US Revises Green Card Process for 2 Categories of Applicants Waiting to File

• The US government announced a revision to part of its permanent residency process in the November 2026 Visa Bulletin
• The change targets employment-based and family-sponsored preference applicants waiting to file for adjustment of status
• USCIS said the revision aims to align how visa availability is determined for applicants inside and outside the US

The United States government has introduced a revision to part of its green card process, but the update is narrowly targeted and will not affect every applicant pursuing permanent residency.

The change was announced on the US Department of State's Visa Bulletin page for November 2026.

According to the bulletin, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), in coordination with the Department of State, is revising the procedures used to determine visa availability for a specific group: those waiting to file for adjustment of status under employment-based or family-sponsored preference categories.

Who the US' change affects

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To understand the scope of the revision, it helps to distinguish between two separate routes to a green card. Adjustment of status allows someone already living inside the United States to apply for permanent residency without leaving the country. Consular processing, by contrast, requires an applicant to attend an interview at a US embassy or consulate abroad, typically in their home country.

The revision only touches those pursuing adjustment of status who are still in the waiting stage, meaning individuals who have not yet submitted a formal application because a visa number has not become available to them. Outside this group, the change has no bearing. People already going through consular processing, those who have already filed their adjustment of status application, and anyone outside these two preference categories remain unaffected.

Closing the gap between two systems

The stated purpose behind the revision is to bring the adjustment of status process in line with the procedures the Department of State already applies to applicants seeking immigrant visas at US embassies and consulates overseas. At present, the two systems handle the question of visa availability differently. The government's goal is to standardise the approach so that how a visa number's availability is assessed does not vary depending on whether a person is applying from inside or outside the United States.

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The November 2026 Visa Bulletin does not set out the full revised procedures on its own page. Instead, it directs readers to a separate USCIS announcement titled "USCIS Announces Revised Procedures for Determining Visa Availability for Applicants Waiting to File for Adjustment of Status" for complete details.

For the two categories of applicants directly affected, keeping a close watch on updates from USCIS will be essential as the revised procedures take effect.

US sets age for green card holders to sponsor parents

Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that the US had clarified the minimum age a green card holder must reach before sponsoring a parent for permanent residence

The rule carries significant consequences for young immigrants who obtained their green card at an early age

Green card holders who have not yet reached the required age must wait before they can begin the sponsorship process

Source: YEN.com.gh