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 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 and breakfast programs, 
• Head Start, 
• Health benefits for immigrant adults, and
• Health benefits for immigrant seniors.

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

WIC is a federal food assistance program. It provides:

• 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 to provide affordable health care for children. Please see All Kids Healthcare for more information.

Children under 18 years old are eligible for health insurance coverage, if they:

• Have proof of Illinois residency,
• Meet insurance requirements, and
• Meet income requirements for families.

Head Start

Head Start is a child development program. It provides services to preschool children 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)

Note: Starting July 1, 2023, new enrollment into the HBIA program will be paused. This means new applicants will not be able to enroll, at least for now. If you are currently enrolled in HBIA and remain eligible, you can stay in the program. Individuals who are able to stay in the program will have new co-pays for some hospital services. Existing program enrollees will also be moved to the Medicaid Managed Care program on January 1, 2024. 

The State of Illinois provides Health benefits for immigrant adults. 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), or
• A legal permanent resident or green card holder for less than five years.

You must also:

• Be an Illinois resident,
• Be 42 to 64 years old, and
• Have a 2022 annual household income at or below $18,754 for one person, and at or below $25,268 for a household size of two. The income limit depends on the number of household members.

You can apply (before July 1, 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.

Health benefits for immigrants seniors (HBIS)

Note: The Health Benefits for Immigrant Seniors program will be paused for new enrollees beginning November 6, 2023.

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:

• Undocumented (including people in Temporary Protected Status), or
• A legal permanent resident or green card holder for less than five years.

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. 

Assets will not be counted until after the pandemic. Otherwise, they must be below $2,000 for an individual and $3,000 for a couple. Certain assets like a home or car will not be counted.

You can apply:

• 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.

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,
• Native Americans,
• Hmong/Highland Laotians,
• Victims of domestic abuse,
• Immigrants whose children have suffered domestic abuse,
• Immigrant children who have suffered domestic abuse, 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:

• US veterans or persons on active duty and their families,
• A child of 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, or
• LPRs who are veterans or active duty members of the US military and their dependents.

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

• LPRs who have lived in the US for at least 5 years,
• LPRs who have 40 qualifying quarters of work. To see what is a qualifying quarter of work, please see Quarter of Coverage, 
• LPRs under age 18, 
• Parolees, 
• Immigrants granted conditional entry, or
• Victims of domestic violence who have been Qualified Immigrants for 5 years.

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 may affect your immigration status in the future. 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, including Amerasian immigrants,
• Immigrants granted conditional entry into the US,
• Parolees, refugees, asylees, and immigrants who have had their deportation or removal withheld,
• Cuban and Haitian immigrants, and
• Immigrants who have suffered domestic abuse.

You must also meet 1 of the following conditions:

• You were living lawfully in the US and receiving SSI on August 22, 1996,
• 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
• You were living lawfully in the US on August 22, 1996, and you are blind or disabled

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,
• 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 immigrants, or
• Victims of domestic abuse and their families.

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

Temporary Aid 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,
• Housing,
• 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 fall 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 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.