US to enforce new regulation that could deny green cards to immigrants

The United States will begin the implementation of public charge regulation from February 24 following the Supreme Court ruling to lift the final injunction. The enforcement of the regulation could deny green cards or legal permanent residency to legal immigrants who seek public benefits above a certain threshold known as ‘public charge’. 

The move will affect migrants who nationals of foreign countries who are on H-1B visas and seeking permanent legal residency in the United States. The decision will not only prohibit the legal migrants from receiving green cards but also bar foreign nationals from entering the United States if they are found likely to become public charges.

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The decision to fully implement the regulation came after the Supreme Court’s decision to lift the remaining injunction on the public charge regulation on February 21. “As a result, the Department of Homeland Security will be able to implement its regulation on Monday,” said the White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham in a statement.

“This final rule will protect hardworking American taxpayers, safeguard welfare programs for truly needy Americans, reduce the Federal deficit, and re-establish the fundamental legal principle that newcomers to our society should be financially self-reliant and not dependent on the largess of United States taxpayers,” said Grisham.

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Emphasis on self-reliance

The White House considers the decision to regulate green cards on the basis of public charge as a massive benefit for the American workers and taxpayers. According to the new regulations, the foreigners seeking entry or permanent residency in the United States must be financially self-reliant and not dependent on public benefits.

The final rule, published in August 2019, was scheduled to come into effect on October 15, 2019, but various court rulings and injunctions delayed it. The Trump administration has long maintained that self-reliance has been a core principle of the United States which will also help promote immigrant success in the United States.

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