New Delhi, May 23 -- The White House has moved to force most green card applicants out of the country to apply from abroad, but officials acknowledge the policy may not be applied uniformly, leaving immigration lawyers and hundreds of thousands of applicants in a state of uncertainty.

The Trump administration announced on Friday a sweeping change to one of the most widely used pathways to permanent residency in the United States, declaring that most immigrants already living in the country will now be required to leave and apply for green cards from abroad. However, officials have already signalled that the policy may not be applied equally to all applicants, with those deemed to provide an economic benefit to the country likely to be pe...