Standing on Their Own Two Feet: How the New Public Charge Rules Could Impact Non-European LPR Applicants

The Impact of Public Charge on Immigrants

According to the Department of Homeland Security, over one million individuals obtain lawful permanent resident (LPR) status each year. However, beginning in February of 2020, LPR applicants became subject to new Public Charge Rules that seek to bar admission to anyone who "is likely at any time to become a public charge" (8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(4)). Motivated by the misconception that immigrants overuse U.S. welfare benefits, the rules seek to employ unnecessary vetting criteria that are both unfair and unsafe.