Most Voters Back Applying for Green Cards While in U.S.

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  • Most voters support allowing non-citizens to apply for green cards while in the United States, unless they entered on tourist visas.
  • More than 7 in 10 say those working in the U.S. on valid work visas and those married to U.S. citizens should be able to apply for green cards while remaining in the U.S.
    • For each, about 1 in 5 voters say they should be required to return to their own countries to apply.
    • More than 8 in 10 Democrats say they should be able to apply for a green card in the U.S., along with about 2 out of 3 Republicans.
  • Strong majorities (at least 60%) say those studying in the United States on valid student visas, those who were brought here illegally as children, or those who have applied for asylum in the United States should be able to apply for green cards while in the U.S.
    • About one quarter say these applicants should be required to return to their home countries to apply.
  • A slim majority (52%) say those who entered illegally but have lived here for 10 years as upstanding members of their communities should be able to apply while remaining in the U.S.
    • Thirty-eight percent (38%) say the applicants should be required to return to their home countries to apply.
    • This group highlights a large partisan gap. While most Democrats (71%) support allowing the applicants to remain in the U.S., support among Republicans plummets to 34%.
  • For those who entered on tourist visas, just 38% say they should be able to remain in the U.S. while applying for green cards.
    • Half (50%) of voters say these applicants should be required to return to their home countries to apply.
    • Only a narrow majority (52%) of Democrats support allowing them to stay in the U.S.
    • Even fewer Republicans (24%) agree.
    • Two interesting outliers are voters under 35 and voters who prefer AOC-type policies; 58% of these two groups favor allowing those who entered on tourist visas to remain in the U.S. while applying for green cards.

This data is from a Napolitan News Service survey of 1,000 Registered Voters conducted online by Scott Rasmussen, June 1-2, 2026. RMG Research, Inc., conducted the field work for the survey. It has a margin of error of +/- 3.1.