The 'Public Burden' rule has come into force: the main thing an immigrant needs to know

Effective February 24, 2020, USCIS will enforce the Public Burden Final Rule nationwide, including in Illinois, following a "legal victory" overturning that state's ban, its website said. USCIS.

Photo: Shutterstock

In light of the U.S. Supreme Court decision of February 21, 2020 to suspend the ban in Illinois, USCIS will now apply the Final Rule to all petitions and petitions sent by mail or electronically no later than February 24, 2020. For applications and petitions sent by a commercial courier (e.g. UPS / FedEx / DHL), the date of the postmark is the date indicated on the courier's receipt.

The final rule, published on August 14, 2019 and originally scheduled to take effect on October 15, 2019, prescribes how the Department of Homeland Security will determine the basis for which an alien is an inadmissible person and is ineligible to adjust his or her status to that of a lawful permanent resident. because it may become a “public charge” at any time, pursuant to Section 212(a)(4) of the Immigration and Nationality Act.

The Final Rule also refers to the authority of USCIS to issue collateral bonds for status change applicants. Finally, the rule includes a requirement that foreigners who wish to extend their non-immigrant stay or change their status demonstrate that they have not received public goods beyond the established threshold from the moment they receive non-immigrant status, which they seek to extend or change.

More information is available on the website. USCISincluding update USCIS Policy Guides.

On the subject: Rule of 'Public Burden': New USCIS Forms and Requirements for Immigrants

Trump will usually affect immigrants

Starting February 24, the United States will begin to block the path to green cards and some visas to more foreigners based on the assumptions of the US presidential administration about whether these people will ever be able to burden taxpayers, writes Axios.

Why is this important? First and foremost, the long-awaited “Public Charge” rule will effectively be a wealth and health test that could prevent hundreds of thousands of people from making the United States their rightful home.

• Technically, the Public Charge rule targets immigrants who U.S. officials predict may qualify for certain government benefits at any time in the future.
• In fact, the new rule could make it difficult for the middle-income people in the United States to travel lawfully, as well as those who suffer from illnesses or experience poverty.
• The fact of applying for a green card will be counted against such an applicant by the Department of Homeland Security.

"It's as if the administration is saying, 'Let's get as close as possible to the 1924 law that limited immigration from anywhere in the world except Northern Europe,'" said Doug Rand, co-founder of Boundless Immigration, who previously worked on immigration policy in the Obama White House.

Factors that may reduce an immigrant’s chances of receiving a green card:

• Income is below the 250% poverty line, or $ 76 for a family of 700 people. This means that some middle-income families will be affected, as income of $ 5 for a family of 58 is considered middle-income, according to the Pew Research Center.
• Age over 61 years or under 18 years.
• Health problems, especially in the absence of insurance.
• Lack of private health insurance.
• The applicant is not a full-time student or does not work.
• The applicant does not speak fluent English.
• Mortgage, car loan or credit card debt.

Immigrants who have used the specified benefits for a certain amount for 3 years starting February 24, 2020 will almost certainly be denied a green card or entry to the United States.

The big picture: the administration will begin to restrict all green card applicants and some visa applicants who are deemed likely to be eligible for benefits such as Supplemental Nutrition Program (SNAP), housing vouchers or Medicaid at any time in the future.

• Experts say the DHS and State Department rule radically redefines what it means to be a “public charge.”
• Immigration officials will now consider a set of positive and negative factors that, according to the government, can determine whether immigrants will ever rely on certain public goods.
• According to experts, the decisions will mainly be left to the discretion of individual officers. The US Citizenship and Immigration Services said they "disagree with the statement that the rule provides too much freedom of action for judges."

Between the lines: almost none of those who arrived in the United States on a short-term visa has the right to receive public goods, so the vast majority of these people will not be affected by the new rule.

The new rule does not apply to humanitarian immigrants such as refugees, asylum seekers and victims of trafficking.

But anyone applying for a green card — plus an unpredictable number of more than 12 million annual tourists, business travelers, international students and temporary workers visiting from abroad — will now have to fill out additional paperwork with personal details that can determine whether their candidacies will be approved.

“Health, education, family size, income, resources and public goods will be taken into account,” warns the Migration Policy Institute (MPI) website. It also states that "certain factors will be heavily weighted, for example, if income or resources of at least 250 percent of the poverty line are assessed positively, then current or recent use of the specified public goods will be weighted as a very negative factor," it adds Newsweek.

On the subject: The court ordered the return of deported illegal immigrants to the United States and pay them compensation

In numbers: up to 400 people may lose their green cards or visas each year due to new rules, according to Rand.

In 2018, the State Department introduced a limited version of this guidance for consular officers. In the same financial year, there were four times more refusals to potential public charge applicants than in 2017.

What the authorities say: Now the new information needed to apply for a green card and some visas is extensive, detailed and personal.

Many law firms and lawyers representing businesses and employees are concerned that this could violate state or local privacy laws, said Axios Jesse Bless, Federal Director of the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

“This is all part of the invisible wall that the administration is building,” Bless said. “They make it so onerous that employers or individuals who might sponsor family members don't do it.”

What to look for: the court will have more legal problems that may violate the implementation of the new rules.

Statistical Forecast

Although the Institute for Migration Policy notes that it’s “impossible to know exactly” who will be denied admission to the US or a change in status according to the criteria of the US government, the MPI analysis paints a picture of who may be threatened with denial.

“Using census data to review the characteristics of current green card holders, MPI found that 43% are not working or attending school; 39% speak little or no English; 33% have incomes below 125 percent of the poverty line; 25% do not have a high school diploma, and 12% have incomes below 125% of the poverty level and are under 18 or over 61 years of age,” MPI said.

“Among current green card holders, 69% have at least one of these negative factors; 43% have at least two; and 17% have at least three, the Institute says. “So most applicants will fall into a gray area with some positives and some negatives, highlighting how unpredictable and individual the process can be.”

Already, immigrant advocacy groups are warning that months before the Public Charge rule was scheduled to take effect, it was already having an impact on immigrants.

An Institute report released last year found that even in 2018, one in seven adults (13,7%) in immigrant households said they or at least one family member decided not to participate in the benefit program “because fear of risking future legal status.”

Among adults in low-income families, this figure was even higher: one in five (20,7%) adults said they were too afraid to claim benefits, fearing a negative impact on getting a green card or visa.

Even among non-US citizens who are already permanent residents and will not be affected by this rule, polls showed signs of a “fright effect”. Researchers argue that "although the proposed rule does not affect these groups of people, we still find that 14,7% of adults in families in which all non-citizens are permanent residents do not participate in the benefits program."

On the subject: Note to the immigrant: all types of green cards and the grounds for receiving them

Despite widespread backlash to the rule, USCIS appeared to celebrate a "legal victory" for the Trump administration after it received Supreme Court approval to extend the policy to Illinois, as the agency's website put it.

Illinois was not the only state in which they tried to prevent the rule from taking effect. After his attempt to sue the Trump administration failed in the Supreme Court, California Governor Gavin Newsome said the consequences of this rule would be “devastating” for residents of his state.

“Because of the Public Charge rule, families are already going hungry and people are avoiding needed health care,” Newsom said in a January statement. “California will continue to fight these efforts that terrorize immigrant families.”

Earlier, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services published revised and updated forms that comply with the final rule on the inadmissibility of a “social burden,” which will be implemented by the US Department of Homeland Security and USCIS on February 24, 2020. Starting from the indicated date, applicants and petitioners will have to use new edition forms.

Read also on ForumDaily:

USCIS Changes US Visa Application Process: New Details

Trump has expanded an immigration ban to one of the post-Soviet countries: what you need to know

Do immigrants need to file tax returns in the US and how to do it right

5 USCIS innovations in 2020 to make life difficult for legal immigrants

Do you want more important and interesting news about life in the USA and immigration to America? — support us donate! Also subscribe to our page Facebook. Select the “Priority in display” option and read us first. Also, don't forget to subscribe to our РєР ° РЅР ° Р »РІ Telegram  and Instagram- there is a lot of interesting things there. And join thousands of readers ForumDaily New York — there you will find a lot of interesting and positive information about life in the metropolis.