Trump’s new green card era: What changes for US immigrants

BY TN Ashok

For millions of immigrants living in the United States, the Trump administration’s tightening of immigration rules is creating a new maze of paperwork, scrutiny and uncertainty around the coveted Green Card. But there is one important date that needs to be disentangled from the Green Card debate.

December 18, 2026 is not the date on which the United States is replacing the existing Green Card registration system with Form I-485. Form I-485 is already the principal application used by eligible immigrants physically present in the United States to apply for adjustment of status to lawful permanent residence.

December 18 is significant for another reason: it is the statutory deadline for implementation of a new system of automatic Selective Service registration. The change shifts the burden from individual men to the government, which will use federal databases to register eligible men automatically. The Selective Service System says the change is designed to reduce the public burden and improve coverage. That is separate from the Green Card process.

So what is actually changing for Green Card applicants? The Trump administration has been moving toward a much more demanding immigration-screening regime. One strand is the renewed emphasis on the alien-registration requirement under the Immigration and Nationality Act. In 2025, President Trump ordered the Department of Homeland Security to enforce the existing statutory requirement more aggressively. USCIS subsequently created Form G-325R, Biographic Information (Registration), allowing certain previously unregistered immigrants to register online.

This registration should not be confused with obtaining a Green Card. Registration does not confer immigration status, work authorization or permanent residence. USCIS explicitly says that registration documentation creates no immigration status or immigration benefit. The distinction is crucial. An immigrant can therefore be required to register with DHS while separately applying for permanent residence through Form I-485.

Who is already considered registered? USCIS has made the registration system broader than many immigrants may realise. Lawful permanent residents are already registered. So are many people who entered the United States legally with an immigrant or non-immigrant visa and received an I-94, people granted parole, people issued employment authorization documents and people who have filed certain immigration applications, including Form I-485, and have been fingerprinted where required.

That means an immigrant who has already gone through the formal U.S. immigration system may not have to submit the new G-325R registration form at all. Those who do need to register must generally create an individual USCIS online account and submit G-325R electronically. USCIS can then require biometric collection before issuing proof of registration. For immigrants aged 18 and above who are required to register, the proof of registration must be carried in their personal possession.

What about Form I-485? This is where the Trump administration’s broader policy shift becomes important. An immigrant already in the United States who is eligible for adjustment of status normally uses Form I-485 rather than leaving the country to obtain an immigrant visa through a U.S. consulate.

USCIS describes adjustment of status as the process through which an eligible foreign national changes from a temporary immigration status to lawful permanent resident status while remaining in the United States.

But the administration has sharply emphasised that adjustment of status is not an automatic entitlement. In May 2026, USCIS issued guidance stating that adjustment of status would be granted only in “extraordinary circumstances” in situations covered by the new policy, with nonimmigrants generally expected to leave the United States and pursue immigrant visas abroad.

That represents a potentially profound change in the practical attractiveness of adjustment of status. For an immigrant already working, studying, married or raising children in America, remaining in the United States while the Green Card application is processed is enormously valuable. Being required to leave and complete the process through a consulate can mean disruption to employment, family life and residence. The public-charge test adds another layer. Another significant development is the administration’s renewed use of the public-charge ground of inadmissibility.

USCIS has announced updated guidance effective September 18, 2026 for covered Form I-485 applications submitted on or after that date. The assessment is intended to examine whether an applicant is likely to become primarily dependent on government assistance. The assessment can consider factors including age, health, family circumstances, assets, financial resources, education and skills. The new approach also expands the types of public benefits that can be relevant.

For applicants, this potentially means another substantial documentary burden. Financial circumstances may have to be explained more carefully. Applicants could face greater scrutiny over their ability to support themselves, their family circumstances and their past or current use of certain government benefits. In some cases, the administration has indicated that applicants could be required to post a bond to demonstrate that they will not become a public charge.

Is the new system better for the government? From the government’s perspective, the answer is clearly yes. The Trump administration’s philosophy is to transform immigration processing from a relatively paperwork-driven eligibility system into a much more comprehensive screening mechanism.

Digital registration gives DHS more information about people living in the country. Biometrics help establish identity. Cross-checking government databases allows agencies to compare information supplied by applicants with information already held by the government.

Financial scrutiny attempts to identify applicants who may become dependent on public assistance. And stronger discretion over adjustment of status gives immigration officers greater control over who is allowed to complete the permanent-residence process from inside the United States.

The government’s argument is therefore one of efficiency, identity verification, fraud prevention and enforcement. The Selective Service’s own automatic-registration programme illustrates the same philosophy from a different angle: instead of requiring individuals to navigate a separate registration process, the government intends to use existing federal data systems to identify eligible people automatically.

But is it better for the immigrant? That is much less clear. For a legally documented immigrant with a strong employment history, adequate income, clean immigration record and straightforward family circumstances, greater digitisation could make the process more organised and reduce some repetitive paperwork.

USCIS itself says online filing can be easier and faster than paper filing. But for applicants with complicated histories, the opposite could be true.

More information means more opportunities for inconsistencies to be discovered. More financial scrutiny means more documentation. More biometric and security screening can mean additional appointments. Greater officer discretion can mean less predictability.