What is SNAP?
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) formerly known as ‘food stamps,’ is a federal nutrition program that provides monthly food benefits to low-income households to supplement their grocery budget.
SNAP participants receive the benefit amount every month on their Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card, which looks and functions like a debit card, and can be used in participating stores. The benefit can be doubled in value for fruit and vegetable purchases in certain markets and stores by participating in the Double Up Food Bucks program, which provides incentives for the purchase of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Eligibility and benefit amount will depend on factors like income, expenses, household resources, and number of individuals in the household. Generally, a household may be eligible if their household income is less than 200% of the Federal Poverty Level.
The table below shows the maximum monthly pre-tax income a household can have depending on household size. For example, a household of 3 may be eligible for SNAP if their monthly income before taxes is $4,054 or less.
|
Household Size |
Monthly Pre-Tax Income Limit |
Monthly Maximum SNAP Benefit |
|
1 |
$2,430 | $291 |
|
2 |
$3,288 |
$535 |
|
3 |
$4,054 |
$766 |
| 4 |
$5,000 |
$973 |
| 5 | $5,858 |
$1,155 |
Eligibility for Immigrant Households
Many immigrant families can use SNAP to buy the food they need. You may qualify for SNAP if you are within income limits and if you or someone else in your household are in one of the following categories:
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-
- A naturalized U.S citizen
- A “humanitarian immigrant” (which includes refugees, asylees, and survivors of trafficking, domestic violence, and other serious crimes);
- A ‘special immigrant’ visa holder
- Certain Native Americans born outside of the US
- A lawful permanent resident (green card holder) with residency for 5+ years, a military connection, 40 qualifying work quarters, a disability, or under age 18.
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Waiting period for Lawful Permanent Residents/Green Card Holders
If you are a lawful permanent resident/green card holder, you may be surprised to learn that you may need to wait five years after receiving your residency/green card to be eligible for SNAP. Unfortunately, this arbitrary and harmful requirement makes it harder for immigrant households to access the food resources they need. Hunger Free Colorado is working to get rid of this waiting period. To learn more about our federal advocacy, click here.
While most lawful permanent residents need to wait five years before they can access SNAP, there are some exceptions. For example, lawful permanent residents are not subject to the 5-year waiting period if they:
- Have a military connection (veteran, on active duty, or spouse or child of a veteran or active-duty service member)
- Receive government payments for disability or blindness
- Are children under age 18
- Have sufficient work history (10 years, or 40 qualifying work quarters). Your work history can come from a combination of your own work, work of a spouse if you are still married, or work of your parents before you turned 18
Mixed-Status Households
A mixed-status household is a household with members of varying documentation status, such as a combination of citizen, non-citizen, undocumented, or permanent resident parents and children. In a mixed status household, it is common for some members to be eligible for SNAP while others are not.
If you do not have documented immigration status, you will not be able to apply for yourself, however, you may be able to apply for other eligible household members. Many children of non-citizen parents are eligible for benefits. If your children are U.S citizens or lawful permanent residents, you can apply for SNAP on their behalf even if you do not have documented or a qualifying immigration status.
If you apply on behalf of your children or other household members, you will still need to provide the name, date of birth, and monthly income information for everyone in the household to help the county determine income eligibility. But you will only need to provide a social security number and immigration status for the household members that you select you are requesting benefits for. You do not need to disclose immigration status for the individuals in your household that are not seeking benefits. You should not be asked about the immigration status of household members you are not requesting benefits for during your county interview for SNAP, but if you are, you can simply say, “I am not requesting benefits for myself/that person.”
Non-immigrants (those on student, visitor, or diplomatic visas) are not eligible to receive SNAP benefits but may also apply on behalf of other eligible household members.
Will accessing SNAP affect my immigration status?
No. Applying for SNAP as an immigrant to the U.S. can feel scary, because there is a lot of misinformation about the impact of SNAP on immigration status. But the truth is, applying for SNAP (for yourself or on behalf of eligible family members) will NOT hurt your immigration status now or in the future. SNAP is not considered part of the public charge rule and SNAP enrollment will NOT affect your ability to remain in the United States, get a green card/permanent resident status, keep your green card/permanent resident status, or become a U.S. citizen.
You can learn more about SNAP, immigration status, and public charge by clicking here.
Applying to SNAP
If you believe you or a household member might be eligible, there are a few ways you can apply to the program.
For more information about the application process, click here.
- Apply online using the Colorado Peak website, where you can apply to and manage SNAP and other benefits online.
- Submit a written application to your county human services office by mail, fax or in person.
- Call us at our Hunger Free Colorado Hotline (855-855-4626) or visit one of our on-site locations. While we are not a government organization, we are trained to provide information about SNAP and application assistance, and we are all fully bilingual in English/Spanish. We can help you apply over the phone or in person!
Additional Food Resources
There are many food resources available to Colorado immigrants in addition SNAP. Using these resources will NOT hurt your immigration status now or in the future.
Community Food Sites
- Food pantries, food boxes and meal sites offer free food/meals to families or individuals.
Visit HungerFreeColorado.org/find-food to find sites near you or call our Hunger Free Colorado Hotline (855-855-4626) - Summer meals are available during summer months to all youth (18 and under). Visit KidsFoodFinder.org to find summer meals sites near you.
Nutrition Programs
- The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) provides healthy food (such as fruits, vegetables, and baby food), nutrition education, breastfeeding support, and other free services for pregnant women, postpartum women, and children under the age of five. Request an appointment at ColoradoWICSignUp.com.
School Meals
- School meals are available for free to students in most Colorado schools. Contact your school district if you have any questions.