The Trump administration will move to deny visas and permanent residency applications if an immigrant has relatives who are considered a 'public charge', according to a fresh policy directive released on Tuesday by US Citizenship and Immigration Services. For context, the measure expands immigration scrutiny by instructing federal adjudicators to examine whether an applicant's family members have utilised social service programmes while residing in the United States.
Under the previous regulatory framework introduced in 2022 during the Biden administration, determining whether an immigrant was primarily dependent on government care remained focused on individual circumstances. The new USCIS memo shifts that balance, allowing caseworkers to look beyond the individual and weigh the government assistance accessed by their dependents.
