Immigrants & Immigration

Some of these benefits may be considered in the public charge test when you apply for a green card.

Benefit programs that do not check your immigration status

Some programs in Illinois will grant you benefits without checking or affecting your immigration status. Some examples are:

• The Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants & Children (WIC),
• All Kids,
• Public school education: from kindergarten through 12th grade; including free school lunch programs (and free breakfast programs if a school offers breakfast),
• Head Start, and
• Health Benefits for Immigrant Seniors.

Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants & Children (WIC)

WIC is a federally funded food assistance program. It provides:

• Nutritious supplemental foods,
• Health care referrals, and
• Nutrition education to pregnant women, new mothers, and young children.

All Kids health insurance

All Kids is a state program that provides affordable health insurance for children. Please see All Kids health insurance basics for more information.

Children under 19 years old are eligible for health insurance coverage, if they:

• Live in Illinois, and
• Have a family income at or below 318% of the federal poverty level.

Head Start

Head Start is a child development program. It provides services to preschool children (ages 3 to 5) and their families whose income is low, with a focus on:

• Education,
• Social and emotional development,
• Physical and mental health, and
• Nutrition.

Health benefits for immigrant adults (HBIA) (program ending)

The Health Benefits for Immigrant Adults program will be ending effective July 1, 2025. This means new applicants will not be able to enroll, and the last day of medical coverage through HBIA will be June 30, 2025. 

For more information, visit the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services website.  

Health benefits for immigrant seniors (HBIS)

Note: The Health Benefits for Immigrant Seniors program was paused for new enrollees beginning November 6, 2023. This means new applicants will not be able to enroll, at least for now.

The State of Illinois provides Health benefits for immigrant seniors. You can apply regardless of immigration status. This does not count against you for the public charge test.

To be eligible, you must be undocumented, including people in Temporary Protected Status.

You must also be:

• Be an Illinois resident,
• Be 65 or older, and
• Have a 2022 annual income at or below $13,590, or at or below $18,310 for a household size of two. The income limit depends on the number of household members.

Medical bills can be deducted from your income or assets. 

Assets must be $17,500 or less. Certain assets, like your home or one car, will not be counted.

You can apply (before November 6, 2023):

• On the Application for Benefits Eligibility (ABE) website,
• By calling the ABE Customer Call Center at (800) 843-6154,
• By finding local help, or
• By contacting a Community Service Agency for help applying. Services are available in 59 languages.

Starting February 1, 2024, individuals enrolled in the program will have new copays and coinsurance for some healthcare services. Most covered services are still free, including primary care visits, prescription medications, and vaccinations at your pharmacy or doctor's office. Hospitals and surgery centers may charge a copay and co-insurance for non-emergency procedures and services. Copays and coinsurance cannot be charged for emergency services that you need for an emergency medical condition.

Most existing program participants will be moved from fee-for-service to Medicaid Managed Care programs starting on January 1, 2024. If you are enrolled in HBIS and have comprehensive private insurance or spenddown, you will stay in the fee-for-service program. 

Renewing your HBIS benefits

Starting on April 1, 2024, HBIS enrollees will be asked to confirm that they are still eligible for coverage. The process will be similar to the redetermination or renewal process for other Medicaid programs. Learn more about Medicaid renewals.

If you are a legal permanent resident, you will be removed from the HBIS program as part of this renewal process. Effective April 30, 2024, legal permanent residents or green card holders who have been in the US for less than five years are no longer eligible for HBIS. Legal permanent residents under five years should be referred to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace as an insurance option. If you are referred to the ACA Marketplace, you can learn more by:

• Visiting Get Covered Illinois, or
• Calling the ACA Marketplace Call Center at (800) 318-2596.

If you are a legal permanent resident and have been in the United States for over 5 years, you may qualify for Medicaid, and the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) will transition you from HBIS to Medicaid.

If you disagree with a decision that you are no longer eligible for Medicaid, you can appeal.

Resources during the Covid-19 pandemic

If you are an immigrant, refugee, or have low English skills, you can find information about Covid-19 Resources.

Benefit programs that depend on immigration status

For other programs, your eligibility depends on whether you are a “Qualified Immigrant.”

Some of these programs include:

• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP),
• Supplemental Security Income (SSI),
• Illinois Aid to the Aged, Blind or Disabled (AABD),
• Temporary Aid for Needy Families (TANF),
• Illinois General Assistance (GA),
• Social Security Retirement Benefits, and
• Medicaid.

“Qualified Immigrant” is a term that is defined by US immigration law. Qualified Immigrants include:

• Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs),
• Refugees and asylees,
• Immigrants who have been paroled into the US for 1 year or more,
• Immigrants whose deportation or removal from the US has been withheld,
• Immigrants granted conditional entry,
• Haitian/Cuban entrants,
• Amerasians,
• Certain Native Americans born abroad,
• Victims of domestic abuse,
• Victims of trafficking, or
• Immigrants who have been granted nonimmigrant status under US law.

To be eligible for most of these programs, you have to be a Qualified Immigrant for at least 5 years. But for some of them, certain Qualified Immigrants are eligible right away.

SNAP benefits for immigrants (food stamps)

You may be immediately eligible for the SNAP program if you are a member of one of the following groups:

• A Qualified Immigrant who is under 18 years old,
• Refugees,
• Trafficking victims,
• Asylees,
• Immigrants who have had their deportations withheld,
• Amerasian immigrants,
• Cuban or Haitian immigrants,
• Iraqi and Afghan immigrants,
• Native Americans born in a different country,
• Members of the Hmong or Highland Laotian tribes,
• Immigrants born on or before August 22, 1931, and who lawfully lived in the United States on August 22, 1996,
• LPRs who are blind or disabled,
• LPRs who are veterans or active duty members of the US military and their dependents, or
• LPRs who have 40 qualifying quarters of work.

You may be eligible for the SNAP Program after a 5-year waiting period if you are in one of the following groups:

• LPRs,
• Parolees,
• Immigrants granted conditional entry, or
• Victims of domestic violence.

Learn more about the SNAP Policy on Non-Citizen Eligibility.

I do not qualify, what other options do I have?

Even if you don't qualify for SNAP because of your immigration status, you can apply for your children or members of the household who do qualify.

To participate in SNAP and receive benefits, you must earn less than the income limits and meet the other requirements of the program.

Receiving SNAP benefits will not affect your immigration status. May 2025 note: The US Department of Agriculture has asked states for SNAP information, but it is unclear if and how this information will be collected and used. 

For more information, visit the Protecting Immigrant Families site and our Getting Food Stamps page.

Supplemental Security Income (SSI)

SSI provides monthly benefits for people who have limited income and assets and who are:

• 65 or older,
• Blind, or
• Disabled.

You may be eligible for SSI benefits if you are a member of one of the following groups:

• LPRs,
• Immigrants granted conditional entry into the US,
• Parolees, refugees, asylees, and immigrants who have had their deportation or removal withheld,
• Cuban and Haitian immigrants,
• Amerasian immigrants, and
• Immigrants who have suffered domestic abuse.

You must also meet 1 of the following conditions:

• You were receiving SSI on August 22, 1996 and are living lawfully in the US,
• You are a LPR who has 40 qualifying quarters of work. To see what is a qualifying quarter of work, please see Quarter of Coverage,
• You are on active duty in the US armed forces or are a veteran, or are a dependent of a veteran or active duty member,
• You were living lawfully in the US on August 22, 1996, and you are blind or disabled, or
• You are a trafficking victim. 

Certain Native Americans who are not US citizens are exempt from these rules.

Aid to the Aged, Blind, and Disabled (AABD)

AABD is an Illinois program that provides a cash grant to certain low-income people who:

• Have a disability,
• Are blind, or
• Age 65 and over.

You may be eligible for AABD benefits if you are a member of one of the following groups:

• A person who received AABD cash from Illinois on December 31, 1973,
• A person who meets the Social Security Administration’s definition of aged, blind, or disabled , or
• An immigrant 65 or older who was lawfully present in the US on August 22, 1996, meets certain citizenship/immigration requirements for medical assistance, and has been determined “not disabled” by Social Security.

To qualify, you must be in one of the following Qualified Immigrant groups:

• LPRs who have been living in the US since before August 22, 1996 and who currently live in the US,
• LPRs who have been in the US for 5 years,
• LPRs who are under 18 years old,
• Immigrants who have been paroled into the US for 1 year or more,
• Native Americans born in Canada,
• US veterans, those on active duty, and their dependents,
• Refugees or asylees,
• Cuban and Haitian immigrants,
• Amerasian immigrants and their close family members,
• Members of the Hmong or Highland Laotian Tribe,
• Immigrants who were granted conditional entry or parole,
• Immigrants who have had their deportation withheld,
• Trafficking victims and their close family members,
• Iraqi or Afghan Special Immigrants, or
• Victims of domestic abuse and their families.

You can also ask your caseworker to explain the requirements to you.

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)

TANF is one of the largest public benefit programs. It offers temporary financial help for families. TANF can help you pay for:

• Food,
• Shelter,
• Utility expenses, and
• Other non-medical expenses.

TANF can also help you get the skills needed to get a steady job. TANF offers classes and programs to improve your education and work skills.

The citizenship requirements for TANF are the same as the requirements for AABD. The Illinois Department of Human Services encourages you to ask your caseworker what those requirements are. If your children are eligible for benefits and you aren’t, you may receive TANF benefits for your children.

Illinois General Assistance (GA)

GA provides money and medical assistance to those in need. The program is run by a township or a county.

The rules regarding eligibility may change from township to township. You should contact your local DHS Family Community Resource Center. To find the center near you, please see the Office Locator. For more information on GA, please see General Assistance.

Social Security Retirement Benefits

Social Security provides income to retired workers 62 years old or older.

Immigrants who are not US citizens may be eligible for social security benefits if they have held one of the following statuses at least 5 years:

• LPRs
• Immigrants authorized to live and work in the United States,
• Immigrants admitted because they have family in the United States,
• Qualified Immigrants who are allowed to work in the United States and who received a Social Security number after December 2003, or
• Other Qualified Immigrants.

Please see Social Security retirement benefits for more information.

For information on Social Security numbers and cards see the following flyer: English/Spanish/Polish/French/Chinese.

Medicaid

Medicaid is a state and federal program that pays for medical expenses for low-income people.

You may be eligible for Medicaid if you belong to one of the following groups:

• LPRs who have been living in the US since before August 22, 1996 and who currently live in the US,
• LPRs who have been in the US for 5 years,
• Certain Native Americans born in Canada,
• US veterans, those on active duty, and their dependents,
• Refugees or asylees,
• Cuban and Haitian immigrants,
• Amerasian immigrants and their close family members,
• Members of the Hmong or Highland Laotian Tribe,
• Immigrants who were granted conditional entry or parole,
• Immigrants who have had their deportation withheld,
• Trafficking victims and their close family members,
• Iraqi or Afghan Special Immigrants, or
• Victims of domestic abuse and their families.

All immigrants are eligible for the following services, no matter immigration status:

• Emergency services, including end-stage kidney disease services,
• Pregnant women immigrants can get care during and after pregnancy,
• Medical benefits for immigrants who have applied for asylum, and
• Medical benefits for victims of trafficking, torture, and other serious crimes.