Applying for or receiving SNAP does not affect immigration status

Feb 22, 2022

The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security want to make sure that everyone who qualifies for nutrition assistance gets that help.

Full Joint Letter available at: https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/joint-letter-public-charge

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Applying for or receiving SNAP does not make you a public charge and will not be considered in a public charge determination. Applying for or receiving SNAP will not affect your ability to:

  • Remain in the United States,
  • Get a Green Card/Permanent Legal Resident Status,
  • Keep a Green Card/Permanent Legal Resident Status, or
  • Become a U.S. Citizen.

You can also apply for SNAP on behalf of the eligible immigrants or U.S. citizens in your family, even if you do not want to apply for benefits for yourself, without affecting your or their immigration status. For example, if a parent is not eligible for SNAP because of their immigration status, they can still apply for their eligible children. The SNAP office is not allowed to ask for immigration documents for people who are not applying to receive benefits themselves.

If you need food help, and you or members of your household qualify, please apply for SNAP for yourself or your family. Do it for your family’s good!

For more information relating to general immigration information in English or in Spanish, please call USCIS at 1-800-375-5283. For general information about SNAP, please call 1-800-221-5689 (English only) or 202-720-2791 (English and Spanish) to be connected to your state’s SNAP hotline.

Hunger Task Force is Milwaukee’s Free & Local food bank and Wisconsin’s anti-hunger leader. The organization provides healthy and nutritious food to hungry children, families and seniors in the community absolutely free of charge. Hunger Task Force was founded in 1974 by a local advocacy group who then formed Milwaukee’s first food bank. Today, Hunger Task Force is 100% supported by the community and provides a safety net of emergency food with dignity to a network of 75 food pantries, soup kitchens and homeless shelters. Through legislative analysis, education and community organizing, Hunger Task Force continues to advocate for anti-hunger policy at the local, state and federal level. For more information, visit HungerTaskForce.org.