Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, "food stamps") in Texas: 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 food benefits (issued in Texas on the Lone Star Card)
Who may qualify
Income limit
- The whole household (SNAP is tested on the household, not one person)โค 130% FPL๐ The SNAP income line is set by household size, not by person-type. ๐ด Unlike California, Texas does NOT use broad-based categorical eligibility to raise the gross limit to 200% โ Texas's standard gross test is 130% FPL and the net test is 100% FPL. Official monthly limits (TWH C-121, Revision 25-4, effective Oct. 1, 2025): Gross (130%) โ 1 person $1,696; 2 $2,292; 3 $2,888; 4 $3,483; each additional +$596. Net (100%) โ 1 $1,305; 3 $2,221; 4 $2,680; each additional +$459. There is also a 165% FPL column (1 $2,152; 3 $3,665...) used for the gross limit when an elderly or disabled person living with others counts as a separate household, and as the income limit for categorically eligible households โ Texas HHSC's public SNAP Food Benefits page in fact uses that 165% column as its 'general idea' maximum income (1 $2,152; 4 $4,421...). Meeting the income line is not eligibility โ the office must still calculate an actual budget for your household.
Immigration-status rules in this state
Texas SNAP is the federal SNAP, run by Texas HHSC, with benefits issued on the Lone Star Card (swipe it like a bank card at authorized stores). On immigration status, Texas applies the federal SNAP rules โ including the 2025 OBBBA (H.R.1) Section 10108 narrowing of non-citizen eligibility, and the green-card five-year wait with its exemptions (these are program-level federal rules; see the federal SNAP program details and its statutory alert โ this row does not repeat them). ๐ด One honest and important conclusion: Texas has no state-funded food benefit for immigrants excluded by the federal rules, the way California has CFAP โ we did not find any Texas state-level substitute food program (reported honestly as 'not found,' not a claim that none can exist). So immigrants in Texas who are cut off by the federal rules generally have no state-funded backstop. A mixed-status household can still apply for SNAP for the eligible members (such as U.S. citizen children); household members who are not applying generally do not have to give their immigration status for the eligible members to benefit โ rely on the official Texas HHSC and yourtexasbenefits.com guidance for specifics. This is a changing area โ verify with HHSC.
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
Proof of identity, Texas residency, household size, Social Security numbers for household members, proof of gross income (recent pay stubs, etc.), and housing and utility costs; elderly/disabled households can also provide medical expenses to get a larger benefit. Only non-citizens who are applying for benefits provide immigration documents. See the official application at yourtexasbenefits.com for the exact document list.
Timeline
Benefits generally arrive within 30 days of the application being received; households with little or no money that need help right away may get expedited benefits within 7 days. Households where everyone is elderly (60+) or has a disability can use the Texas Simplified Application Project (TSAP), which gives three years of benefits at a time.
Go to the official application โYourTexasBenefits.com (official Texas HHSC online application) ยท or call 2-1-1 or 877-541-7905 (free language help)
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 Texas
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