What Benefits are Available to Immigrants
Immigrants can get many kinds of help from the government even if they don’t have a “green card.” For help with other immigration and citizenship issues see the list of agencies in Help with Immigration Issues.
1. Benefits Available To All Immigrants
All immigrants, including those without documents, can qualify for the following kinds of help:
Health Care: Prenatal Care; Emergency Medi-Cal; Minor Consent Medi-Cal; Regional Centers; California Children’s Service; CHDP and Immunizations for kids. Also as of 2022, all Californians over 50 years old who meet income guidelines, including undocumented persons, can now receive full Medi-Cal.
If your child is undocumented, Community HealthWorks may be able to refer you to a healthcare program. Call (916)448-3333 for more information.
Food, Shelter and Other Services: WIC; School Breakfast & Lunch; Food pantries, shelters and other services from non-profit agencies; and public education.
These programs don’t have immigration requirements and if you are undocumented, you may qualify. You do not need to tell anyone that you or anyone else who lives with you are undocumented. Your workers do not need to ask about your immigration status if you are not getting benefits for yourself. If they do ask you, simply tell them that you are a “not qualified” immigrant (“not qualified” is not the same as undocumented). That is all they need to know.
If a school or child care center asks for your social security number on a form, you can write “none” on the form or leave it blank. They may not give the information on that form to a government agency.
2. Victims of Trafficking, Domestic Violence, and Other Serious Crimes
California law provides eligible non-citizens who are victims of trafficking, domestic violence and other serious crimes access to benefits equal to those available for refugees.
• Victims of trafficking may qualify before they are certified by the federal government as victims.
• Victims of domestic violence and other serious crimes may qualify once they have applied for a U visa/interim relief.
• You do not need a social security number to apply.
3. Benefits Available To Lawfully Present Immigrants
Most lawfully present immigrants, such as legal permanent residents, refugees, asylees, and persons granted withholding of deportation, can get CalFresh (food assistance) benefits, CalWORKS, General Assistance, County healthcare, Housing Assistance, and Medi-Cal. If they have a sponsor, the sponsor’s income may count as part of their income for five years.
Refugees who have been in the country less than 8 months and persons who were granted asylum less than 8 months before, can also be eligible for Refugee Cash Assistance (generally this is for able bodied adults without children. Victims of trafficking may also qualify for Refugee Cash Assistance once they receive certification. Call the local DHA office listed in the DHA section
Social Security: If you are a non-citizen who has paid into the Social Security system as a worker or had money taken out of your paycheck for this program, you may qualify for Social Security disability, retirement or survivor benefits see Social Security Programs
SSI: If you are a low-income non-citizen in the U.S. who has a disability is blind, or over 65 years old, you can get SSI if:
• You were lawfully residing in the U.S. on August 22, 1996, and are blind or disabled.
• You are a refugee, asylee or were granted withholding of deportation/removal, but only during the seven years after getting this status.
• You are a current or veteran U.S. military personnel
• You are a lawful permanent resident with credit for 40 quarters (about 10 years) of work in the U.S. There are special rules in which quarters worked by your spouse or parents may count; ask the worker.
CAPI: If you are an immigrant who has a disability, is blind or 65 years old or older and you are not eligible for SSI because of your immigration status, you may be able to get CAPI (Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants). See Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants.
Translation: If you speak limited English and you need to apply for government benefits, Department of Human Assistance and the Social Security Administration must provide you with an interpreter or connect you to a telephone interpreter service, at no cost to you.
Special Note for people coming from Ukraine: Ukrainian parolees and their families are eligible for federally funded public benefits, programs and services to the same extent as refugees. This means they should be able to get CalWORKs, CalFresh, RCA, SSI, Medi-Cal, etc. Unlike most humanitarian parolees, these parolees from Ukraine do NOT have to be paroled for a period of at least 12 months to be considered “qualified aliens” and are NOT subject to the 5 -year waiting period