IM-103 October 4, 2004; IM-56 April 18, 2003
An immigrant is eligible to receive food stamp benefits indefinitely, as long as s/he meets the other food stamp eligibility criteria, if the immigrant:
- has resided in the US for five years
- has had a qualified status for five years
Immigrants with a qualified status for over five years are eligible to receive food stamps. The most common qualified statuses for this group of immigrants are lawful permanent residents and battered immigrants. Enter the appropriate status code and verification code on the Non-Citizen Information (FMML) screen. Record a comment regarding when the verification was received and any other information not contained on the Non-Citizen (FMML) screen. FAMIS reads the entry date and status begin date of these individuals to determine if the immigrant has resided in the US for five years and has had a qualified status for five years. If the entry date is prior to the current status begin date, enter all the statuses an individual has had to determine benefits correctly.