Resources
Publication Date
09/16/2022
This advisory provides an introduction to the Affidavit of Support including various ways to meet the financial requirements, different types of sponsors who may submit Affidavits of Support, who is considered a “household member” for purposes of the Affidavit of Support, and exemptions to the Affidavit of Support.
Resources
Publication Date
06/11/2019
Under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), any noncitizen who “within five years from the date of entry, has become a public charge from causes not affirmatively shown to have arisen since entry is deportable.” In current practice, this ground of deportability rarely comes up in pending removal proceedings or as a reason for the initiation of removal proceedings.
Resources
Publication Date
09/27/2021
This succinct resource provides core messages you can share with the community about public charge.
Resources
Publication Date
10/03/2019
This one-hour training, specifically for education and outreach providers, discusses what public charge is, who is affected by it, and what the new changes mean for immigrant families. This session includes a discussion on how to conduct outreach and education on public charge to immigrant community members.
Resources
Publication Date
12/17/2019
It is important to remember that immigration law and regulations exempt some categories of immigrants from public charge inadmissibility and provide many types of immigration status that are not subject to the public charge ground of inadmissibility. This advisory provides an overview of the exemptions to public charge inadmissibility and the forms of relief a client may seek without being subject to a public charge test. It also discusses public charge issues to keep in mind when advising immigrants who may be considering adjustment of status or consular processing through a family or employer petition after having a status that is not subject to public charge inadmissibility. Understanding these considerations will help advocates best counsel their clients and prepare applications in the current climate of uncertainty surrounding public charge policy.
Resources
Publication Date
02/04/2020
This one-hour training, recorded on February 4, 2020, provides updates on what the U.S. Supreme Court's January 27, 2020 order regarding the Department of Homeland Security's new public charge inadmissibility rule means for our clients and the immigrant community. We also discuss what we know and what questions remain at this juncture, suggestions for how to talk about this latest development regarding public charge, and initial thoughts about how to approach adjustment of status cases in light of these changes. Adjustment cases filed with USCIS before February 24, 2020 will be decided based on old criteria in effect before the new rule.
Resources
Publication Date
09/28/2021
This FAQ on public charge can be used to help education and outreach workers present information about public charge to community members and/or as a handout for audience members from the community.
Resources
Publication Date
04/06/2020
These printable resources are concise handouts that serve as reminders for those in the immigrant community that are anxious about accessing healthcare or getting treatment related to the coronavirus (Covid-19) due to the potential impact on their Public Charge assessment. They are in English and in Spanish and include links to know your rights and locate legal service providers in your area.
Resources
Publication Date
09/27/2021
This provides 5 essential facts to know about public charge if you are a green card holder (LPR), if you are undocumented, or if you are applying to sponsor a family member for immigration.
Resources
Publication Date
09/27/2021
Contact tracing is a public health program that helps slow the spread of infectious diseases, like COVID-19 (coronavirus). Because COVID-19 is very contagious, many states have implemented contact tracing programs to protect communities from the virus. California launched California Connected, its contact tracing program, in May 2020. This resource, which describes the California Connected program in Q&A format, highlights issues of interest to the immigrant community, including the language competency of contact tracers, the confidentiality of shared personal information, and public charge considerations.
Resources
Publication Date
09/13/2021
This timeline provides a quick, visual summary of the changes to public charge policy at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of State (DOS) from January 2018 through July 29, 2021.
Resources
Publication Date
09/30/2021
This overview of public charge and immigration law summarizes what public charge is and how it affects noncitizens, provides a glossary of key public charge and immigration law terms, and explains the public charge rules and legal challenges.
Resources
Publication Date
09/10/2021
In 2020 and 2021, the ILRC generated three distinct social media pushes on public charge and four “breaking news” graphics to educate the immigrant community on policy developments and related issues. In this resource, we share information on those pushes and links to the graphics on Instagram as inspiration for social media posts other organizations or advocates may wish to share or create, depending on their audience.
Resources
Publication Date
10/21/2021
This sample community meeting PowerPoint slide deck can be used to help education and outreach workers present information about public charge to community members. The PowerPoint slides are notated with what you can say as you present. We also include Sample Audience Questions and Answers that education and outreach workers can use when responding to questions from community members about public charge.
Resources
Publication Date
05/04/2021
This new handout, written for youth and families with questions about the “public charge” rule, provides an overview of public charge and answers common questions about its application.
Resources
Publication Date
05/24/2021
This handout provides a list of some of the most common public benefits programs that do not count for public charge. Whether or not public charge applies to you and no matter your immigration status, the programs on this list are safe to use.
Resources
Publication Date
02/25/2022
This toolkit is designed to assist education and outreach workers presenting public charge information to immigrant community members. Some of the materials in the toolkit have a California focus or include California-specific details, but all materials remain useful for a national audience. Our goal is to spread accurate information about what public charge is and who is impacted by it, to help reverse the chilling effect from the Trump public charge rule which is no longer in effect.
Resources
Publication Date
03/09/2022
This is an archived collection of comments the ILRC has submitted related to proposed regulations (“rules”) regarding public charge and the affidavit of support.
Resources
Publication Date
05/04/2022
This advisory provides practitioners with current information about the public charge ground of inadmissibility, including addressing what is public charge, who does it apply to, how is public charge evaluated, and could being a public charge make someone deportable.
Resources
Publication Date
08/29/2022
In California, there are several state and local programs that help California families, including immigrants, meet their basic needs. These programs often play an important role by extending benefits to immigrants who are not eligible for federal benefit programs. This resource gives an overview of some of the public benefits that are available to immigrants in California to access education, healthcare, food assistance, and other important necessities.
Resources
Publication Date
09/08/2022
Many undocumented immigrants are now eligible for Medi-Cal. This bilingual, two-sided flyer is meant to provide a quick overview of eligibility and key notes regarding the healthcare benefit. Included are also links for identifying registration directories as well as a national directory for free or low-cost immigration legal services.
Publication
Families & Immigration: A Practical Guide is an essential tool for practitioners who assist in all aspects of family-sponsored immigration. This resource is designed for everyday practice by new and seasoned immigration attorneys, immigration paralegals, community-based organizations, and family immigration advocates.
Video
During this webinar, we provided an update on public charge policies after the new inadmissibility rule from Department of Homeland Security (DHS) took effect and the new inadmissibility rule from Department of State was implemented. We discussed the various policies impacting immigrants and their families’ access to health care and other programs and took a closer look at the new DHS and DOS rules and who they affect. This webinar was designed for those conducting outreach and providing information to immigrants in a non-legal capacity.
Video
Bewildered by the many policy changes and litigation efforts surrounding public charge? Unsure if you’re prepared to counsel and advise clients on how public charge could impact their ability to get a family-based green card or visa to enter the United States? Join us as we discuss the challenges our immigrant clients are currently facing around public benefits and immigration status, and strategies to help clients overcome public charge concerns at various administrative agencies. This webinar will review the latest developments in public charge policy and regulations under the Trump administration. We will cover the public charge grounds of inadmissibility and deportability in detail, offering tools to evaluate your clients’ cases and prepare strong cases on their behalf.
Video
During the COVID-19 pandemic, with shelter-in-place orders and social distancing protocols, it has become more difficult to reach the immigrant community to share information about immigration policies and access to resources. At the same time, given the economic devastation of COVID-19 for many immigrant families, it has never been more important to talk about what supportive services immigrants can obtain and how accessing services may or may not impact immigration legal opportunities in the United States.
Webinar
LPRs are often worried about how public charge might impact them or their family members. Importantly, there is no public charge test to naturalize. Nonetheless, LPRs seek guidance about travel, petitioning family members, and possible grounds for deportation. Log in to this webinar to give the best advice to LPRs around these critical questions. This webinar will assume basic knowledge of the public charge rule.
Video
In response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, federal, state, and local governments are creating relief programs to provide services and resources to community members facing health and financial challenges. However, due in part to the overlapping timeline of coronavirus and the implementation of new public charge rules, many immigrant community members are fearful of utilizing available relief programs. In this 60-minute webinar, we will provide a brief overview of public charge, share policy updates on public charge topics, and discuss various emerging public charge issues related to COVID-19. The webinar will provide an overview of various relief programs, explain how use of those programs could trigger public charge consequences, and discuss how to distinguish benefits programs that immigrants might access because of financial hardship stemming from COVID-19 from COVID-19 emergency programs insofar as public charge ramifications. Note: this will be a California-focused webinar.