Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, "food stamps") in Massachusetts: what you may be able to apply for
๐ Will this affect your green card?
SNAP does NOT count in the public charge test โ the current rule lists "Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or other nutrition programs" as the very first item on the "Public Benefits Not Considered" list, so receiving it does not affect your green card or immigration application. The current rule considers only two things: (a) public cash assistance for income maintenance (SSI, TANF cash, and state, tribal, territorial, or local cash benefit programs for income maintenance), and (b) long-term institutionalization at government expense (such as a long-term stay in a nursing facility or mental health institution). SNAP is neither โ it is not cash assistance and it is not institutional care. USCIS states expressly that it will not consider receipt of, or certification or approval for future receipt of, the benefits on that list. See details โ
What it is
Monthly food benefits that help low-income households buy the food they need. Benefits come on an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card โ EBT has been the sole method of SNAP issuance in all states since June 2004 โ which you swipe like a bank card at authorized grocery stores. The benefit amount is based on the USDA's Thrifty Food Plan, updated each year to keep pace with food prices, and depends on your household size and how much monthly income is left after certain expenses are deducted. It is a federal program (USDA Food and Nutrition Service), but state public assistance agencies run it through their local offices โ you must apply in the state where you currently live, so the application and the local name vary by state (California calls it CalFresh). Benefits generally arrive no later than 30 days after the office receives your application; households with little or no money that need help right away may get benefits within 7 days.
SNAP (administered by the Department of Transitional Assistance, DTA; the state-funded State SNAP Supplement for excluded immigrants ran from 2023 to April 2024 and has ended)
Who may qualify
Income limit
- The whole household (SNAP is tested on the household, not on one person)โค 200% FPL๐ The SNAP income line is set by household size, not by person-type: a household is everyone you buy and cook most of your meals with (a spouse and children under 22 who live with you are always included). ๐ Massachusetts uses broad-based categorical eligibility, so its gross income eligibility chart is set at 200% of the federal poverty level, above the federal 130% baseline. DTA's current SNAP eligibility chart lists the maximum monthly income (before taxes) as $2,660 for a household of 1, $3,607 for 2, $4,553 for 3, $5,500 for 4, $6,447 for 5, $7,393 for 6, $8,340 for 7, and $9,287 for 8, plus $947 for each additional person. Those figures are 200% of the 2026 federal poverty guidelines (for one person, $15,960 a year is $1,330 a month; twice that is $2,660). For categorically eligible households there is no asset test; households that are not categorically eligible instead face the 130% FPL gross limit and an asset limit (106 CMR 364.950 and 363.110). โ ๏ธ Meeting the income line does not by itself mean you qualify โ DTA still figures your actual benefit from your net income after deductions.
Immigration-status rules in this state
๐ด The honest headline for Massachusetts: the state did build its own food program for immigrants federal SNAP leaves out โ and then let it end, so today it is not there to catch you. (1) That program was the State SNAP Supplement. DTA states it "was a new type of food assistance that was signed into law by Governor Healey on December 4, 2023," and that it "helped certain lawfully-present immigrants who were not eligible for federal SNAP benefits because of their immigration status." (2) ๐ด But it is over. DTA states: "The funding for the State SNAP Supplement has now ended. The last payments were made in April 2024," and "There are no immediate plans to restart the State SNAP Supplement." So a lawfully-present immigrant whom the 2025 federal law removes from SNAP does not, right now, have a Massachusetts state-funded food benefit to fall back on โ this is the opposite of Washington, whose FAP still runs, and it means Massachusetts should not be assumed to be a safe harbor on food. (3) ๐ What Massachusetts still offers regardless of status: DTA says plainly, "SNAP is not part of a public charge test. If you are not a U.S. citizen or eligible immigrant, it is safe for you to apply and get SNAP for an eligible family member (like a U.S. citizen child)." A mixed-status household should still apply for its eligible members โ most importantly U.S.-citizen children. (4) Where DTA points people instead: for community food resources it lists Project Bread's FoodSource Hotline at 1-800-645-8333, and it directs anyone pregnant, breastfeeding, or with a child under age 5 to WIC. If the Legislature ever refunds the supplement, DTA says it "will contact you if you are eligible" and tells people to keep their EBT card. This is a changing area โ confirm your situation with DTA.
Recent major change to SNAP rules (some immigration statuses)
What changed: A federal law effective 2025-07-04 (OBBBA ยง10108, rewriting 7 U.S.C. 2015(f)) limits SNAP to: U.S. citizens ยท lawful permanent residents (green-card holders) ยท Cuban/Haitian entrants ยท COFA (Compact of Free Association) citizens. Who is affected: Refugees, people granted asylum, people granted withholding of removal, humanitarian parolees, battered spouses and children, conditional entrants, and similar categories are now excluded by the statute. โ ๏ธ But: The federal regulation 7 CFR 273.4 has not been updated (current on eCFR as of 2026-07-15) and still lists these categories as eligible; the FNS non-citizen eligibility page was taken down and marked "being updated" (2025-08-29). States may apply this differently. ๐ด What to do: Do NOT decide on your own โ whether old information says you qualify or this notice says you're excluded, check your specific situation with your state SNAP office (they are the ones with authority to decide). ๐ This affects SNAP only: Medicaid, CHIP, and WIC have DIFFERENT eligibility rules, are not affected by this law, and you may still qualify. Also: SNAP does NOT count toward public charge; searching or applying by itself does not affect your immigration status. Informational only, not legal advice; for your personal situation consult a licensed immigration attorney.
You may still qualify for these
What to do
Check with your state SNAP office before assuming you're excluded โ they are the ones who decide your case.
OBBBA ยง10108, amending Section 6(f) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2015(f)) ยท 2025-07-04
How to apply
What you'll need
You can start with just your name, address, and signature; DTA then schedules a phone interview and tells you what to verify. Typical proof includes identity, the income of everyone in the household (recent pay stubs or an employer statement; self-employment records if that applies), and, where relevant, housing and utility costs and medical costs for elderly or disabled members, which can raise your benefit. If a noncitizen indicates an inability or unwillingness to provide or apply for a Social Security number because of immigration status, that person is ineligible โ but a mixed-status household can still apply for its eligible members, and SNAP is not part of a public charge test. DTA provides interpreters in over 100 languages at no cost.
Timeline
DTA's own stated timeline: "DTA will send a decision within 30 days. However, some people who meet certain conditions can get expedited 'emergency' SNAP within 7 days while we process your application." Most applicants get an EBT card within 3-5 days of filing so they can use benefits as soon as they are available, and if approved, benefits go back to the date you applied.
Go to the official application โDTA Connect (DTAConnect.com) โ the Department of Transitional Assistance online application ยท you can also apply by phone, by mail, by fax, or in person at a DTA office, and there is a 30-second online eligibility screener
Will it affect your green card? (Public charge)
โ SNAP does NOT count in the public charge test โ the current rule lists "Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or other nutrition programs" as the very first item on the "Public Benefits Not Considered" list, so receiving it does not affect your green card or immigration application. The current rule considers only two things: (a) public cash assistance for income maintenance (SSI, TANF cash, and state, tribal, territorial, or local cash benefit programs for income maintenance), and (b) long-term institutionalization at government expense (such as a long-term stay in a nursing facility or mental health institution). SNAP is neither โ it is not cash assistance and it is not institutional care. USCIS states expressly that it will not consider receipt of, or certification or approval for future receipt of, the benefits on that list.
โ The exclusion is categorical: SNAP has no "long-term institutional care" exception the way Medicaid does โ whatever you buy with SNAP, however long you receive it, and however much you receive, it does not count. Other nutrition programs are likewise not considered, including WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children), school lunch programs, the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), the Emergency Food Assistance Act program (TEFAP), and the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR). In addition, USCIS does not consider public benefits received by an applicant's family members (including U.S. citizen children or other relatives), or benefits received by the applicant solely on behalf of third parties โ ๐ด a U.S. citizen child receiving SNAP in a mixed-status family does not count in a parent's public charge determination. It is not considered "receipt" to apply for a benefit on your own behalf or on behalf of another, nor is approval for future receipt. USCIS also does not consider benefits received while the applicant was in an immigration category exempt from public charge, or benefits received by people who are eligible for the resettlement assistance, entitlement programs, and other benefits available to refugees. ๐ One persistent rumor, put to rest: under the current rule effective December 23, 2022, SNAP does not count toward public charge. A 2019 rule did count it, but that rule was vacated nationwide on March 9, 2022 (USCIS Policy Manual, Volume 8, Part G, Chapter 1: "a partial final judgment vacating the 2019 Final Rule went into effect nationwide on March 9, 2022"). Rules have changed before and could change again โ rely on the latest official guidance.
Public charge is assessed only for people applying for a visa or admission from abroad, or applying for adjustment of status (a green card) inside the United States.
Many categories are exempt by law: refugees, asylees, VAWA self-petitioners, T and U visa applicants, Temporary Protected Status (TPS), Special Immigrant Juveniles (SIJ), Cuban/Haitian entrants, Cuban Adjustment Act applicants, Afghan/Iraqi interpreters, certain battered aliens who are "qualified aliens" under PRWORA, applicants for registry, Lautenberg parolees, Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness (LRIF) applicants, and other categories exempted by law.
Public charge is generally not assessed when a green-card holder renews their card or naturalizes; a green-card holder returning from a trip abroad is generally not treated as an applicant for admission and is assessed only in limited cases (for example, an absence of more than 180 days).
This is information only, not immigration, legal, or tax advice. Public charge and your personal status are complex โ consult a licensed immigration attorney. We never tell you whether you "will" or "won't" be affected.
USCIS Policy Manual, Volume 8, Part G, Chapter 7, Section E "Public Benefits Not Considered" (which lists SNAP as its first item), together with Sections B and C (the only two categories considered), and Chapter 3 (who it applies to) โ 8 USCIS-PM G.7 / G.3; regulation 8 CFR 212.22(a)(3), 212.21โ212.23; 2022 final rule 87 FR 55472. ยท 2022-12-23
Last checked: 2026-07-16
Policies can change โ always check the latest official information.
This site is informational only and is not immigration, legal, or tax advice. For public charge and your personal status questions, consult a licensed immigration attorney.
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, "food stamps") in other states
Other benefits in Massachusetts
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