- United States President has announced new immigration rules.The rules will apply to immigrants who enter the country legally and then apply for Green Card.
- Green Card is an identification card which gives one the status of a permanent resident along with legal rights to work in the USA.
- The rules change a 1999 law which defines a criteria the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officials have been using to decide which immigrants qualify for green cards.
- Currently,the rules require those seeking green cards to prove they will not be a burden to the United States or what’s called a public charge.
- The criteria will now be expanded to include restrictions on using public assistance including food stamps, Medicaid and subsidized housing. Other factors are also considered for the first time including credit scores,debt and English proficiency among other things.
- The rules will be applied from October,2019.They don’t apply to U.S. citizens even if the U.S. citizen is related to an immigrant who is subject to them.
- These rules are part of US President efforts to curb both legal and illegal immigration and is derived from the Immigration Act of 1882 that allows the US government to deny a visa to anyone likely to become a public charge.
