On Monday, January 27, 2020, the United States Supreme Court voted 5-4 to allow the Public Charge Rule to be implemented nationwide and abroad, with the exception of Illinois.
What is the Public Charge Rule? It is a ground of inadmissibility (reason to deny an application or petition) for individuals who have received public benefits or are likely to receive them in the future.
Affected application types include fiancé visas, green cards, changes and extensions of status, among others. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) will begin applying the new version of the Public Charge Rule to cases submitted or postmarked on and after February 24, 2020. USCIS will provide updated forms on its website the first week in February 2020. The Department of States has already implemented similar changes.
If you would like to file or are pending a case before USCIS or at an embassy or consulate abroad and would like to know how the changes to the Public Charge Rule could impact your case, please feel free to reach out to me, Elizabeth Cuenca, Tampa Immigration Attorney with any questions regarding this topic.