New US Immigration Rules for 2020: Everything You Need to Know

In 2019, a record number of foreigners received American citizenship over the past decade—834. In 000, foreign women gave birth to about 2017 children in the United States. The White House administration announced a decrease in the flow of immigrants into the country, the journalist writes "Voices of America" Maria Prus.

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Immigrating to the United States legally has become more difficult, and green card holders are now easier to deport. Earlier this year, the Donald Trump administration made immigration rules more stringent. Let's see what has changed.

New rules for those who want to get a green card

If you want to obtain the right to permanent residence, you may be denied this if you are deemed to be a "burden on society." This category includes people who for more than a year from the last 36 months have used the help of the state. In particular, these are:

• free health insurance;
• food coupons;
• subsidized housing;
• temporary assistance to needy families;
• financial assistance for people over 65 or with a disability.

New rules for green card holders

If you have a green card, that is, a residence permit in the USA, then under the new rules it can now be easier to deport you if:

• you do not indicate on your tax return that you are an immigrant or if you are hiding part of your income from the tax authorities;
• you are a male between the ages of 18 and 25 and you have not registered for military service in the United States;
• You are outside the United States for a long time. This can be perceived as a “rejection” of the green card.

Violating these rules out of ignorance cannot be written off as a “mistake”—migration services can deport you without the right to return to the United States.

Also, all these violations can cause a denial of citizenship.

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

New US Asylum Seeker Rules

If you want to get political asylum in the USA, then several rules have changed for you:

• refugees who cross the US border illegally will be denied;
• the period for reviewing applications for work permits has been extended - previously the migration service had to announce a decision within 30 days;
• asylum seekers must apply for an extension of the right to work 90 days before the end of the document;
• if the asylum application is denied, the right to work is automatically revoked;
• Refugees who enter the United States through another country and do not seek asylum there will be denied asylum in the United States.

Cancellation of legal maternity tourism

If you want to give birth to a child in the United States, thus granting him American citizenship, then you may now be denied an American visa. Giving birth in the United States is not illegal, but if the consulate determines that the primary purpose of the trip is to give birth in the United States, the visa may be denied. Because in this case, the woman applying for a tourist visa has lied about the intention of her trip and has a non-tourist purpose - giving birth to a child.

If you already had a visa and you gave birth while in the United States, then lawyers advise you to pay for all medical services yourself and not to get help from the state.

In addition, if you want to come to America for treatment, then in order to obtain a visa to receive medical services in the United States, you will need to prove your “ability and willingness” to pay for medical services yourself, as well as have a preliminary agreement with a doctor.

New restrictions for US citizens

If you are eligible for residence and want to obtain a US passport, that is, go through the naturalization process, then in 2020 the interview and test on knowledge of history and language will become more difficult. This test is administered by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS for short). Typically, he only tested basic knowledge of the country's history and a basic level of English. Now future citizens will be required to demonstrate superior English reading, writing and speaking skills, as well as knowledge of US history and government.

The immigration service has also expanded the list of violations due to which a foreigner will not be able to obtain an American passport. In addition to serious crimes, these are:

• drug conspiracy;
• tax avoidance;
• bank fraud;
• sexual harassment and bullying (harassment).

On the subject: 5 Ways to Get US Citizenship Most Immigrants Don't Know About

The increase in the cost of legal documents in the United States

Other innovations include increasing the cost of obtaining the right to work, green cards or citizenship (while it proposal pending: prices have not changed since 2016 - note ForumDaily):

— the application for citizenship (N-400) will increase in price from $640 to $1170;
— the application for a work permit (I-765) will become more expensive from $410 to $490;
— a petition to remove restrictions on permanent residence due to marriage (I-751) will increase from $595 to $760;
- Application for permission to return to the US for a legal resident if passport/visa is lost (I-193) - from $585 to $2205;
- application for the right to work with immigration status (I-129) - from $ 460 to $ 560-815 (depending on the type of visa);
— an application for asylum for refugees will cost $50 (was free).

Some categories of migration applications will become cheaper, in particular, an application for granting permanent resident status through an employer (I-140) will cost $ 545 instead of the current $ 700.

Many immigration forms have become available online this year - previously, all applications and all documents had to be sent by mail to the US Immigration Service. In particular, these are applications for a residence permit, the right to work, the right to work for immigration purposes, applications for asylum. You can monitor the status of your case online.

13 US states tried to appeal the new rules, but at the end of January the US Supreme Court supported the White House administration's initiatives. Therefore, most of these innovations begin to operate from February 24.

Also, the US Supreme Court upheld the legality of the government policy, according to which immigrants “who are likely at any time to demand maintenance at the expense of the state / become "public burden" (public charge) do not meet the conditions for acquiring the status of a permanent resident of the United States, obtaining a so-called green card. In other words, it is a kind of “wealth test” for immigrants.

Read also on ForumDaily:

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