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Information from the Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network
Immigrants' Rights to Public Benefits in Pennsylvania
(Separate Website)
Information on the rights of immigrants to receive different types of public benefits.
By: Community Legal Services
Health Care Information for Immigrants
(Separate Website)
Information on the Immigrant Health Access Project (IHAP), a new initiative at the Pennsylvania Health Law Project, and the various health care coverage options that are available to immigrants.
By: Pennsylvania Health Law Project
If I am an immigrant in Pennsylvania, will the government help me pay for medical care?
(Separate Website)
Information on medical assistance for immigrants.
By: Community Legal Services
What if my Medical Providers Speak Only English?
(Separate Website)
Information about your right to be able to communicate with your health care provider
By: Pennsylvania Health Law Project
What are my Language Rights
(Separate Website)
Information on the HealthChoices managed care program for PA Medical Assistance
By: Pennsylvania Health Law Project
Most Legal Immigrants Can Get Food Stamps Information on the rights of immigrants to receive public benefits.
By: Community Legal Services
Immigrants and "Public Charge"
(Separate Website)
This paper looks at how receiving public benefits may affect your immigration status or your ability to travel in and out of the U.S. If you are a legal immigrant, refugee, or asylee, you generally will not face any problems if you receive public benefits that you are entitled to receive. If you do not have legal immigrant status, you need to consider whether receiving public benefits may hurt your chances of obtaining a green card in the future.
By: Community Legal Services
Social Security & Entering the United States of America
(Separate Website)
Official US government site for information about Social Security for recent immigrants and other non-citizens.
By: Social Security Administration
Read this in:
Spanish / Español
How to Apply for Immigration Benefits as a Battered Spouse or Child
(Separate Website)
Official US government website with questions and answers regarding the self-petitioning process for battered immigrant spouses and children. Includes links to forms and local low-cost immigration services providers.
By: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
Immigrants and Public Benefits
(Separate Website)
Articles about immigrants and public benefits originally published in the NILC newsletter Immigrants' Rights Update, as well as E-mail Benefits Updates, are accessible from this page.
By: National Immigration Law Center
Overview of Immigrant Eligibility for Federal Programs - Table
(Separate Website)
This table provides an overview of immigrant eligibility for the major federal public assistance programs. Some states provide assistance to immigrants who are not eligible for federally funded services. (TABLE UPDATED APR. 2010). EXCERPT FROM Guide to Immigrant Eligibility for Federal Programs.
By: National Immigration Law Center
Overview of Immigrant Eligibility for Federal Programs
(Separate Website)
This article provides an overview of immigrant eligibility for the major federal public assistance programs.
By: National Immigration Law Center
Facts About Federal Funding for States to Provide Health Coverage to Immigrant Children and Pregnant Women
(Separate Website)
Information on Children?s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (CHIPRA), providng a new opportunity to provide affordable health coverage to many immigrant children and pregnant women through Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
By: National Immigration Law Center
Medical Assistance Programs for Immigrants in Various States
(Separate Website)
Federally funded Medicaid and CHIP (Children?s Health Insurance Program) is available to otherwise eligible "qualified" immigrants who entered the U.S. before August 22, 1996, and those who have held a "qualified" status for five years or longer.
This table describes state policies for providing health coverage to additional groups of immigrants, under federal options to cover lawfully residing children and pregnant women, regardless of their date of entry into the U.S., or to provide prenatal care to women regardless of status, using CHIP funds. It also describes immigrant coverage under programs using exclusively state funds.
By: National Immigration Law Center
Immigrant's Eligibility for Unemployment Compensation [PDF]
(Separate Website)
Fact sheet for immigrant worker advocates. This NELP fact sheet thoroughly explains eligibility requirements for immigrant workers in order to receive unemployment insurance benefits. Please consult an attorney to get an evaluation of your claims. The document is PDF format.
By: National Employment Law Project (NHELP)
Adobe Acrobat Reader required. (If you are using a screen reader that does not support PDF format, copy the PDF link, and use the Access Adobe online form to convert this file to HMTL text.)
PALawHELP.org is provided as a public service by the Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network, the Pennsylvania Bar Association and the Legal Services Corporation.