to decide whether applicants may pursue it domestically.</cite>

Who is affected

<cite index="21-13,21-14">The changes are likely to affect a large number of pending applications, estimated at around one million, with affected applicants, including many Kenyan nationals, facing the prospect of separation from families and employment disruption while completing the process through consular posts abroad.</cite>

<cite index="21-15">Certain categories, such as holders of visas with dual intent like the H-1B, may still be eligible to adjust status within the US, though most other applicants will be directed to consular processing.</cite> That carve-out offers some relief for Kenyan tech workers, nurses, and other professionals on H-1B visas, but leaves thousands of others—on student, tourist, or other non-dual-intent visas—facing a forced exit.

<cite index="21-16,21-17">Immigration lawyers have advised that applicants may need more extensive legal preparation to meet the stricter requirements and navigate the revised procedures, with the changes also expected to place additional pressure on US embassies handling visa processing overseas.</cite>

What it means for Kenyans

For the estimated 150,000 Kenyan immigrants in the United States, the policy represents a significant shift in how permanent residency is obtained. Kenyans pursuing green cards through family sponsorship, employment, or diversity visa lottery wins will now need to factor in months abroad—away from US-based jobs, children in school, and spouses.

The changes come amid broader enforcement measures under the Trump administration. <cite index="1-1,1-9,1-10">US authorities have announced plans to deport Kenyans who have been convicted of crimes, with the group listed on a public database launched by the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) known as the "Worst of the Worst," which marks an escalation in the Trump administration's efforts to highlight immigration arrests and increase the visibility of its deportation agenda.</cite>

The cumulative effect of these policies—tighter adjustment rules, heightened deportation enforcement, and longer embassy wait times—creates new uncertainty for a diaspora community that has grown steadily over the past two decades and plays an outsized role in remittances to Kenya.

What comes next

US embassies in Nairobi and other East African cities are expected to see a surge in consular processing appointments. Wait times, already lengthy, could stretch further. Kenyan applicants are being urged to consult immigration attorneys early, prepare extensive documentation, and plan for extended stays in Kenya during the final stages of their green card applications.

For families with US-born children or established careers, the disruption is significant. The policy does not change eligibility for green cards—but it does change where and how that eligibility is adjudicated, introducing new logistical, financial, and emotional costs into a process that many had assumed they could complete without leaving American soil.

Reporting drawn from Mwakilishi, Migration Policy Institute, Daily Nation.