How the ‘big, beautiful bill’ impacts newcomers
Overview
President Trump signed H.R.1, also called the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, into law on July 4, 2025. The comprehensive spending and tax legislation significantly limits newcomers’ access to public benefits, raises fees to apply for lawful status, and substantially increases funding for immigration enforcement.
We know sponsors and the people they’ve welcomed have questions about how this extensive legislation will affect them. Our team is answering common questions below to help you understand the new law and its implications. We expect additional impacts to unfold in the coming weeks and months, and will continue to update this explainer to keep you informed.
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Timing and impact
The individual provisions (i.e., rules) of this law will go into effect at different times and vary in their impact on different categories of immigrants and newcomers. Learn more below.
When do the provisions in the law go into effect?
- Food assistance via Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has already been revoked; current SNAP recipients may feel the impacts of this upon their next recertification.
- Increased funds will be allocated for immigration enforcement.
- Healthcare access via Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) will be revoked Oct. 1, 2026.
- Healthcare access via the Affordable Care Act (ACA) will be revoked Jan. 1, 2027.
- Healthcare access via Medicare will be revoked Jan. 27, 2027.
Which immigrants and newcomers does the law impact?
- Humanitarian parolees, including Uniting for Ukraine and the Processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans
- Resettled refugees, including individuals sponsored through the Welcome Corps
- Asylees without green cards
- Asylum applicants
- Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders
- Persons granted deferred action or protection from removal
- Survivors of domestic violence who have filed a self-petition under the Violence Against Women Act
FAQ
What can I do to support the newcomer I welcomed?
We’ve developed a number of resources to help sponsors navigate recent policy changes.
If you sponsored someone through humanitarian parole, consider referencing our guide to navigating alternative legal status options as a first step. If the newcomer you’ve sponsored has a pending legal status or immigration application, you may file a case status inquiry with your representative’s office using this guidance. If the newcomer’s primary status is terminated or ending soon, review these additional resources from trusted organizations.
If you sponsored a newcomer through any pathway, you can help them to understand their rights by sharing these educational resources; help them fundraise for possible new expenses such as food and legal assistance; and show your support for sponsorship pathways by writing a letter to the editor or contacting your representative on behalf of newcomers.
Whether you’re a sponsor or a Welcomer, you have everything that you need to continue being a good friend and neighbor to newcomers in the midst of challenge and uncertainty. We are so grateful for your efforts.
Enforcement
The law includes $126 billion for border and immigration enforcement, including $59 billion for Customs and Border Protection (CPB) personnel, vehicles, and facilities; and $45 billion for family and adult detention.
FAQ
Will the newcomer I welcomed be targeted for deportation?
The increase in funding for immigration enforcement will expand the government’s capacity to target newcomers who have recently lost status, including sponsored newcomers.
How can the newcomers I sponsored safeguard themselves against detention and deportation?
Newcomers whose primary status is terminating should consult our guide to navigating alternative legal status, seek legal counsel immediately, and carry appropriate documentation including a signed Form G-28 which can be used to show that they are represented by an attorney. Newcomers also can consult this resource to understand their rights in the event of an ICE encounter.
Legal status and immigration processing
The law imposes new fees for immigration applications including for employment authorization and asylum. Note that each of the fees as written in the law are minimums, and it provides for regular annual increases across the board. The following fees are included in the law, although this list is not comprehensive. For the full fee structure, click here.
Fees
Asylum
Current fee: $0
Minimum fee under H.R. 1: $100, non-waivable plus a yearly fee of $100 for every year an application remains pending
Temporary Protected Status
Current fee: $50 plus $30 for biometrics
Minimum fee under H.R. 1: $500, non-waivable
Humanitarian parole
Current fee: Varies
Minimum fee under H.R. 1: $1,000, non-waivable
Employment authorization for asylum seekers, TPS holders, and parolees
Current fee: $0 for asylum seekers, $470 for others
Minimum fee under H.R. 1: $550, non-waivable, shortened eligibility period
Healthcare
Public health benefits, including Medicare and Medicaid, will be terminated for refugees and other newcomers who have sought safety in the U.S. (e.g., TPS holders and asylum seekers). Legal permanent residents (green card holders) will remain eligible for these benefits.
FAQ
How does H.R.1 impact newcomers’ eligibility for healthcare coverage?
The new law significantly restricts access to purchasing health insurance through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace and reduces federal tax credits lowering monthly health insurance premiums. The law excludes resettled refugees and asylees who do not yet have green cards, TPS holders, asylum applicants, and humanitarian parolees from eligibility for Medicaid, Medicare, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and the ACA marketplace. Only green card holders, Cubans and Haitians who entered the U.S. through humanitarian parole, and specific Pacific Island communities remain eligible for healthcare benefits.
When will healthcare coverage expire for newcomers?
- Healthcare access via Medicaid and CHIP will be revoked Oct. 1, 2026.
- Healthcare access via the ACA will be revoked Jan. 1, 2027.
- Healthcare access via Medicare will be revoked Jan. 27, 2027.
Does the law impact people who are already receiving health benefits, or only those who would newly apply?
The law impacts people who are already receiving benefits, as well as new applicants.
Food assistance
The law excludes refugees, asylees, and other newcomers from receiving food assistance through SNAP. Only green card holders, Cubans and Haitians who entered the U.S. through humanitarian parole, and people residing under a Compact of Free Association are eligible to access or continue accessing SNAP.
FAQ
When will newcomers stop receiving food assistance via SNAP?
Food assistance via Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has been revoked for most newcomers. Federal guidelines allow up to four months for states to implement SNAP eligibility changes, and current SNAP recipients will likely see the impact of the change at their next recertification.
Does the law impact people who are already receiving food assistance benefits, or only those who would newly apply?
The law impacts people who are already receiving benefits, as well as new applicants. Federal guidelines allow up to four months for states to implement SNAP eligibility changes, and current SNAP recipients will likely see the impact of the change at their next recertification.
