New Delhi, May 30 -- The Department of Homeland Security moved on Friday to partially reverse course on a widely criticised announcement from the previous week, clarifying that not every immigrant seeking a green card would be required to return to their home country to complete the application process, and that decisions would instead rest with individual immigration officers on a case-by-case basis.

The confusion stems from a US Citizenship and Immigration Services news release issued the previous week, which appeared to overturn a longstanding policy that permits immigrants to remain on American soil while awaiting permanent residency. That release stated, with limited qualification, that applicants would henceforth be required to lea...