Green card seekers in Alaska face a wider benefits review starting Sept. 18

Alaskans applying for a green card or admission to the U.S. will face a broader test of whether they might become a "public charge" — dependent on government aid — beginning Sept. 18. Immigration officers will be able to weigh a much wider range of public benefits than they could before, when deciding an application.

The change comes from a federal rule finalized July 20 that rolls back 2022 limits on what officers could consider. Under those limits, only a narrow set of benefits counted. Now, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officers may factor in receipt of any means-tested public benefit — plus, in the rule's language, any other factor an officer finds relevant. Benefits received before Sept. 18 won't be counted against an applicant.

There's a concrete deadline attached: USCIS is issuing a new version of the green-card application, Form I-485, and older versions filed on or after Sept. 18 will be rejected. Anyone mid-application should make sure they're using the current form.

Immigrant advocates warn the bigger risk is a chilling effect. Because officers now have wider discretion, groups like the National Immigration Law Center say families may drop out of Medicaid, food assistance and other programs out of fear — even when those programs wouldn't actually count against them, and even for family members whose immigration status isn't in question. Their advice is to talk to an immigration attorney before making any decisions about dropping benefits.

Alaskans can reach the state Department of Labor's Office of Citizenship Assistance, which flagged the change for immigrant and refugee clients, for help navigating it.