Many immigrants seeking Legal Permanent Residency (LPR or a "Green Card") or U.S. Citizenship are living in fear. The law states that legal immigration status will not be given to people who may become a "public charge" in the future. Provisions affecting legal immigrants in the 1996 Welfare Bill, the 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 and the 1997 Balanced Budget Act have created a great deal of uncertainty about what constitutes a "public charge". Receiving certain public benefits may affect people’s chances of receiving LPR status. To better answer these questions the CRC has a new fact sheet, created by MIRA, that answers some of these questions on the Resource Wall in Founders House 206. Look for a blue card titled "Immigrants and Public Benefits: How Receipt of Benefits Can Affect Your Immigration Status."

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