New public charge rule applies to green card applications filed from September 18, 2026
DHS rescinded the 2022 public charge regulations. The final rule applies to adjustment of status applications postmarked or submitted online on or after September 18, 2026.
The Department of Homeland Security published a final rule that rescinds the 2022 regulations on the public charge ground of inadmissibility. DHS states that the change restores broader discretion for officers to evaluate all pertinent facts. The rule also revises the regulations on public charge bonds.
The rule is effective September 18, 2026. It applies to applications for admission made on or after that date and to applications for adjustment of status postmarked or electronically submitted on or after that date.
People applying for a green card through adjustment of status who are subject to the public charge ground. Asylees and refugees are among the exempt categories listed by USCIS.
- Source
- Federal Register · 91 FR 45324
- Published
- July 20, 2026
- In effect from
- September 18, 2026
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