BREAKING:
The Trump administration has published new guidance requiring green card seekers to leave the U.S. and apply from outside of the United States. This move will severely harm and impact Iranian nationals in practice. Besides the imminent threat of continued war, the U.S. and Iran do not have formal diplomatic relations, meaning there is no U.S. embassy in Iran from which to apply for an adjustment of status – forcing Iranian nationals to travel to third countries to follow the rule.
We condemn this decision and have formally urged the administration to reverse course. For Iranians present in the United States who could be impacted by this change, we urge you to consult an immigration lawyer before making any decisions that could impact your status. Legal challenges to this order are expected and may prove successful. Our staff is ready to connect you with legal resources and can seek to answer your questions. Email us at: [email protected]. To learn more, see our FAQ here (English) (فارس).
🚨The Trump administration has announced it will review the status of all Iranian green card holders who entered the country after January 20, 2021, potentially revoking them, based on vague criteria — while also pausing all immigration and asylum applications filed by people from the 19 countries in the travel ban, including Iran.
If you are or could be impacted by these changes and are interested in litigation to challenge it, please fill out this form and a NIAC staff member will be in touch with you.
Read our comprehensive FAQ on what this means.
🚨 In the wake of a disturbing spike in racially motivated immigration arrests, deportations, and other Trump efforts to attack the immigration rights of Iranian Americans living in the U.S., we have created this FAQ for Iranian Americans focused on knowing your rights at home in the U.S., immigrant defense and preparedness.
We will update it to respond to current events as soon as able. Click below for initial details.
Resources
- FAQ: President Trump’s 2025 Travel Ban (English) (فارس)
- Watch: Deportation Defense Training ft. NYCLU and Asian Law Caucus
- IABA Resource: Overview of the 2025 Travel Ban (English)
- IABA’s Know Your Rights: Citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents Re-Entering the U.S. (English) (فارسی)
- Social Media Advisory Ahead of Travel Ban and Amid Escalating Legal Threats
- Memo: US Policy Challenges for Iranian Students, in Persian and English
- Detention Watch Network’s Toolkit to Fight Detention & Deportations
- ACLU’s Know Your Rights: Law Enforcement at the Airport, in Persian and English
- ACLU’s Know Your Rights: What to do with anti-Immigrant and anti-Muslim discrimination, in Persian and English
- ACLU’s Know Your Rights: Can Border Agents search for electronic devices? Available in English here
- ACLU’s Know Your Rights: What to do if you think you’re on a No Fly List, available in English here.
فارسی
GET SUPPORT
LEGAL
The following lawyers have experience dealing with the Iranian community and could offer legal services or advice:
Mahsa Khanbabai | مهسا خانبابایی
+1-508-297-2065 | [email protected] | Student, Employment, & Family immigration and Visas
Curtis Morrison | کورتیس موریسون
+1-858-343-2422 | Consular Representation and Adjustment of Status
Babak Yousefzadeh | بابک یوسف زاده
+1-415-774-3191 | [email protected] | Class Action
Layli Eskandari | لیلی اسکندری
+1-770-551-2700 | [email protected] | Family and Employment-based Immigration
Atessa Chehrazi | آتسا چهرازی
+1-415-986-4559 | [email protected] | Employment-based Immigration
Kelmer Neves |
202-893-4273 on WhatsApp| [email protected] | Immigration Law
List of Attorneys and Legal Organizations Offering Free and Low-Cost Legal Assistance – compiled by The Arab Resources & Organizing Center (AROC)
STATE SPECIFIC COMMUNITY RESOURCES
Legal Resources compiled by the Arab Resources & Organizing Center:
Legal Community Resources compiled by the New York Immigration Coalition:
Contact Us
Call or Text: 202.386.6325
Email: [email protected]
Share Your Story
Help us document the real-life impact of the ban – your stories will enable us to show the human cost and stand up to the ban.
Contact Congress
Urge your elected lawmakers to pass the NO BAN Act.
Become a NIAC Action Member
Join us to maximize the impact of Iranian Americans and the pro-peace community!
In The Media
- Washington Post: New rule requires most green-card applicants to apply from outside U.S.
- NPR: NIAC President Jamal Abdi speaks on Iran and Haiti qualification for the World Cup but face U.S. travel bans, affecting fans and players
- Middle East Eye: Foreign students, workers will now be forced to leave US to apply for Green Cards
- Truthout: FOIA Request Reveals Major Spike in ICE Arrests of Iranians Amid 2025 War on Iran
- LA Times: Behind the Trump administration’s detentions of L.A. Iranians
- San Francisco Chronicle: White House green card policy alarms Bay Area immigration advocates
- TIME: The Iranians Stuck Between ICE Detention and Deportation to War-Torn Homeland
- Middle East Eye: Hundreds of Iranian nationals detained by ICE amid June 2025 attack on Iran
- The Boston Globe: Trump’s green card policy shift sends Mass. immigration advocates reeling
- Truthout: Iranian Dies in ICE Custody as Trump Administration Bombs Iran
Press Inquiries
Phone: 202.386.6325
Email: [email protected]
POWER THIS WORK
As a grassroots organization, NIAC Action relies on individuals just like you to help us continue this important work. Make a contribution to ensure we have the resources to continue and power our efforts!