State of Wisconsin |
Release 24-03 |
7 CFR 273.4
The following individuals are eligible for FoodShare as U.S. citizens, nationals, and a select group of non-citizens. Individuals listed below do not have to meet any other non-citizen requirements to be eligible for FoodShare.
To meet the citizenship or qualifying immigrant requirement for FoodShare, a person must be one of the following:
Note | Effective October 1, 2010, all Puerto Rican birth certificates issued before July 1, 2010 are invalid. Ongoing members of IM programs from Puerto Rico do not need to submit new, valid birth certificates. However, all Puerto Rican birth certificates submitted by applicants must have been issued on or after July 1, 2010. |
Note |
If there is more than one admission or status code for the immigrant/non-citizen, always use the least restrictive code per 8 CFR 212.5(h). A best practice is to ask each year about immigrant/citizenship status changes since the code(s) may change over time. |
Federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) | |
Eligible as a U.S. Citizen/National/Non-Citizen: |
|
|
|
Immigrant Status Code | Eligible if: |
01-Lawfully admitted for permanent residence (LPR) |
|
02-Permanent resident under color of law (PRUCOL) |
Ineligible |
03-Conditional entrant or lawfully present under Section 203(a)(7) |
|
04-Refugee lawfully present under Section 207 |
Eligible |
05-Asylee lawfully present under Section 208 |
Eligible |
06-Parolee lawfully present under Section 212(d)(5) |
|
07-IRCA – No longer valid status |
Ineligible |
08-Work Authorization: Temp. |
Ineligible |
09-Undocumented Immigrant |
Ineligible |
10-Illegal Immigrant |
Ineligible |
11-Cuban/Haitian entrant as defined in Section 501(e) of the Refugee Education Act of 1980
|
Eligible |
12-Considered a permanent resident by USCIS |
Ineligible |
13-Special agriculture worker under Section 210(A) |
Ineligible |
14-Additional Special agriculture worker under Section 210A |
Ineligible |
15-An immigrant whose deportation is being withheld under Section 243(h) or 241(b)(3) |
Eligible |
16-Battered Immigrant
Code the battered immigrant adult or child or parent with the broadest immigrant eligibility category that applies to that person (for example, code a battered refugee immigrant, as a refugee). Document in case comments that the person is a battered immigrant and therefore exempt from sponsor deeming. Do not list the sponsor in CWW . Do not list any of the sponsor's income and assets. |
Ineligible unless:
|
17- Amerasians |
Eligible |
18 - Native Americans born abroad |
Eligible |
19 - Trafficking victims, including the minor children, spouses, and, in some cases, the parents and siblings of victims of severe trafficking (treat as refugee under section 207 of the INA), the spouse, child, parent or unmarried minor sibling of a victim of a severe form of trafficking in persons under 21 years of age, or the spouse or child older than 21 who has received a derivative T visa, to the same extent as an immigrant who is admitted to the U.S. as a refugee under Section 207 of the INA. |
Eligible |
20 – Lawfully Residing |
Ineligible |
Immigration Status | CARES Code | I-94 Codes | I-551 Codes | Other |
Cuban/Haitian Entrant |
11 |
212(d)(5) or paroled or C/H Entrant and from Cuba or Haiti or I-551 stamp and CU6 or CH6 |
CU6 or CU7, CH6 |
Unexpired and expired 1-551 stamp in foreign passport |
Deportation Withheld |
15 |
106 or 243(h) or 241(b)(3) |
NA |
USCIS Form I-688B annotated 274a.12(a)(10); USCIS Form I-766, annotated A10; order from an immigration judge showing deportation withheld under 243(h) or removal withheld under 241(b)(3) |
Battered Immigrant |
16 |
AR1, AR6, C20 through C29, CF1, CF2, CR1, CR6, CR7, CX1, CX2, CX3, CX6, CX7, CX8, F20 through F29, FX1, FX2, FX3, FX6, FX7, FX8, IF1, IF2, IR1, IR2, IR3, IR4, IR6, IR7, IR8, IR9, IW1, IW2, IW6, IW7, MR6, MR7, P21, P22, P23, P26, P27, P28; IB3, IB6, IB7, IB8, B11, B12, B16, B17, B20 through B29, B31, B32, B33, B36, B37, B37, B38, BX1, BX2, BX3, BX6, BX7, BX8 some Z13 |
AR1, AR6, C20 through C29, CF1, CF2, CR1, CR6, CR7, CX1, CX2, CX3, CX6, CX7, CX8, F20 through F29, FX1, FX2, FX3, FX6, FX7, FX8, IF1, IF2, IR1, IR2, IR3, IR4, IR6, IR7, IR8, IR9, IW1, IW2, IW6, IW7, MR6, MR7, P21, P22, P23, P26, P27, P28; IB3, IB6, IB7, IB8, B11, B12, B16, B17, B20 through B29, B31, B32, B33, B36, B37, B38, BX1, BX2, BX3, BX6, BX7, BX8 some Z13 |
I-551 stamp in foreign passport with one of the preceding codes; or IMPORTANT: Applicant has filed an I-130 or I-360 petition as a battered immigrant. USCIS Form - 797 is documentation of approval of an I-130 application. |
Amerasian |
17 |
AM1, AM2, or AM3 |
AM 6, AM7, or AM8 |
I-551 stamp in foreign passport with one of the preceding codes |
Foreign born Native American |
18 |
S13 |
S13 |
I-551 stamp in foreign passport with S13 tribal membership card from federally recognized tribe. |
Trafficking Victim |
19 |
T-2, T-3, T-4 and T-5 known as "Derivative T" visas are not currently available in the SAVE system.
Call the toll-free trafficking verification line at 1-866-401-5510 to notify ORR of the benefits for which the individual has applied. |
|
Health and Human Service Office of Refugee Resettlement Certification Letter |
This is not an all-inclusive list of government issued codes.
See also Process Help, Section 82.8 Class of Admission (COA) Tables for additional codes and explanations of the types of USCIS authorization documents.
7 CFR 273.2(f)(1)(ii)(B)
A non-citizen is ineligible until acceptable documentation of qualifying immigration status is provided unless:
An immigrant who has a pending application for a qualifying status is not potentially eligible until the status has been granted.
Legal permanent resident non-citizens who have worked for 40 qualifying quarters are eligible. There is no time limit on this category of eligibility.
A qualifying quarter includes:
Each person in the applying food unit is considered an applicant. Therefore, each spouse can claim the quarters of the other spouse, and the children can claim the quarters worked by their parents. An individual can only earn four quarters per year. If both spouses worked in the same quarter, this would count as one quarter – an individual cannot earn two quarters in the same quarter.
Count both qualifying quarters of work covered by Title II of the Social Security Act, and qualifying quarters of work not covered by Title II. Beginning January 1, 1997, a quarter in which the immigrant received federal means-tested assistance is not counted as a qualifying quarter.
The local agency may request information from the SSA about work history for non-covered employment as well as covered employment.
If you are unable to determine work quarters through the SSA automated system, you may accept the applicant's sworn statement of sufficient work, pending verification, provided the applicant has been in the country sufficient time to earn the quarters (totaling the time from the employed applicant, parent, and/or spouse).
The SSA is authorized to release work quarter information on non-citizens, a non-citizen's parents or spouse to a county/tribal agency (not applicant) for the purpose of determining eligibility, even if the parent or spouse cannot be located or refuses to sign a release statement.
You may also find work quarter information through CARES data exchange screens. To verify a non-citizen's work quarters information, you can request it in CARES mainframe on Tran: DXQR. It will be available on Tran: DXQC 48 hours later.
Qualified non-citizens who are honorably discharged veterans and who fulfill minimum active duty service requirements in the U.S. Armed Forces, or who are the spouse, unmarried dependent child, or a surviving spouse of such a veteran or active duty personnel who has not remarried are eligible for FoodShare benefits with no time limit exception.
A veteran is a person who was honorably discharged after:
An unmarried surviving spouse of a veteran or active duty person is defined as:
An immigrant who is the spouse or dependent unmarried child of a U.S. citizen or immigrant who has been battered or subjected to extreme cruelty under the following criteria is eligible:
Do not apply this section if the person responsible for the battery or extreme cruelty continues to reside in the same household or food unit as the person subjected to the battery or cruelty.
With the passage of the 2011-13 Wisconsin state budget, the state funded SOFSP ended effective July 1, 2011. Federally eligible members who live with a previously eligible SOFSP member will remain eligible for federal benefits. There is no change to the federal eligibility.
Ineligible immigrants include:
Failure to verify qualifying immigration status means the person is ineligible for FoodShare, not necessarily in the country illegally.
7 CFR 273.4(b)
Encourage all potentially eligible people to apply for FoodShare. Make it clear that food unit members not requesting FoodShare benefits are not required to furnish an SSN or any immigration documentation. FoodShare participation is not reviewed or considered in public charge determinations.
Local agencies are prohibited from contacting USCIS regarding the immigrant status of a food unit member who is not requesting FoodShare benefits.
At application and renewal, applicant non-citizens immigrants must be asked if they have become citizens.
A child born outside of the U.S. automatically becomes a citizen of the U.S. when all of the following conditions have been fulfilled:
A child who was under the age of 18 on or after February 27, 2001, and who meets all of the above requirements acquired citizenship automatically on February 27, 2001. This rule is based on the Child Citizenship Act of 2000.
Beginning December 19, 2009, special immigrants from Iraq or Afghanistan are to be treated like they are refugees when determining their eligibility for FoodShare as long as they have this special immigration status. This policy applies to these immigrants regardless of when they received this status. Class of Admission (COA) Codes for this group are: S16, S17, S18, SQ6, SQ7, SQ8. This special immigrant category applies to an:
Special Immigrant (SI) or non SI parolees
Afghans and persons with no nationalities who were residing in Afghanistan and subsequently paroled into the United States between July 31, 2021, and September 30, 2023, are to be treated as refugees when determining eligibility for FoodShare. These persons are not subject to a waiting period and are eligible for benefits if they meet all other non-financial and financial criteria.
In addition, Afghans and persons with no nationalities who were residing in Afghanistan and subsequently paroled into the United States after September 30, 2022, are to be treated like they are refugees when determining their eligibility if they are one of the following:
All the above persons are treated as refugees until either March 31, 2023, or the date their parole status expires, whichever is later.
Should these persons file for and transition to asylee status, they would continue to be eligible for FoodShare benefits while they remain in that status and would not be subject to a waiting period.
Note | This only applies to Afghan nationals, citizens, or those who habitually lived in Afghanistan who are granted parole status between July 31, 2021, and September 30, 2023. All other refugees and special immigrants (SIV), including SIVs with parolee statuses, are not subject to the March 31, 2023 limitation and continue to be eligible for federal public benefits, like FoodShare, provided all other eligibility requirements are met. |
The table below shows the Class of Admission (COA) Codes that are used for the groups that are treated like refugees based on their parole status:
Class of Admission Code | Description | CARES Immigrant Registration Status Code |
Afghan Non-Special Immigrant Parolee (Non-SI Parolee) | ||
OAR/OAW | Non-SI Parolee (CPB implemented August 2021) | Code 04 |
PAR | Non-SI Parolee, used before OAR implementation | Code 04 |
DT | Non-SI Parolee, used before OAR implementation | Code 04 |
Afghan Special Immigrant Parolee (SI Parolee) | ||
SQ4 | Principal | Code 04 |
SQ5 | Dependent | Code 04 |
Afghan Special Immigrant Lawful Permanent Residents (SI LPR) | ||
SQ1 | Principal | Code 04 |
SQ2 | Spouse of SQ1 | Code 04 |
SQ3 | Child of SQ1 | Code 04 |
SQ6 | Principal, Adjusting Status | Code 04 |
SQ7 | Spouse of SQ6, Adjusting Status | Code 04 |
SQ8 | Child of SQ6, Adjusting Status | Code 04 |
SI1 | Principal | Code 04 |
SI2 | Spouse of SI1 | Code 04 |
SI3 | Child of SI1 | Code 04 |
SI6 | Principal | Code 04 |
SI7 | Spouse of an SI6 | Code 04 |
SI8 | Child of an SI6 | Code 04 |
Afghan Special Immigrant Conditional Permanent Resident (SI CPR) | ||
CQ1 | Principal | Code 04 |
CQ2 | Spouse of CQ1 | Code 04 |
CQ3 | Child of CQ1 | Code 04 |
The Compacts of Free Association are agreements that establish a free association between the United States and the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau. These countries are collectively referred to as the Freely Associated States (FAS). FAS citizens are not citizens or nationals of the United States. However, FAS citizens admitted to the United States under the Compacts may reside, work, and study in the United States for an unlimited length of time, without applying to become lawful permanent residents or applying for visas. These persons are referred to as Citizens of Freely Associated States or COFAS .
COFAS, due to their countries’ free association with the United States, are allowed to stay in the country indefinitely. This fact does not make them Lawful Permanent Residents (01-LPR) who may otherwise be eligible for FoodShare benefits after being in the country for five years. They are still considered to be non-immigrants who are just lawfully present in the U.S. Unless the federal data services hub or SAVE verifies that a citizen of the FAS has a Lawful Permanent Resident status, they may only be considered to be lawfully present (see Section 3.12.1.1 Qualified Immigrant or Immigrant Status, Chart 1).
Example 1 | Jonas is from Micronesia. He has been in Wisconsin since 2010. Jonas has not applied for citizenship. SAVE returns a result of 20- Lawfully Residing. Although Jonas is a COFAS here lawfully, he is not eligible for FoodShare. |
Example 2 | George is from the Republic of Palau. He has been in the country since 2015 and has applied for US Citizenship. SAVE returns a result of 01- Lawful Permanent Resident and verifies George’s entry date of 2015. George is considered a qualifying immigrant who has met the 5-year bar and can be found eligible for FoodShare if he meets all other eligibility criteria. |
Effective May 21, 2022, certain Ukrainian parolees became eligible for FoodShare to the same extent as refugees. This eligibility was granted to Ukrainians (and others who last habitually resided in Ukraine), who have been paroled into the United States either:
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS), Systemic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) agency has indicated that Ukrainians with a paroled status will have a Class of Admission code of UHP, DT, PAR, or U4U. The initial eligibility date for FoodShare is May 21, 2022, or the individual’s date of parole, whichever is later.
Note | People from Ukraine with any of these parole statuses arriving in the US during the specified time period are to be treated the same as refugees. This treatment is not limited to persons with a Ukrainian Humanitarian Parolees (UHP) status. |
Like refugees, these Ukrainians with a parolee status may be eligible for FoodShare and are not subject to a 5-year bar. These individuals must still meet all other eligibility criteria. For FoodShare, these individuals are exempt from the sponsor deeming policy.
Ukrainians with a Temporary Protected Status (TPS) are lawfully present in the U.S. but are not eligible for FoodShare.
The term “Cuban-Haitian Entrant” (CHE) relates to benefit eligibility rather than an immigration status. Cuban-Haitian entrants are certain nationals of Cuba or Haiti who have permission to reside in the U.S. based on humanitarian considerations or under special laws that apply to them. CHE are qualified immigrants with no waiting period.
If a person does not have another qualifying immigration status or has a qualifying immigration status that is subject to the five-year waiting period, then a worker must determine if the person is a CHE.
Section 501(e) of the Refugee Education Assistance Act of 1980 (REAA) states that a person is a CHE if they are:
Documentation
CHE status must be verified through SAVE. CHEs may have a wide variety of immigration documentation, including Permanent Resident Cards (Green Cards), that may not conclusively establish whether they are CHE without SAVE verification. Many Cubans or Haitians who have been paroled are CHEs based upon the parole even if they have obtained another immigration status.
The following chart provides examples of documentation that may be presented by a person claiming to be a CHE. These examples are not comprehensive. A Form I-551, Permanent Resident Card, with a CU6, CH6, HB6, or other category code is an example of an immigration document that does not conclusively establish CHE designation without SAVE verification.
U.S. Immigration Category | U.S. Immigration Documents | Cuban or Haitian Nationality |
Parole as CHE (Status Pending) | Form I-94, Arrival/Departure Record, with a Department of Homeland Security or legacy Immigration and Naturalization Service stamp noting “Cuban-Haitian Entrant (Status Pending).” | U.S. immigration documentation is evidence of nationality. No additional evidence of nationality required. |
Parole or other special status |
|
If Born In Cuba:
If Born Outside Cuba:
Note: A Cuban consular certificate documenting an individual’s birth outside of Cuba to at least one Cuban parent is not sufficient evidence to establish Cuban citizenship. This is true even if the consular certificate states that the person to whom the certificate was issued is a Cuban citizen. Note: A Cuban birth certificate acknowledging a birth outside of Cuba or Cuban consular birth record issued for a principal applicant who was not born in Cuba is not sufficient to prove Cuban citizenship. A birth certificate issued by an entity outside of Cuba is not sufficient evidence to establish Cuban citizenship. If Born In Haiti:
If Born Outside Haiti:
|
Pending Asylum |
|
|
Individual in Removal Proceedings |
Documentation issued by the Department Homeland Security (DHS) or the Department of Justice (DOJ) Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) showing pending removal proceedings, such as Notice to Appear, DHS Form I-862 and Order of Supervision, DHS Form I-220B. Note: An Order of Release on Recognizance, DHS Form I-220A, is not evidence of parole or that a person is in removal proceedings. |
This page last updated in Release Number: 24-02
Release Date: 08/22/2024
Effective Date: 08/22/2024
Notice: The content within this manual is the sole responsibility of the State of Wisconsin's Department of Health Services (DHS). This site will link to sites outside of DHS where appropriate. DHS is in no way responsible for the content of sites outside of DHS.
Publication Number: P-16001