The administration made the change by altering the form that immigrants use to apply for fee waivers, rather than establishing a new, formal agency rule. The government said the change was made because state and local benefits vary vastly, meaning the federal government is relying on different standards. A USCIS official said the agency can’t project whether the change will affect the number of fee waivers it issues. President Trump signed a proclamation this month requiring most legal immigrants entering the country beginning in November to demonstrate they will have health insurance—a requirement that immigrant advocates have called an income test. The Office of Management and Budget is currently reviewing a new rule regulating how fee waivers are handed out, and immigration advocates fear the government may move to eliminate the remaining categories under which immigrants can still qualify.

Source: Wall Street Journal October 25, 2019 20:48 UTC