In a statement on Friday, June 3, USCIS announced an update to the public charge resources with the aim of reducing “undue fear and confusion among immigrants and their families, including US citizens and their children, that may prevent them from obtaining” available government services including COVID related health services.
USCIS is administering the public charge ground of inadmissibility consistent with the 1999 Interim Field Guidance. In the update, USCIS clarifies that “relatively few noncitizens” in the United States are subject to the public charge ground of inadmissibility and also eligible for the public benefits considered under the 1999 Interim Field Guidance.
Erickson Insights
The update from USCIS is consistent with President Biden’s Executive Order 14012, which stated the administration’s commitment to restoring trust in the legal immigration system. The DHS plans to publish a new final rule in July or August 2022, establishing new public charge ground of inadmissibility regulations. This new final rule will replace the 1999 Interim Field Guidance.