Newly arrived immigrants are generally not automatically eligible for food assistance

Many newcomers to the United States have a litany of things to sort out when they arrive, including immigration paperwork, finding employment and ensuring they have something to eat each day. 

A video in Spanish posted on Facebook shows images of food and coolers and claims that immigrants only need to have been in the U.S. for three months to qualify for food assistance.

"Latino, immigrant, newcomer, maybe this will interest you," says the video's narrator. "If you're an immigrant in the United States and you've been living there for more than three months, you may qualify for food stamps. You can find the basics right here, start at the link." 

Despite the claim, neither the video nor the post contain any links.

The video was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)

The video does not specify which food aid program it is talking about.

However, there is a federal program that allows low-income U.S. citizens and certain immigrants to access funds to purchase nutritious food. This is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which is managed at the state level.

What the video claims does not conform to the rules set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said Justin Mason, digital information officer for the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance in New York.

USDA rules say that people generally must be here a minimum of five years in legal status before they are eligible for SNAP assistance. 

The USDA also sets the gross monthly income and asset limit to determine eligibility.

Elaine Waxman, a researcher at the Urban Institute specializing in income and benefits policy, explained that "what the video claims is not true in most cases." 

Typically, Waxman adds, immigrants must wait five years if they have legal status, and people without legal status are not eligible at all.

But, as the USDA reports, there are exceptions to the rule. Certain people do qualify for SNAP benefits even if they have not been in the U.S. for five years, including:

• Refugees
• Victims of trafficking
• Immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Iraq and Afghanistan.

People applying for SNAP must do so through their state of residence, and income and residency requirements vary from state to state, said Valerie Lacarte, senior analyst at the Migration Policy Institute.

"Although SNAP is a federal program, states can expand eligibility using state funds, including noncitizens," said Mariely Lopez-Santana, associate professor at the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University.

A Migration Policy Institute report released in March said that six states have expanded food assistance for certain immigrants who do not yet meet federal requirements. These states are California, Connecticut, Maine, Illinois, Minnesota and Washington.

Still, these states also have their own eligibility rules. 

In Connecticut, for example, noncitizen immigrants are eligible for the state's food assistance program if they have lived in the state for at least six months. California, meanwhile, has the nation’s most generous program, and assists all residents older than 55, regardless of immigration status.

In addition to the food assistance offered by the state, some charitable and non-profit organizations have their own assistance programs, which tend to have less stringent standards for qualification.

Read a related fact-check in Spanish.

Lea este informe en español.