Where this sits: Benefits › Topics › Immigration status. Related program pages: SNAP, MFIP, Medical Assistance, MinnesotaCare, child care assistance.
This area changed a lot in 2026 and some points are still disputed between sources; those are marked. Rules depend on the exact status, the date it was granted, age and pregnancy, and whether there are children.
Ask first
The person's exact immigration status (and any earlier status, such as refugee before a green card), the date it was granted, ages of everyone applying, whether anyone is pregnant, whether there are children under 18, whether there is a sponsor who signed an affidavit of support, and household income.
Status groups
Minnesota's manuals sort noncitizens into: humanitarian groups (refugees, asylees, Afghan and Ukrainian humanitarian parolees, Afghan and Iraqi Special Immigrant Visa holders, Amerasians, Cuban and Haitian entrants, trafficking victims); lawfully residing people (asylum applicants, green card applicants, deferred action, DACA, deferred enforced departure, short-term parolees, special immigrant juveniles, TPS); non-immigrants (visitors, students, temporary workers; COFA citizens and U-visa holders are in this group but have broader eligibility); lawful permanent residents (LPRs); withholding of removal; American Indians born in Canada; battered noncitizens; people paroled for a year or more; and undocumented people. Non-citizen US nationals are treated like citizens for cash and food.
Status by program (November 2026)
"Yes" means the status allows it if the person meets the program's other rules. The table compresses conditions; the sections below give them.
| Status | SNAP | MFIP | RCA, GA, MSA, Housing Support | MA, adults 21+ not pregnant | Other health care |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Refugee, asylee, trafficking victim, Afghan or Ukrainian humanitarian parolee | No since 2026-03-01 (also no MFAP); yes once LPR, no wait | Yes: federal cash, state food | RCA (first 8 months), GA, MSA, HSP | No since 2026-10-01 | MinnesotaCare; RMA first 12 months; EMA |
| Afghan or Iraqi SIV holder, Amerasian (LPRs on arrival) | Yes, no wait | Yes | RCA, GA, MSA, HSP | Yes (LPR exception) | RMA only if not MA-eligible |
| Cuban or Haitian entrant | Yes | Yes | RCA, GA, MSA, HSP | Yes | RMA only if not MA-eligible |
| COFA citizen | Yes | Yes | GA, MSA, HSP | Yes | MinnesotaCare |
| Permanent resident (LPR) | After 5 years, or an exception; MFAP at 50+ during the wait | Federal after 5 years etc.; otherwise state-funded (under 4 years, over 69, or 4-5 years with a class condition) | GA (class condition after 4 years in the US, under 70), MSA, HSP | After the 5-year wait, or an exception | MinnesotaCare during the wait; EMA |
| Withholding of removal | No (also no MFAP) | Yes: federal cash, state food | GA, MSA, HSP | No since 2026-10-01 | MinnesotaCare and EMA |
| Battered noncitizen (not while living with the abuser); paroled 1 year or more | No (also no MFAP); LPR rules after adjusting | Federal cash only with conditions; otherwise state | GA, MSA, HSP | No since 2026-10-01 | MinnesotaCare and EMA |
| American Indian born in Canada | No until LPR | State until LPR, then federal | GA, MSA; HSP only with qualified status | No, unless LPR (then no 5-year wait) | MinnesotaCare and EMA |
| Lawfully residing: asylum applicant, DACA, TPS and similar | No; MFAP at 50+ | State-funded | GA (not MSA or HSP) | No | MinnesotaCare and EMA (asylum applicants 14+ need a work permit to count as lawfully present) |
| U-visa holder | No; MFAP at 50+ | State-funded | GA, MSA | No | MinnesotaCare and EMA |
| Undocumented | No | No | No | No | MA if pregnant; MinnesotaCare under 18; EMA |
| Non-immigrant (visitor, student, temporary worker) | No | No | No | No | MinnesotaCare and EMA (as lawfully present) |
Lawfully present children under 21 and pregnant people keep MA. Child care assistance looks only at the child's status, and WIC has no citizenship test.
What changed, and when
A 2025 federal law (P.L. 119-21, approved July 4, 2025) now uses one short list (citizens and nationals, LPRs, Cuban and Haitian entrants, COFA citizens) for SNAP, federally funded Medical Assistance, Medicare and tax credits for private health plans.
- 2026-01-01: MinnesotaCare closed to undocumented adults 18 and older. Refugee Cash Assistance limited to 8 months for people whose eligibility date is on or after this date.
- 2026-03-01: SNAP limited to the four groups, and MFIP's food portion for the humanitarian groups moved to state money. This applied to new applications from that date and to existing cases at their next recertification (SNAP) or six-month review or recertification (MFIP), so many people lost SNAP later in 2026, at renewal.
- 2026-10-01: Medical Assistance for noncitizen adults 21 and older who aren't pregnant limited to LPRs (after the wait or with an exception), Cuban and Haitian entrants, and COFA migrants. Many people affected were moved to MinnesotaCare.
- 2026-10-28: Refugee Medical Assistance set at 12 months (it had been cut to 8 on 2026-10-01).
- 2027: tax credits for private plans limited to the four groups (tax year 2027); Medicare limited to them for existing enrollees.
Food: SNAP and state food benefits
A person can be in a SNAP household only if they are a US citizen or national, a lawful permanent resident, a Cuban or Haitian entrant, or a COFA citizen (Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, Palau). A household member who is ineligible for this reason is left out, but their income (less a pro rata share, if the state chooses) and resources still count for the others.
Green card holders usually wait 5 years from the date LPR status was granted (the "status grant date" on the card), or from the earlier status date for people who were battered noncitizens or paroled for a year or more. No wait for: children under 18; active-duty military and honorably discharged veterans and their spouses and unmarried dependent children (not National Guard); people who are blind or disabled and get federal benefits for that; LPRs since before August 22, 1996; and people with 40 qualifying Social Security work credits (credits after 1996 don't count for a quarter in which the person got a federal means-tested benefit). Former refugees, asylees, trafficking victims, Afghan and Ukrainian humanitarian parolees, people granted withholding of removal, and American Indians born in Canada can get SNAP right away once they become LPRs. Former battered noncitizens count the 5 years from the date on their Prima Facie Determination letter.
Who lost SNAP: refugees, Afghan and Ukrainian humanitarian parolees, trafficking victims, asylees, people granted withholding of removal, American Indians born in Canada, battered spouses and children, and people paroled for a year or more. They can't get the state-funded food program (MFAP) either. Families with these statuses can still get MFIP (federal cash, state-funded food).
MFAP (Minnesota Food Assistance Program, "state-funded SNAP") is for people 50 or older, not on MFIP, with one of these statuses: asylum applicant, green card applicant, deferred action, DACA, deferred enforced departure, U-visa holder, paroled for less than a year, special immigrant juvenile (listed, though the manual's own SIJS section lists only MFIP and GA), TPS, stay of deportation or order of supervision, or an LPR still in the 5-year wait. It follows SNAP's income, sponsor and work rules and pays what SNAP would. There is no separate application: apply for SNAP and the county checks MFAP.
Cash: MFIP, Refugee Cash Assistance, GA, MSA, Housing Support
MFIP (families with children) serves citizens, "qualified noncitizens" and noncitizens "otherwise residing lawfully"; visitors, students, other temporary classes and undocumented people can't get it. Status mostly decides who pays:
- LPRs: federally funded if military or veteran (or family), LPR since before August 22, 1996, a former refugee, asylee, withholding, Cuban or Haitian entrant, American Indian born in Canada, SIV, Amerasian, trafficking, COFA or Afghan or Ukrainian parolee status holder, or qualified for 5 years or more. Otherwise state-funded if an LPR for less than 4 years, over 69, or 4 to 5 years and aged 18 to 69 and in a literacy, English or citizenship class (or on a waiting list for a literacy or English class), seeking a test waiver, waiting for a citizenship test or ceremony, or denied citizenship after two tries or for inability to understand its rights and responsibilities. LPRs in the 4-to-5-year group who meet none of these can't get state-funded MFIP, unless they live in a licensed facility, which exempts them from the class conditions. Children under 18 get a state-funded cash portion.
- Refugees, asylees, trafficking victims, Afghan and Ukrainian humanitarian parolees: federal cash and a state-funded food portion. SIV holders, Amerasians, and Cuban and Haitian entrants: MFIP as usual.
- Battered noncitizens and people paroled a year or more: federal cash only with military service, 40 work credits or 5 years as qualified noncitizens; otherwise state-funded. A battered person can't qualify under that status while living with the abuser.
- American Indians born in Canada: state-funded until they are LPRs, then federal.
- Lawfully residing people (asylum applicants, DACA, TPS and similar) and U-visa holders: state-funded MFIP; lawfully residing people usually must keep renewing their permission to stay eligible.
Refugee Cash Assistance (RCA) is for refugees, asylees, Cuban and Haitian entrants, certain Amerasians, Iraqi or Afghan SIV holders, trafficking victims, and certain Afghan and Ukrainian humanitarian parolees who can't get SSI or MFIP. For eligibility dates on or after 2026-01-01 it lasts up to 8 months, counted from the earlier of arrival with the status or the grant date, whether or not the person is enrolled. Conditions include registering with Refugee Employment Services within 30 days of approval (unless exempt), not having quit a job or refused suitable work without good cause in the 30 days before applying, and not being a full-time student, in the Matching Grant program, or on MFIP or GA. There is no 30-day residency rule.
General Assistance uses MFIP's citizenship rules and counts a sponsor's income. By statute, legal adult noncitizens who have lived in the US 4 years or more and are under 70 must meet the same class conditions (from 3 years if the county finds more than a year of English training is needed; people in certain licensed facilities are exempt; the manual states the condition only for permanent residents, unresolved). The manual lists GA for most lawful statuses, including asylum applicants, DACA and TPS holders. (House Research's GA summary says applicants must be citizens; the statute and manual say otherwise.)
Minnesota Supplemental Aid: the manual lists it for LPRs, the humanitarian groups, battered noncitizens, people paroled a year or more, American Indians born in Canada, COFA citizens and U-visa holders, but not asylum applicants, DACA or TPS holders. The MSA statute says citizens or noncitizens eligible for SSI, which doesn't obviously match; this is unresolved.
Housing Support is listed for LPRs, the humanitarian groups, withholding of removal, battered noncitizens, people paroled a year or more and COFA citizens; not for American Indians born in Canada without qualified status, lawfully residing groups or U-visa holders.
Sponsors: if someone signed an affidavit of support (common with family petitions), MFIP, GA, Housing Support and SNAP count the sponsor's (and sponsor's spouse's) income and assets, and MSA does for people not on SSI. Refugees, asylees, people paroled more than a year, Cuban and Haitian entrants, trafficking victims, certain Amerasians, Iraqi and Afghan special immigrants, Afghan and Ukrainian humanitarian parolees, and LPRs who came from these statuses have no sponsor. Deeming isn't applied to children under 18 or people with 40 work quarters; battered noncitizens have a 12-month exemption (not while living with the batterer), and an indigence exemption (income including actual sponsor help at or under 130% of the poverty guidelines; 12 months, renewable after review) is available, which means the county reports to the federal government that the sponsor isn't supporting the person; the person may refuse it.
Health care
Medical Assistance since 2026-10-01. Noncitizen adults 21 and older who aren't pregnant qualify only as LPRs (after a five-year wait or with an exception), Cuban or Haitian entrants, or COFA migrants. Lawfully present children under 21, and pregnant people, keep MA. DHS's October 2026 chart:
| Status | Pregnant | Under 21 | 21 or older, not pregnant |
|---|---|---|---|
| LPR (including SIV holders and Amerasians), Cuban or Haitian entrant, COFA migrant | MA or MinnesotaCare | MA or MinnesotaCare | MA (LPRs after the wait or an exception) or MinnesotaCare |
| Other lawfully present, except DACA (refugees, asylees, parolees, trafficking victims, withholding, battered, American Indians born in Canada, TPS, asylum and green card applicants, students, workers, U-visa holders and others) | MA or MinnesotaCare | MA or MinnesotaCare | EMA and MinnesotaCare |
| DACA grantees | CHIP-funded MA, EMA, MinnesotaCare | MinnesotaCare, EMA | EMA, MinnesotaCare |
| Not lawfully present | CHIP-funded MA, EMA | MinnesotaCare under 18 only; EMA | EMA |
Asylum or withholding applicants 14 and older count as lawfully present only with a work permit. The health care manual's exceptions to the five-year wait for LPRs: US veterans or active-duty military and their spouses and children; American Indians born in Canada or tribal members; entry before August 22, 1996 with continuous residence; and LPRs who were refugees, asylees, granted withholding, Cuban or Haitian entrants, trafficking victims, or Afghan or Ukrainian humanitarian parolees, or became LPRs as Iraqi or Afghan Special Immigrants or Amerasians. That manual page was published before the change, so treat the list as the best available, not confirmed.
Adults who lost MA. DHS says they may be eligible for MinnesotaCare. Where DHS had enough information it sent a notice in late August or early September 2026 saying MA would end September 30 and MinnesotaCare was approved; otherwise a letter in mid-August 2026 had to be answered. Most pay a monthly premium, and coverage starts the month after the first payment. People enrolled in or entitled to premium-free Medicare Part A, or enrolled in Part B, can't get MinnesotaCare, and people who have or can get job-based coverage may not be eligible. MinnesotaCare and EMA can be held together (MinnesotaCare doesn't cover long-term care or personal care services). People without an MA-eligible status also lost waiver, Alternative Care and personal care (PCA/CFSS) services on 2026-10-01. Anyone whose status changes (green card, citizenship) or who becomes pregnant should tell the county or Tribal office right away. MinnesotaCare covers less than MA (no home health care, non-emergency medical transportation or mental health case management).
MinnesotaCare by status: lawfully present noncitizens of any age, if they meet the other rules (income, no other affordable coverage, residence); children under 18 of any status; DACA grantees (fee-for-service, standard premiums, none under 21). Undocumented adults 18 and older have been excluded since 2026-01-01. MinnesotaCare doesn't count a sponsor's income (nor do MA for pregnant people and children under 21, or EMA).
Emergency Medical Assistance is for residents who meet MA's rules except immigration status. It covers emergency care, including labor and delivery, in the emergency department and a hospital stay that follows. Some later care (dialysis, cancer treatment, kidney transplants, nursing facility, home care, psychiatric care, prescriptions) needs approval requested by the provider. It doesn't cover routine prenatal or preventive care, dental (except approved emergency dental care) and vision care, waiver services or substance use treatment. It can reach back three months before the application month, and children with disabilities who can't get MA because of status may get EMA under the TEFRA option.
Refugee Medical Assistance gives the same benefits as MA (DHS says), for up to 12 months from the earlier of arrival with the status or its grant date, to people who can't get MA, aren't full-time college students, and are (or were, before becoming LPRs) refugees, asylees, certified trafficking victims, Iraqi or Afghan SIV holders, certain Amerasians, Cuban or Haitian entrants, or certain Afghan or Ukrainian humanitarian parolees. Income must be at or under 200% of the federal poverty guidelines at application, and assets under $10,000 (one person) or $20,000 (two or more). It can reach back 3 months, but not before the status date. No Social Security number is needed. Material from October 2026 may say 8 months; DHS restored 12 months on 2026-10-28. MA-CVT is state-funded MA for people getting services from the Center for Victims of Torture who can't otherwise get MA; it ends the month after those services stop.
Pregnant people who are undocumented or otherwise ineligible may be able to get CHIP-funded MA, which may continue 12 months after the birth (not for people enrolled in other coverage). A legal aid fact sheet says CHIP for noncitizen children and pregnant people also narrowed on 2026-10-01; DHS's FAQ and chart say lawfully present children under 21 and pregnant people keep MA. This site follows DHS, but tell people to apply and ask.
Coming in 2027: premium tax credits for private plans go only to LPRs, Cuban or Haitian entrants and COFA citizens among lawfully present noncitizens (from tax year 2027). Medicare will be limited to the same groups for people who were already enrolled on July 4, 2025, 18 months after that date; DHS says from January 1, 2027 (by the site's arithmetic 18 months is January 4), and that people losing Medicare may then get MinnesotaCare. Whether the tax credit limit changes who can get MinnesotaCare is not known to this site.
Child care assistance and WIC
Child care assistance checks only the status of the child who needs care, and the agency must not ask about anyone else's status. Citizen children qualify (if the family meets the other rules). Noncitizen children qualify if they are LPRs, lawfully residing (parole, TPS, deferred enforced departure or another temporary status), or fleeing persecution (refugees, asylees, withholding, Cuban or Haitian entrants, Amerasians). Undocumented and non-immigrant children don't, except for care in settings that follow public education standards (Head Start, pre-K, school-age programs), where status isn't checked. (The manual section is from 2022.)
WIC does not require US citizenship. People on MFIP, SNAP or MA are automatically income eligible. Clinic line: 1-800-WIC-4030.
Whose status is asked, public charge, and legal help
A person applying for health care only for their children or other relatives, or helping someone apply, doesn't have to give their own status. For cash and food programs, workers must not run an immigration check on, or ask more status questions of, someone applying only for others. Child care assistance checks only the child's. In SNAP, an ineligible member's income still counts.
Public charge: Minnesota's manual tells county workers that the public charge rule doesn't change who is eligible, that they should not consider it, and that they should never give immigration advice. For advice, people should see an immigration attorney or legal aid: Legal Aid 1-800-292-4150 (weekdays 8:30 to 4:30), Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid 877-969-6529, Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services 877-696-6529. The Refugee and Immigrant Helpline, 800-814-4806, helps in the person's language.
New in 2026: DCYF reports that the federal government issued a new public charge policy that would give immigration officers broad discretion to deny green cards based on benefit use, and that on 2026-09-14 Minnesota joined 22 states and the District of Columbia in suing to stop it. The manual's guidance above predates it. Don't promise a person that benefits have no immigration effect; send them to an immigration lawyer.
Not covered here
SSI and the Medicare Savings Programs for noncitizens, the sponsor deeming formula and its exceptions, verification documents, and state-by-state comparisons.