The Trump administration's new green card policy came into effect on Friday, requiring immigrants to disclose whether they currently receive or may require social benefits as part of their application process. Immigration officers can now consider a broad range of means-tested benefits when determining whether applicants will become "public charges" and can therefore be granted permanent residency. This reverses Biden-era rules from 2022 that had reduced such scrutiny, making it easier for less financially secure individuals to obtain green cards.

Approximately 1.3 million green card applications were pending as of December 2025, with denial rates typically ranging between 10 and 16 per cent depending on visa category. Officials may examine not only applicants' use of programmes such as SNAP food assistance, Medicaid, and housing support, but also the benefits received by their family members. Critics have warned the policy could discourage migrants from enrolling in social benefits programmes, and a coalition of 22 states plus Washington DC, including California and New York, has sued the Trump administration to halt the change, citing potential losses of billions in federal funding.