Public Benefits for Immigrants

Read about where to file your lawsuit or case. Information on jurisdiction and venue.

If you cannot afford the filing fee or other court costs, you may qualify to have these fees and costs waived by the court.

Learn about Public Charge and what the Department of Homeland Security considers a Public Charge.

Immigration, family, public benefits, criminal laws, access a broad range of victim services without regard to immigration status.

Social Security numbers can be assigned to foreign workers who are authorized to work in the United States. Fact sheet available in Spanish, Arabic, Amharic, Chinese, Farsi, French, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Tagalog, Vietnamese.

This section will give you general guidelines for how to best prepare yourself for court.

Programs available to victims of human trafficking, domestic violence, and other serious crimes.

Whatever the reason, you have the right to represent yourself, to be your own lawyer in all cases in California.

This interactive map and search engine that will help you find legal assistance near you.

The National Human Trafficking Hotline helps victims who are being forced to do something or work against their will.

Are you temporarily in the United States to attend a college, language, vocational, or nonacademic school with a nonimmigrant F-1, M-1, or J-1 student classification? Your school may ask you for your Social Security number.

It is necessary to understand the federal rules as well as the rules of the state.

Recognizing that some applicants cannot pay the filing fees, USCIS established a fee waiver process for certain forms and benefit types.

To get cash assistance from CAPI, you have to meet certain requirements. Most importantly, you have to be an aged (65 years of age or older), blind, or disabled California resident who has been denied SSI because of your immigration status.

Additional requirements to be eligible for CAPI:

You must live in California,
You must be a legal immigrant, and
Can’t get SSI because of your immigration status.

If you"ve recently moved to the United States and had a change in your immigration status, here are some things you should know about Marketplace coverage.

Basic information about living in the United States and finding services.

Check out some useful resource videos on public benefit.

As a battered spouse, child or parent, you may file an immigrant visa petition under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), as amended by the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).

On January 9, 2018, a federal court ruled that while a lawsuit decides whether the termination of DACA was unlawful, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) must continue to accept renewal applications. Below is guidance on who is eligible to apply at this time. Please note, as the lawsuit moves forward, this advice may change.

Everyone inside the U.S. has certain legal rights, regardless of your immigration status.

Field Offices handle scheduled interviews on non-asylum related applications.

Check out these frequently asked questions to find your answer about TPS for Haitians.