Health & Benefits

Only certain non-citizens are eligible for SNAP benefits:

• Lawful permanent residents (LPRs or green card holders) who have had LPR status for at least five years,
• Cuban or Haitian entrants, and
• People living in Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, or Palau,

They must still meet the rest of the requirements for SNAP eligibility, including household income and work requirements. A qualifying person can apply for SNAP, even if people in their household are not eligible because of their immigration status.

Undocumented immigrants have never been eligible for SNAP benefits. As of July 4, 2025, the following non-citizens are no longer eligible for SNAP benefits:

• Refugees,
• Asylees,
• Trafficking victims,
• Immigrants who have had their deportations withheld,
• Amerasian immigrants,
• Iraqi and Afghan immigrants,
• Native Americans born in a different country.

A person that does not qualify for SNAP because of their immigration status can apply on behalf of other members of the household who do qualify. For example, if a non-citizen parent does not qualify for SNAP, but has two US citizen children, the parent can apply for SNAP.

Receiving SNAP benefits will not likely impact someone’s immigration status, so long as they qualify for SNAP and they are not receiving cash benefits. A non-citizen receiving multiple public benefits should consider consulting with an immigration attorney about whether their public benefits might impact their immigration status.