The term “public charge” is one that may only be familiar to immigrants or families of immigrants in the United States. Essentially, when someone reaches “public charge” status, they are likely to become completely dependent on the government to sustain them. Immigrants who are at risk of being considered a “public charge” can be denied entry into the U.S. and immigrants who already reside in the U.S. can have their ability to become a Legal Permanent Resident denied as well.
In August of this year, the Trump administration has made changes to the “public charge” policy, expanding the definition of who may or may not fall under this categorization. Things like family status, medical history and health, the individual’s age, financial resources, education, and whether or not the person has any skills that could benefit the U.S economy are all taken into consideration before entry into the U.S or renewal of LPR (Legal Permanent Resident Status) can be approved.
Another one of the major effects of these changes is that if a person applies for entry into the U.S and they do not currently have medical insurance, they can be considered a “public charge” due to the risk of them falling ill or getting injured and the cost of the medical bill falling on the American taxpayer. Many of the circumstances that are considered before an individual can be granted entry into America are unavoidable. Financial status, age, and education may be out of someone’s control by the time they immigrate and these may count against them in an evaluation.
Purchasing a non-subsidized private health insurance plan is one thing that they can do in order to have a better chance of not being considered a “public charge” and losing the opportunity to start a new life in America. If an individual enters the U.S with a private insurance plan, this shows DHS that they will not become a burden on the taxpayers and is viewed only as a positive in the application process.
As leaders in the international insurance industry, E&M Global Insurance foresaw these changes taking place. We partnered up with all of the major carriers and are able to get a policy approved as soon as possible. We are premier sponsors of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), working closely with immigration attorneys to ensure that their clients are not denied entry into the U.S due to inadequate insurance. Any individual who is looking to immigrate to the United States should take the first step toward securing their application and visit EMGlobalInsurance.com.
