public charge

noun

1. a person who is in economic distress and is supported at government expense:

   He assured the American consul that the prospective immigrant would not become a public charge.

Word History and Origins

Origin of public charge¹

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

His house had been foreclosed on, and he was himself, as the New York Times described him, a “white-haired, tattered public charge.”

From Los Angeles Times

Many immigrants are confused about what benefits and aid programs they can receive without being designated a public charge.

From Los Angeles Times

Under the “public charge” rule, people can be blocked from getting a green card or citizenship if they are likely to become “primarily dependent” on government aid.

From Los Angeles Times

Rather, Congress must back policy “that can be documented, that people can get a job, put a shirt on their back, support their kids without being a public charge, and defend the very soul of what it means to be an American,” she concluded.

From Salon

Under the law, anyone who “knowingly brings, or causes to be brought a needy person from out of state into this state for the purpose of making him a public charge” is obligated to care for that person’s expenses or bring them out of the state.

From Seattle Times