Public Charge

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on August 14, 2019, published a final rule in the Federal Register that, that will drastically alter how U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) adjudicates public charge inadmissibility. The new rule entered effectively on February 24, 2020, for USCIS and Consular Processing by the Department of State. 

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Green card applicants and other non-citizens seeking to enter the United States on certain visas are subject to the public charge ground of inadmissibility which looks at the likelihood an intending immigrant will rely on specified public benefits soon after their arrival in the United States. Someone who is deemed likely to become primarily dependent on the government for support may be denied a green card or visa on the basis that they are likely to become a public charge.