Appendix A 2: Citizenship and Eligible Noncitizen Status

A person must be a US citizen or an eligible noncitizen to qualify.

A. Except as provided in Section B, below, a noncitizen must be a qualified noncitizen as specified in column 1 and meet the SNAP criteria in column 2 to be eligible.

Qualified Noncitizen

Column 1

SNAP Criteria

Column 2

  • Lawfully admitted for permanent residence (LPR) under the INA

  • Granted asylum under section 208 of INA

  • Refugee admitted into the U.S. under section 207 of INA

  • Paroled into the U.S. under section 212(d)(5) of INA for at least one year

  • Deportation withheld under section 243(h) of the INA as in effect before April 1, 1997, or whose removal is withheld under section 241(b)(3) of the INA

  • Granted conditional entry under section 203(a)(7) of INA in effect before April 1, 1980

  • Battered or subjected to extreme cruelty in the U.S. by a spouse or a parent or by a member of the spouse or parent’s family residing in the same household as the noncitizen at the time of the abuse, a noncitizen whose child has been battered or subjected to battery or cruelty, or a noncitizen child whose parent has been battered

  • Cuban or Haitian entrant as defined in section 501(e) of Refugee Education Assistance Act of 1980 REAA

The following noncitizens may be eligible without a waiting period:

  • LPR who can be credited with 40 quarters of work.

  • Military connection (veteran, active duty, spouse and dependent children)

  • A person lawfully in U.S. and under age 18

  • A person lawfully in U.S. ,meets the SNAP definition of disabled or blind and receives blind or disability benefits.

  • Lawfully in U.S. on August 22, 1996 and born on or before August 22, 1931

  • Lived in the U.S. for 5 years or more as a qualified noncitizen

  • Refugee admitted under section 207 of INA

  • Asylee admitted under section 208 of INA

  • Deportation withheld under section 243(h) or section 241(b)(3) of INA

  • Cuban or Haitian under section 501(e) of REAA

  • Amerasian immigrant under section 584 of Public Law 100-202, as amended by Public Law 100-461

B. The following noncitizens may be eligible without a waiting period of time even though they are not qualified noncitizens as specified in Column 1:

  • Certain Hmong or Highland Laotians (and spouse and dependent children); many are admitted as refugees.

  • Members of Indian tribe as defined in section 4(e) of Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (Cross-border Indians)

  • Nationals born in American Samoa or Swain's Island

  • Iraqi/Afghani Special Immigrants (SIVs) under Section 101(a)(27)

  • Victims subjected to a severe form of trafficking in people under the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 (P.L. 106-386)

C. Ineligible noncitizens include all other noncitizens. For example:

  • Visitors, tourists, students, and diplomats here for a temporary purpose with no intent to stay

  • Noncitizens admitted under Color of Law

  • Undocumented noncitizens

  • Noncitizens who have applied for eligible status but not yet approved

  • Noncitizens whose status is questionable or unverified

Reissued  March 1, 2012 replacing March 29, 2008