On November 2, the Trump Administration issued a 28-day Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) in an effort to revamp “public charge” financial immigration provisions. The TRO halts a Presidential Proclamation conditioning immigration eligibility upon health insurance coverage. The Proclamation is part of an effort to restrict legal US immigration through reinterpretation of long-established provisions which tie financial self-sufficiency and/or financial support to immigration eligibility. Under these restrictions, individuals who are likely to be a financial burden to the US government are inadmissible to the US and, accordingly, not permitted to immigrate.
For more information on the scope and status of the efforts to control US immigration levels through changes to the public charge provisions, see our advisory.