The Trump administration is re-introducing the welfare and health test for U.S. green card applicants, Axios writes. The rule was blocked by an injunction in July due to the coronavirus, according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website.
The 2019 rule gives officials more authority to refuse green cards to applicants who the government believes rely or may rely on government benefits such as food stamps or housing vouchers. The rule was blocked in late July by a federal judge who found the decree hampered efforts to contain the coronavirus.
Citing statements from doctors and local officials who said that immigrants across the country were wary of jeopardizing their immigration status by seeking medical and government assistance during the pandemic, Judge George Daniels blocked the implementation of the policy during the COVID-19 emergency in the country. …
However, the Trump administration said on Tuesday that it is reintroducing a welfare test for green card applicants. This is expected to have serious implications for the roughly half million immigrants to the United States who receive green cards every year.
According to the new rule, the chances of an immigrant getting a green card are reduced:
- if the immigrant's income does not reach $ 76,700 for a family of five,
- for applicants over 61 or under 18,
- for job seekers with health problems — especially without insurance,
in the absence of private health insurance, - for non-full-time applicants and unemployed,
- for persons who do not speak English at a professional level,
- for those with a mortgage, car loan or credit card debt.
