713-6 Documentation of United States Citizenship and Eligible Alien Status

Alaska Temporary Assistance Program Manual

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713-6 DOCUMENTATION OF UNITED STATES CITIZENSHIP AND ELIGIBLE ALIEN STATUS

U.S. citizenship is verified only when questionable. Every family must declare that all members of the assistance unit have U.S. citizenship or satisfactory immigration status. The caretaker relative or authorized representative fulfills this condition of eligibility by signing the GEN 50CApplication for Services or GEN 72Eligibility Review Form.

713-6 A. VERIFICATION OF u.S. CITIZENSHIP IS NOT REQUIRED FOR:

A current Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipient;
A current Medicare recipient;
An individual receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits;
Children in state foster care or Title IV-E adoption assistance;
A newborn that is eligible for and receives Medicaid in their birth month. This includes a newborn whose mother is a non-qualified alien and is determined eligible under Emergency Treatment for Aliens. These newborns are considered to have provided satisfactory documentation of citizenship and identity, and no further documentation will be necessary in the future.

713-6 B. ACCEPTABLE DOCUMENTATION

Sources of verification include birth certificates, certificates of citizenship or naturalization provided by the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS), U.S. passports, and official identification cards showing U.S. citizenship. U.S. National status may be verified with a U.S. passport stamped "U.S. National."

713-6 C. PROOF OF QUALIFIED ALIEN STATUS

To be eligible for ATAPAlaska Temporary Assistance Program, an alien must provide proof of his or her qualified alien status. The following documents are acceptable for determining qualified alien status and whether the alien is subject to the five-year waiting period.

Certain USCISU.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services documents can be viewed online at https://www.uscis.gov/forms/all-forms.

IMMIGRATION STATUS	VERIFICATION DOCUMENT (USCIS FORMS)
Legal Permanent Resident	I-551 (referred to as green card), or I-94 annotated with a temporary I-551 stamp (for recent arrivals or aliens who have applied for a replacement I-551)
Refugee	I-94 stamped showing admission under section 207 of the INAImmigration & Nationality Act and date of entry to the U.S., or I-688B annotated 274a.12(a)(3), or I-766 annotated A3, or, I-571 (Refugees usually adjust to LPRLawful Permanent Resident status after 12 months in the U.S. However, they are still considered refugee for eligibility purposes when they have a I-551 with a code of RE-6, RE-7, RE-8, or RE-9)
Special Immigrants	I-94 or passport stamped with an "S" category
Asylee	I-94 stamped showing grant of asylum under section 208 and date of entry; or A grant letter from the Asylum Office of the USCISU.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services; or I-688B annotated 274a.12(a)(5); or I-766 annotated A5; or Court order of an immigration judge showing asylum granted under section 208.
Parolee	I-94 annotated with stamp showing grant of parole under 212(d)(5) and a date showing granting of parole for at least 1 year.
Deportation Withheld	Order of an immigration judge showing deportation withheld under section 243(h) and date of grant; or I-688B annotated 274a.12(a)(10); or I-766 annotated A10
Conditional Entrant	I-94 with stamp showing admission under 203(a)(7), refugee-conditional entry, or I-688B annotated 274a.12(a)(3) I-766 annotated A3
Battered Spouse or Child of U.S. Citizen or Permanent Legal Resident	Approved or pending I-130 or I-360 petition showing a prima facie case that he or she is protected under the Violence Against Women Act, and Verification that the individual responsible for the battery or cruelty is no longer living in the household of the victim.
Cuban or Haitian Entrants	I-94 with stamp showing parole as Cuban/Haitian Entrant under section 212(d)(5) of the INAImmigration & Nationality Act Form I-551 with code CU6, CU7, or CH6 Foreign passport containing an unexpired temporary I-551 stamp with the code CU6 or CU7
U.S. Military Veteran, Active Duty Military (includes spouse and unmarried dependent children under 21)	Green Form DD-2 marked ACTIVE, or A current order showing the individual is on full-time duty in the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard (Reserves are not considered active duty). DD-214 indicating honorable discharge, or Discharge papers indicating honorable discharge
Victims of Trafficking (includes certain eligible immediate family members holding a derivative T-Visa)	Letter of certification from the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). The caseworker must verify the validity of this letter and notify ORROffice of Refugee Resettlement of the benefits for which the individual has applied by calling the toll-free trafficking verification line at 1-866-401-5510. ORROffice of Refugee Resettlement letters can also be verified at the following website: https://shepherd.otip.acf.hhs.gov/shepherdpublic/letterverification. Form I-797a indicating Class T-1 Visa. Form I-797a indicating T-2 (spouse), T-3 (child), T-4 (parent) or T-5 (unmarried sibling under age 18 years on the date such alien's T visa application was filed), known as a Derivative Visa. Note: T status is valid for 3 years from date of approval and is not renewable. However, the individual may adjust to lawful permanent resident status within the 90-day period immediately preceding the expiration of T status.
American Indian Born in Canada	Birth or baptismal certificate issued on a reservation; Tribal records; Letter from the Canadian Department of Indian Affairs, or School records.

Note:

If an applicant presents a receipt indicating that he or she has applied to USCISU.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services for a replacement document for one of the documents identified below, contact the USCISU.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to verify status by filing a G-845 with the local USCISU.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services district office and attach a copy of the receipt.

713-6 D. SYSTEMATIC ALIEN VERIFICATION FOR ENTITLEMENTS (SAVE) PROGRAM

The Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) is a program run by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services which provides both an online system and paper-based process to verify the immigration status of aliens.

The Verification Information System (VIS) is the online verification system. The paper-based process makes use of the G-845, Document Verification Request.

The documents provided by each alien as verification of immigration status must be authenticated by using the SAVESystematic Alien Verification for Entitlements program. The VISVerification Information System system will identify whether or not the alien has been lawfully admitted into the U.S. However, it may not provide enough information to determine whether or not the individual is a "qualified alien." The date of entry indicated on the VISVerification Information System database may not accurately reflect the date an immigrant physically arrived in the U.S.

Secondary verification may be needed if no records are found or if there are discrepancies between the alien's documents and VISVerification Information System. Written consent from the household is required to contact USCISU.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to obtain documentation or information to verify the alien's status.

If the alien does not want the caseworker to contact USCISU.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the household can withdraw its application or participate without that member.

Written consent is not required to:

Contact USCISU.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to verify the validity of documentation provided by the alien.
Use the SAVESystematic Alien Verification for Entitlements inquiry process.

Verification of each alien's status through the SAVESystematic Alien Verification for Entitlements program is required whenever an application is processed for an assistance unit containing one or more alien members, and whenever an alien is added to an assistance unit. All such contacts must be clearly documented in the case record.

See Administrative Procedures MS 105-14 for instructions on how to use the SAVESystematic Alien Verification for Entitlements program.

713-6 E. ALIENS WITHOUT DOCUMENTATION

Aliens who do not have documentation of their alien status must be given written notice of the verification requirement and given 30 days to provide the necessary documents. If the alien's documents are not submitted by the end of the 30-day period, that person cannot be included in the assistance unit, but benefits may be provided to the remaining members of the assistance unit.

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		MC #78 (09/24)