public charge rule

Weekly Immigration News: Border Politics and the Washington Immigration Agenda

The child migrant detention complex is once again gripping the nation. For decades, the United States has faced the prospect of unaccompanied minors and families coming to the border seeking asylum, and for decades, the government has struggled to balance law enforcement with humanitarian interests. Although the Biden administration says it is handling the matter differently from Trump, the jury is out. Meanwhile, Congress may hold the key to...

Immigration in Pandemic Times, Election Edition

The election continues as issues of immigration are being heavily contested. How will our next president approach these serious issues? President-Elect Biden has promised to reinstate DACA and do away with the Muslim ban on his first day in office. His administration is also likely to undo many of the anti-immigrant changes made under Trump. This past Monday, a federal judge blocked the Trump administration’s attempts to enforce a...

Immigration in Pandemic Times; Vol. 1, No. 12

The coronavirus has severely damaged American health, finances, and stability. Immigrants have been one of the hardest-hit groups – what will the government do, if anything, to help? USCIS fee increases go into effect on October 2, 2020. People hoping to file for green cards through family or employment will also have to pay for interim benefits such as work and travel authorization, which substantially increases expected fees. Other...

New Document Requirements Due to Public Charge Rule

Due to the public charge rule that went into effect on February 24, 2020, applicants for adjustment of status will be asked to provide additional documents about their finances. This is due to a new filing requirements, Form I-944, which requests this information. As far as we can tell, here are the additional documents required: Credit report or evidence that you cannot obtain a credit report; Credit score (FICO...

USCIS Sets Effective Date for Public Charge Rule: Feb 24, 2020

Please note that the public charge rule only applies to new applicants for family-based adjustment of status, employment-based cases, diversity visas and non-immigrant visas. If you or your case does not fall into these specific categories, the public charge rule does not apply to you. USCIS has officially announced that the the public charge rule goes into effect on February 24, 2020 except for in the State of Illinois where...

Supreme Court Greenlights ‘Public Charge’ Rule

In a narrow 5-4 decision along ideological lines, the Supreme Court has given the Trump administration the greenlight to enforce a rule that could make it harder for certain immigrants to gain green cards in the United States.

USCIS Releases Forms for New Public Charge Rule

In September, the Trump administration announced new rules for identifying legal immigrants as potential “public charges,” making it harder for people to get green cards or citizenship if they use public benefits like Medicaid, food assistance and Section 8 housing vouchers. This is likely to pose a particular threat to immigrants with mental health issues, disabilities, elderly people, and immigrants with less financial resources. Now, USCIS has released new...