October 1, 2018
The New Immigration rule
The United States administration is proposing a regulation that would give visa officers more powers to refuse temporary and Permanent Residence visas to foreign nationals on the basis of excessive demand on US social services.
A foreign national who is legally entitled to receive Medicaid, Section 8 housing vouchers and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which is commonly known as food stamps maybe refused admission, as they are, in the opinion of the US government, could cause excessive stress on the US social services.
The difference between what’s proposed and today’s law
The current guidelines, which are in place since 1999, would not preclude a prospective immigrant from Permanent or temporary residency, if they received such non-cash benefits from immigrating to the United States or staying in the country permanently.
Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen said to Reuters that the new directive will promote immigrants’ self-sufficiency and will reduce the burden on the finite resources available to immigrants.
Should an immigrant’s application be weighed down by their consumption of the services listed above, they may be eligible to post a bond equal to or greater than USD$10,000 to avoid inadmissibility.
The proposed regulation will be published in the Federal Register in a few weeks. It is worthy to point that this regulation does not require Congress approval.
Exemptions
The proposed regulation will exclude immigrants who are using home heating aid; the widely used earned-income tax credit; WIC, a federal program that feeds poor pregnant or nursing women and their children; and Head Start, which provides early education to low-income children.
