Proposed Visa Ban for Aid Recipients Could Hit Skilled Workers

Skilled immigrant workers and their employers aren’t beyond the reach of a new Homeland Security Department proposal to block people from getting visas if they use public assistance, such as food stamps or Medicaid.

The proposal, which hasn’t yet been published in the Federal Register, would greatly expand the definition of who’s a “public charge” and thus not entitled to a visa. It would add various types of aid to the list of public assistance that would disqualify an applicant from getting a visa. But the draft goes even further, proposing to factor in things like credit scores and ...