Do Immigrants Qualify for a Stimulus Check?

Immigration News

Mario A. Godoy

Do Immigrants Qualify for a Stimulus Check?

The United States has approved a $2 trillion economic rescue plan to provide financial help to Americans during the global coronavirus (COVID-19) health and economic pandemic. The stimulus checks will be up to $1,200 per adult and $500 per child for qualified individuals, based on income level, and are being mailed or direct deposited in April. Immigrants with valid Social Security numbers and people who qualify as “resident aliens” will receive a stimulus check. The bill provides economic stimulus checks for individuals whose household falls below the $75,000 income threshold.

Do All Immigrants Qualify for a Stimulus Check?

United States tax law defines “resident aliens” as someone who has a green card or who can prove that they have been physically present in the United States long enough to establish “substantial presence.” Immigrants with a social security number assigned by the Social Security Administration will qualify for a stimulus check, provided they meet all the other eligibility requirements.

Mixed Status Households
Anyone who lives in a “mixed-status” household — where anyone in the family (tax filers and their children) uses an ITIN (Individual Taxpayer Identification Number — instead of a Social Security number) the family does not qualify for the stimulus relief payment.

Chicago immigration attorney Mario Godoy explained,
“If you are a U.S. citizen and have a Social Security number but on your tax return you have claimed a spouse or child who is undocumented and does not have a social security number, no one in your household will get a stimulus check.”

To learn more about immigrants and the stimulus check, fill out our online contact form and schedule a consultation.

DACA Recipients
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients qualify for a stimulus check because they are issued Social Security numbers.

Temporary Protected Status
Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders qualify for a stimulus check because they are issued Social Security numbers.

Millions of immigrant households nationwide will not receive coronavirus relief money from the federal government, according to the National Immigration Law Center.

Unemployment benefits due to COVID-19 and the stimulus relief check do not count against the public charge rule.

Godoy Law Office is an established immigration law firm in Chicago and Lombard with experienced immigration attorneys who are ready to help you interpret complicated immigration law as they apply to your case. Contact us online or call today at 855-554-6369.