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International
USCIS Announces New Green Card Rules Effective September 2026
✍️ Times of India
🗓 28 Sep 2026, 03:39 AM
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The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will enforce new Green Card regulations in September 2026 that require applicants to demonstrate financial self‑sufficiency, while exempting those in humanitarian categories.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that new Green Card regulations will take effect in September 2026. The updated rules place a stronger emphasis on the financial self‑sufficiency of applicants.
Under the new guidelines, nearly all categories of Green Card seekers—including family‑based and occupational groups—must satisfy the financial criteria. The changes are designed to ensure that applicants can support themselves without relying on public assistance.
Applicants who fall under humanitarian categories, such as refugees or asylum seekers, are exempt from the new financial requirement. This exemption acknowledges the unique circumstances of those groups.
While the Affidavit of Support (Form I‑864) remains a crucial part of the application process, USCIS clarified that it does not guarantee approval on its own. Applicants must still meet the broader financial criteria set out in the new rules.
Under the new guidelines, nearly all categories of Green Card seekers—including family‑based and occupational groups—must satisfy the financial criteria. The changes are designed to ensure that applicants can support themselves without relying on public assistance.
Applicants who fall under humanitarian categories, such as refugees or asylum seekers, are exempt from the new financial requirement. This exemption acknowledges the unique circumstances of those groups.
While the Affidavit of Support (Form I‑864) remains a crucial part of the application process, USCIS clarified that it does not guarantee approval on its own. Applicants must still meet the broader financial criteria set out in the new rules.