Public Charge 101
September 2018 | View the "Public Charge 101" Fact Sheet (PDF)
Pursuant to Section 212(a)(4) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), any individual seeking admission to the United States, or applying for green card, is ineligible if he/she is likely to become a “public charge.â€
What is a “public charge�
A “public charge†is an individual who is likely to become dependent on government benefits for his/her survival.
Why do we have public charge laws?
The colonists who settled the United States firmly believed that, except in exigent circumstances, failing to care for one’s self imposed an unfair burden on one’s neighbors. Able-bodied members of the community were not typically assisted by taxpayers unless they also worked. And only children, the elderly and the sick, who were also without friends or family to care for them, were supported at taxpayer expense without being required to work.
https://fairus.org/issue/societal-impact/public-charge-101
