The government offers medical aid to all immigrants during COVID-19 outbreak

Due to the current health crisis, the US government decided to offer medical support to all immigrants who need it.

The main idea of this decision is to prevent any person residing in the country from becoming a carrier of the virus or losing their life because of it.

Therefore, the government decided that any foreigner, even if they have a pending immigration process, can use medical services like tests, treatment or medicine during the pandemic.

This means that “the public charge rule” will not apply to the evaluation of immigration cases.

What is the “public charge rule”?

When an immigrant applies for asylum, refuge, or permanent residence, the US Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) must ensure that the applicant is not a “public charge.”

It means that the immigrant is not going to use social and economic benefits without giving anything back to the country.

In this way, the current government makes sure that all individuals entering the country contribute to socioeconomic development.

The current fear of immigrants

Millions of immigrants who have an active process with USCIS do not want to use public benefits during the pandemic for fear of losing their immigration cases.

If immigrants do not use the medical services offered during the pandemic, there could be multiple negative repercussions for the US.

• Immigrants could be infected and therefore be carriers of the virus.
• There could be a massive outbreak within immigrant communities.
• Entire families would be at risk of losing their lives and not having decent conditions for a grave.

However, USCIS announced that if an immigrant uses public benefits during the Coronavirus outbreak, that evidence will not be considered for an immigration decision, nor will it be used for the “public charge rule.”

The problem is that immigration policies are very changeable with the current government and immigrants fear that President Trump might decide in the future to use evidence to deny their cases if they use medical resources now.

Despite this possibility, the best thing immigrants can do is to use the country’s medical services if they feel symptoms, even if they are mild.

It is also important that immigrant communities protect themselves from possible contagion by using face masks and continually disinfecting their hands.

The government’s position

Furthermore, it is the government’s duty to protect anyone currently residing in the US. That is the only way to prevent an increase in the numbers of contagion and daily deaths and thus can alleviate the current health crisis.

We must understand that the health crisis does not necessarily have to be something completely negative for immigration processes.

The world must find a way to continue its daily tasks without the virus attacking and penetrating all socioeconomic areas.

Therefore, if you have a pending immigration process, we recommend you to find a specialized guide to avoid possible rejection by USCIS.

If you have any questions about an immigration issue or relating to a case you may have currently in progress, then please don’t hesitate to contact us for a FREE Phone Consultation with one of our expert immigration attorneys.

Simply call Motion Law today at: (202) 918-1799.