America’s Immigration Dream Gets More Expensive: Income, Health and Benefits Face Greater Scrutiny

For decades, America has been associated with the story of poor immigrants who came to the country with little more than the determination to work and eventually built successful lives for themselves. Since September 18, 2026, that romantic model has faced a very practical question: will a new immigrant be able to support themselves without becoming a burden on the state? The United States has changed the way it applies the public charge principle. The Donald Trump administration has repealed the 2022 rule adopted under Joe Biden, which significantly limited the range of public assistance programs that could be considered when reviewing an immigration case.