The US has tightened control over Green Card: how it affects Ukrainians
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On December 26, 2025, new rules for controlling the entry and stay of foreigners, including Green Card holders, came into force in the United States. They were introduced by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), writes Newsweek.

New measures adopted by the Presidential Administration Donald Trump. The US authorities explain them by the need to strengthen national security and modernize border control using modern technologies.

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The rules allow federal authorities to more closely monitor the international travel of foreigners, including permanent residents of the United States, and also provide for enhanced checks for citizens of certain countries.

What has changed

1. Biometric control at entry and exit

From now on, all non-U.S. citizens, including Green Card holders, will be photographed at every border crossing – at airports, seaports, and land checkpoints.

The new rules apply to children under 14 and persons over 79 who were previously exempt from such procedures.

By decision of the Border Guard Service, they can also take fingerprints and scan the iris.

Biometric data will be checked against documents within the traveler verification system.

2. Enhanced Green Card verification for citizens of 19 countries

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is conducting an in-depth review of Green Cards already issued to citizens of 19 countries that are recognized as having increased security risks.

The list includes, in particular, Afghanistan, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Haiti, Cuba, Venezuela, Turkmenistan, and other countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

The reason is doubts about the previous procedures for verifying and granting residence permits.

For Green Card holders, this means:

→ mandatory biometric checks at every entry and exit from the United States;
→ intensified border surveys, especially for citizens of 19 designated countries;
→ the need to have all documents in order and to respond quickly to requests from the authorities; possible delays in processing new or already submitted visa or Green Card applications.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) explained that the biometric system will help fight terrorism, detect the use of fake or false documents, combat overstaying in the U.S., and eliminate errors or inaccuracies in traveler data.

The implementation of the biometric system will take three to five years. First, it will cover major airports, and then land and sea checkpoints.

The DHS and USCIS are expected to publish additional clarifications regarding Green Card inspections and possible new document requirements.

Ukrainian citizens are subject to the general new rules, but not to enhanced control.