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Public Charge Inadmissibility – Summary of New Rule (2/24)
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</h3><h4><i>by <a href=”http://discuss.ilw.com/articles/articles/393112-article-public-charge-inadmissibility-%E2%80%93-summary-of-new-rule-2-24-by-wolfsdorf-rosenthal-llp#bio”>
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Wolfsdorf Rosenthal LLP
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<div class=”fusion-text”><p><strong>THE ISSUE</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Effective February 24, 2020, DHS will consider the likelihood that nonimmigrant and immigrant applicants may become financially dependent upon government assistance as <u>grounds for inadmissibility</u>.</li>
<li>Under the new rule, a foreign national who receives <u>one or more public benefits for 12 months during a 36-month period will be considered a public charge</u>. For green card applicants, DHS will also implement a “<u>totality of circumstances</u>” test, which aims to evaluate whether an applicant is likely to become a “public charge” in the future.</li>
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<p><strong>NON-IMMIGRANT VISA APPLICANTS</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Nonimmigrants seeking an extension of status or change of status will be required to disclose certain public benefits they have received or are certified to receive on USCIS Form I-129, Part 6 (<em>see</em> <u>Table A</u> below). Foreign nationals should be aware that this information will be shared with their employer, as it is included on Form I-129, Petition for Nonimmigrant Worker.</li>
</ul>
<p style=”text-align: center; padding-left: 40px;”>
</p><div id=”tablepress-11_wrapper” class=”dataTables_wrapper no-footer”><table id=”tablepress-11″ class=”tablepress tablepress-id-11 dataTable no-footer” role=”grid”>
<thead>
<tr class=”row-1 odd” role=”row”><th class=”column-1 sorting_disabled” rowspan=”1″ colspan=”1″ style=”width: 1084px;”>Table A – Public Charge Benefits Impacting Nonimmigrant Visa Applicants </th></tr>
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<tbody>
<tr class=”row-2 even” role=”row”>
<td class=”column-1″>Any Federal, State, local or tribal cash assistance for income maintenance</td>
</tr><tr class=”row-3 odd” role=”row”>
<td class=”column-1″>Supplemental Security Income (SSI)</td>
</tr><tr class=”row-4 even” role=”row”>
<td class=”column-1″>Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)<br>
</td>
</tr><tr class=”row-5 odd” role=”row”>
<td class=”column-1″>General Assistance (GA)</td>
</tr><tr class=”row-6 even” role=”row”>
<td class=”column-1″>Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly called “Food Stamps”)</td>
</tr><tr class=”row-7 odd” role=”row”>
<td class=”column-1″>Section 8 Housing Assistance under the Housing Choice Voucher Program</td>
</tr><tr class=”row-8 even” role=”row”>
<td class=”column-1″>Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance (including Moderate Rehabilitation)</td>
</tr><tr class=”row-9 odd” role=”row”>
<td class=”column-1″>Public Housing under the Housing Act of 1937, 42 U.S.C. 1437 et seq.</td>
</tr><tr class=”row-10 even” role=”row”>
<td class=”column-1″>Federally Funded Medicaid</td>
</tr></tbody>
</table></div>
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<p><b>IMMIGRANT VISA APPLICANTS</b></p>
<ul>
<li><b></b>Immigrant applicants will be evaluated based on a “totality of circumstances” test that aims to determine whether the applicant is currently a “public charge” or likely to become “public charge” in the future (<em>see</em> <u>Table B</u> below).</li>
<li>The new public charge rule applies to foreign nationals applying for the green card through an <u>Adjustment of Status</u> application or <u>Immigrant Visa Processing</u> at an U.S. Consulate abroad. Adjustment of Status applicants will need to complete USCIS’s new and lengthy, Form I-944, Declaration of Self-Sufficiency.</li>
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<tr class=”row-1 odd” role=”row”><th class=”column-1 sorting_disabled” rowspan=”1″ colspan=”1″ style=”width: 1084px;”>Table B –Totality of Circumstances Test for Immigrant Visa Applicants</th></tr>
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<td class=”column-1″>Household income & financial status</td>
</tr><tr class=”row-3 odd” role=”row”>
<td class=”column-1″>Household assets & resources </td>
</tr><tr class=”row-4 even” role=”row”>
<td class=”column-1″>Household liabilities and debts (including mortgages, car loans, credit card debt, education related loans, tax debts, liens, personal loans, and “other”)</td>
</tr><tr class=”row-5 odd” role=”row”>
<td class=”column-1″>Credit history & score</td>
</tr><tr class=”row-6 even” role=”row”>
<td class=”column-1″>Bankruptcy </td>
</tr><tr class=”row-7 odd” role=”row”>
<td class=”column-1″>Health insurance status</td>
</tr><tr class=”row-8 even” role=”row”>
<td class=”column-1″>Education and skills</td>
</tr><tr class=”row-9 odd” role=”row”>
<td class=”column-1″>Receipt of certain public benefits (outlined in Table A)</td>
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</table></div>
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<p><strong>Are any public benefits excluded from the public charge rule? </strong>Yes, see <u>Table C</u> below.</p>
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<th class=”column-1″>Table C – Public Charge Benefits Excluded From the Public Charge Rule </th>
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<td class=”column-1″>Unemployment benefits</td>
</tr>
<tr class=”row-3 odd”>
<td class=”column-1″>Benefits earned through payroll tax</td>
</tr>
<tr class=”row-4 even”>
<td class=”column-1″>Social Security disability benefits </td>
</tr>
<tr class=”row-5 odd”>
<td class=”column-1″>Federal or state retirement benefits, including Social Security retirement benefits</td>
</tr>
<tr class=”row-6 even”>
<td class=”column-1″>Tax deductions and health insurance tax credits under the Affordable Care Act</td>
</tr>
<tr class=”row-7 odd”>
<td class=”column-1″>Medicare benefits</td>
</tr>
<tr class=”row-8 even”>
<td class=”column-1″>Medicaid received by persons under 21, pregnant women or new mothers (up to 60 days after birth), and persons with emergency medical conditions</td>
</tr>
<tr class=”row-9 odd”>
<td class=”column-1″>The Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)</td>
</tr>
<tr class=”row-10 even”>
<td class=”column-1″>School-based services for primary and secondary students, including lunches</td>
</tr>
<tr class=”row-11 odd”>
<td class=”column-1″>Disaster relief benefits </td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
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<p style=”text-align: center;”>Wolfsdorf Rosenthal LLP is able to offer expert legal advice on the new public charge rule, including advanced issues such as exceptions to the rule, positively weighted factors, and financial thresholds. Please contact your WR Representative for an in-depth consultation.</p>
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<p>This post originally appeared on <a href=”https://wolfsdorf.com/blog/2020/02/26/public-charge-inadmissibility/” target=”_blank”>Wolfsdorf Rosenthal LLP</a>. Reprinted with permission.</p>
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About The Author<br/>
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<b>Wolfsdorf Rosenthal LLP</b> is a full-service, top-rated immigration law firm providing exceptional immigration and visa services. With over 30 years of experience and offices in Los Angeles, New York, Oakland, San Francisco, Santa Monica, and Shanghai, the firm specializes in providing global immigration solutions for investors, multinational corporations, small businesses, academic and research institutions, artists and individuals. Wolfsdorf Rosenthal attorneys are experts in their field and are featured contributors and speakers at local, national and global immigration forums and publications. They are also consistently recognized for their work and honored by the most prestigious awards on a national and global level.
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