97-29851. Interim Guidance on Verficiation of Citizenship, Qualified Alien Status and Eligibility Under Title IV of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996  

  • [Federal Register Volume 62, Number 221 (Monday, November 17, 1997)]
    [Notices]
    [Pages 61344-61416]
    From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
    [FR Doc No: 97-29851]
    
    
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    DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
    
    [AG Order No. 2129-97]
    
    
    Interim Guidance on Verficiation of Citizenship, Qualified Alien 
    Status and Eligibility Under Title IV of the Personal Responsibility 
    and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996
    
    AGENCY: Department of Justice.
    
    ACTION: Notice of interim guidance with request for comments.
    
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    SUMMARY: Title IV of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity 
    Reconciliation Act of 1996 (``PRWORA'') requires the Attorney General, 
    by February 1998, to promulgate regulations requiring verification that 
    an applicant for federal public benefits is a qualified alien eligible 
    to receive federal public benefits under the Act. Amendments to the 
    PRWORA by the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility 
    Act of 1996 also require the Attorney General, within the same time 
    period, to establish fair and nondiscriminatory procedures for 
    applicants to provide proof of citizenship. Amendments to the PRWORA by 
    the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 require the Attorney General, by 
    November 3, 1997, to issue interim verification guidance that sets 
    forth procedures that benefit providers can use to verify citizenship, 
    qualified alien status, and eligibility under Title IV of the PRWORA 
    prior to issuance of the final regulations. In accordance with this 
    last statutory requirement, the Attorney General, in consultation with 
    federal benefit-granting agencies, has developed this interim guidance.
    
    DATES: This Interim Guidance is effective October 29, 1997.
    
    ADDRESSES: Comments should be submitted to: John E. Nahan, Immigration 
    and Naturalization Service, 425 I St., N.W., ULLICO Building, 4th 
    Floor, Washington, D.C. 20536, (202) 514-2317.
    
    FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
    John E. Nahan, Immigration and Naturalization Service, 425 I St., N.W., 
    ULLICO Building, 4th Floor, Washington, D.C. 20536, (202) 514-2317.
    
    SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: By the authority vested in me as Attorney 
    General by law, including section 432(a) of the Personal Responsibility 
    and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (as amended), I hereby 
    issue the following Interim Guidance on Verification of Citizenship, 
    Qualified Alien Status and Eligibility Under Title IV of the Personal 
    Responsibility and
    
    [[Page 61345]]
    
    Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996.
    
        Dated: October 29, 1997.
    Janet Reno,
    Attorney General.
    
    Interim Guidance on Verification of Citizenship, Qualified Alien Status 
    and Eligibility Under Title IV of the Personal Responsibility and Work 
    Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996
    
    Introduction
    
    A. Summary
    
        Title IV of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity 
    Reconciliation Act of 1996 (the ``Act'') provides that, with certain 
    exceptions, only United States citizens, United States non-citizen 
    nationals and ``qualified aliens'' (and sometimes only particular 
    categories of qualified aliens) are eligible for federal, state and 
    local public benefits. The Act, as amended by the Balanced Budget Act 
    of 1997, requires the Attorney General, by November 3, 1997, to issue 
    interim guidance on the verification of eligibility of aliens for 
    federal public benefits. The Act also requires the Attorney General, by 
    February 1998, to promulgate final regulations requiring verification 
    that an applicant is a qualified alien eligible to receive federal 
    public benefits under the Act. States have an additional twenty-four 
    months to put into effect a verification system that complies with 
    those regulations. Amendments to the Act by the Illegal Immigration 
    Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 further require the 
    Attorney General to establish fair and nondiscriminatory procedures for 
    applicants to provide proof of citizenship. Benefit providers, however, 
    are required to implement the Act, and hence to make determinations 
    regarding citizenship, qualified alien status, and eligibility under 
    Title IV of the Act, before the Attorney General's issuance of new 
    regulations and the States' development of conforming verification 
    systems.
        This memorandum provides guidance on how to verify citizenship, 
    immigration status and eligibility under Title IV of the Act during 
    this interim period. This guidance adopts a four-step procedure: (1) 
    Determine if your program provides a ``federal public benefit'' subject 
    to the Act's verification requirements; (2) Determine whether the 
    applicant is otherwise eligible for benefits under general program 
    requirements; (3) Verify the applicant's status as a U.S. citizen, U.S. 
    non-citizen national or qualified alien; and (4) Verify the applicant's 
    eligibility for benefits under the Act. If at any step you determine 
    that you are not required to verify (or further verify) immigration 
    status, you should not go on to the following step(s). If you have any 
    questions regarding verification of immigration status pursuant to this 
    Guidance, contact the local office of the Immigration and 
    Naturalization Service (``INS'') serving your geographic area. A list 
    of local INS offices is set forth in Attachment 1. Attachment 1 also 
    includes a copy of INS Form G-845 and the Supplement thereto to be used 
    to verify immigration status pursuant to this Guidance.
        This Guidance applies only to federal public benefits, and does not 
    directly address the citizenship and immigration requirements that 
    Title IV of the Act imposes on the provision of state and local public 
    benefits. To the extent that you are required to verify that an 
    applicant is a U.S. citizen, U.S. non-citizen national or qualified 
    alien when determining eligibility for a state or local program, 
    however, the Attorney General will be promulgating regulations that set 
    forth procedures by which state and local providers can verify alien 
    eligibility for such benefits. During the interim, we advise that you 
    use this Guidance in consultation with state and local authorities.
    
    B. Programs With Governmental Verification
    
        Some federal programs (e.g., Medicaid) require federal, state and 
    local governmental agencies, but not private providers, to verify 
    citizenship and immigration status as part of program eligibility 
    determinations. The private entities actually providing the benefits 
    must abide by the verification determination made by the governmental 
    agency; they engage in no independent verification. Nothing in this 
    Guidance modifies such program requirements: providers of benefits 
    under programs where verification is performed by a governmental agency 
    are not required by this Guidance to verify that an applicant is a U.S. 
    citizen, non-citizen national or qualified alien, and they should not 
    engage in such verification. They should continue to provide benefits 
    pursuant to program requirements based on the verification 
    determinations made by the appropriate governmental agency.
    
    C. Programs Currently Required To Use the SAVE System
    
        Some federal programs (e.g., Medicaid, unemployment compensation, 
    educational assistance under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 
    1965, assisted housing programs administered by the Department of 
    Housing and Urban Development) already require, absent a waiver, 
    verification of the immigration status of noncitizens applying for 
    benefits through the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements 
    (``SAVE'') system. SAVE is an intergovernmental information-sharing 
    program that is available to benefit-granting agencies that need to 
    determine an alien's immigration status. With one exception, nothing in 
    the Act changes preexisting legal requirements regarding use of the 
    SAVE system or relieves the administrators of statutorily mandated 
    programs of their obligations to comply with the SAVE program 
    (including the terms of any waiver of SAVE program requirements 
    received from the appropriate federal agency); section 840 of the Act, 
    however, did remove the requirement that a state agency use the SAVE 
    system to verify eligibility for Food Stamps. You should note that SAVE 
    does not provide all of the information that may now be necessary to 
    determine an individual's eligibility under Title IV of the Act. You 
    should use this Guidance to obtain or verify that new information.
    
    D. Exemption for Nonprofit Charitable Organizations
    
        Subject to such verification regulations as the Attorney General 
    may subsequently adopt and the limitations set forth immediately below, 
    a ``nonprofit charitable organization'' providing a federal, state or 
    local public benefit covered by the Act is not required under Title IV 
    of the Act to determine, verify, or otherwise require proof of an 
    applicant's eligibility for such benefits based on the applicant's 
    status as a U.S. citizen, U.S. non-citizen national or qualified alien. 
    Thus, a nonprofit charitable organization is not required by the Act to 
    seek an applicant's confirmation that he or she is a qualified alien, 
    or to have a separate entity verify the applicant's status before 
    providing benefits. To be eligible for this exemption, an organization 
    must be both ``nonprofit'' and ``charitable.'' For purposes of this 
    Guidance, an organization is ``nonprofit'' if it is organized and 
    operated for purposes other than making gains or profits for the 
    organization, its members or its shareholders, and is precluded from 
    distributing any gains or profits to its members or shareholders. An 
    organization is ``charitable'' if it is organized and operated for 
    charitable purposes. The term ``charitable'' should be interpreted in 
    its generally accepted legal sense as developed by judicial decisions. 
    It includes organizations
    
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    dedicated to relief of the poor and distressed or the underprivileged, 
    as well as religiously-affiliated organizations and educational 
    organizations. If you have any questions as to whether your 
    organization is a nonprofit charitable organization exempt from the 
    Act's verification requirements, you should contact the federal, state 
    or local agency overseeing the program you administer to obtain 
    guidance.
        The exemption for nonprofit charitable organizations is limited to 
    verification requirements imposed by Title IV of the Act and to those 
    instances in which the nonprofit charitable organization itself would 
    be required by Title IV to engage in verification. Certain programs, 
    however, require federal, state and local agencies to verify 
    citizenship and immigration status as part of program eligibility 
    determinations, while benefits are provided, at least in part, by 
    charitable organizations. Other programs currently require verification 
    by the charitable organization itself. These independent requirements 
    are not altered by the provision exempting nonprofit charitable 
    organizations from the Act's verification requirements. If a non-exempt 
    entity (e.g., a state agency) performs verification for benefits 
    provided through a nonprofit charitable organization, you must abide by 
    those determinations. Similarly, if your program has procedures 
    unrelated to Title IV of the Act that require verification by your 
    charitable organization, or adopts such procedures in the future, you 
    must comply with such procedures.
        A nonprofit charitable organization that chooses not to verify 
    cannot be penalized (e.g., through cancellation of its grant or denial 
    of reimbursement for benefit expenditures) for providing federal public 
    benefits to an individual who is not a U.S. citizen, U.S. non-citizen 
    national or qualified alien, except when it does so either in violation 
    of independent program verification requirements or in the face of a 
    verification determination made by a non-exempt entity. However, if 
    your organization chooses to verify, even though it is a nonprofit 
    charitable organization that is not required to do so under the Act, 
    you should comply with the procedures set forth in this Guidance and 
    provide benefits only to those whom you verify to be U.S. citizens, 
    U.S. non-citizen nationals or qualified aliens. Any verification 
    request to INS by a nonprofit charitable organization must be 
    accompanied by the written consent of the individual whose status is to 
    be verified to the release of information about the individual to a 
    nongovernmental entity. The consent must be notarized or executed under 
    penalty of perjury. (INS Form G-639 may be used for this purpose.)
    
    E. Nondiscrimination and Privacy Requirements
    
        Various federal civil rights laws and regulations prohibit 
    discrimination by governmental and private entities on the basis of 
    race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age and disability. 
    They include Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. 2000d 
    et seq. (``Title VI''), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 
    29 U.S.C. 794, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, 42 U.S.C. 
    12101 et seq., the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, 42 U.S.C. 6101 et 
    seq., and the Fair Housing Act, 42 U.S.C. 3601 et seq. These laws apply 
    to entities' provision of any public benefits, including their 
    implementation of the Act. In particular, Title VI prohibits 
    discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin in any 
    program or activity, whether operated by a public or private entity, 
    that receives federal funds or other federal financial assistance. 
    Thus, in operating or participating in a federally assisted program and 
    implementing the requirements of the Act, including those set forth in 
    this Guidance, a provider should not, on the basis of race, color or 
    national origin, directly or indirectly differentiate among persons in 
    the types of program services, aids or benefits it provides or the 
    manner in which it provides them. For example, benefit providers should 
    treat all similarly situated individuals in the same manner, and should 
    not single out individuals who look or sound foreign for closer 
    scrutiny or require them to provide additional documentation of 
    citizenship or immigration status. The nondiscrimination requirements 
    of Title VI and other applicable civil rights laws are discussed more 
    fully in Attachment 2.
        If you have questions regarding issues of discrimination that may 
    arise with respect to benefit-granting procedures or the implementation 
    of this Guidance, you should contact the civil rights office of the 
    pertinent benefit-granting agency or the applicable office in the Civil 
    Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. Contact numbers in 
    the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil rights Division are set forth in 
    Attachment 2.
        When implementing the Act's verification requirements, you should 
    be sensitive to privacy interests, and should use the citizenship and 
    immigration status information received only for purposes of verifying 
    the applicant's eligibility for benefits under the Act and, if you are 
    a governmental entity, for sharing such information with the INS and 
    other governmental entities as provided by the Act. You should also 
    review the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552a), state and local privacy laws, 
    and your program's requirements to ensure that you comply with all 
    applicable privacy requirements.
    
    Verification Procedures
    
    Step 1: Determine if Your Program Provides a ``Federal Public Benefit'' 
    Subject to the Act's Verification Requirements
    
        The Act's requirement that benefit recipients be U.S. citizens, 
    U.S. non-citizen nationals or qualified aliens does not apply to all 
    federally funded activity or programs; it applies only to non-exempted 
    ``federal public benefits''. Therefore, benefit providers should first 
    determine whether the particular program they are administering 
    provides a ``federal public benefit'' for which the Act requires them 
    to verify citizenship, nationality or immigration status. Preliminary 
    guidance on which programs provide ``federal public benefits'' subject 
    to the Act's verification requirements is set forth in Attachment 3. If 
    the federal program does not provide a ``federal public benefit'' 
    covered by the Act (e.g., the program is exempted by Attorney General 
    Order No. 2049, 61 FR. 45,985 (1996), regarding government-funded 
    community programs, services or assistance that are necessary for the 
    protection of life or safety), the benefit provider is not required to, 
    and should not attempt to, verify an applicant's status, unless 
    otherwise required or authorized to do so by law, because all aliens, 
    regardless of their immigration status, are eligible for such benefits.
        If one program provides several public benefits, the Act's 
    requirements apply only to those benefits that are non-exempted federal 
    public benefits under the Act. A provider is not required to, and 
    should not, verify the citizenship, nationality and immigration status 
    of applicants for other benefits provided by the program that do not 
    constitute federal public benefits.
    
    Step 2: Determine Whether Applicant is Eligible for Benefits Under 
    General Program Requirements
    
        Given the potential intrusiveness and possibly time-consuming 
    nature of the citizenship and alien status verification inquiry, a 
    provider should determine whether an applicant otherwise meets specific 
    program requirements for
    
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    benefit eligibility before initiating the verification process, unless 
    determining program eligibility would be considerably more complex and 
    time-consuming than verifying immigration status. This will reduce 
    verification inquiries that prove unnecessary because the applicant is 
    not otherwise eligible for the benefits requested. This Guidance does 
    not address these other program eligibility requirements; a provider 
    should refer to the statute, regulations and agency guidance (if any) 
    governing its program for such requirements. (Note, however, that Title 
    IV contains provisions requiring that, upon the effective date of the 
    new affidavit of support, required under section 213A of the Act, when 
    determining eligibility for federal means-tested public benefits and 
    the amount of such benefits to which an alien is entitled, the income 
    and resources of the alien be deemed to include those of any person 
    executing an affidavit of support on behalf of the alien and that 
    person's spouse, if applicable, with certain exceptions for indigent 
    qualified aliens and aliens who (or whose children or parents) have 
    been battered or subjected to extreme cruelty in the U.S. by a spouse, 
    parent or member of the spouse or parent's family. See Exhibit B of 
    Attachment 5.)
        Determining program eligibility will normally include verifying 
    that the applicant is who he or she claims to be. Although many of the 
    documents and procedures relevant to determining citizenship or 
    immigration status may also be relevant to identity verification, this 
    Guidance is designed to provide assistance in determining the status of 
    applicants whose identity has already been verified, and does not 
    address appropriate identity verification procedures. It is your 
    responsibility to assure yourself, pursuant to non-discriminatory 
    procedures, of the identity of the applicant.
    
    Step 3: Verify Applicant's Status as A U.S. Citizen, U.S. Non-Citizen 
    National or Qualified Alien
    
        Because the process of verifying an individual's status as a U.S. 
    citizen, U.S. non-citizen national or qualified alien raises 
    significant issues involving privacy and anti-discrimination 
    protections, no verification of an applicant's status as a U.S. 
    citizen, U.S. non-citizen national or qualified alien should be 
    undertaken where benefits are not contingent on such status. In 
    addition, if an alien is applying for benefits on behalf of another 
    person, you may, under federal law, only verify the status of the 
    person who will actually be receiving the benefits.
        Except as set forth in this paragraph, if your program provides a 
    non-exempted ``federal public benefit,'' and thus is available only to 
    U.S. citizens, U.S. non-citizen nationals and qualified aliens, you 
    should verify an applicant's status as set forth below. If you are a 
    private provider of a ``federal public benefit'' and your program 
    requires verification by a federal, state or local governmental agency, 
    but not by a private provider, you should not engage in any independent 
    verification and should continue to comply with the verification 
    determinations made by the appropriate governmental entity. If you are 
    on the SAVE system, you should continue following the SAVE procedures 
    and should use this Guidance only for matters not addressed under the 
    SAVE program.
    A. U.S. Citizen or Non-Citizen National
        1. Ask for Declaration of Status. If you are required to verify an 
    applicant's status as a U.S. citizen, U.S. non-citizen national or 
    qualified alien, you should begin by asking the applicant to submit a 
    written declaration, under penalty of perjury, that he or she is a 
    citizen or non-citizen national of the U.S. (or that he or she is a 
    qualified alien--see Paragraph B.1. below).
        Subject to certain exceptions and qualifications (particularly with 
    respect to derivative citizenship), a United States citizen is:
         A person (other than the child of a foreign diplomat) born 
    in one of the several States or in the District of Columbia, Puerto 
    Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, or the Northern Mariana Islands 
    who has not renounced or otherwise lost his or her citizenship;
         A person born outside of the United States to at least one 
    U.S. citizen parent (sometimes referred to as a ``derivative 
    citizen''); or
         A naturalized U.S. citizen.
        As a general matter, a United States non-citizen national is a 
    person born in an outlying possession of the United States (American 
    Samoa or Swain's Island) on or after the date the U.S. acquired the 
    possession, or a person whose parents are U.S. non-citizen nationals 
    (subject to certain residency requirements).
        The law regarding U.S. citizenship and nationality is complex. 
    These broad definitions are provided for general guidance only, and do 
    not address all of the complexities involved in attaining or losing 
    status as a U.S. citizen or non-citizen national. See 8 U.S.C. 1401 et 
    seq.
        If you have any questions regarding whether an applicant is a U.S. 
    citizen or non-citizen national, you should consult with the INS (in 
    the case of a naturalized citizen) or the federal agency or department 
    that oversees your program.
        2. Verify Status. A number of programs have existing procedures for 
    verifying that an applicant is a U.S. citizen or non-citizen national 
    for purposes of program eligibility. You should continue to comply with 
    any existing or future legal requirements for verifying citizenship and 
    nationality that are imposed on your program, as well as with any 
    applicable existing or future guidance provided by the agency or 
    department overseeing your program. If a program has no requirements or 
    guidance regarding verification, a benefit provider should refer to 
    this Guidance.
        The appropriate method of verifying an applicant's citizenship will 
    depend upon the requirements and needs of the particular program, 
    including, but not limited to , the nature of the benefits to be 
    provided, the need for benefits to be provided on an expedited basis, 
    the length of time during which benefits will be provided, the cost of 
    providing the benefits, the length of time it will take to verify based 
    on a particular method, and the cost of a particular method of 
    verification. For example, a benefit provider could adopt a quick and 
    simple verification procedure if it provides short-term benefits and 
    the cost of extensive verification will outweigh the cost of the 
    benefits or if verification will be time-consuming and the benefits are 
    needed in the short term. On the other hand, if the benefit provider 
    provides substantial, long-term benefits, it may be reasonable to 
    require more extensive verification of citizenship.
        Regardless, a benefit provider's decision as to the appropriate 
    method must be made in a non-discriminatory fashion; for example, it 
    cannot turn on the fact that the applicant looks or sounds foreign or 
    has an ethnic surname. A benefit provider should adopt neutral 
    procedures that apply equally to all applicants regardless of their 
    appearance, ethnicity or accent. A benefit provider should not 
    implement its procedures in a manner that discriminates against 
    applicants whom it assumes to be foreign; nor should a benefit provider 
    treat any applicant in a more beneficial manner based on assumptions as 
    to the applicant's citizenship. (See Nondiscrimination Advisory in 
    Attachment 2.)
        To verify that an applicant is a U.S. citizen or non-citizen 
    national, a benefit provider could do any one of the following:
    
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        (a) Ask the applicant to present a document demonstrating that he 
    or she is a U.S. citizen or non-citizen national. Documents that can be 
    used to make this demonstration are described in Attachment 4. (A 
    benefit provider may also consult records of verified citizenship, if 
    any, maintained by the agency overseeing its program.)
        (i) If the document reasonably appears on its face to be genuine 
    and to relate to the individual presenting it (or, if your program 
    already has existing guidance or procedures mandating a higher standard 
    of proof for acceptance of documentary evidence of status, the document 
    satisfied that higher standard), the provider should accept the 
    document as conclusive evidence that the applicant is a U.S. citizen or 
    non-citizen national, and should not verify status any further.
        (ii) If the document presented does not on its face reasonably 
    appear to be genuine (or to satisfy a higher applicable standard) or to 
    relate to the individual presenting it, the benefit provider should 
    contact the governmental entity that originally issued the document 
    presented or that can confirm the applicant's status as a U.S. citizen 
    or non-citizen national. (With regard to naturalized citizens and 
    derivative citizens presenting certificates of citizenship, the INS is 
    the appropriate governmental entity to contact for verification of such 
    status. If the applicant presents a document relating to such status 
    and that document does not on its face reasonably appear to be genuine 
    or to relate to the applicant (or to satisfy a higher applicable 
    standard), the provider may request verification of status by filing 
    INS Form G-845 along with copies of the pertinent documents provided by 
    the applicant with the local INS office. If an applicant has lost his 
    or her original documents or never had an original document 
    demonstrating naturalized or derivative citizenship, refer the 
    applicant to the local INS office to obtain documentation of status.)
        (b) Accept a written declaration, made under penalty of perjury and 
    possibly subject to later verification of status, from one or more 
    third parties indicating a reasonable basis for personal knowledge that 
    the applicant is a U.S. citizen or non-citizen national.
        (c) Accept the applicant's written declaration, made under penalty 
    of perjury and possibly subject to later verification of status, that 
    he or she is a U.S. citizen or non-citizen national.
        The options described in subparagraphs (b) and (c) above present a 
    greater potential for undetected false claims of being a United States 
    citizen or non-citizen national, and therefore should be used with 
    caution in appropriate circumstances. For example, before using these 
    options, a provider might require the applicant to demonstrate why a 
    document evidencing that he or she is a U.S. citizen or non-citizen 
    national does not exist or cannot be readily obtained. Such a 
    requirement must be imposed equally on all applicants, and cannot be 
    applied in a discriminatory manner.
        3. Action Pending Verification. In an applicant has satisfied the 
    above requirements regarding submission of a sworn declaration and 
    presentation of any other required evidence of status, you should refer 
    to the legal requirements of your program and to any applicable 
    guidance provided by the federal agency or department overseeing your 
    program to determine if you should grant or withheld benefits during 
    the period of time in which you are verifying the applicant's status. 
    If your program has no such requirements or guidance and the applicant 
    has submitted a written declaration, under penalty of perjury, that he 
    or she is a U.S. citizen or non-citizen national, you should not delay, 
    deny, reduce or terminate the applicant's eligibility for benefits 
    under the program on the basis of an applicant's citizenship or 
    nationality during the period of time it takes to verify his or her 
    status.
        4. Take Action Based on Results of Verification. If you verify that 
    the applicant is a U.S. citizen or non-citizen nation, you are subject 
    to no further verification requirements under Title IV of the Act and 
    should grant the benefits requested if the applicant is otherwise 
    eligible for them under the specific program's requirements. If you 
    cannot verify that the applicant is a U.S. citizen or non-citizen 
    national after exhausting the above-described methods (and the 
    applicant is not a qualified alien--see below), you should deny the 
    benefits requested, and notify the applicant pursuant to your regular 
    procedures of his or her rights under the applicable program to appeal 
    the denial of benefits. If the INS was involved in the provider's 
    attempt to verify naturalized or derivative citizenship, the INS will, 
    upon request of the agency or department handling the appeal, conduct a 
    thorough review of its initial verification response and will provide 
    the agency or department with information in its possession necessary 
    to resolve the appeal.
    B. Qualified Alien
        1. Ask for Declaration of Status. If an applicant is not a U.S. 
    citizen or U.S. non-citizen national, you may grant the applicant non-
    exempt federal public benefits only if the applicant submits a written 
    declaration, under penalty of perjury, that he or she has an 
    immigration status that makes him or her a ``qualified alien'' and you 
    verify that status as set forth below.
        A ``qualified alien'' is:
         An alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence under 
    the Immigration and Nationality Act (``INA'');
         An alien granted asylum under section 208 of the INA;
         A refugee admitted to the U.S. under section 207 of the 
    INA;
         An alien paroled into the U.S. under section 212(d)(5) of 
    the INA for at least one year;
         An alien whose deportation is being withheld under section 
    243(h) of the INA as in effect prior to April 1, 1997, or whose removal 
    is being withheld under section 241(b)(3) of the INA;
         An alien granted conditional entry pursuant to section 
    203(a)(7) of the INA as in effect prior to April 1, 1980;
         An alien who is a Cuban or Haitian entrant as defined in 
    section 501(e) of the Refugee Education Assistance Act of 1980; or
         An alien who (or whose child or parent) has been battered 
    or subjected to extreme cruelty in the U.S. and otherwise satisfies the 
    requirements of Sec. 431(c) of the Act (see Exhibit B of Attachment 5).
        2. Request Documentation of Immigration Status. Ask the applicant 
    to provide documentation evidencing his or her status as a qualified 
    alien. The documents that will demonstrate that an applicant is a 
    ``qualified alien'' are described in Attachment 5. Note that, if the 
    applicant is applying for federal means-tested public benefits covered 
    by the Act, or possibly a program funded by a Social Services Block 
    Grant, the applicant may well have to present additional documentation 
    demonstrating eligibility under the Act--see Step 4 below--and you will 
    also want to ask the applicant to provide any such additional 
    documentation demonstrating eligibility.
        3. If Supported by Documents, Conclude that the Applicant is a 
    Qualified Alien. If the documentation reasonably appears on its face to 
    be genuine (or, if your program already has existing guidance or 
    procedures mandating a higher standard of proof for acceptance of 
    documentary evidence of immigration status, the document satisfies that 
    higher standard) and to relate to the individual presenting it, you 
    should accept the documentation as conclusive evidence that the 
    applicant is a qualified alien, you should not further verify 
    immigration status with
    
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    the INS (unless you are a SAVE user, in which case you should proceed 
    to verify status according to SAVE procedures), and you should proceed 
    to determine if the applicant satisfies the Act's other eligibility 
    requirements for the particular benefits discussed in Step 4 below 
    (addressing SSI, Food Stamps, TANF, Medicaid, programs funded by a 
    Social Services Block Grant, and federal means-tested public benefits).
        4. If, Based on the Documents Presented, You Are Considering 
    Concluding that the Applicant Is Not a Qualified Alien, Take the 
    Following Steps.
        (a) Verify Status. If, based on your review of the documents 
    presented, you are considering determining that an applicant is not a 
    qualified alien and thus is not eligible for the benefits requested 
    based on his or her immigration status--e.g., because the document does 
    not on its face reasonably appear to be genuine (or to satisfy a higher 
    applicable standard) or to relate to the person presenting it--you 
    should check with the INS to verify the information presented as set 
    forth below. (You do not need to check with the INS if the applicant 
    presents a document that is valid and demonstrates lawful immigration 
    status but that simply does not qualify him or her for status as a 
    qualified alien: e.g., INS Form I-94 showing admission as a 
    nonimmigrant visitor.) Do not determine that an applicant is not a 
    qualified alien, and do not conclusively deny benefits on that basis, 
    without first verifying the applicant's status with the INS as follows.
        If you are connected to the INS SAVE system, check the applicant's 
    immigration status using the standard procedures for use of the SAVE 
    system, including both the electronic mechanism and, if necessary 
    (e.g., if information regarding the pertinent immigration status cannot 
    be confirmed through the electronic SAVE database), the procedures for 
    secondary verification. If you are not connected to the SAVE system and 
    the applicant presents documents relating to such status, request 
    verification of immigration status by filing INS Form G-845 and 
    Supplement along with copies of the pertinent immigration documents 
    provided by the applicant with the local INS office. In either 
    instance, the INS will conduct a thorough review of its records to 
    determine if the applicant is a qualified alien. If the applicant 
    presents expired documents or is unable to present any documentation 
    evidencing his or her immigration status, refer the applicant to the 
    local INS office to obtain documentation of status. In unusual cases 
    involving applicants who are hospitalized or medically disabled, or who 
    can otherwise show good cause for their inability to present 
    documentation, and for whom securing such documentation would 
    constitute an undue hardship, if the applicant can provide an alien 
    registration number, you may file INS Form G-845 and Supplement, along 
    with the alien registration number a copy of any expired INS document 
    presented, with the local INS office to verify status. As with any 
    documentation of immigration status, you should confirm that the status 
    information you receive back from INS pertains to the applicant whose 
    identity you have verified.
        (b) Action Pending Verification. You should refer to the legal 
    requirements of your program and to any applicable guidance provided by 
    the federal agency or department overseeing your program, if any, to 
    determine whether you should grant or withhold benefits during the 
    period of time in which you are verifying the applicant's immigration 
    status. If your program has not such requirements or guidance and the 
    applicant has submitted a written declaration, under penalty of 
    perjury, that he or she is a qualified alien, you should not delay, 
    deny, reduce or terminate the applicant's eligibility for benefits 
    under the program on the basis of an applicant's immigration status 
    during the period of time it takes to verify his or her immigration 
    status. If you are to grant benefits pending verification, you should 
    first determine if the applicant satisfies the Act's other eligibility 
    requirements (if any) for the benefits requested as set forth in Step 4 
    below.
        (c) Take Action Based on Response to Verification Inquiry. If the 
    INS notifies you that the applicant has an immigration status that 
    makes him or her a qualified alien within the meaning of the Act, you 
    should accept the INS verification of and proceed to determine whether 
    the applicant satisfies the Act's other eligibility requirements (if 
    any) for the benefits requested as set forth in Step 4 below.
        If the INS modifies you that it cannot verify that the applicant 
    has an immigration status that makes him or her a qualified alien 
    within the meaning of the Act, you should deny benefits and notify the 
    applicant pursuant to your program's regular procedures of his or her 
    rights under the applicable program to appeal the denial of benefits. 
    Upon request of the agency or department handling the appeal, the INS 
    will conduct a thorough review of its initial verification response and 
    will provide the agency or department with information in its 
    possession necessary to resolve the appeal.
    
    Step 4: Verify Eligibility Under the Act
    
        Title IV of the Act provides that all qualified aliens are eligible 
    for some federal public benefits, while it imposes additional 
    eligibility requirements for receipt of other benefits. If the 
    qualified alien is applying for a benefit for which all qualified 
    aliens are eligible, you should not engage in any further verification 
    of immigration status. If he or she is applying for a program for which 
    the Act imposes additional eligibility requirements, however, you 
    should determine whether the applicant satisfies those requirements.
    A. Federal Public Benefits With No Further Immigration Eligibility 
    Requirements for Qualified Aliens
        Except as set forth below, all qualified aliens are eligible for 
    all federal public benefits. If the qualified alien is applying for a 
    federal public benefit for which all qualified aliens are eligible, you 
    should not engage in any further verification of immigration status.
        Wtih some exceptions, individuals receiving SSI as of August 22, 
    1996, continue to be eligible for such benefits until the Commissioner 
    of Social Security, prior to September 30, 1998, redetermines their 
    eligibility; if, as a result of that redetermination, an individual is 
    found to be ineligible for SSI, the individual can nevertheless 
    continue receiving benefits until September 30, 1998.
        In the absence of a State's decision to restrict eligibility for 
    programs funded by a Social Services Block Grant, all qualified aliens 
    are eligible for Social Services Block Grant programs. In the absence 
    of a State's decision to restrict eligibility for TANF and Medicaid, 
    the Act does not restrict the availability of these benefits to 
    qualified aliens who entered the United States prior to August 22, 
    1996, and who were continuously present in the United States until 
    attaining qualified alien status; however, because the Department of 
    Health and Human Services has determined that TANF and Medicaid are 
    federal means-tested public benefits, see 62 FR 45,256 (August 26, 
    1997), aliens who entered the United States on or after August 22, 
    1996, are ineligible for those programs for five years from the date 
    that they attain qualified alien status (see discussion of federal 
    means-tested public benefits in Paragraph B below and Attachment 7). 
    You should determine whether your State is continuing to provide TANF, 
    Medicaid,
    
    [[Page 61350]]
    
    and programs funded by a Social Services Block Grant to all qualified 
    aliens:
        ' If the State is continuing to provide programs funded by a Social 
    Services Block Grant to all qualified aliens, you should not engage in 
    any further verification of immigration status;
        ' If the State is continuing to provide TANF and Medicaid to all 
    qualified aliens, you should refer to Paragraph B below and Attachment 
    7 for further guidance on additional eligibility requirements; and
        ' If the State has restricted qualified aliens' eligibility for 
    TANF and Medicaid, you should determine whether the applicant is 
    eligible for such benefits as set forth in Paragraph B below.
    B. Federal Benefits With Additional Eligibility Requirements for 
    Qualified Aliens SSI, Food Stamps, TANF, Medicaid, and Programs Funded 
    by a Social Services Block Grant
        The Act provides that only certain excepted categories of aliens 
    are eligible for SSI and Food Stamps. A State may, however, choose to 
    issue Food Stamp benefits to individuals that are otherwise ineligible 
    for such benefits under sections 402 or 403 of the Act, provided that 
    the State reimburses the federal government for the costs of such 
    benefits and complies with certain administrative requirements. In 
    addition, if a State has exercised its right to limit qualified aliens' 
    eligibility for TANF, Medicaid, and programs funded by a Social 
    Services Block Grant, certain excepted categories of aliens remain 
    eligible for such programs. The excepted categories of aliens that 
    remain eligible for SSI are somewhat broader than the excepted 
    categories for Food Stamps, Medicaid, TANF and programs funded by a 
    Social Services Block Grant. Consult Attachment 6 for a more specific 
    description of these excepted categories and the documentation that 
    will demonstrate that an alien falls within such an exception and thus 
    remains eligible for these programs.
        Federal Means-Tested Public Benefits. With certain exceptions 
    discussed in greater detail in Attachment 7, qualified aliens are 
    ineligible to receive federal means-tested public benefits for five 
    years from the date that they attain qualified alien status. However, 
    aliens who entered the United States prior to August 22, 1996, and who 
    were continuously present in the United States until attaining 
    qualified alien status are not subject to this restriction. In 
    addition, exceptions are made for refugees, asylees, aliens whose 
    deportation or removal has been withheld, Cuban/Haitian entrants, 
    certain Amerasian immigrants, and aliens who are veterans honorably 
    discharged or on non-training active duty and their families. This 
    restriction, moreover, does not apply after the expiration of the five-
    year period. If a qualified alien is applying for such a benefit, you 
    should determine, in accordance with Attachment 7, whether he or she 
    arrived in the United States prior to August 22, 1996, whether he or 
    she falls within one of the enumerated exceptions, or whether he or she 
    has been a qualified alien for at least five years.
    
    Attachment 1
    
                                               Local INS Office Addresses                                           
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
           State or territory                    County             File control office             Address         
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Alabama.........................  ...........................  Atlanta, GA..........  77 Forsyth Street, S.W.,  
                                                                                           Atlanta, GA 30303-3427.  
    Alaska..........................  ...........................  Anchorage, AK........  620 East 10th Avenue,     
                                                                                           Suite 102, Anchorage, AK 
                                                                                           99501.                   
    Arizona.........................  ...........................  Phoenix, AZ..........  2035 North Central Avenue,
                                                                                           Phoenix, AZ 85004-1548.  
    Arkansas........................  ...........................  Memphis, TN..........  1341 Sycamore View, Suite 
                                                                                           100, Memphis, TN 38134.  
    California......................  Inyo, Kern, Los Angeles,     Los Angeles, CA......  300 North Los Angeles     
                                       Orange, Riverside, San                              Street, Los Angeles, CA  
                                       Bernardino, San Luis                                90012.                   
                                       Obispo, Santa Barbara, and                                                   
                                       Ventura.                                                                     
                                                                                                                    
                                      Imperial and San Diego.....  San Diego, CA........  880 Front Street, Suite   
                                                                                           1234, San Diego, CA 92101-
                                                                                           8834.                    
                                                                                                                    
                                      Alameda, Alpine, Amador,     San Francisco, CA....  630 Sansome Street, Room  
                                       Butte, Calaveras, Colusa,                           300, San Francisco, CA   
                                       Contra Costa, Del Norte,                            94111-2280.              
                                       El Dorado, Fresno, Glenn,                                                    
                                       Humboldt, Kings, Lake,                                                       
                                       Lassen Madera, Marin,                                                        
                                       Mariposa, Mendocino,                                                         
                                       Merced, Modoc, Mono,                                                         
                                       Monterey, Napa, Nevada,                                                      
                                       Placer, Plumas,                                                              
                                       Sacramento, San Benito,                                                      
                                       San Francisco, San                                                           
                                       Joaquin, San Mateo, Santa                                                    
                                       Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta,                                                   
                                       Sierra, Siskiyou, Solono,                                                    
                                       Sonoma, Stainislaus,                                                         
                                       Sutter, Tehama, Trinity,                                                     
                                       Tulare, Tuolumne, Yolo,                                                      
                                       and Yuba.                                                                    
    Colorado........................  ...........................  Denver, CO...........  4730 Paris Street, Albrook
                                                                                           Center, Denver, CO 80239-
                                                                                           2804.                    
    Connecticut.....................  ...........................  Hartford, CT.........  Ribicoff Federal Building,
                                                                                           450 Main Street,         
                                                                                           Hartford, CT 06103-3060. 
    Delaware........................  ...........................  Philadelphia, PA.....  1600 Callowhill Street,   
                                                                                           Philadelphia, PA 19130-  
                                                                                           4112.                    
    District of Columbia............  ...........................  Arlington, VA........  4420 North Fairfax Drive, 
                                                                                           Arlington, VA 22203.     
    
    [[Page 61351]]
    
                                                                                                                    
    Florida.........................  ...........................  Miami, FL............  7880 Biscayne Blvd. Miami,
                                                                                           FL 33138-4797.           
    Georgia.........................  ...........................  Atlanta, GA..........  77 Forsyth Street, S.W.,  
                                                                                           Atlanta, GA 30303-3427.  
    Guam............................  ...........................  Agana, GU............  Pacific News Bldg., Room  
                                                                                           801, 238 Archbishop      
                                                                                           Flores Street, Agana, GU 
                                                                                           96910.                   
    Hawaii..........................  ...........................  Honolulu, HI.........  595 Ala Moana Blvd.,      
                                                                                           Honolulu, HI 96813.      
    Idaho...........................  ...........................  Helena, MT...........  2800 Skyway Drive, Helena,
                                                                                           MT 59601.                
    Illinois........................  ...........................  Chicago, IL..........  10 West Jackson Blvd.,    
                                                                                           Chicago, IL 60604.       
    Indiana.........................  ...........................  Indianapolis, IN.....  Gateway Plaza, 950 North  
                                                                                           Meridian Street, Room    
                                                                                           400, Indianapolis, IN    
                                                                                           46204.                   
    Iowa............................  ...........................  Omaha, NE............  3736 132nd Street, Omaha, 
                                                                                           NE 68144.                
    Kansas..........................  ...........................  Kansas City, MO......  9747 North Conant Avenue, 
                                                                                           Kansas City, MO 64153.   
    Kentucky........................  ...........................  Memphis, TN..........  1341 Sycamore View, Suite 
                                                                                           100, Memphis,TN 38134.   
    Louisiana.......................  ...........................  New Orleans,LA.......  Postal Services Building, 
                                                                                           701 Loyola Avenue, Room T-
                                                                                           8011, New Orleans, LA    
                                                                                           70113-1912.              
    Maine...........................  ...........................  Portland, ME.........  739 Warren Avenue,        
                                                                                           Portland, ME 04103-1187. 
    Maryland........................  ...........................  Baltimore, MD........  Nations Bank Center, Tower
                                                                                           One, 100 South Charles/  
                                                                                           12th Floor, Baltimore, MD
                                                                                           21201-2725.              
    Massachusetts...................  ...........................  Boston, MA...........  John F. Kennedy Federal   
                                                                                           Bldg., Government Center,
                                                                                           Room E-160, Boston, MA   
                                                                                           02203-0701.              
    Michigan........................  ...........................  Detroit, MI..........  Federal Building, 333 Mt. 
                                                                                           Elliott Street, Detroit, 
                                                                                           MI 48207-4381.           
    Minnesota.......................  ...........................  St. Paul, MN.........  2901 Metro Drive, Suite   
                                                                                           100, Bloomington, MN     
                                                                                           55425.                   
    Mississippi.....................  Alcron, Attala, Benton,      Memphis, TN..........  1341 Sycamore View, Suite 
                                       Bolivar, Calhoun, Carroll,                          100, Memphis, TN 38134.  
                                       Chickasaw, Choctaw, Clay,                                                    
                                       Coahoma, DeSoto, Grenada,                                                    
                                       Humphreys, Itawamba,                                                         
                                       Lafayette, Lee, Leflore,                                                     
                                       Lowndes, Marshall, Monroe,                                                   
                                       Montgomery, Oktibbeha,                                                       
                                       Panola, Pontotoc,                                                            
                                       Prentiss, Quitman,                                                           
                                       Sunflower, Tallahatchie,                                                     
                                       Tate, Tippah, Tishomingo,                                                    
                                       Tunica, Union, Washington,                                                   
                                       Webster, Winston, and                                                        
                                       Yalobusha.                                                                   
                                      Adams, Amite, Claiborne,     New Orleans, LA......  Postal Services Building, 
                                       Clarke, Copiah, Covington,                          701 Loyola Avenue, Room T-
                                       Forrest, Franklin, George,                          8011, New Orleans, LA    
                                       Greene, Hancock, Harrison,                          70113-1912.              
                                       Hinds, Holmes, Issaquena,                                                    
                                       Jackson, Jasper,                                                             
                                       Jefferson, Jefferson                                                         
                                       Davis, Jones, Kemper,                                                        
                                       Lamar, Lauderdale,                                                           
                                       Lawrence, Leake, Lincoln,                                                    
                                       Madison, Marion, Neshoba,                                                    
                                       Newton, Noxubee, Pearl                                                       
                                       River, Perry, Pike,                                                          
                                       Rankin, Scott, Sharkey,                                                      
                                       Simpson, Smith, Stone,                                                       
                                       Walthall, Warren, Wayne,                                                     
                                       Wilkinson, and Yazoo.                                                        
    Missouri........................  Andrew, Atchison, Barry,     Kansas City, MO......  9747 North Conant Avenue, 
                                       Barton, Bates, Benton,                              Kansas City, MO 64153.   
                                       Boone, Buchanan, Caldwell,                                                   
                                       Callaway, Camden, Carroll,                                                   
                                       Cass, Cedar, Christian,                                                      
                                       Clay, Clinton, Cole,                                                         
                                       Cooper, Dade, Dallas,                                                        
                                       Daviess, De Kalb, Douglas,                                                   
                                       Gentry, Greene, Grundy,                                                      
                                       Harrison, Henry, Hickory,                                                    
                                       Holt, Howard, Howell,                                                        
                                       Jackson, Jasper, Johnson,                                                    
                                       Laclede, Lafayette,                                                          
                                       Lawrence, Livingston,                                                        
                                       McDonald, Mercer, Miller,                                                    
                                       Moniteau, Morgan, Newton,                                                    
                                       Nodaway, Oregon, Osage,                                                      
                                       Ozark, Pettis, Platte,                                                       
                                       Polk, Pulaski, Putnam,                                                       
                                       Ray, St. Clair, Saline,                                                      
                                       Stone, Sullivan, Taney,                                                      
                                       Texas, Vernon, Webster,                                                      
                                       Worth, and Wright.                                                           
    
    [[Page 61352]]
    
                                                                                                                    
                                      Adair, Audrain, Bollinger,   St. Louis, MO........  Robert A. Young Federal   
                                       Butler, Cape Girardeau,                             Bldg., 1222 Spruce       
                                       Carter, Chariton, Clark,                            Street, Room 1100, St.   
                                       Crawford, Dent, Dunklin,                            Louis, MO 63103-2815.    
                                       Franklin, Gasconade, Iron,                                                   
                                       Jefferson, Knox, Lewis,                                                      
                                       Lincoln, Linn, Macon,                                                        
                                       Madison, Maries, Marion,                                                     
                                       Mississippi, Monroe,                                                         
                                       Montgomery, New Madrid,                                                      
                                       Pemiscot, Perry, Phelps,                                                     
                                       Pike, Ralls, Randolph,                                                       
                                       Reynolds, Ripley, St.                                                        
                                       Charles, St. Francois, St.                                                   
                                       Louis, Ste. Genevieve,                                                       
                                       Schuyler, Scotland, Scott,                                                   
                                       Shannon, Shelby, Stoddard,                                                   
                                       Warren, Washington, and                                                      
                                       Wayne.                                                                       
    Montana.........................  ...........................  Helena, MT...........  2800 Skyway Drive, Helena,
                                                                                           MT 59601.                
    Nebraska........................  ...........................  Omaha, NE............  3736 132nd Street, Omaha, 
                                                                                           NE 68144.                
    Nevada..........................  Clark, Esmeralda, Lincoln,   Las Vegas, NV........  3373 Pepper Lane, Las     
                                       and Nye.                                            Vegas, NV 89120.         
                                      Churchill, Douglas, Elko,    Reno, NV.............  1351 Corporate Boulevard, 
                                       Eureka, Humboldt, Lander,                           Reno, NV 89502.          
                                       Lyon, Mineral, Pershing,                                                     
                                       Storey, Washoe, and White                                                    
                                       Pine.                                                                        
    New Hampshire...................  ...........................  Boston, MA...........  John F. Kennedy Federal   
                                                                                           Bldg., Government Center,
                                                                                           Room E-160, Boston, MA   
                                                                                           02203-0701.              
    New Jersey......................  ...........................  Newark, NJ...........  Peter Rodino Federal      
                                                                                           Building, 970 Broad      
                                                                                           Street, Newark, NJ 07102-
                                                                                           2506.                    
    New Mexico......................  ...........................  El Paso, TX..........  1545 Hawkins, Suite 167,  
                                                                                           El Paso, TX 79925.       
    New York........................  Albany, Broome, Chenango,    Albany, NY...........  James T. Foley Federal    
                                       Columbia, Delaware,                                 Courthouse, 445 Broadway,
                                       Fulton, Greene, Hamilton,                           Room 227, Albany, NY     
                                       Herkimer, Madison,                                  12207-2999.              
                                       Montgomery, Onoeida,                                                         
                                       Otsego, Rensselaer,                                                          
                                       Saratoga, Schenectady,                                                       
                                       Schoharie, Tioga, Warren,                                                    
                                       and Washington.                                                              
                                      Allegany, Cattaraugus,       Buffalo, NY..........  130 Delaware Avenue,      
                                       Cayuga, Chautauqua,                                 Buffalo, NY 14202-2404.  
                                       Chemung, Clinton,                                                            
                                       Cortland, Erie, Essex,                                                       
                                       Franklin, Genesee,                                                           
                                       Jefferson, Lewis,                                                            
                                       Livingston, Monroe,                                                          
                                       Niagara, Onandaga,                                                           
                                       Ontario, Orleans, Oswego,                                                    
                                       St. Lawrence, Schuyler,                                                      
                                       Seneca, Steuben, Tompkins,                                                   
                                       Wayne, Wyoming, and Yates.                                                   
                                      Bronx, Dutchess, Kings,      New York, NY.........  26 Federal Plaza, New     
                                       Nassau, New York, Orange,                           York, NY 10278-0127.     
                                       Putnam, Queens, Richmond,                                                    
                                       Rockland, Suffolk,                                                           
                                       Sullivan, Ulster, and                                                        
                                       Westchester.                                                                 
    North Carolina..................  ...........................  Charlotte, NC........  6 Woodlawn Green, Bldg. 6,
                                                                                           Suite 138, Charlotte, NC 
                                                                                           28217-2216.              
    North Dakota....................  ...........................  St. Paul, MN.........  2901 Metro Drive, Suite   
                                                                                           100, Bloomington, MN     
                                                                                           55425.                   
    Ohio............................  Adams, Athens, Brown,        Cincinnati, OH.......  J.W. Peck Federal         
                                       Butler, Champaign, Clark,                           Building, 550 Main       
                                       Clermont, Clinton, Darke,                           Street, Room 8525,       
                                       Delaware, Fairfield,                                Cincinnati, OH 45202.    
                                       Fayette, Franklin, Gallia,                                                   
                                       Greene, Hamilton,                                                            
                                       Highland, Hocking,                                                           
                                       Jackson, Licking,                                                            
                                       Lawrence, Logan, Madison,                                                    
                                       Meigs, Miami, Montgomery,                                                    
                                       Perry, Pickaway, Pike,                                                       
                                       Preble, Ross, Scioto,                                                        
                                       Shelby, Union, Vinton, and                                                   
                                       Warren.                                                                      
                                      Allen, Ashland, Ashtabula,   Cleveland, OH........  Anthony J. Celebreeze     
                                       Auglaize, Belmont,                                  Federal Bldg., 1240 E.   
                                       Carroll, Columbiana,                                9th Street, Room 1917,   
                                       Coshocton, Crawford,                                Cleveland, OH 44199.     
                                       Cuyahoga, Defiance, Erie,                                                    
                                       Fulton, Geauga, Guernsey,                                                    
                                       Hancock, Hardin, Harrison,                                                   
                                       Henry, Holmes, Huron,                                                        
                                       Jefferson, Knox, Lake,                                                       
                                       Lorain, Lucas, Mahoning,                                                     
                                       Marion, Medina, Mercer,                                                      
                                       Monroe, Morgan, Morrow,                                                      
                                       Muskingum, Noble, Ottawa,                                                    
                                       Paulding, Portage, Putman,                                                   
                                       Richland, Sandusky,                                                          
                                       Seneca, Stark, Summit,                                                       
                                       Trumbull, Tuscarawas, Van                                                    
                                       Weft, Washington, Wayne,                                                     
                                       Williams, Wood, and                                                          
                                       Wyandot.                                                                     
    
    [[Page 61353]]
    
                                                                                                                    
    Oklahoma........................  ...........................  Dallas, TX...........  8101 North Stemmons       
                                                                                           Freeway, Dallas, TX      
                                                                                           75247.                   
    Oregon..........................  ...........................  Portland, OR.........  511 N.W. Broadway,        
                                                                                           Portland, OR 97209.      
    Pennsylvania....................  Adams, Berks, Bradford,      Philadelphia, PA.....  1600 Callowhill Street,   
                                       Bucks, Cameron, Carbon,                             Philadelphia, PA 19130-  
                                       Centre, Chester, Clinton,                           4112.                    
                                       Columbia, Cumberland,                                                        
                                       Dauphin, Delaware,                                                           
                                       Franklin, Fulton,                                                            
                                       Huntingdon, Juniata,                                                         
                                       Lackawanna, Lancaster,                                                       
                                       Lebanon, Lehigh, Luzerne,                                                    
                                       Lycoming, Mifflin, Monore,                                                   
                                       Montgomery, Montour,                                                         
                                       Northampton,                                                                 
                                       Northumberland, Perry,                                                       
                                       Philadelphia, Pike,                                                          
                                       Potter, Schuylkill,                                                          
                                       Snyder, Sullivan,                                                            
                                       Susquehanna, Tioga, Union                                                    
                                       Wayne, Wyoming, and York.                                                    
                                      Allegheny, Armstrong,        Pittsburgh, PA.......  Federal Building, Room    
                                       Beaver, Bedford, Blair,                             314, 1000 Liberty Avenue,
                                       Butler, Cambria, Clarion,                           Pittsburgh, PA 15222-    
                                       Clearfield, Crawford, Elk,                          4181.                    
                                       Erie, Fayette, Forest,                                                       
                                       Greene, Indiana,                                                             
                                       Jefferson, Lawrence,                                                         
                                       McKean, Mercer, Somerset,                                                    
                                       Venango, Warren,                                                             
                                       Washington, and                                                              
                                       Westmoreland.                                                                
    Puerto Rico.....................  ...........................  San Juan, PR.........  P.O. Box 365068, San Juan,
                                                                                           PR 00936-5068.           
    Rhode Island....................  ...........................  Providence, RI.......  200 Dyer Street,          
                                                                                           Providence, RI 02903-    
                                                                                           3993.                    
    South Carolina..................  ...........................  Charlotte, NC........  6 Woodlawn Green, Bldg. 6,
                                                                                           Suite 138, Charlotte, NC 
                                                                                           28217-2216.              
    South Dakota....................  ...........................  St. Paul, MN.........  2901 Metro Drive, Suite   
                                                                                           100, Bloomington, MN     
                                                                                           55425.                   
    Tennessee.......................  ...........................  Memphis, TN..........  1341 Sycamore View, Suite 
                                                                                           100, Memphis, TN 38134.  
    Texas...........................  Anderson, Andrews, Archer,   Dallas, TX...........  8101 North Stemmons       
                                       Armstrong, Bailey, Baylor,                          Freeway, Dallas, TX      
                                       Borden, Bosque, Bowie,                              75247.                   
                                       Briscoe, Callahan, Camp,                                                     
                                       Carson, Cass, Castro,                                                        
                                       Cherokee, Childress, Clay,                                                   
                                       Cochran, Collin,                                                             
                                       Collingsworth, Comanche,                                                     
                                       Cooke, Cottie, Crosby,                                                       
                                       Dallam, Dallas, Dawson,                                                      
                                       Deaf Smith, Delta, Denton,                                                   
                                       Dickens, Donley, Eastland,                                                   
                                       Ellis, Erath, Fannin,                                                        
                                       Fisher, Floyd, Foard,                                                        
                                       Franklin, Freestone,                                                         
                                       Gaines, Garza, Gray,                                                         
                                       Grayson, Gregg, Hale,                                                        
                                       Hall, Hamilton, Hansford,                                                    
                                       Hardeman, Harrison,                                                          
                                       Hartley, Haskell,                                                            
                                       Hemphill, Henderson, Hill,                                                   
                                       Hockley, Hood, Hopkins,                                                      
                                       Houston, Howard, Hunt,                                                       
                                       Hutchinson, Jack, Johnson,                                                   
                                       Jones, Kaufman, Kent,                                                        
                                       King, Knox, Lamar, Lamb,                                                     
                                       Leon, Limestone, Lipscomb,                                                   
                                       Lubbock, Lynn, Marion,                                                       
                                       Martin, Mitchell,                                                            
                                       Montague, Moore, Morris,                                                     
                                       Motley, Navarro, Nolan,                                                      
                                       Ochiltree, Oldham, Palo                                                      
                                       Pinto, Panola, Parker,                                                       
                                       Parmer, Potter, Rains,                                                       
                                       Randall, Red River,                                                          
                                       Roberts, Rockwall, Rusk,                                                     
                                       Scurry, Shackelford,                                                         
                                       Sherman, Smith, Somervell,                                                   
                                       Stephens, Stonewall,                                                         
                                       Swishers, Tarrant, Taylor,                                                   
                                       Terry, Throckmorton,                                                         
                                       Titus, Upshur, Van Zandt,                                                    
                                       Wheeler, Wichita,                                                            
                                       Wilbarger, Wise, Wood,                                                       
                                       Yoakum, and Young.                                                           
                                      Brewster, Crane, Culberson,  El Paso, TX..........  1545 Hawkins Suite 167, El
                                       Ector, El Paso, Hudspeth,                           Paso, TX 79925.          
                                       Jeff Davis, Loving,                                                          
                                       Midland, Pecos, Presidio,                                                    
                                       Reeves, Terrell, Upton,                                                      
                                       Ward, and Winkler.                                                           
                                      Brooks, Cameron, Hidalgo,    Harlingen, TX........  2102 Teege Road,          
                                       Kenedy, Kleberg, Starr,                             Harlingen, TX 78550.     
                                       and Willacy.                                                                 
    
    [[Page 61354]]
    
                                                                                                                    
                                      Angelina, Austin, Brazoria,  Houston, TX..........  509 N. Sam Houston Parkway
                                       Chambers, Colorado, Fort                            East, Houston, TX 77060. 
                                       Bend, Galveston, Grimes,                                                     
                                       Hardin, Harris, Jasper,                                                      
                                       Jefferson, Liberty,                                                          
                                       Madison, Matagorda,                                                          
                                       Montgomery, Nacogdoches,                                                     
                                       Newton, Orange, Polk,                                                        
                                       Sabine, San Augustine, San                                                   
                                       Jacinto, Shelby, Trinity,                                                    
                                       Tyler, Walker, Waller,                                                       
                                       Washingoton, and Wharton.                                                    
                                      Aransas, Aascosa, Bandera,   San Antonia, TX......  8940 Four Winds Drive,    
                                       Bastrop, Bee, Bell, Bexar,                          Suite 2020, San Antonia, 
                                       Blanco, Brozos, Brown,                              TX 78239.                
                                       Burleson, Burner,                                                            
                                       Caldwell, Calhoun, Coke,                                                     
                                       Coleman, Comal, Concho,                                                      
                                       Coryell, Crockett, De                                                        
                                       Witt, Dimmit, Duval,                                                         
                                       Edwards, Falls, Fayette,                                                     
                                       Frio, Gillespie,                                                             
                                       Glasscock, Goliad,                                                           
                                       Gonzales, Guadalupe, Harp,                                                   
                                       Haynes, Irion, Jackson,                                                      
                                       Jim Hogg, Jim Wells,                                                         
                                       Karnes, Kendall, Kerr,                                                       
                                       Kimble, Kinney, Lampasas,                                                    
                                       La Salle, Lavaca, Lee,                                                       
                                       Live Oak, Llano,                                                             
                                       McCulloch, McLennan,                                                         
                                       McMullen, Mason, Maverick,                                                   
                                       Medina, Menard, Milam,                                                       
                                       Mills, Nueces, Reagan,                                                       
                                       Real, Refugio, Robertson,                                                    
                                       Runnels, San Patricio, San                                                   
                                       Saba, Schleicher,                                                            
                                       Sterling, Sutton, Tom                                                        
                                       Green, Travis, Uvalde, Val                                                   
                                       Verde, Victoria, Webb,                                                       
                                       Williamson, Wilson,                                                          
                                       Zapata, and Zavala.                                                          
    Utah............................  ...........................  Salt Lake City, UT...  5272 South College Drive, 
                                                                                           Suite 100, Salt Lake, UT 
                                                                                           84123.                   
    Vermont.........................  ...........................  St. Albans, VT.......  Federal Building, P.O. Box
                                                                                           328, 50 South Maine      
                                                                                           Street, St. Albans, VT   
                                                                                           05478-0238.              
    Virginia........................  Accomack, Amelia,            Norfolk, VA..........  Norfolk Commerce Park,    
                                       Brunswick, Caroline,                                5280 Hennenman Drive,    
                                       Charles City,                                       Norfolk, VA 23513.       
                                       Chesterfield, Colonial                                                       
                                       Heights, Dinwiddie, Essex,                                                   
                                       Fredericksburg,                                                              
                                       Gloucester, Goochland,                                                       
                                       Greensville, Hanover,                                                        
                                       Henrico, Isle of Wight,                                                      
                                       James City, King and                                                         
                                       Queen, King William,                                                         
                                       Lancaster, Louisa,                                                           
                                       Lunenburg, Mathews,                                                          
                                       Mecklenburg, Middlesex,                                                      
                                       New Kent, Northampton,                                                       
                                       Northumberland, Nottoway,                                                    
                                       Powhatan, Prince Edward,                                                     
                                       Prince George, Richmond,                                                     
                                       Southhampton,                                                                
                                       Spotsylvania, Surry,                                                         
                                       Sussex, Westmoreland, and                                                    
                                       York.                                                                        
                                      Albemarle, Alleghany,        Arlington, VA........  4420 North Fairfax Drive, 
                                       Amherst, Appomattox,                                Arlington, VA 22203.     
                                       Arlington, Augusta, Bath,                                                    
                                       Bedford, Bland, Botetourt,                                                   
                                       Buchanan, Buckingham,                                                        
                                       Campbell, Carroll,                                                           
                                       Charlotte, Clarke, Craig,                                                    
                                       Culpepper, Cumberland,                                                       
                                       Dickenson, Fairfax,                                                          
                                       Fauquier, Floyd, Fluvanna,                                                   
                                       Franklin, Frederick,                                                         
                                       Giles, Grayson, Greene,                                                      
                                       Halifax, Henry, Highland,                                                    
                                       King George, Lee, Loudoun,                                                   
                                       Madison, Montgomery,                                                         
                                       Nelson, Orange, Page,                                                        
                                       Patrick, Pittsylvania,                                                       
                                       Prince William, Pulaski,                                                     
                                       Rappahannock, Roanoke,                                                       
                                       Rockbridge, Rockingham,                                                      
                                       Russell, Scott,                                                              
                                       Shenandoah, Smyth,                                                           
                                       Stafford, Tazewell,                                                          
                                       Warren, Warwick,                                                             
                                       Washington, Wise, and                                                        
                                       Wythe.                                                                       
    Virgin Islands..................  ...........................  St. Thomas, VI.......  P.C. Box 610, Federal     
                                                                                           Building, Suite 117,     
                                                                                           Veterans Drive, Charlotte
                                                                                           Amalie, St. Thomas, U.S. 
                                                                                           Virgin Islands, 00801.   
    Washington......................  ...........................  Seattle, WA..........  815 Airport Way South,    
                                                                                           Seattle, WA 98134.       
    West Virginia...................  ...........................  Pittsburgh, PA.......  Federal Building, Room    
                                                                                           314, 1000 Liberty Avenue,
                                                                                           Pittsburgh, PA 15222-    
                                                                                           4181.                    
    
    [[Page 61355]]
    
                                                                                                                    
    Wisconsin.......................  ...........................  Milwaukee, WI........  Federal Building, 517 East
                                                                                           Wisconsin Avenue, Room   
                                                                                           186, Milwaukee, WI 53202.
    Wyoming.........................  ...........................  Denver, CO...........  4730 Paris Street, Albrook
                                                                                           Center, Denver, CO 80239-
                                                                                           2804.                    
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
    Submitting Verification Requests to INS
    
        A copy of INS Form G-845 is attached, along with a supplemental 
    form that should be used to obtain more detailed information on 
    immigration status, citizenship, and sponsorship. (The supplemental 
    form may only be used in conjunction with Form G-845, not separately.) 
    Requests for verification on Form G-845 may be mailed to the 
    Immigration and Naturalization Service at the addresses listed on the 
    following pages. To speed processing, please indicate ``Attention: 
    Immigration Status Verifier'' on the envelope.
        The attached form G-845 may be copied for submission to the INS; it 
    should be reproduced as a two-sided document. Additional copies may be 
    obtained in three ways:
        1. Request Form G-845 from the INS Forms Distribution Center 
    serving your region:
    
    Eastern Forms Center, P.O. Box 567, Williston, VT 05497 (east of the 
    Mississippi River)
    Forms Center West, 5600 Rickenbacker Road, Building 701A, Bell, CA 
    90201 (west of the Mississippi River)
    
        2. Download Form G-845 from the Internet: www.usdoj.gov/ins/forms.
        3. Call the INS Forms Request Line: 1-800-870-3676. (Due to the 
    high volume of calls to this line, the best time to call is early on 
    weekday mornings.)
        INS formerly required that Form G-845 be printed on blue paper 
    stock to distinguish it from Form G-845S, which is printed on white 
    paper. Form G-845 may now be submitted on white stock, and existing 
    copies on blue stock may also be submitted during this transition 
    period. As a result of this change, it is particularly important that 
    copies of the forms include the form number at the bottom of the page 
    to allow INS to distinguish between them.
        When submitting copies of documents with Form G-845, please send 
    copies made from the originals, if possible, in order to enhance the 
    quality of the reproduction.
    
    BILLING CODE 4410-10-M
    
    [[Page 61356]]
    
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    [[Page 61357]]
    
    [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN17NO97.001
    
    
    
    [[Page 61358]]
    
    [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN17NO97.002
    
    
    
    [[Page 61359]]
    
    [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN17NO97.003
    
    
    
    BILLING CODE 4410-10-C
    
    [[Page 61360]]
    
    Attachment 2--Nondiscrimination Advisory
    
        Various federal civil rights laws, regulations and executive orders 
    prohibit discrimination by governmental and private entities on the 
    basis of race, national origin, gender, religion, age and disability. 
    These laws, of course, apply to entities' implementation of Title IV of 
    the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 
    1996 (the ``Act''). Because of the particular potential for national 
    origin and race discrimination under the Act and its verification 
    requirements, and because persons with disabilities are more likely to 
    need benefits under various public benefit programs, this Advisory 
    focuses on the laws relating to discrimination based on national 
    origin, race and/or disability. Emphasizing these particular laws, 
    however, is in no way meant to minimize the importance of guarding 
    against all forms of illegal discrimination, and you should comply with 
    all nondiscrimination requirements applicable to your program.
    
    A. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. 2000d et seq. 
    (``Title VI'')
    
        Because Title IV of the Act imposes new and significant 
    restrictions on the ability of noncitizens to receive federal, state or 
    local public benefits, there is particular potential for discrimination 
    on the basis of national origin. It is important to remember that, 
    although the Act limits the benefits available to some aliens, many 
    aliens will continue to be entitled to receive public benefits. If 
    improperly applied, the Act's restrictions may result in national 
    origin discrimination against applicants who are eligible to receive 
    benefits. It is therefore important to understand which aliens are 
    eligible for which benefits.
        Title VI prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or 
    national origin in any program or activity, whether operated by a 
    state, local or private entity, that receives federal funds or other 
    federal financial assistance. When operating or participating in a 
    federally assisted program, a benefit provider cannot, on the basis of 
    race, color or national origin, either directly or indirectly, 
    including through contractual means, distinguish among individuals in 
    the types, quantity, quality or timeliness of program services, aids or 
    benefits that it provides or the manner in which it provides them. This 
    prohibition applies to disparate treatment, as well as to the 
    utilization of facility neutral procedures, criteria or methods of 
    administration that have the effect of discriminating against 
    individuals because of their race, color, or national origin. Policies 
    and practices that are neutral in design and operation but have a 
    disparate impact based on race, color or national origin must be 
    eliminated unless they are necessary to the program's operation and 
    there is no less discriminatory alternative.
        Violations of Title VI may be obvious or subtle. A benefit provider 
    that denies benefits or delays determinations of eligibility on the 
    basis of an individual's race, color or national origin may violate 
    Title VI. A benefit provider may violate Title VI if it concludes that 
    applicants are ineligible for benefits because they have ethnic 
    surnames or origins outside the United States, or because they look or 
    sound foreign. It also may violate Title VI if it acts upon the 
    assumption that applicants with these characteristics are illegal 
    aliens, or if it imposes additional eligibility requirements on ethnic 
    or racial minorities because of their ethnicity or race.
        When confirming immigration status for purposes of determining 
    eligibility for public benefits, benefit providers should be aware that 
    there is no single immigration document that will establish all aliens' 
    qualifications to receive benefits under the Act. The types of 
    documents that an alien will be able to present to establish 
    immigration status will vary depending upon the status in which the 
    alien entered the U.S. and his or her individual circumstances. 
    Demanding that an alien present one specific type of document to the 
    exclusion of all other legally valid documents establishing immigration 
    status, or demanding more or different documentation based on 
    assumptions about the applicant's citizenship or national origin rather 
    than knowledge of such status obtained in a non-discriminatory fashion, 
    may constitute a violation of Title VI. For example, it may be 
    discriminatory to demand that a specific applicant present three 
    documents to establish her identity merely because she speaks Spanish 
    or looks Asian, while allowing English-speaking persons and non-Asians 
    to present only one identity document. It may also violate Title VI to 
    assume, based on an applicant's national origin, that his or her 
    documents are fraudulent.
    
    B. Civil Rights Laws Applicable to Persons With Disabilities
    
        Sections 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. 794 
    (``Section 504''), and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, 42 
    U.S.C. 12101 et seq., prohibit discrimination on the basis of 
    disability by public entities and recipients of federal funds. Public 
    service providers are required to offer their services in locations 
    that are accessible to applicants with disabilities, including people 
    who use wheelchairs. In addition, service providers must ensure 
    effective communication with applicants who have impaired hearing, 
    vision, or speech, and service providers must make reasonable 
    modifications to their policies and practices to ensure that eligible 
    people with disabilities are not excluded from participation in a 
    program as a result of their disability. Appropriate auxiliary aids may 
    include sign language interpreters for applicants who have hearing 
    impairments or readers or audiotaped materials for applicants who have 
    vision impairments. Applicants who have impaired manual skills may 
    require assistance in completing forms. Citizens, non-citizen nationals 
    and qualified aliens with disabilities may find it difficult to provide 
    the information needed to establish their citizenship, nationality or 
    immigration status. Therefore, if an applicant has a disability that 
    limits the applicant's ability to provide the required evidence of 
    status (e.g., mental retardation, amnesia, or other cognitive, mental 
    or physical impairment), you should make every effort to assist the 
    individual to obtain the required evidence.
        You should work with the applicant or his or her representative to 
    obtain leads for possible sources of evidence. In many cases, a current 
    or prior employer will have employment records for the individual that 
    will identify his or her immigration status and provide other relevant 
    information. You should also seek cooperation from local agencies, the 
    INS and other organizations (e.g., rehabilitation programs, advocacy 
    groups and homeless shelters) to assist the individual in obtaining 
    evidence from existing records. If the applicant has been granted 
    another benefit that is contingent upon being a U.S. citizen, U.S. non-
    citizen national or qualified alien, contact that benefit-granting 
    agency to determine what evidence it relied upon to establish 
    eligibility. When conducting a search for documentation, use all 
    possible spelling variations of the applicant's name.
    
    C. Other Applicable Federal Civil Rights Laws
    
        There are a number of other federal civil rights laws that prohibit
    
    [[Page 61361]]
    
    discrimination based on other characteristics. They include the 
    following:
         The Age Discrimination Act of 1975, 42 U.S.C. 6101 et seq.
        The Age Discrimination Act prohibits discrimination on the basis of 
    age in programs or activities receiving federal financial assistance. 
    There are specific exceptions to the general prohibition against age 
    discrimination, however, and you should consult the statute, 42 U.S.C. 
    6101 et seq., as well as the regulations published by the Department of 
    Health and Human Services, 45 CFR part 90, for further information
         The Fair Housing Act, 42 U.S.C. 3601 et seq.
        The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in the provision of 
    housing based on race, color, religion, sex, familial status, national 
    origin or handicap.
    
    D. Contact Numbers
    
        Benefit providers with questions may call the following numbers for 
    information on the various federal civil rights laws:
        Title VI--U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, 
    Coordination and Review Section, 1-888-TITLE-06 (1-888-848-5306).
        ADA--U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Disability 
    Rights Section, 1-800-514-0301 (voice) or 1-800-514-0383 (TDD).
        Age Discrimination Act--U.S. Department of Health and Human 
    Services, 1-800-368-1019.
        Fair Housing Act--U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 
    1-800-669-9777 (voice) or 1-800-927-9275 (TDD).
        Questions regarding discrimination in immigration status 
    verification procedures or other benefit-granting procedures can be 
    referred to the civil rights office of the pertinent benefit-granting 
    agency. Such questions can also be referred to the Office of Special 
    Counsel for Immigration Related Unfair Employment Practices in the 
    Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, 1-800-255-8155 
    (voice) or 1-800-237-2515 (TDD).
    
    Attachment 3--Federal Public Benefits
    
        Title IV of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity 
    Reconciliation Act of 1996 (the ``Act'') applies only to non-exempted 
    ``federal public benefits'' as defined by the Act, rather than to all 
    federally funded programs. (It also applies to certain state and local 
    public benefits, which are not the subject of this Attachment.) Under 
    the Act, benefit providers are only required to verify the immigration 
    status of applicants for benefits that fall within the Act's definition 
    of ``federal public benefits'' and are not specifically exempted from 
    the Act's requirements. (If the program independently requires benefit 
    providers to verify the citizenship, nationality and/or immigration 
    status of an applicant, however, you should continue to comply with 
    such requirements even if the program does not provide a ``federal 
    public benefit'' covered by the Act.) Set forth below is preliminary 
    guidance on the meaning of ``federal public benefit,'' as well as a 
    summary of the benefits specifically exempted from the Act's 
    verification requirements. If you have any questions as to whether a 
    particular program provides a federal public benefit covered by the Act 
    or a benefit that is exempted from the Act's requirements, you should 
    consult with the federal agency or department that oversees the 
    program.
        Federal Public Benefit: A ``federal public benefit'' is:
        (a) Any grant, contract, loan, professional license, or commercial 
    license provided by an agency of the United States or by appropriated 
    funds of the United States; or
        (b) Any retirement, welfare, health, disability, public or assisted 
    housing, post-secondary education, food assistance, unemployment 
    benefit, or any other similar benefit for which payments or assistance 
    are provided to an individual, household, or family eligibility unit by 
    an agency of the United States or by appropriated funds of the United 
    States.
        Subject to the list of exceptions set forth below, Title IV of the 
    Act precludes all aliens who are not ``qualified aliens'' from 
    receiving any ``federal public benefit.'' In determining whether a 
    program provides a ``federal public benefit,'' you should first 
    consider whether the program provides one of the benefits expressly 
    enumerated in either (a) or (b) above. Under (a), if your program 
    provides a ``grant,'' ``contract,'' ``loan,'' ``professional license,'' 
    or ``commercial license'' to an individual, either through a U.S. 
    agency or with U.S. appropriated funds, then you provide a ``federal 
    public benefit.'' If you do not provide a benefit of the type 
    enumerated in (a), you should then go on to consider whether your 
    program provides a benefit covered by (b).
        To fall within (b), the benefit provided by your program must be 
    one of the types of benefits described (``retirement,'' ``welfare,'' 
    ``health,'' ``disability,'' ``public or assisted housing,'' ``post-
    secondary education,'' ``food assistance,'' ``unemployment benefit,'' 
    or ``any other similar benefit''), it must be ``provided by an agency 
    of the United States or by appropriated funds of the United States,'' 
    and it must be provided to one of the enumerated categories of 
    recipients (an ``individual household, or family eligibility unit''). 
    Thus, for example, if you provide an ``unemployment benefit'' to an 
    ``individual, household, or family eligibility unit'' using 
    ``appropriated funds of the United States,'' the definition is 
    satisfied. In contrast, if you provide generally available services 
    such as fire or ambulance services, or do not provide benefits to an 
    ``individual, household, or family eligibility unit,'' or do not 
    provide benefits through an ``agency of the United States'' or with 
    ``appropriated funds of the United States,'' the definition does not 
    apply.
        If your program provides payments or assistance to an individual, 
    household or family eligibility unit through a U.S. agency or by U.S. 
    appropriated funds, but the benefits are not expressly enumerated 
    above, you should consider whether the benefits are ``similiar'' to one 
    of the benefits enumerated in (b). If you believe that the benefit is 
    arguably similar to an enumerated benefit, you should consult with the 
    federal agency or department that oversees your program to confirm that 
    the benefit constitutes a federal public benefit covered by the Act.
        Finally, you should consider who is actually receiving the benefits 
    that you provide. Although the Act prohibits certain aliens from 
    receiving non-exempted ``federal public benefits,'' it does not 
    prohibit governmental or private entities from receiving federal public 
    benefits that they might then use to provide assistance to aliens, so 
    long as the benefit ultimately provided to the non-qualified aliens 
    does not itself constitute a ``federal public benefit.'' Thus, if a 
    local agency were to receive a ``grant'' (which is expressly identified 
    as a federal public benefit), but the agency uses it to provide police 
    services, fire protection or crime victim counseling (which are not 
    federal public benefits under the Act's definition because they are not 
    similar to an enumerated benefit), the prohibition would not apply. 
    Similarly, if you provide a ``grant'' to a community organization 
    (which is not an ``individual, household or family eligibility unit'') 
    that uses the funds to build a library or renovate a park (which are 
    not federal public benefits under the Act's definition), the 
    prohibition would not apply. In contrast, if the agency uses the 
    ``grant'' to provide a ``federal public benefit''--e.g., a ``loan'' or 
    ``welfare''
    
    [[Page 61362]]
    
    payment to a poor ``individual, household or family eligibility 
    unit''--then the prohibition would apply and non-qualified aliens would 
    be ineligible for such benefits.
        Exceptions: The Act's verification requirements do not apply to all 
    ``federal public benefits,'' as the Act specifically exempts certain 
    types of benefits. If a program provides ``federal public benefits'' 
    that fall within one of the following exceptions, the program provider 
    is not required by this Act to, and should not attempt to, verify an 
    applicant's immigration status, unless otherwise required or authorized 
    to do so by federal law, except to the extent necessary to determine 
    whether the exemption applies:
         Benefits covered by Attorney General Order No. 2049, 61 FR 
    45985 (1996), or any subsequent order, re: government-funded community 
    programs, services or assistance that are necessary for protection of 
    life or safety;
         Any wages, pensions, annuities, or other earned payments 
    to which an alien is entitled as a result of federal, state, or local 
    government employment, provided that the alien is not residing or 
    present in the United States and provided that the employment was not 
    prohibited under the immigration laws;
         Any veterans benefits to which an alien is entitled, 
    provided that the alien is not residing or present in the United 
    States;
         Any contract, professional license, or commercial license 
    for a nonimmigrant whose visa for entry is related to such employment 
    in the U.S.;
         Any contract, professional license, or commercial license 
    for a citizen of a freely associated state (Palau, the Federated States 
    of Micronesia, and the Marshall Islands), if section 141 of the 
    applicable compact of free association is in effect;
         Any benefits that the U.S. is required to pay under the 
    reciprocal treaty agreements listed in the forthcoming Attorney General 
    Order to a work authorized nonimmigrant or alien lawfully admitted for 
    permanent residence qualified for such benefits;
         Medical assistance under Title XIX of the Social Security 
    Act (or any successor program to such Title) for care and services that 
    are necessary for the treatment of an emergency medical condition (as 
    defined in section 1903(v)(3) of such Act) of the alien involved and 
    that are not related to an organ transplant procedure, if the alien 
    involved otherwise meets the eligibility requirements for medical 
    assistance under the state plan approved under such Title (other than 
    the requirement of the receipt of aid or assistance under Title IV of 
    such Act, SSI benefits under Title XVI of such Act, or a state 
    supplementary payment);
         Short-term, non-cash, in-kind emergency disaster relief;
         Public health assistance (not including any assistance 
    under Title XIX of the Social Security Act) for immunizations with 
    respect to immunizable diseases and for testing and treatment of 
    symptoms of communicable diseases whether or not such symptoms are 
    caused by a communicable disease;
         Programs for housing or community development assistance 
    or financial assistance administered by the Secretary of Housing and 
    Urban Development (``HUD''), any program under Title V of the Housing 
    Act of 1949, or any assistance under section 306C of the Consolidated 
    Farm and Rural Development Act, to the extent that the alien is 
    receiving such a benefit on August 22, 1996;
         Any benefit payable under Title II of the Social Security 
    Act to which entitlement is based on an application filed on or before 
    August 31, 1996, and any benefit covered by Attorney General Order No. 
    2054, 61 FR 47039 (1996), re: benefits payable under Title II of the 
    Social Security Act to an alien who is lawfully present in the U.S.;
         Any benefit the nonpayment of which would contravene an 
    international agreement described in section 233 of the Social Security 
    Act (an agreement establishing totalization arrangements between the 
    social security system of the U.S. and that of any foreign country 
    which establishes entitlement to and the amount of old-age, survivors, 
    disability, or derivative benefits based on an individual's coverage 
    under both systems);
         Any benefit the nonpayment of which would be contrary to 
    section 202(t) of the Social Security Act;
         Any benefit under the school lunch program under the 
    National School Lunch Act, 42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq., or the school 
    breakfast program under section 4 of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966, 
    42 U.S.C. 1773, provided to an individual who is eligible to receive 
    free public education benefits under state or local law;
         Any benefit payable under Title XVIII of the Social 
    Security Act (relating to the Medicare program) to an alien who is 
    lawfully present in the U.S., as determined by the Attorney General, 
    provided that, with respect to the attribution of the alien's wages for 
    purposes of eligibility for benefits payable under Part A of such 
    program, the alien was authorized to be employed; and
         Any benefit payable under the Railroad Retirement Act of 
    1974 or the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act to an alien who is 
    lawfully present in the U.S., as determined by the Attorney General, or 
    to an alien residing outside the U.S.
        State Option: Each State may, but is not required to, provide 
    benefits under programs established under the laws listed below to 
    individuals who are not U.S. citizens, U.S. non-citizen nationals or 
    qualified aliens. You should determine whether your State is providing 
    such benefits to all persons, regardless of citizenship, alienage or 
    immigration status, or whether it is providing them only to U.S. 
    citizens, U.S. non-citizen nationals and qualified aliens. If your 
    State is providing such benefits to all persons, you should not verify 
    citizenship or immigration status; if it is limiting such benefits to 
    citizens, non-citizen nationals and qualified aliens, you may want to 
    use the Interim Guidance, in consultation with state and local 
    authorities, to verify citizenship and immigration status.
         Programs (other than the school lunch program and the 
    school breakfast program) under the National School Lunch Act, 42 
    U.S.C. 1751 et seq., and the Child Nutrition Act of 1966, 42 U.S.C. 
    1771 et seq.;
         Section 4 of the Agriculture and Consumer Protection Act 
    of 1973, 7 U.S.C. 612c note;
         The Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983, 7 U.S.C. 7501 
    et seq.; and
         The food distribution program on Indian reservations 
    established under section 4(b) of the Food Stamp Act of 1977, 7 U.S.C. 
    2013(b).
    
    Attachment 4--Interim Guidance Documentary Evidence of Status as a 
    U.S. Non-Citizen National
    
        Copies of the following documents will, when combined with 
    satisfactory proof of identity (which will come from the document 
    itself if it bears a photograph of the person to whom it relates), 
    demonstrate that a person is a U.S. citizen or non-citizen national for 
    purposes of Title IV of the Personal Responsibility and Work 
    Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, as amended by the Illegal 
    Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996. (To the 
    extent citizenship or nationality of a child is relevant to a benefit 
    eligibility determination, the documents should demonstrate the child's 
    status rather than that of the parent.) The lists set forth in 
    Paragraphs A and B below are drawn from existing guidance published by 
    the Social Security Administration (``SSA'') and regulations issued by 
    the Immigration and
    
    [[Page 61363]]
    
    Naturalization Service (``INS'') regarding determination of U.S. 
    citizenship and nationality; the lists in Paragraphs C through F are 
    drawn solely from the SSA guidance. These lists are not exhaustive; you 
    should refer to guidance issued by the agency or department overseeing 
    your program to determine if it accepts documents or other evidence of 
    citizenship not listed below.
    
    A. Primary Evidence
    
         A birth certificate showing birth in one of the 50 States, 
    the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico (on or after January 13, 1941), 
    Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands (on or after January 17, 1917), American 
    Samoa, Swain's Island or the Northern Mariana Islands, unless the 
    person was born to foreign diplomats residing in the U.S.
    
        Note: If the document shows that the individual was born in 
    Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands or the Northern Mariana Islands 
    before these areas became part of the U.S., the individual may be a 
    collectively naturalized citizen--see Paragraph C below.
    
         United States passport (except limited passports, which 
    are issued for periods of less than five years);
         Report of birth abroad of a U.S. citizen (FS-240) (issued 
    by the Department of State to U.S. citizens);
         Certificate of birth (FS-545) (issued by a foreign service 
    post) or Certification of Report of Birth (DS-1350) (issued by the 
    Department of State), copies of which are available from the Department 
    of State;
         Certificate of Naturalization (N-550 or N-570) (issued by 
    the INS through a Federal or State court, or through administrative 
    naturalization after December 1990 to individuals who are individually 
    naturalized; the N-570 is a replacement certificate issued when the N-
    550 has been lost or mutilated or the individual's name has been 
    changed);
         Certificate of Citizenship (N-560 or N-561) (issued by the 
    INS to individuals who derive U.S. citizenship through a parent; the N-
    561 is a replacement certificate issued when the N-560 has been lost or 
    mutilated or the individual's name has been changed);
         United States Citizen Identification Card (I-197) (issued 
    by the INS until April 7, 1983 to U.S. citizens living near the 
    Canadian or Mexican border who needed it for frequent border crossings) 
    (formerly Form I-179, last issued in February 1974);
         Northern Mariana Identification Card (issued by the INS to 
    a collectively naturalized citizen of the U.S. who was born in the 
    Northern Mariana Islands before November 3, 1986);
         Statement provided by a U.S. consular officer certifying 
    that the individual is a U.S. citizen (this is given to an individual 
    born outside the U.S. who derives citizenship through a parent but does 
    not have an FS-240, FS-545 or DS-1350); or
         American Indian Card with a classification code ``KIC'' 
    and a statement on the back (identifying U.S. citizen members of the 
    Texas Band of Kickapoos living near the U.S./Mexican border).
    
    B. Secondary Evidence
    
        If the applicant cannot present one of the documents listed in A 
    above, the following may be relied upon to establish U.S. citizenship 
    or nationality:
         Religious record recorded in one of the 50 States, the 
    District of Columbia, Puerto Rico (on or after January 13, 1941), Guam, 
    the U.S. Virgin Islands (on or after January 17, 1917)), American 
    Samoa, Swain's Island or the Northern Mariana Islands (unless the 
    person was born to foreign diplomats residing in such a jurisdication) 
    within three months after birth showing that the birth occurred in such 
    jurisdiction and the date of birth or the individual's age at the time 
    the record was made;
         Evidence of civil service employment by the U.S. 
    government before June 1, 1976;
         Early school records (preferably from the first school) 
    showing the date of admission to the school, the child's date and place 
    of birth, and the name(s) and place(s) of birth of the parent(s);
         Census record showing name, U.S. citizenship or a U.S. 
    place of birth, and date of birth or age of applicant;
         Adoption Finalization Papers showing the child's name and 
    place of birth in one of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, 
    Puerto Rico (on or after January 13, 1941), Guam, the U.S. Virgin 
    Islands (on or after January 17, 1917), American Samoa, Swain's Island 
    or the Northern Mariana Islands (unless the person was born to foreign 
    diplomats residing in such a jurisdiction) or, where or adoption is not 
    finalized and the State or other jurisdiction listed above in which the 
    child was born will not release a birth certificate prior to final 
    adoption, a statement from a state-approved adoption agency showing the 
    child's name and place of birth in one of such jurisdictions (NOTE: the 
    source of the information must be an original birth certificate and 
    must be indicated in the statement); or
         Any other document that establishes a U.S. place of birth 
    or in some way indicates U.S. citizenship (e.g., a contemporaneous 
    hospital record of birth in that hospital in one of the 50 States, the 
    District of Columbia, Puerto Rico (on or after January 13, 1941), Guam, 
    the U.S. Virgin Islands (on or after January 17, 1917), American Samoa, 
    Swain's Island or the Northern Mariana Islands (unless the person was 
    born to foreign diplomats residing in such a jurisdiction).
    
    C. Collective Naturalization
    
        If the applicant cannot present one of the documents listed in A or 
    B above, the following will establish U.S. citizenship for collectively 
    naturalized individuals:
        Puerto Rico:
         Evidence of birth in Puerto Rico on or after April 11, 
    1899 and the applicant's statement that he or she was residing in the 
    U.S., a U.S. possession or Puerto Rico on January 13, 1941; or
         Evidence that the applicant was a Puerto Rican citizen and 
    the applicant's statement that he or she was residing in Puerto Rico on 
    March 1, 1917 and that he or she did not take an oath of allegiance to 
    Spain.
        U.S. Virgin Islands:
         Evidence of birth in the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the 
    applicant's statement of residence in the U.S., a U.S. possession or 
    the U.S. Virgin Islands on February 25, 1927;
         The applicant's statement indicating resident in the U.S. 
    Virgin Islands as a Danish citizen on January 17, 1917 and residence in 
    the U.S., a U.S. possession or the U.S. Virgin Islands on February 25, 
    1927, and that he or she did not make a declaration to maintain Danish 
    citizenship; or
         Evidence of birth in the U.S. Virgin Islands and the 
    applicant's statement indicating residence in the U.S., a U.S. 
    possession or territory or the Canal Zone on June 28, 1932.
        Northern Mariana Islands (NMI) (formerly part of the Trust 
    Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI)):
         Evidence of birth in the NMI, TTPI citizenship and 
    residence in the NMI, the U.S., or a U.S. territory or possession on 
    November 3, 1986 (NMI local time) and the applicant's statement that he 
    or she did not owe allegiance to a foreign state on November 4, 1986 
    (NMI local time);
         Evidence of TTPI citizenship, continuous residence in the 
    NMI since before November 3, 1981 (NMI local time), voter registration 
    prior to January 1, 1975 and the applicant's statement that he or she 
    did not owe allegiance to a foreign state on November 4, 1986 (NMI 
    local time); or
         Evidence of continuous domicile in the NMI since before 
    January 1, 1974 and the applicant's statement that he or she did not 
    owe allegiance to a foreign state on November 4, 1986 (NMI local time).
    
    
    [[Page 61364]]
    
    
        Note: If a person entered the NMI as a nonimmigrant and lived in 
    the NMI since January 1, 1974, this does not constitute continuous 
    domicile and the individual is not a U.S. citizen.
    
    D. Derivative Citizenship
    
        If the applicant cannot present one of the documents listed in A or 
    B above, you should make a determination of derivative U.S. citizenship 
    in the following situations:
        Applicant born abroad to two U.S. citizen parents:
         Evidence of the U.S. citizenship of the parents and the 
    relationship of the applicant to the parents, and evidence that at 
    least one parent resided in the U.S. or an outlying possession prior to 
    the applicant's birth.
        Applicant born abroad to a U.S. citizen parent and a U.S. non-
    citizen national parent:
         Evidence that one parent is a U.S. citizen and that the 
    other is a U.S. non-citizen national, evidence of the relationship of 
    the applicant to the U.S. citizen parent, and evidence that the U.S. 
    citizen parent resided in the U.S., a U.S. possession, American Samoa 
    or Swain's Island for a period of at least one year prior to the 
    applicant's birth.
        Applicant born out of wedlock abroad to a U.S. citizen mother:
         Evidence of the U.S. citizenship of the mother, evidence 
    of the relationship to the applicant and, for births on or before 
    December 24, 1952, evidence that the mother resided in the U.S. prior 
    to the applicant's birth or, for births after December 24, 1952, 
    evidence that the mother had resided, prior to the child's birth, in 
    the U.S. or a U.S. possession for a period of one year.
        Applicant born in the Canal Zone or the Republic of Panama:
         A birth certificate showing birth in the Canal Zone on or 
    after February 26, 1904 and before October 1, 1979 and evidence that 
    one parent was a U.S. citizen at the time of the applicant's birth; or
         A birth certificate showing birth in the Republic of 
    Panama on or after February 26, 1904 and before October 1, 1979 and 
    evidence that at least one parent was a U.S. citizen and employed by 
    the U.S. government or the Panama Railroad Company or its successor in 
    title.
        All other situations where an applicant claims to have a U.S. 
    citizen parent and an alien parent, or claims to fall within one of the 
    above categories but is unable to present the listed documentation:
         If the applicant is in the U.S., refer him or her to the 
    local INS office for determination of U.S. citizenship;
         If the applicant is outside the U.S., refer him or her to 
    the State Department for a U.S. citizenship determination.
    
    E. Adoption of Foreign-Born Child by U.S. Citizen
    
         If the birth certificate shows a foreign place of birth 
    and the applicant cannot be determined to be a naturalized citizen 
    under any of the above criteria, obtain other evidence of U.S. 
    citizenship;
         Since foreign-born adopted children do not automatically 
    acquire U.S. citizenship by virtue of adoption by U.S. citizens, refer 
    the applicant to the local INS district office for a determination of 
    U.S. citizenship if the applicant provides no evidence of U.S. 
    citizenship.
    
    F. U.S. Citizenship By Marriage
    
        A woman acquired U.S. citizenship through marriage to a U.S. 
    citizen before September 22, 1922. Ask for: Evidence of U.S. 
    citizenship of the husband, and evidence showing the marriage occurred 
    before September 22, 1922.
    
        Note: If the husband was an alien at the time of the marriage, 
    and became naturalized before September 22, 1922, the wife also 
    acquired naturalized citizenship. If the marriage terminated, the 
    wife maintained her U.S. citizenship if she was residing in the U.S. 
    at that time and continued to reside in the U.S.
    
    G. Applicants With Disabilities and Nondiscrimination
    
        If an applicant has a disability that limits the applicant's 
    ability to provide the required evidence of citizenship or nationality 
    (e.g., mental retardation, amnesia, or other cognitive, mental or 
    physical impairment), you should make every effort to assist the 
    individual to obtain the required evidence. In addition, you should not 
    discriminate against applicants on the basis of race, national origin, 
    gender, religion, age or disability. See Nondiscrimination Advisory, 
    Attachment 2 to Interim Guidance.
    
    Attachment 5--Interim Guidance--Documentary Evidence of Status as A 
    ``Qualified Alien'' Eligible for Federal Public Benefits
    
        The documents listed below (descriptions of which are provided in 
    Exhibit A) will, when combined with satisfactory proof of identity 
    (which will come from the document itself if it bears a photograph of 
    the person to whom it relates), establish that an applicant falls 
    within one of the categories of ``qualified alien'' for purposes of 
    title IV of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity 
    Reconciliation Act of 1996, as amended by the Illegal Immigration 
    Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996.
        Under the Immigration and Nationality Act (the ``INA''), all aliens 
    over the age of 14 who remain in the United States for longer than 30 
    days are required to register with the Immigration and Naturalization 
    Service (the ``INS'') and obtain an alien registration document. All 
    aliens over the age of 18 who receive a registration document are 
    required to carry it with them at all times. With certain exceptions 
    (e.g., Canadian visitors), aliens entering the U.S. are normally issued 
    a registration document (e.g., an INS Form I-94) at the time of entry. 
    The documents listed below that are registration documents are 
    indicated with an asterisk (``*'').
        Each of the documents listed below will demonstrate lawful status, 
    and you should not require presentation of a registration document if 
    the applicant presents one of the other legally acceptable documents 
    that reasonably appears on its face to be genuine and to relate to the 
    person presenting it. However, if the document presented is not a 
    registration document and does not on its face reasonably appear to be 
    genuine or to relate to the person presenting it, it is appropriate to 
    ask the applicant to produce his or her registration document as 
    additional evidence of immigration status, so long as the request is 
    not made for a discriminatory reason (see Nondiscrimination Advisory, 
    Attachment 2 to Interim Guidance). Presentation of a registration 
    document listed below that reasonably appears on its face to be genuine 
    and to relate to the person presenting it (or to satisfy a higher 
    applicable standard) will often obviate the need to verify the 
    applicant's immigration status with the INS; if the applicant presents 
    a registration document that does not meet this standard, sending the 
    INS a copy of the document will assist it in verifying the applicant's 
    status quickly and accurately.
    
    Alien Lawfully Admitted for Permanent Residence
    
         *INS Form I-551 (Alien Registration Receipt Card, commonly 
    known as a ``green card''); or
         Unexpired Temporary I-551 stamp in foreign passport or on 
    *INS Form I-94.
    
    Asylee
    
         *INS Form I-94 annotated with stamp showing grant of 
    asylum under section 208 of the INA;
    
    [[Page 61365]]
    
         *INS Form I-688B (Employment Authorization Card) annotated 
    ``274a.12(a)(5)'';
         *INS Form I-766 (Employment Authorization Document) 
    annotated ``A5'';
         Grant letter from the Asylum Office of INS;or
         Order of an immigration judge granting asylum.
    
    Refugee
    
         *INS Form I-94 annotated with stamp showing admission 
    under Sec. 207 of the INA;
         *INS Form I-688B (Employment Authorization Card) annotated 
    ``274a.12(a)(3)'';
         *INS Form I-766 (Employment Authorization Document) 
    annotated ``A3''; or
         INS Form I-571 (Refugee Travel Document).
    
    Alien Paroled Into the U.S. for a Least One Year
    
         *INS Form I-94 with stamp showing admission for at least 
    one year under section 212(d)(5) of the INA. (Applicant cannot 
    aggregate periods of admission for less than one year to meet the one-
    year requirement.)
    
    Alien Whose Deportation or Removal Was Withheld
    
         *INS Form I-688B (Employment Authorization Card) annotated 
    ``274a.12(a)(10)'';
         *INS Form I-766 (Employment Authorization Document) 
    annotated ``A10''; or
         Order from an immigration judge showing deportation 
    withheld under Sec. 243(h) of the INA as in effect prior to April 1, 
    1997, or removal withheld under Sec. 241(b)(3) of the INA.
    
    Alien Granted Conditional Entry
    
         *INS Form I-94 with stamp showing admission under 
    Sec. 203(a)(7) of the INA;
         *INS Form I-688B (Employment Authorization Card) annotated 
    ``274a.12(a)(3)''; or
         *INS Form I-766 (Employment Authorization Document) 
    annotated ``A3.''
    
    Cuban/Haitian Entrant
    
         *INS Form I-551 (Alien Registration Receipt Card, commonly 
    known as a ``green card'') with the code CU6, CU7, or CH6;
         Unexpired temporary I-551 stamp in foreign passport or on 
    *INS Form I-94 with the code CU6 or CU7; or
         INS Form I-94 with stamp showing parole as ``Cuba/Haitian 
    Entrant'' under Section 212(d)(5) of the INA.
    
    Alien Who Has Been Battered or Subjected to Extreme Cruelty
    
        Guidance as to the requirements that must be met for an alien to 
    fall within this category of qualified alien is set forth in Exhibit B. 
    Note that Title IV, as amended by the Illegal Immigration Reform and 
    Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, contains provisions requiring 
    that, upon the effective date of the new affidavit of support (required 
    under section 213A of the Act), when determining eligibility for 
    federal means-tested public benefits and the amount of such benefits to 
    which an alien is entitled, the income and resources of the alien be 
    deemed to include those of any person executing an affidavit of support 
    on behalf of the alien and that person's spouse. Certain exceptions are 
    made for indigent qualified aliens and for qualified aliens who (or 
    whose children) have been battered or subjected to extreme cruelty in 
    the U.S. by a spouse, parent or member of the spouse or parent's family 
    and for qualified alien children whose parents have been subjected to 
    such abuse. See Attachment 5, Exhibit B, Section II.
    
    Expired or Absent Documentation
    
        If an applicant presents expired documents or is unable to present 
    any documentation evidencing his or her immigration status, refer the 
    applicant to the local INS office to obtain documentation of status. In 
    unusual cases involving applicants who are hospitalized or medically 
    disabled, or who can otherwise show good cause for their inability to 
    present documentation, and for whom securing such documentation would 
    constitute an undue hardship, if the applicant can provide an alien 
    registration number, you may file INS Form G-845 and Supplement, along 
    with the alien registration number and a copy of any expired INS 
    document presented, with the local INS office to verify status. As with 
    any documentation of immigration status, you should confirm that the 
    status information you receive back from INS pertains to the applicant 
    whose identity you have verified.
    
    Receipt for Replacement Document
    
        If an applicant presents a receipt indicating that he or she has 
    applied to the INS for a replacement document for one of the documents 
    identified above, file INS Form G-845 and Supplement along with a copy 
    of the receipt with the local INS office to verify status. Upon return 
    receipt of information from INS, confirm that it pertains to the 
    applicant whose identity you have verified. You should ask to see the 
    replacement document at a later date.
    
    Applicants with Disabilities and Nondiscrimination
    
        If an applicant has a disability that limits the applicant's 
    ability to provide the required evidence of immigration status (.e.g., 
    mental retardation, amnesia, or other cognitive, mental or physical 
    impairment), you should make every effort to assist the individual to 
    obtain the required evidence. In addition, you should not discriminate 
    against applicants on the basis of race, national origin, gender, 
    religion, age or disability. See Nondiscrimination Advisory, Attachment 
    2 to Interim Guidance.
    
    Local INS Offices
    
        A list of local INS offices and their addresses is set forth in 
    Attachment 1 to the Interim Guidance. Attachment 1 also includes a copy 
    of INS Form G-845 and the Supplement thereto to be used to verify 
    immigration status pursuant to the Interim Guidance.
    
    EXHIBIT A TO ATTACHMENT 5
    
    ``PINK'' I-551 ``RESIDENT ALIEN'' CARD
    
        FRONT: Pink background (blue header bar); blue INS seal overlaps 
    photo area. Repeating ``I-551'' becomes visible when card is tilted 
    under normal light. Expiration date on front of card: Moth, day, and 
    year.
        BACK: Color gradually changes from pink to blue, with map of 
    U.S. in white. Three lines of machine readable printing at bottom on 
    white background. Immigrant classification and admission/adjustment 
    date on back of card. First set of code is immigrant classification, 
    beginning with letter(s) followed by numbers(s). Third set of code 
    is admission/adjustment date, beginning with year, month, and day.
    
    ``WHITE'' I-551 ``RESIDENT ALIEN'' CARD
    
        FRONT: White background (blue header bar); salmon lines cover 
    the photo in an unbroken pattern. Printing ``detail'' in eagle is 
    excellent. Immigrant classification is on front of card in lower 
    right corner, beginning with letter(s) followed by number(s).
        BACK: Pale greenish background, map of U.S. in white. Three 
    lines of machine readable codes. Admission/adjustment date is at 
    bottom, left corner on back of card, beginning with year, month, and 
    day.
    
    UNEXPIRED FOREIGN PASSPORT WITH I-551 STAMP
    
        An I-551 stamp may be present in a foreign passport, with a 
    handwritten ``Valid Until'' date. A proof of entry and inspection 
    stamp will also present in the passport, similar to the stamp for an 
    I-94. Date of entry is stamped. Immigrant visa classification 
    (letter and number) is printed or stamped on ``Admitted'' line. 
    Valid status expires on date enumerated at ``Until'' section of I-
    551 stamp. The alien number may be printed beginning with letter A.
    
    [[Page 61366]]
    
    I-94 ARRIVAL/DEPARTURE RECORD
    
        Proof of entry is signified by U.S. immigration stamp. Date of 
    entry is stamped. Non-immigrant visa classification (letter or 
    letter and number) is printed or stamped on ``Admitted'' line. Valid 
    status expires on date enumerated at ``Until'' section of stamp.
        Refugees and asylees each receive a separate INS stamp. Asylum 
    seekers have ``valid to'' date, while refugees have a date of 
    admission.
    
    ``RED'' I-688B ``EMPLOYMENT AUTHORIZATION''
    
        FRONT: White background, read header bar and yellow interlocking 
    wavy lines, gold INS seal becomes visible when tilted under normal 
    light. Expiration date is on front, month, day, and year.
        BACK: Red outline of U.S., Alaska, and Hawaii. The word ``Void'' 
    is capitalized and underlined.
    
    ``RED'' I-766 ``EMPLOYMENT AUTHORIZATION''
    
        FRONT: White background, red header bar. Statue of Liberty, USA, 
    and Immigration and Naturalization Service symbols become visible 
    when tilted under normal light. Expiration date is at bottom, right 
    corner. Non-immigrant category listed over justice seal by a letter 
    and number abbreviation of the 274A.12 immigration law citation.
        BACK: White background, black magnetic strip and bar code.
    
    DECISION GRANTING ASYLUM
    
        Documents issued to aliens, granted asylum vary.
    
    REFUGEE TRAVEL DOCUMENT FORM I-571
    
        Form I-571 is issued by the INS to aliens who have been granted 
    refugee status.
    
    ORDER GRANTING WITHHOLDING OF DEPORTATION
    
        The documents used by immigration judges to grant withholding of 
    deportation vary.
    
    EXHIBIT B TO ATTACHMENT 5--ALIENS WHO HAVE BEEN BATTERED OR SUBJECTED 
    TO EXTREME CRUELTY WITHIN THE MEANING OF SECTION 431 OF THE ACT
    
    INTRODUCTION
    
        Section 431 of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity 
    Reconciliation Act of 1996 (the ``Act''), as amended by section 501 
    of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act 
    of 1996 (the ``Immigration Act'') and sections 5571-72 and 5581 of 
    the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (``the Budget Act''), provides that 
    certain categories of aliens who have been subjected to battery or 
    extreme cruelty in the United States by a family member with whom 
    they resided are ``qualified aliens'' eligible for public benefits 
    under the Act. An alien whose child or an alien child whose parent 
    has been abused is also a ``qualified alien.'' Additionally, section 
    421 of the Act, as amended by section 552 of the Immigration Act and 
    section 5571 of the Budget Act, exempts this group of battered 
    aliens from the Act's new deeming requirements for a period of one 
    year, and for longer if the battery or cruelty has been recognized 
    in an order of a judicial officer or an administrative law judge or 
    in an Immigration and Naturalization Service (``INS'') 
    determination.
    
    CONSIDERATIONS AFFECTING ALL APPLICANTS
    
        Benfit providers should observe the following protocol with 
    regard to all applicants who seek qualified alien status under 
    section 431(c) of the Act:
        (1) This Exhibit should be interpreted consistently with the 
    principles set forth in the Interim Guidance, including, but not 
    limited to, its standards for acceptance of documents demonstrating 
    status, its nondiscrimination advisory and its provisions regarding 
    whether to grant or withhold benefits pending verification of 
    qualified alien status. In addition, as specified in the Interim 
    Guidance, a provider should determine whether an applicant otherwise 
    meets specific program requirements for benefit eligibility before 
    initiating the verification process described below, unless 
    determining program eligibility would be considerably more complex 
    and time-consuming than verifying immigration status. (In the case 
    of providers who are considering referring individual applicants to 
    the Social Security Administration for issuance of a Social Security 
    number, the provider should first determine that the applicant is 
    otherwise eligible for program benefits.)
        (2) Many of the applicants seeking assistance pursuant to this 
    provision will need assistance on various matters relating to both 
    their immigration status and their domestic violence-related 
    concerns. You should therefore direct applicants to the INS forms 
    request line (1-800-870-3676) so that applicants who are eligible to 
    self-petition under the Violence Against Women Act, 8 U.S.C. 
    1154(a)(1), but have yet to do so, may request an INS Form I-360 and 
    filing instructions. You should also refer them to the National 
    Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-7233) so that applicants may 
    obtain assistance from a local domestic violence service provider 
    and referrals to immigration attorneys. (A copy of INS Form I-360 is 
    attached to this Exhibit).
        (3) Except where this attachment directs otherwise, when asking 
    the INS or the Executive Office for Immigration Review (``EOIR'') to 
    verify an applicant's immigration status, a benefit provider should 
    submit a verification request form. Sample INS and EOIR verification 
    forms (hereinafter ``the INS Request Form'' and ``the EOIR Request 
    Form'' respectively) are attached hereto. These samples must be 
    replicated and submitted on your agency's letterhead in order for 
    INS or EOIR to provide verification information. The INS Request 
    Form should be faxed to the INS Vermont Service Center (fax: (802) 
    527-3159; tel: (802) 527-3160); the EOIR Request Form should be 
    faxed to the office of the appropriate immigration court (a list of 
    the immigration courts and their addresses, fax numbers and 
    telephone numbers is also attached to this Exhibit). In certain 
    limited circumstances described below, the benefit provider should 
    submit its verification request by filing INS Form G-845 and the G-
    845 Supplement with the local INS office. Attachment 1 to the 
    Interim Guidance includes a copy of INS Form G-845 and the G-845 
    Supplement to be used as indicated below, as well as a list of local 
    INS offices.
        (4) You should not share any information that you receive from 
    or regarding the applicant with any member of his or her family or 
    any other third party, without the express written permission of the 
    applicant.
    
    I. PROCEDURES FOR DETERMINING QUALIFIED ALIEN STATUS
    
        An alien is a ``qualified alien'' eligible for public benefits 
    under section 431(c) of the Act if he or she meets the following 
    four requirements:
        (1) the INS or the EOIR has granted a petition or application 
    filed by or on behalf of the alien, the alien's child, or the alien 
    child's parent under one of several subsections of the Immigration 
    and Nationality Act (``INA'') described below or has found that a 
    pending petition sets forth a prima facie case;
        (2) the alien, the alien's child, or the alien child's parent 
    has been abused in the United States \1\ as detailed below:
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        \1\ Some applicants may possess documents demonstrating that 
    they have been admitted to the United States because of battery or 
    extreme cruelty that occurred outside of the United States, but this 
    is insufficient by itself to make them eligible for benefits under 
    section 431(c). Section 431(c) does not apply unless some battery or 
    extreme cruelty occurred in the United States.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
        (a) in the case of the abused alien: the alien has been battered 
    or subjected to extreme cruelty in the United States by a spouse or 
    parent of the alien, or by a member of the spouse or parent's family 
    residing in the same household as the alien, if the spouse or parent 
    consents to or acquiesces in such battery or cruelty;
        (b) in the case of an alien whose child is abused: the alien's 
    child has been battered or subjected to extreme cruelty in the 
    United States by a spouse or parent of the alien, or by a member of 
    the spouse or parent's family residing in the same household as the 
    alien if the spouse or parent consents to or acquiesces in such 
    battery or cruelty, and the alien did not actively participate in 
    the batter or cruelty;
        (c) in the case of an alien child whose parent is abused: the 
    alien child's parent has been battered or subjected to extreme 
    cruelty in the United States by the parent's spouse, or by a member 
    of the spouse's family residing in the same household as the parent, 
    if the spouse consents to or acquiesces in such battery or cruelty;
        (3) there is a substantial connection between the battery or 
    extreme cruelty and the need for the public benefit sought; and
        (4) the battered alien, child, or parent no longer resides in 
    the same household as the abuser.
        Each of these four requirements, and processes for assuring that 
    an applicant meets these requirements, are discussed in detail 
    below. (In addition to these four requirements, the alien must of 
    course meet the eligibility criteria of the particular
    
    [[Page 61367]]
    
    program from which benefits are sought.) A benefit provider must 
    determine that an applicant satisfies all four requirements. If an 
    applicant presents documentation indicating that an INS I-130 
    petition has been filed on the applicant's behalf under the INA 
    provisions listed in subparagraph (a) of requirement one below, or 
    that the applicant has filed an INS I-360 petition under the INA 
    provisions listed in subparagraph (b) of requirement one below, the 
    benefit provider should determine whether the applicant meets the 
    other three requirements for qualified alien status (including 
    battery or extreme cruelty) before verifying his or her immigration 
    status with the INS. If an applicant presents documentation 
    indicating that he or she has filed an INS I-360 petition based on 
    one of the INA provisions listed in subparagraph (c) or (d) of 
    requirement one below, or has sought suspension of deportation or 
    cancellation of removal from the EOIR under one of the INA 
    provisions listed in subparagraph (e) of requirement one below, INS 
    or EOIR will make the determination as to battery or extreme 
    cruelty. In such cases, the benefit provider may contact the INS or 
    the EOIR as applicable to initiate the verification process prior to 
    determining if the applicant meets the other two requirements for 
    qualified alien status. After contacting the INS or the EOIR, the 
    benefit provider should continue reviewing the applicant's 
    eligibility for qualified alien status under requirements three and 
    four below, and should not delay this evaluation while awaiting a 
    response from the INS or the EOIR.
        Requirement 1: Appropriate INS Status. You must determine that 
    the INS or the EOIR, as applicable, has approved an applicant's 
    petition or application or has found that the applicant's pending 
    petition or application sets forth a prima facie case, under one of 
    the following provisions of the INA:
        (a) Section 204(a)(1)(A)(i) and 204(a)(1)(B)(i) of the INA 
    (governing eligibility to receive law permanent resident (``LPR'') 
    status as a spouse or child of a U.S. citizen, or as a spouse, child 
    or unmarried son or daughter of an LPR, based on the petition of a 
    spouse or parent);
        (b) Section 204(a)(1)(A)(ii) of the INA (governing eligibility 
    to apply for LPR status as an alien who is the widow or widower of a 
    U.S. citizen to whom the alien had been married for at least two 
    years at the time of such citizen's death);
        (c) Sections 204(a)(1)(A)(iii) and 204(a)(1)(B)(ii) of the INA 
    (governing eligibility to apply for LPR status as an alien who is 
    the spouse of a U.S. citizen or LPR, who has resided with the spouse 
    in the United States, and who (or whose child) has been subjected to 
    battery or cruelty in the United States by his or her spouse);
        (d) Sections 204(a)(1)(A)(iv) and 204(a)(1)(B)(iii) of the INA 
    (governing eligibility to apply LPR status as an alien who is the 
    child of a U.S. citizen or LPR, and who has resided with that parent 
    in the United States and been subjected to battery or cruelty in the 
    United States by his or her citizen or LPR parent); or
        Section 244(a)(3) of the INA as in effect prior to April 1, 
    1997, or section 204A(b)(2) of the INA (governing the Attorney 
    General's authority to suspend deportation or cancel the removal and 
    adjust the status of an alien if the alien or the alien's child has 
    been subjected to battery or extreme cruelty in the United States by 
    a spouse or parent who is a U.S. citizen or LPR).\2\ Note: Only this 
    provision of the INA allows the alien parent of a battered child to 
    obtain relief from deportation or removal even if he or she is not 
    married to the U.S. citizen or LPR parent. This includes aliens who 
    were never married to the U.S. citizen or LPR parent, aliens who are 
    divorced from the U.S. citizen or LPR. Under the provisions 
    described in (a)-(d) above, the alien must have been married to the 
    U.S. citizen or LPR spouse at the time the petition was filed. 
    Unmarried children of U.S. citizen or LPRs less than 21 years of age 
    may petition for admission as a battered child under the provision 
    described in (a) or (d) at any time, regardless of their parents' 
    marital status.
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        \2\ While this provision includes unabused alien parents of 
    battered children, it does not include unabused alien children of 
    battered parents. This rule stands in contrast to the self-
    petitioning provisions described in (c) above, which battered 
    spouses of U.S. citizen or LPRs can include their alien children in 
    their petitions for status.
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    Documentation
    
        As set forth in Step 3 of the Interim Guidance regarding 
    verification of qualified alien status, you should ask the alien to 
    present documentation demonstrating his or her immigration status. 
    As described in the Interim Guidance, if the documentation indicates 
    that the applicant fall into one of the categories listed in (a)-(e) 
    above and reasonably appears on its face to be genuine (or, if your 
    program already has existing guidance or procedures mandating a 
    higher standard of proof for acceptance of documentary evidence of 
    immigration status, the document satisfies that higher standard) and 
    to relate to the individual presenting it, you should accept the 
    documentation as conclusive evidence that the applicant satisfies 
    requirement one and should not verify immigration status with the 
    INS or the EOIR. If, based on your review of the documents 
    presented, you are considering determining that an applicant does 
    not have the requisite immigration status and thus is not eligible 
    for the benefits requested based on his or her immigration status--
    e.g., because the documents does not on its face reasonably appear 
    to be genuine (or to satisfy a higher applicable standard), to 
    demonstrate that the applicant falls into any of the categories 
    listed in (a)-(e) above, or to relate to the person presenting it--
    you should check with the INS or the EOIR as applicable to verify 
    the information presented by the applicant. To verify status with 
    the INS, in most cases, your should fax the INS Request Form, on 
    your agency letterhead, as well as a copy of the document(s) 
    provided by the applicant, to the INS Vermont Service Center. In 
    some cases, as detailed in footnote three below, request for INS 
    verification should be submitted to the local INS office using from 
    G-845 and its supplement. To verify status with the EOIR, you should 
    fax the EOIR Request Form on your agency letterhead, as well as a 
    copy of the document(s) provided by the applicant, to the court 
    administrator of the appropriate immigration court.
        Applicants who have filed a petition or application or had a 
    petition or application filed on their behalf, as applicable, under 
    any of the above-described provisions of the INA will apply to a 
    benefit provider in one of seven possible situations described 
    below.
        (1) With documentation evidencing an approved petition or 
    application under one of the provisions listed in (a)-(e) above:
        (a) INS Form I-551 (``Resident Alien Card'' or ``Alien 
    Registration Receipt Card'', commonly known as a ``green card'') 
    with one of the following INS class of admission (``COA'') codes 
    printed on the front of a white card or the back of a pink card 
    demonstrates approval of a petition under paragraphs (a)-(b) above: 
    \3\ AR1, AR6, C20 through C29, CF1, CF2, CR1, CR2, CR6, CR7, CX1 
    through CX3, CX6 through CX8, F20 through F29, FX1 through FX3, FX6 
    through FX8, IF1, IF2, IR1 through IR4, IR6 through IR9, IW1, IW2, 
    IW6, IW7, MR6, MR7, P21 through P23, or P26 through P28;
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
        \3\ The green card codes, green card types, and stamps in 
    foreign passports or on INS Form I-94 that demonstrate an approved 
    petition or application under one of the provisions listed in (a)-
    (b) above are too numerous to describe here. If an alien claiming 
    approved status presents a code different than those enumerated, or 
    if you cannot determine the class of admission from the I-551 stamp, 
    you should file INS Form G-845, and the G-845 Supplement (mark item 
    six on the Supplement) along with a copy of the document(s) 
    presented, with the local INS office in order to determine whether 
    the applicant gained his or her status because he or she was the 
    spouse, widow, or child of a U.S. citizen or the spouse, child, or 
    unmarried son or daughter of an LPR. (See Attachment 1 to Interim 
    Guidance.)
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
        (b) INS Form I-551 with one of the following COA codes stamped 
    on the lower left side of the back of a pink card demonstrates 
    approval of a petition under paragraphs (c)-(d) above: IB1 through 
    IB3, IB6 through IB8, B11, B12, B16, B17, B20 through B29, B31 
    through B33, B36 through B38, BX1 through BX3, or BX6 through BX8;
        (c) INS Form I-551 with COA code Z13 may demonstrate approval of 
    a petition under paragraph (e) above; if an alien claiming approved 
    status presents a card bearing the code Z13, determine where the 
    card was issued by asking the alien where he or she received the 
    grant of suspension of deportation, and then fax the EOIR Request 
    Form on your agency letterhead, as well as a copy of the card and 
    any other document(s) presented by the alien, to the EOIR court that 
    granted the alien's suspension. If the alien does not recall where 
    the grant of suspension of deportation was received, compare the 
    city code on the card to the list of city codes attached to this 
    Exhibit, and fax the EOIR Request Form on your agency letterhead, as 
    well as a copy of the card and any other document(s) presented by 
    the alien, to the Court Administrator of the EOIR court closest to 
    the city where the green card was issued;
        (d) Unexpired Temporary I-551 stamp in foreign passport or on 
    INS Form I-94 with one of the COA codes specified in the preceding 
    three paragraphs (if the temporary stamp or the INS Form I-94 bears 
    the code
    
    [[Page 61368]]
    
    Z13, follow the process described immediately above); if it bears 
    another code or you cannot determine what the COA code is, follow 
    the process outlined in footnote three; \4\
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        \4\ If an applicant possesses the documents listed in items (a) 
    through (d), the applicant has established that he or she is a 
    lawful permanent resident and therefore is a qualified alien. You 
    should nonetheless proceed with the analysis of requirements 2 
    through 4 to determine if the applicant qualifies for the battered 
    exception to the deeming provisions (see Part IIA below).
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
        (e) INS Form I-797 indicating approval of an INS I-130 petition 
    (only I-130 petitions describing the following relationships may be 
    accepted: husbands or wives of U.S. citizens or LPRs, unmarried 
    children under 21 years old of U.S. citizens or LPRs, or unmarried 
    children 21 or older of LPRs), or approval of an I-360 petition 
    (only I-360 approvals based on status as a widow/widower of a U.S. 
    citizen or as a self-petitioning spouse or child of an abusive U.S. 
    citizen or LPR may be accepted); \5\ or
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
        \5\ INS Form I-797 is used for numerous categories of petitions, 
    and is used to indicate both receipt of a petition and approval or 
    denial of a petition. It will also be used to indicate that an 
    applicant has set forth a prima facie case. Thus, it is important to 
    read the language on the Form I-797 presented by an applicant to 
    ensure that it is more than a receipt, and specifically that it (a) 
    denotes filing under one of the provisions specified above, and (b) 
    denotes approval of the petition or a finding that a prima facie 
    case has been demonstrated. Sample copies of Form I-797 are attached 
    to this Exhibit.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
        (f) A final order of an Immigration Judge or the Board of 
    Immigration Appeals granting suspension of deportation under section 
    244(a)(3) of the INA as in effect prior to April 1, 1997, or 
    cancellation of removal under section 240A(b)(2) of the INA. If the 
    court or Board order does not indicate that suspension of 
    deportation or cancellation of removal was granted under section 
    244(a)(3) or 240A(b)(2), you should fax the EOIR Request Form on 
    your agency letterhead, as well as a copy of the order, to the court 
    administrator of the EOIR court issuing the order, and ask the court 
    to notify you of the INA provision under which the applicant was 
    granted relief.
        (2) With documentation demonstrating that the applicant has 
    established a prima facie case \6\ under one of the provisions 
    described in (c), (d) or (e) above:
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
        \6\ Because the INS has not previously been required to conduct 
    prima facie assessments, it is implementing procedures (which will 
    become effective upon publication of an interim rule) to expedite 
    the review of I-360 petitions under the provisions described in (c) 
    and (d) above and to notify the applicant within three weeks of INS' 
    receipt of the petition if he or she has set forth a prima facie 
    case. Similarly, the EOIR has not previously been required to 
    conduct the prima facie assessment which is required under the 
    provisions described in (e) above. The EOIR is currently working to 
    implement a process for determining whether an applicant has set 
    forth a prima facie case. Applicants in deportation or removal 
    proceedings who are in need of a prima facie determination should 
    contact the appropriate immigration court.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
        (a) INS Form I-797 indicating that the applicant has established 
    a prima facie case; or
        (b) An immigration court or Board of Immigration Appeals order 
    indicating that the applicant has established a prima facie case for 
    suspension of deportation under INA section 244(a)(3) as in effect 
    prior to April 1, 1997, or cancellation of removal under section 
    240A(b)(2) of the INA.
        (3) With documentation indicating that the applicant has filed a 
    petition or that a petition has been filed on the applicant's 
    behalf, as applicable, under one of the provisions listed in (c) or 
    (d) above, but with no evidence of approval of the petition or 
    establishment of a prima facie case, in which case the benefit 
    provider should determine from the documentation when the petition 
    was filed and take the actions set forth below:
        (a) Applicants with petitions filed before June 7, 1997 should 
    have an INS Form I-797 indicating filing of the I-360 petition by 
    ``self-petitioning spouse [or child] of abusive U.S.C. or LPR,'' a 
    file-stamped copy of the petition, or another document demonstrating 
    filing (including a cash register or computer-generated receipt 
    indicating filing of Form I-360), but the INS will not have 
    determined whether the applicant's petition sets forth a prima facie 
    case. (If the applicant has no proof of filing, you should follow 
    the instructions in paragraph 6.) You should request that the INS 
    expedite adjudication of the petition or that a prima facie 
    determination be made by faxing the INS Request Form on your agency 
    letterhead, to the INS Vermont Service Center. Inquires about these 
    cases may also be submitted in the same manner to the INS Vermont 
    Service Center.
        (b) Applicants with petitions filed after June 7, 1997 should 
    have an INS Form I-797 indicating filing of the I-360 petition, but 
    may have only a copy of the petition and proof of mailing. Within 
    three weeks of filing, INS will send to the applicant either an 
    approval notice, a notice of prima facie case, or a request for 
    additional documentation. In some cases, the applicant will receive 
    both a notice of prima facie case and a request for additional 
    documentation. Upon publication of an interim prima facie rule, INS 
    will begin the process of determining whether an applicant's 
    petition sets forth a prima facie case. If three weeks have elapsed 
    since the filing of the petition, you may determine the status of 
    the case by faxing the INS Request Form, on your letterhead, to the 
    Vermont Service Center.
        Please not that the prima facie determination is an interim 
    determination. An INS notice of prima facie case will expire upon 
    issuance of a final decision by the INS or 150 days after issuance, 
    whichever is earlier. An EOIR prima facie determination will expire 
    upon the date of the applicant's hearing on the merits of his or her 
    case, or if made by the Board of Immigration Appeals, upon issuance 
    of the Board's decision on the appeal. In order to remain eligible 
    for benefits after the expiration of a notice of prima facie case an 
    applicant must either request and obtain a renewal of the prima 
    facie determination from the INS or the EOIR, as applicable, or must 
    present the benefit provider with a copy of one of the documents 
    listed in paragraph one above indicating that his or her petition or 
    application has been approved.
        (4) With documentation indicating that the applicant has filed a 
    petition or that a petition was filed on his or her behalf, as 
    applicable, under one of the provisions listed in (a) or (b) above 
    (the documentation must indicate that the applicant is the widow/
    widower of a U.S. citizen, the husband or wife of a U.S. Citizen or 
    LPR, the unmarried child under age 21 of a U.S. citizen or LPR, or 
    the unmarried child age 21 or older of an LPR):
         For aliens on whose behalf a petition has been filed: 
    INS Form I-797 indicating filing of an INS I-130 petition, a file-
    stamped copy of the petition, or another document demonstrating 
    filing (including a cash register or computer-generated receipt 
    indicating filing of Form I-130) (a sample copy of Form I-130 is 
    attached to this Exhibit).
         For self-petitioning widows or widowers: a file-stamped 
    copy of the INS I-360 petition, or another document demonstrating 
    filing (including a cash register or computer-generated receipt 
    indicating filing of Form I-360).
        A prima facie determination will not have been made with regard 
    to these petitions. You should request that the INS expedite 
    adjudication of the petition or that a prima facie determination be 
    made by faxing the INS Request Form on your agency letterhead, to 
    the INS Vermont Service Center. Inquires about these cases may also 
    be submitted in the same manner to the INS Vermont Service Center.
        Applicants who are beneficiaries of I-130 petitions will have 
    had a petition filed on their behalf. The petition process gives the 
    spouse or parent of the applicant ultimate control over the 
    disposition of the petition. If the spouse or parent is the abuser, 
    he or she can nullify the petition either by withdrawing it or by 
    divorcing the alien before the alien is able to obtain a green card. 
    Because the most current information regarding the status of a 
    pending I-130 petition will reside with the batterer until an 
    applicant has received his or her green card, you should query INS 
    regarding the applicant's continued eligibility each time you 
    recertify the applicant for eleigiblity under general program 
    guidelines. For these reasons, and because a self-petitioning 
    applicant may be able to obtain employment authorization, an alien 
    who is eligible to self-petition under the Violence Against Women 
    Act should be strongly encouraged to do so. (Note: The alien must be 
    the spouse or child of the abuser and, in the case of a spousal 
    petition, still be married to the abuser when the petition is 
    filed.) The applicant should also be directed to the INS forms 
    request line and the National Domestic Violence Hotline as set forth 
    on page one.
        (5) Documentation indicating that the INS has initiated 
    deportation or removal proceedings in which relief under the 
    provision(s) listed in section (e) above may be available (copies of 
    the documents listed below are attached to this Exhibit):
         an ``Order to Show Cause'';
         a ``Notice to Appear''; or
         a ``Notice of Hearing in Deportation Proceedings.''
        You should inform the applicant that, if the applicant or the 
    applicant's child has been battered or subjected to extreme cruelty
    
    [[Page 61369]]
    
    in the United States by a spouse or parent who is a U.S. citizen or 
    LPR, and the applicant has been present in the United States for at 
    least three years, he or she may file an application with the EOIR 
    requesting suspension of deportation or cancellation of removal as 
    applicable. You should also notify the applicant that, upon filing 
    the application, he or she may ask the court to make a prima facie 
    evaluation of the application and that, if the court indicates that 
    the applicant has set forth a prima facie case for relief, he or she 
    should return to your agency to complete the benefit eligibility 
    evaluation process (see also footnote six). You should also refer 
    the applicant to the National Domestic Violence Hotline as set forth 
    on page one so that he or she may obtain assistance from a local 
    domestic violence service provider and referrals to immigration 
    attorneys. (Some of these applicants will also have sought the 
    relief described in (a)-(d) above. Thus the applicant may have an I-
    797 indicating that his or her petition has been granted or that the 
    petition sets forth a prima facie case, or an I-797 receipt 
    indicating that a petition has recently been filed. You should only 
    follow the procedures described in this paragraph if the applicant 
    does not have such a petition pending with the INS.)
        (6) With minimal or no documentation regarding the claimed 
    filing: Because of the nature of abusive relationships, applicants 
    may not have copies of the documents that have been filed by them or 
    on their behalf. If the applicant has some documentation, but it is 
    insufficient to demonstrate filing, establishment of prima facie 
    case or approval of a petition, you should fax the INS Request Form 
    on your agency letterhead, as well as a copy of any document(s) 
    provided by the applicant, to the INS Vermont Service Center in 
    order to determine the applicant's status. If the applicant has no 
    documentation, but is certain that a petition has been filed by his 
    or her spouse or parent, you should fax the INS Request Form to the 
    INS Vermont Service Center. If the applicant has no documentation 
    and is uncertain whether a petition has been filed on his or her 
    behalf, you should refer the applicant to the National Domestic 
    Violence Hotline as set forth on page one.
        (7) Without having filed one of the above petitions, but with 
    facts indicating a basis to file such a petition: You should refer 
    such applicants to the INS forms request line and to the National 
    Domestic Violence Hotline as set forth on page one.
        Requirement 2: Battered or Subjected to Extreme Cruelty. You 
    must also determine whether an applicant, his or her child, or, in 
    the case of an alien child, his or her parent, has been battered or 
    subjected to extreme cruelty (as defined below) as follows:
         in the case of an abused alien: the alien has been 
    battered or subjected to extreme cruelty in the United States by a 
    spouse or parent of the alien, or by a member of the spouse or 
    parent's family residing in the same household as the alien if the 
    spouse or parent consents to or acquiesces in such battery or 
    cruelty;
         in the case of an alien whose child is abused: the 
    alien's child has been battered or subjected to extreme cruelty in 
    the United States by a spouse or parent of the alien, or by a member 
    of the spouse or parent's family residing in the same household as 
    the alien if the spouse or parent consents to or acquiesces in such 
    battery or cruelty, and the alien did not actively participate in 
    the battery or cruelty;
         in the case of an alien child whose parent is abused: 
    the alien child's parent has been battered or subjected to extreme 
    cruelty in the United States by the parent's spouse, or by a member 
    of the spouse's family residing in the same household as the parent 
    if the spouse consents to or acquiesces in such battery or cruelty.
        (a) Definitions of Battery, Extreme Cruelty and Family Member
        For purposes of this Guidance, the phrase ``battered or 
    subjected to extreme cruelty'' has the meaning set forth below. This 
    definition is drawn, with slight modification, from the INS interim 
    rule, ``Petition to Classify Alien as Immediate Relative of a United 
    States Citizen or as Preference Immigrant; Self-Petitioning for 
    Certain Battered or Abused Spouses and Children,'' 61 Fed. Reg. 
    13,061, 13074 (1996) (8 C.F.R. 204.2(c)(vi)).
        The phrase ``battered or subjected to extreme cruelty'' 
    includes, but is not limited to, being the victim of any act or 
    threatened act of violence, including any forceful detention, which 
    results or threatens to result in physical or mental injury. 
    Psychological or sexual abuse or exploitation, including rape, 
    molestation, incest (if the victim is a minor), or forced 
    prostitution shall be considered acts of violence. Other abusive 
    actions may also be acts of violence under this rule. Acts or 
    threatneded acts that, in and of themselves, may not initially 
    appear violent may be part of an overall pattern of violence.
        This is a broad, flexible definition that encompasses all types 
    of battery and extreme cruelty. The acts mentioned in the above 
    definition should be regarded by benefit providers as acts of 
    violence whenever they occur, so long as one or more of the acts 
    takes place in the United States and while the family relationship 
    between the abuser and the victim exists. It is not possible, 
    however, to identify all behaviors that could be acts of violence 
    under certain circumstances, and this definition does not contain an 
    exhaustive list of the acts of violence that will constitute battery 
    or extreme cruelty. Many other nonenumerated abusive actions will 
    also constitute an act or threatened act of violence under this 
    definition.
        For purposes of this Guidance, the phrase ``member of the spouse 
    or parent's family'' means any person related by blood, marriage, or 
    adoption to the spouse or parent of the alien, or any person having 
    a relationship to the spouse or parent that is covered by the civil 
    or criminal domestic violence statutes of the state or Indian 
    country where the alien resides, or the state or Indian country in 
    which the alien, the alien's child, or the alien child's parent 
    received a protection order.
        (b) Applicant With EOIR Order or Approved INS Petition or Other 
    Court Order Based on Battery
        Applicants with approved petitions or orders granted under one 
    of the provisions enumerated in paragraphs (c), (d) or (e) of 
    requirement one above have already met the requirement of 
    demonstrating battery or extreme cruelty pursuant to the INS rule. 
    Thus, the benefit provider should not make a new determination of 
    battery or cruelty, and should instead proceed directly to the 
    determination of substantial connection under requirement three. 
    Similarly, a protection order or record of criminal conviction 
    satisfies the battery or extreme cruelty requirement for applicants 
    in the following situations:
         any applicant who has or has had a protection order 
    issued against his or her spouse, parent, or family member of the 
    spouse or parent with whom the applicant was living;
         any applicant whose child has or has had a protection 
    order issued against the applicant's spouse, parent, or family 
    member of the spouse or parent with whom the applicant was living 
    (including protection orders issued to the applicant on behalf of 
    the applicant's abused minor child);
         any applicant who is an alien child and whose parent 
    has or has had a protection order issued against the parent's 
    spouse, or family member of the spouse with whom his or her parent 
    was living;
         any applicant who has a record of criminal conviction 
    of his or her spouse, parent, or family member of the spouse or 
    parent with whom the applicant was living, for committing an act of 
    violence against the applicant or his or her child; or
         any applicant who is an alien child and who has a 
    record of criminal conviction of his or her parent's spouse, or 
    family member of the spouse with whom the parent was living , for 
    committing an act of violence against the applicant's parent.
        In the above situations, the applicant has established battery 
    or extreme cruelty for purposes of this Guidance, and you should 
    immediately proceed to requirement three.\7\
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
        \7\ In cases where INS is making the determination regarding 
    battery and extreme cruelty, INS will follow its regulations as set 
    forth in 8 C.F.R. 204.2(c)(2). Under these regulations, INS will 
    consider protection orders and criminal convictions along with any 
    credible evidence relevant to the petition. The determination of 
    what evidence is credible and the weight to be given that evidence 
    rests within the sole discretion of INS. See 8 C.F.R. 204(c)(2)(I).
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
        (c) All Other Applicants
        Except for applicants addressed in (b) immediately above, an 
    applicant must provide evidence of abuse. The benefit provider 
    should consider any credible evidence proffered by the applicant. 
    Evidence of battery or extreme cruelty (and in the case of a 
    petition on behalf of a child, evidence that the applicant did not 
    actively participate in the abuse) includes, but is not limited to, 
    reports or affidavits from police, judges and other court officials, 
    medical personnel, school officials, clergy, social workers, 
    counseling or mental health personnel, and other social service 
    agency personnel; legal documentation, such as an order of 
    protection against the abuser or an order convicting the abuser of 
    committing an act of domestic violence that chronicles the existence 
    of abuse; evidence that indicates
    
    [[Page 61370]]
    
    that the applicant sought safe-haven in a battered women's shelter 
    or similar refuge because of the battery against the applicant or 
    his or her child; or photographs of the visibly injured applicant, 
    child, or (in the case of an alien child) parent supported by 
    affidavits. An applicant may also submit sworn affidavits from 
    family members, friends or other third parties who have personal 
    knowledge of the battery or cruelty. Additionally, an applicant may 
    submit his or her own affidavit, under penalty of perjury (it does 
    not have to be notarized), describing the circumstances of the 
    abuse, and the benefit provider has the discretion to conclude that 
    the affidavit is credible, and, by itself or in conjunction with 
    other evidence, provides relevant evidence of sufficient weight to 
    demonstrate battery or extreme cruelty. The benefit provider should 
    keep a copy of all evidence presented by the applicant.
        The benefit provider should bear in mind that, due to the nature 
    of the control and fear dynamics inherent in domestic violence, some 
    applicants will lack the best evidence to support their allegations 
    (e.g., a civil protection order or a police report). Thus, the 
    benefit provider will need to be flexible in working with the 
    applicant as he or she attempts to assemble adequate documentation. 
    In determining the existence of battery or cruelty, it is important 
    that the benefit provider understand both the experience of intimate 
    violence and the applicant's cultural context. The dynamics of 
    domestic violence may have inhibited the applicant from seeking 
    public or professional responses to the abuse prior to applying for 
    benefits needed to enable the applicant to leave the abuser. For 
    many cultural groups, going to outsiders for help is viewed as 
    disloyalty to the community and an embarrassment to the family. In 
    some cultures, for example, women have been conditioned to accept 
    the authority and control of their husbands. Thus, there may be 
    little independent documentary evidence of the abuse; the benefit 
    provider should be sensitive to the needs and situation of the 
    abused applicant when reviewing allegations and evidence of abuse.
        Many applicants will have had an I-130 petition filed on their 
    behalf by their spouse or parent, in which case the spouse or parent 
    will have ultimate control over the disposition of the petition. If 
    the spouse or parent is the abuser, he or she can nullify the 
    petition either by withdrawing it or by divorcing the alien before 
    the alien is able to obtain a green card. For these reasons, and 
    because a self-petitioning applicant may be able to obtain 
    employment authorization, an alien who is eligible to self-petition 
    (the alien must be married to the abuser when the petition is filed) 
    should be strongly encouraged to do so. The applicant should also be 
    directed to the INS forms request line and the National Domestic 
    Violence Hotline as set forth on page one.
        Requirement 3: Substantial Connection Between Battery and the 
    Need for Benefits. You must determine whether there is a substantial 
    connection between the battery or extreme cruelty to which the 
    applicant, his or her child, or (in the case of an alien child) his 
    or her parent has been subjected and the need for the benefits 
    sought. This requirement will not be satisfied simply by a 
    determination that an applicant has been subjected to battery or 
    extreme cruelty. To assist benefit providers in making substantial 
    connection determinations, and as required by the Budget Act, the 
    Attorney General has developed a list of circumstances, set forth 
    below, that demonstrate a substantial connection between the battery 
    or extreme cruelty suffered by an applicant, the applicant's child, 
    or (in the case of an alien child) the applicant's parent, and the 
    need for the benefit sought. You may refer to this list as a guide 
    in making substantial connection determinations.
    
        Note: The Attorney General's Order No. 2097-97, Determination of 
    Situations that Demonstrate a Substantial Connection Between Battery 
    or Extreme Cruelty and Need for Specific Public Benefits, 62 FR 
    39874 (July 24, 1997), has been superseded by amendments in the 
    Budget Act. Revised substantial connection guidance will be issued 
    shortly. In the meantime, benefit providers should look to the 
    information contained in this document for guidance in making 
    substantial connection determinations.
    
         Where the benefits are needed to enable the applicant, 
    the applicant's child, and/or (in the case of an alien child), the 
    applicant's parent to become self-sufficient following separation 
    from the abuser;
         Where the benefits are needed to enable the applicant, 
    the applicant's child, and/or (in the case of an alien child) the 
    applicant's parent to escape the abuser and/or the community in 
    which the abuser lives, or to ensure the safety of the applicant, 
    the applicant's child, or (in the case of an alien child) the 
    applicant's parent from the abuser;
         Where the benefits are needed due to a loss of 
    financial support resulting from the applicant's, his or her 
    child's, and/or (in the case of an alien child) his or her parent's 
    separation from the abuser;
         Where the benefits are needed because the battery or 
    cruelty, separation from the abuser, or work absences or lower job 
    performance resulting from the battery or extreme cruelty or from 
    legal proceedings relating thereto (including resulting child 
    support, child custody, and divorce actions) cause the applicant, 
    the applicant's child, and/or (in the case of an alien child) the 
    applicant's parent to lose his or her job or to earn less or to 
    require the applicant, the applicant's child, and/or (in the case of 
    an alien child) the applicant's parent to leave his or her job for 
    safety reasons;
         Where the benefits are needed because the applicant, 
    the applicant's child, or (in the case of an alien child) the 
    applicant's parent requires medical attention or mental health 
    counseling, or has become disabled, as a result of the battery or 
    extreme cruelty;
         Where the benefits are needed because the loss of a 
    dwelling or source of income or fear of the abuser following 
    separation from the abuser jeopardizes the applicant's or (in the 
    case of an alien child) the parent's ability to care for his or her 
    children (e.g., inability to house, feed, or clothe children or to 
    put children into a day care for fear of being found by the abuser);
         Where the benefits are needed to alleviate nutritional 
    risk or need resulting from the abuse or following separation from 
    the abuser;
         Where the benefits are needed to provide medical care 
    during a pregnancy resulting from the abuser's sexual assault or 
    abuse of, or relationship with, the applicant, the applicant's 
    child, and/or (in the case of an alien child) the applicant's parent 
    and/or to care for any resulting children; or
         Where medical coverage and/or health care services are 
    needed to replace medical coverage or health care services the 
    applicant, the applicant's child, or (in the case of an alien child) 
    the applicant's parent had when living with the abuser.
        Requirement 4: Battered Applicant No Longer Resides in the Same 
    Household with Batterer. Before providing benefits, you must 
    determine that the battered applicant, child or parent no longer 
    resides in the same household or family eligibility unit as the 
    batterer. Although an applicant is not a qualified alien eligible 
    for benefits until the battered applicant or child, or parent ceases 
    residing with the batterer, applicants will generally need the 
    assurance of the availability of benefits in order to be able to 
    leave their batterer and survive independently. Wherever possible in 
    this situation, the benefit provider should complete the eligibility 
    determination process and approve the applicant for receipt of 
    benefits pending the applicant's demonstration that the applicant, 
    his or her child, and/or (in the case of an alien child) his or her 
    parent have separated from the batterer. The applicant can then make 
    arrangements to leave the batterer's residence secure in the 
    knowledge that benefits will be provided as soon as he or she 
    leaves.
        You should consider any relevant credible evidence supporting 
    the claim of non-residency with the batterer, including, but not 
    limited to, any of the following: A civil protection order requiring 
    the batterer to stay away from the applicant or the applicant's 
    children or parent, or evicting the batterer from the applicant's 
    residence; employment records; utility receipts; school records; 
    hospital or medical records; rental records or records from a 
    building or property manager; an affidavit from a staff member at a 
    shelter for battered women or homeless persons, family members, 
    friends or other third parties with personal knowledge, or from the 
    battered applicant himself or herself; or any other records 
    establishing that the applicant or his or her child or parent no 
    longer resides with the abusive spouse, parent, or family member.
    
        Note: While qualified alien status will make the battered 
    applicant, the battered applicant's children, or the parent of a 
    battered child eligible for certain federal public benefits, it will 
    not make them eligible for all federal public benefits. See Interim 
    Guidance and Attachments 6 and 7 thereto for the factors that 
    determine a qualified alien's eligibility for particular benefits.
    
    II. EXEMPTION FROM DEEMING REQUIREMENTS
    
        A. Battered Aliens
        Section 421 of the Act (as amended by the Immigration Act and 
    the Budget Act) requires
    
    [[Page 61371]]
    
    that, upon the effective date of the newly required affidavit of 
    support and subject to the exceptions described below, when 
    determining eligibility for federal means-tested public benefits and 
    the amount of such benefits to which an alien applicant is entitled, 
    agencies must include as income and resources of the alien, the 
    income and resources of the spouse of the alien and any other person 
    executing an affidavit of support on behalf of the alien. An alien 
    is exempt from these ``deeming'' requirements for a period of one 
    year, however, if
        (1) in the case of an abused alien,
        (a) the alien has been battered or subjected to extreme cruelty 
    in the United States by a spouse or parent of the alien, or by a 
    member of the spouse or parent's family residing in the same 
    household as the alien if the spouse or parent consents to or 
    acquiesces in such battery or cruelty; (b) there is, in the opinion 
    of the agency providing such benefits, a substantial connection 
    between the battery or extreme cruelty and the need for the benefit 
    sought; and (c) the battered alien no longer resides in the same 
    household as the abuser;
        (2) in the case of an alien whose child is abused:
        (a) the alien's child has been battered or subjected to extreme 
    cruelty in the United States by a spouse or parent of the alien, or 
    by a member of the spouse or parent's family residing in the same 
    household as the alien if the spouse or parent consents to or 
    acquiesces in such battery or cruelty, and the alien did not 
    actively participate in the battery or cruelty; (b) there is, in the 
    opinion of the agency providing such benefits, a substantial 
    connection between the battery or extreme cruelty and the need for 
    the benefit sought; and (c) the battered child no longer resides in 
    the same household as the abuser;
        (3) in the case of an alien child whose parent is abused:
        (a) the alien child's parent has been battered or subjected to 
    extreme cruelty in the United States by the parent's spouse, or by a 
    member of the spouse's family residing in the same household as the 
    parent if the spouse consents to or acquiesces in such battery or 
    cruelty; (b) there is, in the opinion of the agency providing such 
    benefits, a substantial connection between the battery or extreme 
    cruelty and the need for the benefit sought; and (c) the battered 
    parent no longer resides in the same household as the abuser.
        See Part I, requirements two and four, above, for the definition 
    and proof of battery/extreme cruelty and non-residency with the 
    abuser; the agency may also want to consult the Attorney General's 
    guidance regarding substantial connection (see part I, requirement 
    three above) when making its own substantial connection 
    determination.
        After expiration of the one year period, alien applicants 
    continue to be exempt from the deeming requirements with regard to 
    the resources and income of the batterer only, if (a) the applicant 
    demonstrates that the battery or cruelty has been recognized in an 
    order of a judge or administrative law judge or a prior 
    determination of the INS, and (b) in the opinion of the agency, 
    there is a substantial connection between the abuse or battery 
    suffered by the applicant, the applicant's child, or (in the case of 
    an alien child) the applicant's parent and the need for the benefit 
    sought.
        B. Indigent Aliens
        In addition to the exemption for battered aliens, the Act's 
    deeming provision contains a separate exemption for indigent aliens. 
    If, after taking into account the alien's own income plus any cash, 
    food, housing or other assistance provided by other individuals 
    (including the sponsor), an agency determines that a sponsored alien 
    would, in the absence of the assistance provided by the agency, be 
    unable to obtain food and shelter, the amount of income and 
    resources of the sponsor or the sponsor's spouse that shall be 
    attributed to the sponsored alien shall not exceed the amount 
    actually provided for a period of one year after the date such 
    agency determination is made.
    
    BILLING CODE 4410-10-M
    
    [[Page 61372]]
    
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    [[Page 61373]]
    
    [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN17NO97.005
    
    
    
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    [[Page 61375]]
    
    [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN17NO97.007
    
    
    
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    [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN17NO97.008
    
    
    
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    [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN17NO97.009
    
    
    
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    [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN17NO97.010
    
    
    
    BILLING CODE 4410-10-C
    
    [[Page 61379]]
    
    Paperwork Reduction Act Notice
    
        The information collection requirements contained in the 
    following two forms have been approved for use by the Office of 
    Management and Budget under the Paperwork Reduction Act. The OMB 
    control number for these collections is 1115-0219, with the 
    expiration date 5/31/98. Persons are not required to provide this 
    information unless the form contains a currently valid OMB control 
    number. We estimate that it will take an average of 20 minutes per 
    response to collect this information, including time for reviewing, 
    instruction, searching existing data sources, gathering and 
    maintaining data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection 
    of information. If you have any comments regarding these estimates 
    or any other aspects of this collection, send them to the 
    Immigration and Naturalization Service, 425 I Street, N.W., Room 
    5304, Washington, D.C. 20536.
    
    BILLING CODE 4410-10-M
    
    [[Page 61380]]
    
    [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN17NO97.011
    
    
    
    [[Page 61381]]
    
    [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN17NO97.012
    
    
    
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    [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN17NO97.013
    
    
    
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    BILLING CODE 4410-10-C
    
    [[Page 61384]]
    
    
    
                               Executive Office for Immigration Review--Immigration Courts                          
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                      Court                                         
          State/City/App. Code                 Judges             administrator                Phone Nos.           
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                 ARIZONA                                                                                            
    Eloy--85231, 1705 E. Hanna Rd.,   William Lee Abbott,      John A. Meehan....  (520) 466-3671, (520) 466-7795   
     Suite 366, App. Code--            Isabel A. Bronzina,                          (fax).                          
     7D05030234.                       Dean A. Levay, Sean                                                          
                                       Keenan.                                                                      
    Florence--85232, 3260 N. Pinal    Lamonte S. Freerks,      Jack B. Odom......  (520) 868-3341, (520) 868-4962   
     Parkway Ave., App. Code--         Scott Jefferies.                             (fax).                          
     7D05030229.                                                                                                    
    Phoenix--85025, Federal           John W. Richardson,      Jack B. Odom......  (602) 514-7356, (602) 514-7387   
     Building, Room 3114, 230 N.       John T. Zastrow.                             (fax).                          
     First Avenue, App. Code--                                                                                      
     7D05030226.                                                                                                    
               CALIFORNIA                                                                                           
    Imperial--92251, 2409 La          Michael H. Bennett,      M. Graciela Sosa..  (619) 355-0070, (619) 355-8692   
     Brucherie Road, App. Code--       Dennis R. James,                             (fax).                          
     7D05030222.                       Richard N. Knuck, Jack                                                       
                                       W. Staton, Jack H.                                                           
                                       Weil.                                                                        
    Los Angeles--90012, 300 N. Los    Roy J. Daniel, Bruce J.  Evelyn Diaz Brown.  (213) 894-2811, (213) 894-5196   
     Angeles St., Room 2001, App.      Einhorn, Thomas Y.K.                         (fax).                          
     Code--7A05030223, Mailing         Fong, Harry L.                                                               
     Address: P.O. Box 53711, Los      Gastley, Gilbert T.                                                          
     Angeles, CA 90053-0711.           Gembacz, Nathan W.                                                           
                                       Gordon, Ingrid K.                                                            
                                       Hrycenko, Henry P.                                                           
                                       Ipema, Jr., Jan D.                                                           
                                       Latimore, William J.                                                         
                                       Martin, Jr., Ronald N.                                                       
                                       Ohata, Margaret                                                              
                                       Reichenberg, Jay                                                             
                                       Segal, Darlene R.                                                            
                                       Seligman, Stephen L.                                                         
                                       Sholomson, Eleazar                                                           
                                       Tovar, Richard D.                                                            
                                       Walton.                                                                      
    Los Angeles--90012, Roybal        .......................  ..................  (213) 894-5159, (213) 894-2632   
     Federal Office Building and                                                    (fax).                          
     Courthouse, 255 E. Temple                                                                                      
     Street, Rm. 577, App. Code--                                                                                   
     7D05030223.                                                                                                    
    San Diego--92101-7904, 401 West   Anthony Atenaide,        Brent L. Perkins..  (619) 557-6052, (619) 557-6405   
     A Street, Suite 800, App. Code--  Kenneth A. Bagley,                           (fax).                          
     7D05030225.                       Robert J. Barrett,                                                           
                                       Richard J. Bartolomei,                                                       
                                       Jr., Gaylyn Boone, C.                                                        
                                       Zsa Zsa De Paolo,                                                            
                                       Ignacio Fernandez                                                            
                                       Valdes, Joseph Ragusa,                                                       
                                       John C. Williams.                                                            
    San Diego--92188, 880 Front       .......................  ..................  (619) 557-7647, (619) 557-7655   
     Street, Room 800, App. Code--                                                  (fax).                          
     7D05030225.                                                                                                    
    San Francisco--94108, 550 Kearny  Lawrence N. DiCostanzo,  Stephen P. Perkins  (415) 705-4415, (415) 705-4418   
     Street, Suite 800, App. Code--    Alberto E. Gonzalez,                         (fax).                          
     7D05030224, Mailing Address:      Bernard J. Hornbach,                                                         
     P.O. Box 2326, San Francisco,     Dana Marks Keener,                                                           
     CA 94126-2326.                    Carol A. King, Tue                                                           
                                       Phan Quang, Beverly M.                                                       
                                       Phillips, Mimi Y.                                                            
                                       Schooley, Brian H.                                                           
                                       Simpson, Bette K.                                                            
                                       Stockton, Polly A.                                                           
                                       Webber.                                                                      
    San Pedro-90731, INS San Pedro    Rose Collantes Peters,   Evelyn Diaz Brown.  (310) 732-0753, (310) 732-0757   
     Service Proc. Center, 2001        D.D. Sitgraves.                              (fax).                          
     Seaside Avenue, Room 136, App.                                                                                 
     Code--7D05030233.                                                                                              
                COLORADO                                                                                            
    Denver--80294, Byron G. Rogers    David J. Cordova, James  Alec Revelle......  (303) 844-5815, (303) 844-4578   
     Fed. Building, 1961 Stout         P. Vandello.                                 (fax).                          
     Street, Room 1403, App. Code--                                                                                 
     7D05030220.                                                                                                    
    Aurora--80010, Wackenhut          David J. Cordova, James  Alec Revelle......  (303) 361-0488, (303) 361-0688   
     Security, Inc., 11901 E. 30th     P. Vandello.                                 (fax).                          
     Avenue, App. Code--7D05030220.                                                                                 
               CONNECTICUT                                                                                          
    Hartford-06103, AA Ribicoff       Harriet B. Marple......  Sandra V. Majia     (860) 240-3919, (860) 240-3921   
     Building and Courthouse, 459                               (acting).           (fax).                          
     Main Street, Room 509, App.                                                                                    
     Code--7D05030277.                                                                                              
                 FLORIDA                                                                                            
    Bradenton--4205, 515 11th         R. Kevin McHugh........  George A. Spreyne.  (941) 749-1044, (941) 749-0992   
     Street, West, Building A, Room                                                 (fax).                          
     300, App. Code--7D05030244.                                                                                    
    Miami--33130, 155 S. Miami Ave.,  Teofilo Chapa, J.        Michael T.          (305) 530-6455, (305) 530-7001   
     Room 800, App. Code--7D05030217.  Daniel Dowell, Rex J.    Ringstad.           (fax).                          
                                       Ford, Mahlon F.                                                              
                                       Hanson, Michael C.                                                           
                                       Horn, Denise Marks                                                           
                                       Lane, Stephen E.                                                             
                                       Mander, Nancy R.                                                             
                                       McCormack, Pedro A.                                                          
                                       Miranda, Philip J.                                                           
                                       Montante, Jr., Anthony                                                       
                                       J. Randall, Charles J.                                                       
                                       Sanders, Ira Sandron,                                                        
                                       Denise N. Slavin,                                                            
                                       Bruce W. Solow, Ronald                                                       
                                       G. Sonom, Elisa M.                                                           
                                       Sukkar, Lilliana                                                             
                                       Torreh-Bayouth, Ketih                                                        
                                       C. Williams.                                                                 
    Miami Federal Building, 51 S.W.   Suzan C. Brauwerman      ..................  (305), 530-6451, No fax.         
     First Ave., Room 224, Miami, FL   Seymour R. Kleinfeld,                                                        
     33130.                            Roberto Moreno,                                                              
                                       William K. Zimmer,.                                                          
    
    [[Page 61385]]
    
                                                                                                                    
    Miami--33194, Krome North         Neal S. Foster, Kenneth  George A. Spreyne.  (305) 530-7196, (305) 530-7040   
     Processing Center, 18201 S.W.     S. Hurewitz.                                 (fax).                          
     12th Street, App. Code--                                                                                       
     7D05030231.                                                                                                    
                 GEORGIA                                                                                            
    Atlanta--30303, 101 Marietta      William A. Cassidy, G.   John J. Topp......  (404) 331-7647, (404) 331-4555   
     Street, Suite 2702, App. Code--   Mackenzie Rast.                              (fax).                          
     7D05030228.                                                                                                    
                ILLINOIS                                                                                            
    Chicago--60605-1521, Federal      O. John Brahos, Carlos   Peter P. Pauli, IV  (312) 353-7313, (312) 353-9894   
     Building, Room 646, 536 S.        Cuevas, James R.                             (fax).                          
     Clark Street, App. Code--         Fujimoto, Anthony D.                                                         
     7D05030218.                       Petrone, Jr., Renetta                                                        
                                       Smith, Robert D.                                                             
                                       Vinikoor, Craig M.                                                           
                                       Zerbe.                                                                       
                LOUISIANA                                                                                           
    New Orleans--70130, One Canal     Jeffrey Zlatow.........  Lizbeth L. Wilson.  (504) 589-3992, (504) 589-3990   
     Place, 365 Canal Street, Suite                                                 (fax).                          
     2450.                                                                                                          
    Oakdale--71463, 1900 E. Whatley   John A. Duck, Jr.,       Lizbeth L. Wilson.  (318) 335-0365, (318) 335-3187   
     Road, App. Code--7D05030230.      Charles A. Wiegand,                          (fax).                          
     Mailing Address: P.O. Box 750,    III.                                                                         
     Oakdale, LA 71463.                                                                                             
                MARYLAND                                                                                            
    Baltimore--21202, U.S.            Bruce M. Barrett, Lisa   Brenda L. Cook....  (410) 962-3092, (410) 962-9021   
     Appraisers Building, 103 S. Gay   Dornell, John F.                             (fax).                          
     Street, Room 702, App. Code--     Gossart, Jr., William                                                        
     7D05030201.                       P. Greene, Jr..                                                              
              MASSACHUSETTS                                                                                         
    Boston--02203, JFK Federal        Billino W. D'Ambrosio,   Sandra V. Mejia     (617) 565-3080, (617) 565-4495   
     Building, 15 New Sudbury St.,     Eliza C. Klein, Thomas   (acting).           (fax).                          
     Room 320, App. Code--7D05030202.  M. Ragno, Leonard I.                                                         
                                       Shapiro, Patricia M.B.                                                       
                                       Sheppard.                                                                    
                MICHIGAN                                                                                            
    Detroit--48207, Brewery Park II,  Elizabeth Hacker.......  Sandra Roberts....  (313) 226-2603, (313) 226-3053   
     1155 Brewery Park Blvd., Suite                                                 (fax).                          
     450, App. Code--7D05030219.                                                                                    
                 NEVADA                                                                                             
    Las Vegas--79101, Alan Bible      Irene Weiss............  Jack B. Odom......  (702) 388-5837, (702) 388-5844   
     Federal Building, 600 Las Vegas                                                (fax).                          
     Blvd. South, Room 410, App.                                                                                    
     Code--7A05030240.                                                                                              
               NEW JERSEY                                                                                           
    Elizabeth--625 Evans St., Rm.     Esmeralda Cabrera......  Fletcher Graves...  (201) 693-4113, (201) 645-4121   
     148A, App. Code--7D05030236.                                                   (fax).                          
    Newark--07102, 970 Broad Street,  Henry S. Dogin, Annie    Star B. Pacitto...  (201) 645-3524, (201) 645-3432   
     Room 1135, App. Code--            Sue Garcy, Nicole Yae                        (fax).                          
     7D05030204.                       Kyoung Kim, Daniel A.                                                        
                                       Meisner, Eugene                                                              
                                       Pugliese, Alberto                                                            
                                       Riefkohl, William                                                            
                                       Strasser.                                                                    
                NEW YORK                                                                                            
    Buffalo--14202, 130 Delaware      Walter A. Durling, Jr.,  Gary M. Somerville  (716) 551-3442, (716) 551-3452   
     Ave., Suite 410 App. Code--       Mchaelangelo Rocco.                          (fax).                          
     7D05030203.                                                                                                    
    Fishkill--12524, c/o Downstate    Mitchell Levinksky.....  Thomas J. Bonita,   (914) 831-3657, (914) 831-5452   
     Correctional Facility, Red                                 III.                (fax).                          
     Schoolhouse Road, App. Code--                                                                                  
     7D05030206.                                                                                                    
    Napanoch--12458, Ulster           Joe D. Miller..........  Thomas J. Bonita,   (914) 647--5506, (914) 647-5641  
     Correctional Facility, Berne                               III.                (fax).                          
     Road, App. Code--7D05030235.                                                                                   
    New York--10278, 26 Federal       Matthew T. Adrian,       John D. Hannah,     (212) 264,5958, (202) 264-1070   
     Plaza, Room 10-1000, App. Code--  Terry A. Bain, Joanna    Jr..                (fax).                          
     7D5030205.                        M. Bukszpan, Sarah M.                                                        
                                       Burr, Jeffrey Chase,                                                         
                                       George T. Chew,                                                              
                                       Annette S. Elstein,                                                          
                                       Noel Anne Ferris,                                                            
                                       Victoria Ghartey,                                                            
                                       Sandy K. Hom, Charles                                                        
                                       M. Honeyman, William                                                         
                                       F. Jankun, Elizabeth                                                         
                                       A. Lamb, Margaret                                                            
                                       McManus, Philip L.                                                           
                                       Morace, Barabara A.                                                          
                                       Nelson, Patricia A.                                                          
                                       Rohan, John K. Speer,                                                        
                                       Jr., Mirlande Tadal,                                                         
                                       Gabriel C. Videla,                                                           
                                       Robert D. Weisel,                                                            
                                       Phillip T. Williams,                                                         
                                       Jeffrey Chase.                                                               
    New York--10014, 201 Varick       Donn L. Livingston,      Thomas J. Bonita,   (212) 620-6279, (212) 620-6357   
     Street, Room 1140, App. Code--    Alan L. Page, Alan A.    III.                (fax).                          
     7D05030232..                      Vomacka.                                                                     
              PENNSYLVANIA                                                                                          
    Philadelphia--19103, 1600         Donald V. Ferlise,       R. Elliott Edwards  (215) 656-7000, (215) 656-7013   
     Callowhill Street, Suite 400,     Craig DeBernardis.                           (fax).                          
     App. Code--7D05030207.                                                                                         
    York--17402, 3434 Concord Road,   William Van Wyke.......  Brenda L. Cook....  (717) 755-7555, (717) 757-0132   
     App. Code--7D05030209.                                                         (fax).                          
    
    [[Page 61386]]
    
                                                                                                                    
               PUERTO RICO                                                                                          
    Guaynabo (San Juan)--00965, GSA   Rafael B. Ortiz-Segura.  George A. Spreyne.  (787) 749-4386, (787) 749-4393   
     Center, 651 Federal Drive,                                                     (fax).                          
     Suite 111-14, App. Code--                                                                                      
     7D05030208.                                                                                                    
                  TEXAS                                                                                             
    Dallas--75202, 1200 Main Street,  Edwin R. Hughes, D.      Barbara T. Baker..  (214) 767-1814, (214) 767-6410   
     Suite 700, App. Code--            Anthony Rogers, Cary                         (fax).                          
     7D05030211.                       Copeland.                                                                    
    El Paso--79925, 1545 Hawkins      Gary D. Burkholder,      Theresa N. Baeza..  (915) 540-1910, (915) 540-1922   
     Boulevard, Suite 205, App.        Penny M. Smith, Bertha                       (fax).                          
     Code--7D05030212.                 A. Zuniga.                                                                   
    El Paso--79925, El Paso Service   Visiting IJ............  Theresa N. Baeza..  (915) 540-7854, No fax.          
     Processing Center, 8915 Montana                                                                                
     Avenue, App. Code--7D05030212.                                                                                 
    Harlingen--78550, 201 E. Jackson  Howard E. Achtsam,       Celeste Garza.....  (210)427-8580, (210) 427-8905    
     Street, App. Code--7D05030213.    David Ayala, Margaret                        (fax).                          
                                       D. Burkhart, M. Edwin                                                        
                                       Prudhomme.                                                                   
    Los Fresnos--78566, Port Isabel   Visiting IJ............  Celeste Garza.....  (210) 233-4467, (210) 233-5318   
     Processing Center, Route 3, Box                                                (fax).                          
     341, Building 37, App. Code--                                                                                  
     7D05030213. Mailing Address:                                                                                   
     201 E. Jackson St., Harlingen,                                                                                 
     TX 78550.                                                                                                      
    Houston--77004, 2320 La Branch    Robert Brown, Clarease   Dina P. Sherman...  (713) 718-3870, (713) 718-3879   
     Street, Room 2235, App. Code--    M. Rankin, Michael K.                        (fax).                          
     7D05030214.                       Suarez, Joseph Vail.                                                         
    Houston--77032, Houston Service   Susan L. Yarbrough.....  Dina P. Sherman...  (713) 987-0290, (713) 987-3142   
     Processing Center, 15850 Export                                                (fax).                          
     Plaza Drive, App. Code--                                                                                       
     7D05030214.                                                                                                    
    Huntsville--77340, Goree INS      Jimmie L. Benton.......  Dina P. Sherman...  (409) 295-1353, (409) 295-6510   
     Facility, 30000A Highway 75                                                    (fax).                          
     South, App. Code--7D05030232.                                                                                  
     Mailing Address: P.O. Box 1538,                                                                                
     Huntsville, TX 77342-1538.                                                                                     
    Laredo--78041, 4702 E. Saunders,  Visiting IJ............  J. Thomas Davis...  (210) 727-4772, (210) 726-2320   
     App. Code--7D05030215. Mailing                                                 (fax).                          
     Address: Laredo Service                                                                                        
     Processing Center, P.O. Box                                                                                    
     440110, Laredo, TX 78044-0110.                                                                                 
    San Antonio-78205-2040, 615 E.    Richard F. Brodsky,      J. Thomas Davis...  (210) 472-6637, (210) 472-4282   
     Houston Street, Room 598, App.    Susan E. Conley-                             (fax).                          
     Code-7D05030215.                  Castro, Glenn P.                                                             
                                       McPhaul.                                                                     
                VIRGINIA                                                                                            
    Arlington-22203, 901 N. Stuart    John M. Bryant, Joan V.  Beverly Swihart     (703) 235-2307, (703) 235-2372   
     St., Suite 1300, App. Code-       Churchill, Christopher   Holmes.             (fax).                          
     7D05030210.                       M. Grant, Wayne R.                                                           
                                       Iskra, Paul A.                                                               
                                       Nejelski.                                                                    
               WASHINGTON                                                                                           
    Seattle-98104, Key Tower          Anna Ho, Kenneth          Joseph Neifert...   (206) 553-5953, (206) 553-0622  
     Building, 1000 Second Avenue,     Josephson, Kendall B.                        (fax).                          
     Suite 2500, App. Code-            Warrem.                                                                      
     7D05030221.                                                                                                    
    Seattle-98134, Seattle Det.       Anna Ho, Kenneth         Joseph Neifert....  call Seattle office: (206) 553-  
     Center, c/o U.S. INS, 815         Josephson, Kendall B.                        5953, (206) 553-0622 (fax).     
     Airport Way, App. Code-           Warren.                                                                      
     7D05030221.                                                                                                    
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
    
    BILLING CODE 4310-GG-M
    
    [[Page 61387]]
    
    [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN17NO97.015
    
    
    
    BILLING CODE 4410-10-M
    
    [[Page 61388]]
    
         Please save this notice for your records. Please enclose a 
    copy if you have to write us or a U.S. Consulate about this case, or if 
    you file another application based on this decision.
         You will be notified separately about any other 
    applications or petitions you have filed.
    
    Additional Information
    
    General
        The filing of an application or petition does not in itself allow a 
    person to enter the United States and does not confer any other right 
    or benefit.
    Inquiries
        You should contact the office listed on the reverse of this notice 
    if you have questions about the notice, or questions about the status 
    of your application or petition. We recommend you call. However, if you 
    write us, please enclose a copy of this notice with your letter.
    Approval of Nonimmigrant Petition
        Approval of a nonimmigrant petition means that the person for whom 
    it was filed has been found eligible for the requested classification. 
    If this notice indicated we are notifying a U.S. Consulate about the 
    approval for the purpose of visa issuance, and you or the person you 
    filed for have questions about visa issuance, please contact the 
    appropriate U.S. Consulate directly.
    Approval of an Immigrant Petition
        Approval of an immigrant petition does not convey any right or 
    status. The approved petition simply establishes a basis upon which the 
    person you filed for can apply for an immigrant or fiance(e) visa or 
    for adjustment of status.
        A person is not guaranteed issuance of a visa or a grant of 
    adjustment simply because this petition is approved. Those processes 
    look at additional criteria.
        If this notice indicates we have approved the immigrant petition 
    you filed, and have forwarded it to the Department of State Immigrant 
    Visa Processing Center, that office will contact the person you filed 
    the petition for directly with information about visa issuance.
        In addition to the information on the reverse of this notice, the 
    instructions for the petition you filed provide additional information 
    about processing after approval of the petition.
        For more information about whether a person who is already in the 
    U.S. can apply for adjustment of status, please see Form I-485, 
    Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status.
    BILLING CODE 4410-10-M
    
    [[Page 61389]]
    
    [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN17NO97.016
    
    
    
    BILLING CODE 4410-10-M
    
    [[Page 61390]]
    
         Please save this notice for your records. Please enclose a 
    copy if you have to write us or a U.S. Consulate about this case, or if 
    you file another application based on this decision.
         You will be notified separately about any other 
    applications or petitions you have filed.
    
    Additional Information
    
    General
        The filing of an application or petition does not in itself allow a 
    person to enter the United States and does not confer any other right 
    or benefit.
    Inquiries
        You should contact the office listed on the reverse of this notice 
    if you have questions about the notice, or questions about the status 
    of your application or petition. We recommend you call. However, if you 
    write us, please enclose a copy of this notice with your letter.
    Approval of Nonimmigrant Petition
        Approval of a nonimmigrant petition means that the person for whom 
    it was filed has been found eligible for the requested classification. 
    If this notice indicated we are notifying a U.S. Consulate about the 
    approval for the purpose of visa issuance, and you or the person you 
    filed for have questions about visa issuance, please contact the 
    appropriate U.S. Consulate directly.
    Approval of an Immigrant Petition
        Approval of an immigrant petition does not convey any right or 
    status. The approved petition simply establishes a basis upon which the 
    person you filed for can apply for an immigrant or fiance(e) visa or 
    for adjustment of status.
        A person is not guaranteed issuance of a visa or a grant of 
    adjustment simply because this petition is approved. Those processes 
    look at additional criteria.
        If this notice indicates we have approved the immigrant petition 
    you filed, and have forwarded it to the Department of State Immigrant 
    Visa Processing Center, that office will contact the person you filed 
    the petition for directly with information about visa issuance.
        In addition to the information on the reverse of this notice, the 
    instructions for the petition you filed provide additional information 
    about processing after approval of the petition.
        For more information about whether a person who is already in the 
    U.S. can apply for adjustment of status, please see Form I-485, 
    Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status.
    BILLING CODE 4410-10-M
    
    [[Page 61391]]
    
    [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN17NO97.017
    
    
    
    BILLING CODE 4410-10-M
    
    [[Page 61392]]
    
         Please save this notice for your records. Please enclose a 
    copy if you have to write us or a U.S. Consulate about this case, or if 
    you file another application based on this decision.
         You will be notified separately about any other 
    applications or petitions you have filed.
    
    Additional Information
    
    General
        The filing of an application or petition does not in itself allow a 
    person to enter the United States and does not confer any other right 
    or benefit.
    Inquiries
        You should contact the office listed on the reverse of this notice 
    if you have questions about the notice, or questions about the status 
    of your application or petition. We recommend you call. However, if you 
    write us, please enclose a copy of this notice with your letter.
    Approval of Nonimmigrant Petition
        Approval of a nonimmigrant petition means that the person for whom 
    it was filed has been found eligible for the requested classification. 
    If this notice indicated we are notifying a U.S. Consulate about the 
    approval for the purpose of visa issuance, and you or the person you 
    filed for have questions about visa issuance, please contact the 
    appropriate U.S. Consulate directly.
    Approval of an Immigrant Petition
        Approval of an immigrant petition does not convey any right or 
    status. The approved petition simply establishes a basis upon which the 
    person you filed for can apply for an immigrant or fiance(e) visa or 
    for adjustment of status.
        A person is not guaranteed issuance of a visa or a grant of 
    adjustment simply because this petition is approved. Those processes 
    look at additional criteria.
        If this notice indicates we have approved the immigrant petition 
    you filed, and have forwarded it to the Department of State Immigrant 
    Visa Processing Center, that office will contact the person you filed 
    the petition for directly with information about visa issuance.
        In addition to the information on the reverse of this notice, the 
    instructions for the petition you filed provide additional information 
    about processing after approval of the petition.
        For more information about whether a person who is already in the 
    U.S. can apply for adjustment of status, please see Form I-485, 
    Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status.
    BILLING CODE 4410-10-M
    
    [[Page 61393]]
    
    [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN17NO97.018
    
    
    
    BILLING CODE 4410-10-M
    
    [[Page 61394]]
    
         Please save this notice for your records. Please enclose a 
    copy if you have to write us or a U.S. Consulate about this case, or if 
    you file another application based on this decision.
         You will be notified separately about any other 
    applications or petitions you have filed.
    
    Additional Information
    
    General
        The filing of an application or petition does not in itself allow a 
    person to enter the United States and does not confer any other right 
    or benefit.
    Inquiries
        You should contact the office listed on the reverse of this notice 
    if you have questions about the notice, or questions about the status 
    of your application or petition. We recommend you call. However, if you 
    write us, please enclose a copy of this notice with your letter.
    Approval of Nonimmigrant Petition
        Approval of a nonimmigrant petition means that the person for whom 
    it was filed has been found eligible for the requested classification. 
    If this notice indicated we are notifying a U.S. Consulate about the 
    approval for the purpose of visa issuance, and you or the person you 
    filed for have questions about visa issuance, please contact the 
    appropriate U.S. Consulate directly.
    Approval of an Immigrant Petition
        Approval of an immigrant petition does not convey any right or 
    status. The approved petition simply establishes a basis upon which the 
    person you filed for can apply for an immigrant or fiance(e) visa or 
    for adjustment of status.
        A person is not guaranteed issuance of a visa or a grant of 
    adjustment simply because this petition is approved. Those processes 
    look at additional criteria.
        If this notice indicates we have approved the immigrant petition 
    you filed, and have forwarded it to the Department of State Immigrant 
    Visa Processing Center, that office will contact the person you filed 
    the petition for directly with information about visa issuance.
        In addition to the information on the reverse of this notice, the 
    instructions for the petition you filed provide additional information 
    about processing after approval of the petition.
        For more information about whether a person who is already in the 
    U.S. can apply for adjustment of status, please see Form I-485, 
    Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status.
    BILLING CODE 441-10-M
    
    [[Page 61395]]
    
    [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN17NO97.019
    
    
    
    BILLING CODE 4410-10-M
    
    [[Page 61396]]
    
    
    
                                 District Codes                             
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
                   Districts-36                           Org type          
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
      2--Boston, MA..........................  DAF BOS                      
      3--New York, NY........................  DAF NYC                      
      4--Philadelphia, PA....................  DAF PHI                      
      5--Baltimore, MD.......................  DAF BAL                      
      6--Miami, FL...........................  DAF MIA                      
      7--Buffalo, NY.........................  DAF BUF                      
      8--Detroit, MI.........................  DAF DET                      
      9--Chicago, IL.........................  DAF CHI                      
    10--St. Paul, MN.........................  DAF SPM                      
    11--Kansas City, MO......................  DF KAN                       
    12--Seattle, WA..........................  DAF SEA                      
    13--San Francisco, CA....................  DAF SFR                      
    14--San Antonio, TX......................  DAF SNA                      
    15--El Paso, TX..........................  DAF ELP                      
    16--Los Angeles, CA......................  DAF LOS                      
    17--Honolulu, HI.........................  DAF HHW                      
    18--Phoenix, AZ..........................  DAF PHO                      
    19--Denver, CO...........................  DAF DEN                      
    20--Dallas, TX...........................  DAF DAL                      
    21--Newark, NJ...........................  DAF NEW                      
    22--Portland, ME.........................  DAF POM                      
    24--Cleveland, OH........................  DAF CLE                      
    25--Washington, DC.......................  DAF WAS                      
    26--Atlanta, GA..........................  DAF ATL                      
    27--San Juan, PR.........................  DAF SAJ                      
    28--New Orleans, LA......................  DAF NOL                      
    29--Omaha, NE............................  DF OMA                       
    30--Helena, MT...........................  DF HEL                       
    31--Portland, OR.........................  DAF POO                      
    32--Anchorage, AK........................  DAF ANC                      
    33--Bangkok, Thailand....................  OD BKK                       
    35--Mexico City, MX......................  OD MEX                       
    37--Rome, Italy..........................  OD RIT                       
    38--Houston, TX..........................  DAF HOU                      
    39--San Diego, CA........................  DAF SND                      
    40--Harlingen, TX........................  DAF HLG                      
    EASTERN REGION:                                                         
    DISTRICT 2--BOSTON, MA                                                  
    Providence, RI...........................  SAF PRO                      
    *Hartford, CT............................  SAF HAR                      
    *Lebanon, MA.............................  A LEB                        
    Boston Proc. Ctr.........................  P BPC                        
    DISTRICT 3--New York, NY                                                
    *NY Seaport combined w/quarantine unit,    U NYS                        
     NY.                                                                    
    JFK Airport, NY..........................  A ZJK                        
    Hamilton, Bermuda........................  I HAM                        
    Varick Proc. Ctr.........................  P VRK                        
    *Brookland Proc. Ctr.....................  P BKN                        
    DISTRICT 4--Philadelphia, PA                                            
    *Altoona, PA.............................  U ALT                        
    Pittsburgh, PA...........................  SF PIT                       
    *Dover AFB, DL...........................  A DVD                        
    DISTRICT 5--Baltimore, MD                                               
    DISTRICT 6--Miami, FL                                                   
    Jacksonville, FL.........................  SA JAC                       
    Key West, FL.............................  SA KEY                       
    Port Everglades, FL......................  SA PEV                       
    *Port Canaveral, FL......................  A PCF                        
    Tampa, FL................................  SA TAM                       
    West Palm Beach, FL......................  SA WPB                       
    Orlando Airport, FL......................  A ORL                        
    Krome Proc. Ctr..........................  P KRO                        
    Fort Pierce, FL..........................  A FTP                        
    Jacksonville Seaport, FL.................  U JAS                        
    Miami Seaport, FL........................  U MSE                        
    *Panama City, FL.........................  A PAN                        
    *Sanford, FL.............................  A SFB                        
    DISTRICT 7--Buffalo, NY                                                 
    Thousand Island Bridge, NY...............  SA THO                       
    Trout River, NY..........................  SA TRO                       
    *Rooseveltown, NY........................  A RSV                        
    Albany, NY...............................  SAF ALB                      
    Champlain, NY............................  SA CHM                       
    Chateauguay, NY..........................  SA CHT                       
    Fort Covington, NY.......................  SA FTC                       
    *Lewiston, NY............................  A LEW                        
    Massena, NY..............................  SA MAS                       
    Mooers, NY...............................  SA MOO                       
    Niagara Falls, NY........................  SA NIA                       
    Ogdensburg, NY...........................  SA OGD                       
    Peace Bridge, NY.........................  SA PBB                       
    Rouses Point, NY.........................  SA ROU                       
    DISTRICT 8--Detroit, MI                                                 
    Algonac, MI..............................  SA AGN                       
    Marine City, MI..........................  SA MRC                       
    Port Huron, MI...........................  SA PHU                       
    Roberts Landing, MI......................  SA RBT                       
    Sault Ste. Marie, MI.....................  SA SSM                       
    *Detroit Michigan Bridge, MI.............  A DCB                        
    *Detroit Michigan Tunnel, MI.............  A DCT                        
    DISTRICT 21--Newark, NJ                                                 
    *Camden, NJ..............................  A CNJ                        
    McGuire AFB, NJ..........................  A MAG                        
    Alburg, VT...............................  SA ABG                       
    Alburg Springs, VT.......................  SA ABS                       
    Bangor, ME...............................  SA BGM                       
    Beebe Plains, VT.........................  SA BEB                       
    Beecher Falls, VT........................  SA BEE                       
    Bridgewater, ME..........................  SA BWM                       
    *Burlington, VT..........................  A BRG                        
    Calais, ME...............................  SA CLS                       
    *Eastport, ME............................  A EPM                        
    Canann, VT...............................  SA CNA                       
    Coburn Gore, ME..........................  SA COB                       
    Derby Line, VT...........................  SA DER                       
    *Derby Line RT5 POE......................  P DVL                        
    East Richford, VT........................  SA ERC                       
    Fort Fairfield, ME.......................  SA FTF                       
    Fort Kent, ME............................  SA FTK                       
    *Eastcourt, ME...........................  A EST                        
    *St. Pampile, ME.........................  A SPA                        
    Hamlin, ME...............................  SA HML                       
    Highgate Springs, VT.....................  SA HIG                       
    Houlton, ME..............................  A HTM                        
    *Easton, ME..............................  A EAS                        
    *Forest City, ME.........................  A FOR                        
    *Monticello, ME..........................  A MTC                        
    *Orient, ME..............................  A ORI                        
    Jackman, ME..............................  SA JKM                       
    *St. Aurelie.............................  SA SRL                       
    Limestone, ME............................  SA LIM                       
    Lubec, ME................................  SA LUB                       
    Madawaska, ME............................  SA MAD                       
    *Morses Line, VT.........................  A MOR                        
    North Troy, VT...........................  SA NRT                       
    Norton, VT...............................  SA NRN                       
    Pinnacle Rd., VT.........................  A PIV                        
    *Pittsburgh, NH..........................  A PNH                        
    Richford, VT.............................  SA RIF                       
    *St. Albans, VT..........................  SA STA                       
    Van Buren, ME............................  SA VNB                       
    Vancboro, ME.............................  SA VCB                       
    West Berkshire, VT.......................  SA WBE                       
    DISTRICT 24--Cleveland, OH                                              
    Cincinnati, OH...........................  SAF CIN                      
    Sandusky, OH.............................  SA SDY                       
    Toledo, OH...............................  SA TOL                       
    Columbus, OH.............................  A CLM                        
    DISTRICT 25--Washington, D.C.                                           
    Norfolk, VA                                                             
    Norfolk Seaport, VA......................  U NOS                        
    DISTRICT 26--Atlanta, GA                                                
    Charleston, SC...........................  SA CHL                       
    Charlotte, NC............................  SF CLT                       
    *Greer, SC...............................  SA GRR                       
    Mobile, AL...............................  SA MOB                       
    *Raleigh-Durham, NC......................  SA RDU                       
    Savannah, GA.............................  SA SAV                       
    Wilmington, NC...........................  SA WIL                       
    DISTRICT 27--San Juan, PR                                               
    Aguadilla Proc. Ctr......................  P AGC                        
    Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, VI.........  SA CHA                       
    Christiansted, St. Croix, VI.............  SA CHR                       
    Cruz, Bay, St. John, VI..................  SA CRU                       
    Mayaguez, PR.............................  A MAY                        
    Ponce, PR................................  SA PON                       
    DISTRICT 28--New Orleans, LA                                            
    *Baton Rouge, LA.........................  A BTN                        
    *Gulfport, MS............................  A GUL                        
    *Lake Charles, LA........................  A LKC                        
    Louisville, KY...........................  S LOU                        
    Memphis, TN..............................  SF MEM                       
    *Nashville, TN...........................  A NSV                        
    *Oakdale, LA.............................  P OAK                        
    CENTRAL REGION:                                                         
    DISTRICT 9--Chicago, IL                                                 
    Milwaukee, WI............................  SAF MIL                      
    *Indianapolis, IN........................  S INP                        
    DISTRICT 10--St. Paul, MN                                               
    Baudette, MN.............................  SA BAU                       
    Duluth, MN...............................  SA DUL                       
    Grand Portage, MN........................  SA GPM                       
    International Falls, MN..................  SA INT                       
    Lancaster, MN............................  SA LAN                       
    Noyes, MN................................  SA NOY                       
    *Pembina, ND.............................  A PEM                        
    Pine Creek, MN...........................  SA PIN                       
    Roseau, MN...............................  SA ROS                       
    Warroad, MN..............................  SA WAR                       
    Ambrose, ND..............................  SA AMB                       
    Antler, ND...............................  SA ANT                       
    Carbury, ND..............................  SA CRY                       
    Dunseith, ND.............................  SA DNS                       
    Fargo, ND................................  SA FAR                       
    Fortuna, ND..............................  SA FRT                       
    Minot, ND................................  A MND                        
    Hannah, ND...............................  SA HNN                       
    Hansboro, ND.............................  SA HNS                       
    Maida, ND................................  SA MAI                       
    Neche, ND................................  SA NEC                       
    Noonan, ND...............................  SA NOO                       
    Northgate, ND............................  SA NRG                       
    Portal, ND...............................  SA POR                       
    St. John, ND.............................  SA SJO                       
    Sarles, ND...............................  SA SAR                       
    Sherwood, ND.............................  SA SHR                       
    Walhalla, ND.............................  SA WAL                       
    Westhope, ND.............................  SA WHO                       
    Wilton, ND...............................  A WND                        
    DISTRICT 11--Kansas CITY, MO                                            
    St. Louis, MO............................  SF STL                       
    DISTRICT 14--San Antonio, TX                                            
    Austin, TX...............................  SA AUS                       
    Amistad Dam, TX..........................  A ADT                        
    *Corpus Christi, TX......................  SA CRP                       
    Del Rio, TX..............................  SA DLR                       
    Eagle Pass, TX...........................  SA EGP                       
    Laredo, TX...............................  SA LAR                       
    Juarez-Lincoln Bridge, TX................  A LLB                        
    
    [[Page 61397]]
    
                                                                            
    Laredo Proc. Ctr.........................  P LRD                        
    Laredo Columbia Bridge, TX...............  A LCB                        
    DISTRICT 15--El Paso, TX                                                
    Columbus, NM.............................   SA COL                      
    Fabens, TX...............................  SA FAB                       
    Presidio, TX.............................  SA PRE                       
    *Port of El Paso.........................  A POE                        
    *Paso del Norte Bridge, TX...............  A PDN                        
    *Bridge of the Americas, TX..............  A BOA                        
    *Ysleta, TX..............................  SA YSL                       
    Santa Teresa, NM.........................  A STR                        
    Albuquerque, NM..........................  S ABQ                        
    El Paso Processing Center, TX............  P EPC                        
    *Fort Hanock, TX.........................  P FTH                        
    DISTRICT 19--Denver, CO                                                 
    Salt Lake City, UT.......................  SAF SLC                      
    DISTRICT 20--Dallas, TX                                                 
    Oklahoma City, OK........................  SF OKC                       
    DISTRICT 29--Omaha, NE...................  OMA                          
    DISTRICT 30--Helena, MT..................   HEL                         
    Boise, ID................................  S BOI                        
    Chief Mountain, MT.......................  A CHF                        
    Del Bonita, MT...........................   A DLB                       
    Great Falls, MT..........................   A GRE                       
    Morgan, MT...............................  SA MGM                       
    Opheim, MT...............................  SA OPH                       
    Piegan, MT...............................  SA PIE                       
    Raymond, MT..............................  SA RAY                       
    Roosville, MT............................  SA ROO                       
    Scobey, MT...............................  SA SCO                       
    Sweetgrass, MT...........................  SA SWE                       
    Turner, MT...............................  SA TUR                       
    Whitetail, MT............................  SA WHI                       
    Wild Horse, MT...........................  SA WHM                       
    Willow Creek, MT.........................  SA WCM                       
    Missoula, MT.............................  SA MIS                       
    DISTRICT 38--Houston, TX                                                
    Galveston, TX............................  SA GAL                       
    Port Arthur, TX..........................  SA PAR                       
    DISTRICT 40--Harlington, TX                                             
    *Brownsville, TX.........................  A BRO                        
    *Brownsville/Gateway, Bridge, TX.........  A BRO                        
    *Brownsville Matamoros Bridge, TX........  A BBM                        
    Falcon Heights, TX.......................  SA FAL                       
    Hidalgo, TX..............................  SA HID                       
    Los Ebanos, TX...........................  SA LSE                       
    *Los Indios, TX..........................  A LOI                        
    Port Isabel Proc. Ctr....................  P PIC                        
    Progresso, TX............................  SA PGR                       
    Rio Grande, TX...........................  SA RIO                       
    Roma, TX.................................  SA ROM                       
    Pharr, TX................................  SA PHR                       
    Nogales, AZ..............................  SA NOG                       
    Sasabe, AZ...............................  SA SAS                       
    San Luis, AZ.............................  SA SLU                       
    Tucson, AZ...............................  S TUC                        
    *Las Vegas, NV...........................  SF LVG                       
    *Reno, NV................................  SF REN                       
    *Mariposa, AZ............................  A MAP                        
    *Eloy Proc. Cr., AZ......................  P EAZ                        
    DISTRICT 31--Portland, OR                                               
    Astoria, AK..............................  SA AST                       
    Coos Bay, OR.............................  A COO                        
    New Port, OR.............................  P NPT                        
    DISTRICT 32--Anchorage, AK                                              
    Alcan, AK................................  SA ALC                       
    Dalton Cache, AK.........................  SA DAC                       
    Ketchikan, AK............................  SA KET                       
    Skagway, AK..............................  A SKA                        
    *Dutch Harbor, AK........................  A DTH                        
    Poker Creek, AK..........................  A PKC                        
    Nome, AK.................................  A NOM                        
    Fairbanks, AK............................  A FRB                        
    DISTRICT 39--San Diego                                                  
    Andrade, CA..............................  SA AND                       
    Calexico, CA.............................  SA CAL                       
    Calexico East Port.......................  P IVP                        
    El Centro Proc. Ctr., CA.................  P ECC                        
    *San Diego Port-of-Entry, CA.............  A SDP                        
    *Otay Mesa, CA...........................  A OTM                        
    *San Ysidro, CA..........................  SA SYS                       
    *Tecata, CA..............................  SA TEC                       
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
    
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    Attachment 6--Interim Guidance--Documentary Evidence for Excepted 
    Categories of Aliens Eligible for SSI, Food Stamps, TANF, Medicaid, and 
    Programs Funded by a Social Services Block Grant
    
        Under Section 402 of the Personal Responsibility and Work 
    Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (the ``Act''), only certain 
    excepted categories of aliens remain eligible for SSI and Food Stamps. 
    States may also limit eligibility for TANF, Medicaid and programs 
    funded by a Social Services Block Grant to certain excepted categories 
    of aliens. Some of the excepted categories enjoy unqualified exemptions 
    from the restrictions in section 402, while others are exempted for 
    limited time periods. The exceptions for each program, and the 
    documents that may be used to determine eligibility under these 
    exceptions, are set forth below.
    
    Exceptions
    
    A. SSI
        Certain categories of aliens are excepted from the restrictions on 
    SSI eligibility imposed by Section 402. If an alien falls within one of 
    the categories listed below, he or she remains eligible for SSI:
         Lawfully admitted permanent resident aliens who have 
    worked or can be credited with 40 qualifying quarters (any quarter 
    after December 31, 1996 cannot be counted if the alien received any 
    federal means-tested public benefit during that quarter);
         Qualified aliens lawfully residing in any State who are 
    honorably discharged veterans and who fulfill minimum active-duty 
    service requirements, or who are on non-training active duty in the 
    U.S. Armed Forces, or who are the spouse, unmarried dependent child, or 
    unremarried surviving spouse of such a veteran or active-duty 
    personnel, provided that, in the latter case, the marriage satisfies 
    the requirements of 38 U.S.C. 1304 (see DOD/VA Guidance attached as 
    Exhibit B hereto);
         Qualified aliens lawfully residing in the United States 
    who were receiving SSI on August 22, 1996;
         Qualified aliens who were lawfully residing in the United 
    States on August 22, 1996, and who are blind or disabled;
         American Indians born in Canada and to whom the provisions 
    of section 289 of the INA apply;
         Members of an Indian tribe (as defined in section 4(e) of 
    the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act); or
         Qualified aliens receiving SSI benefits after July 1996 on 
    the basis of an application filed before January 1, 1979, if the 
    Commissioner of Social Security lacks clear and convincing evidence 
    that such individuals are otherwise ineligible under section 402.
        Other categories of aliens remain eligible for SSI for only a 
    limited time period:
         Asylees, for a period of seven years after obtaining such 
    status;
         Aliens whose deportation or removal has been withheld, for 
    a period of seven years after obtaining such status;
         Refugees, for a period of seven years after the date they 
    entered the U.S. as refugees;
         Cuban/Haitian entrants, as defined in section 501(c) of 
    the Refugee Education Assistance Act of 1980, for a period of seven 
    years after they obtain such status; and
         Amerasian immigrants admitted to the U.S. pursuant to 
    section 584 of the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related 
    Programs Appropriations Act of 1988, for a period of seven years after 
    their admission.
    B. Medicaid
        Regardless of whether a State chooses to impose additional 
    restrictions on the eligibility of aliens to receive Medicaid, the 
    following categories of aliens are eligible:
         Lawfully admitted permanent resident aliens who have 
    worked or can be credited with 40 qualifying quarters (any quarter 
    after December 31, 1996 cannot be counted if the alien received any 
    federal means-tested public benefit during that quarter);
         Qualified aliens lawfully residing in any State who are 
    honorably discharged veterans and who fulfill minimum active-duty 
    service requirements, or who are on non-training active duty in the 
    U.S. Armed Forces, or who are the spouse, unmarried dependent child, or 
    unremarried surviving spouse of such a veteran or active-duty 
    personnel, provided that, in the latter case, the marriage satisfies 
    the requirements of 38 U.S.C. 1304 (see DOD/VA Guidance attached as 
    Exhibit B hereto);
         American Indians born in Canada and to whom the provisions 
    of section 289 of the INA apply; and
         Members of an Indian tribe (as defined in section 4(e) of 
    the Indian Self-Determination and Education Act).
        Time-limited exceptions apply to the following categories:
         Asylees, for a period of seven years after obtaining such 
    status;
         Aliens whose deportation or removal has been withheld, for 
    a period of seven years after obtaining such status;
         Refugees, for a period of seven years after the date they 
    entered the U.S. as refugees;
         Cuban/Haitian entrants, as defined in section 501(e) of 
    the Refugee Education Assistance Act of 1980, for a period of seven 
    years after they obtain such status; and
         Amerasian immigrants admitted to the U.S. pursuant to 
    section 584 of the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related 
    Programs Appropriations Act of 1988, for a period of seven years after 
    their admission.
        Also, any alien receiving SSI benefits retains derivative 
    eligibility for Medicaid, regardless of whether he or she is otherwise 
    ineligible for Medicaid under the Act.
    C. Food Stamps, TANF, and Social Services Block Grant Programs
        With respect to TANF and programs funded by a Social Services Block 
    Grant, states have the option of limiting aliens' eligibility for such 
    programs. As an initial matter, then, you should determine whether your 
    State has imposed additional eligibility requirements. Even if your 
    State has chosen to impose such restrictions, the following categories 
    of aliens would remain eligible for Food Stamps, TANF, and programs 
    funded by a Social Services Block Grant, without any time limitation:
         Lawfully admitted permanent resident aliens who have 
    worked or can be credited with 40 qualifying quarters (any quarter 
    after December 31, 1996 cannot be counted if the alien received any 
    federal means-tested public benefit during that quarter); and
         Qualified aliens lawfully residing in any State who are 
    honorably discharged veterans and who fulfill minimum active-duty 
    service requirements, or who are on non-training active duty in the 
    U.S. Armed Forces, or who are the spouse, unmarried dependent child, or 
    unremarried surviving spouse of such a veteran or active-duty 
    personnel, provided that, in the latter case, the marriage satisfies 
    the requirements of 38 U.S.C. Sec. 1304 (see DOD/VA Guidance attached 
    as Exhibit B hereto).
        Time-limited exceptions apply to the following categories:
         Asylees, for a period of five years after obtaining such 
    status;
         Aliens whose deportation of removal has been withheld, for 
    a period of five years after obtaining such status;
         Refugees, for a period of five years after the date they 
    entered the U.S. as refugees;
         Cuban/Haitian entrants, as defined in section 501(e) of 
    the Refugee Education Assistant Act of 1980, for a
    
    [[Page 61411]]
    
    period of five years after they obtain such status; and
         Amerasian immigrants admitted to the U.S. pursuant to 
    section 84 of the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related 
    Programs Appropriations Act of 1988, for a period of five years after 
    their admission.
        Unlike the derivative eligibility provision for Medicaid, aliens 
    receiving SSI benefits for not entitled to derivative eligibility for 
    Food Stamps if they are otherwise ineligible for Food Stamp benefits 
    under the Act.
    
    Documentation of Exceptions
    
        The documents listed below (examples of which are attached to 
    Attachment 5 of the Interim Guidance) establish that an applicant falls 
    within one of the excepted categories of aliens.
        Under the INA, all aliens over the age of 14 who remain in the 
    United States for longer than 30 days are required to register with the 
    Immigration and Naturalization Service (the ``INS'') and obtain an 
    alien registration document; all aliens over the age of 18 who receive 
    a registration document are required to carry it with them at all 
    times. With certain exceptions (e.g., Canadian visitors), aliens 
    entering the U.S. are normally issued a registration document (e.g., an 
    INS Form I-94) at the time of entry. The documents listed below that 
    are registration documents are indicated with an asterisk (``*'').
        Each of the documents listed below will demonstrate lawful status, 
    and you should not require presentation of a registration document if 
    the applicant presents one for the other legally acceptable documents 
    that reasonably appears on its face to be genuine and to relate to the 
    person presenting it. However, if the document presented is not a 
    registration document and does not on its face reasonably appear to be 
    genuine or to relate to the person presenting it, it is appropriate to 
    ask the applicant to produce his or her registration document as 
    additional evidence of immigration status, so long as the request is 
    not made for a discriminatory reason (see Nondiscrimination Advisory, 
    Attachment 2 to Interim Guidance). Presentation of a registration 
    document listed below that reasonably appears on its face to be genuine 
    and to relate to the person presenting it (or to satisfy a higher 
    applicable standard) will often obviate the need to verify the 
    applicant's immigration status with the INS; if the applicant presents 
    a registration document that does not meet this standard, sending the 
    INS a copy of the document will assist it in verifying the applicant's 
    status quickly and accurately.
    Alien Lawfully Admitted for Permanent Resident (``LPR'') under the INA 
    Who Has Worked or Can Be Credited With 40 Qualifying Quarters or Who is 
    Otherwise Eligible
        LPR:
         *INS Form I-551 (Alien Registration Receipt Card, commonly 
    known as a ``green card''); or
         Unexpired temporary I-551 stamp in foreign passport or on 
    *INS Form I-94.
        40 Qualifying Quarters: Until you have access to SSA's automated 
    system for verifying qualifying quarters, refer to the SSA Guidance 
    attached as Exhibit A for guidance on how to verify 40 qualifying 
    quarters. NOTE: Any quarter after December 31, 1996, cannot be counted 
    if the alien received any federal means-tested public benefit during 
    that quarter.
        LPR Who is Otherwise Eligible: An LPR who does not have 40 
    qualifying quarters will still be eligible if he or she:
         entered the U.S. as a refugee within the previous five 
    years, was granted asylum during the previous five years, or had his or 
    her deportation or removal withheld within the previous five years:
        If an applicant attests to having been admitted as a refugee within 
    the previous five years, review the applicant's INS Form I-551 (green 
    card) for code RE-6, RE-7, RE-8 or RE-9, and derive the date of 
    admission from the date on the card.
        If an applicant attests to having been granted asylum or having had 
    deportation or removal withheld within the previous five years, file 
    INS Form G-845 and Supplement along with a copy of the I-551 with the 
    local INS office to verify status.
    or
         is an honorably discharged veteran who fulfilled minimum 
    active-duty service requirements, or is a person on none-training 
    active duty or is the spouse, dependent child, or unremarried surviving 
    spouse of such a person:
        Referer to DOD Guidance attached as Exhibit B for guidance on how 
    to verify such status.
    Qualified Alien Lawfully Residing in State Who Is an Honorably 
    Discharged Veteran, On Non-Training Active Duty in the U.S. Armed 
    Forces, or the Spouse, Unmarried Dependent Child, or Unremarried 
    Surviving Spouse of Such a Veteran or Active-Duty Personnel
         Refer to Attachment 5 to the Interim Guidance for 
    documentation of qualified alien status; and
         Refer to DOD/VA Guidance attached as Exhibit B for 
    guidance on how to verify veteran and active duty status.
    Qualified Alien Lawfully Residing in the U.S. Who Was Receiving SSI on 
    August 22, 1996.
         Contact SSA for guidance on appropriate documentation.
    Qualified Alien Lawfully Residing the U.S. on August 22, 1996 Who Is 
    Blind or Disabled
         Contact SSA for guidance on appropriate documentation.
    Qualified Alien Receiving SSI Benefits After July 1996 on the Basis of 
    An Application Filed Before January 1, 1979:
         Contact SSA for guidance on appropriate documentation.
    American Indians Born in Canada and Covered By Section 289 of the INA
         *INS Form I-551 (Alien Registration Receipt Card, commonly 
    known as a ``green card'') with the code S13;
        Unexpired temporary I-551 stamp in Canadian passport or on *INS 
    Form I-94 with the code S13; or
         A letter or other tribal document certifying at least 50 
    per centum American Indian blood, as required by INA Section 289, 
    combined with a birth certificate or other satisfactory evidence of 
    birth in Canada.
    Members of an Indian Tribe
         Membership card or other tribal document demonstrating 
    membership in a federally-recognized Indian tribe under section 4(e) of 
    the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act. Contact Soo 
    Song, Deputy Director, Office of Tribal Justice, United States 
    Department of Justice, (202) 415-8812, for a list of federally-
    recognized tribes under section 4(e).
         If the individual has no document evidencing tribal 
    membership, contact the tribal government for confirmation of the 
    individual's membership. Tribal government contact lists are available 
    from Soo Song, Deputy Director, Office of Tribal Justice, Department of 
    Justice, (202) 514-8812.
    Asylee
         *INS Form I-94 annotated with stamp showing grant of 
    asylum under Sec. 208 of the INA;
         *INS Form I-688B (Employment Authorization Card) annotated 
    ``274a12(a)(5)'';
         INS Form I-766 (Employment Authorization Document) 
    annotated ``A5'';
    
    [[Page 61412]]
    
         Grant letter from the Asylum Office of INS; or
         Order of an immigration judge granting asylum.
        Seven or Five-Year Limit: Where eligibility is limited to asylees 
    who obtained asylee status within the previous seven or five years, INS 
    Form I-94, the INS grant letter and the court order will each include 
    the date asylee status was granted; if the applicant cannot provide any 
    of these documents, file INS Form G-845 and Supplement along with a 
    copy of the documents indicating asylee status with the local INS 
    office to verify the date the status was granted.
    Refugee
         *INS Form I-94 annotated with stamp showing admission 
    under section 207 of the INA;
         INS Form I-688B (Employment Authorization Card) annotated 
    ``274a12(a)(3)'';
         *INS Form I-766 (Employment Authorization Document) 
    annotated ``A3''; or
         INS Form I-571 (Refugee Travel Document).
        Seven or Five-Year Limit: Where eligibility is limited to aliens 
    who were admitted as refugees within the previous seven or five years, 
    the date of inspection on the refugee stamp on INS Form I-94 will 
    indicate the date of admission as a refugee; if the date is missing or 
    if the applicant cannot present an I-94, file INS Form G-845 and 
    Supplement along with a copy of the pertinent documents with the local 
    INS office to verify the date of admission as a refugee.
    Alien Whose Deportation or Removal Was Withheld
         *INS Form I-688B (Employment Authorization Card) annotated 
    ``274a12(a)(10)'';
         INS Form I-766 (Employment Authorization Document) 
    annotated ``A10''; or
         Order from an immigration judge showing deportation 
    withheld under Sec. 243(h) of the INA as in effect prior to April 1, 
    1997, or removal withheld under Sec. 241(b)(3) of the INA.
        Seven or Five-Year Limited: Where eligibility is limited to aliens 
    whose deportation was withheld within the previous seven or five years, 
    the court order will include the date deportation was withheld; if the 
    applicant does not present a court order, file INS Form G-845 and 
    Supplement along with a copy of the pertinent documents with the local 
    INS office to verify the date deportation was withheld.
    Cuban/Haitian Entrants
         *INS Form I-551 (Alien Registration Receipt Card, commonly 
    known as a ``green card'') with the code CU6, CU7, and CH6;
         Unexpired temporary I-551 stamp in foreign passport or on 
    *INS Form I-94 with the code CU6 or CU7; or
         INS Form *I-94 with stamp showing parole as ``Cuban/
    Haitian Entrant'' under Section 212(d)(5) of the INA.
        Seven or Five-Year Limit: Where eligibility is limited to aliens 
    who were granted status as a Cuban/Haitian entrant within the previous 
    seven or five years, the date on the INS Form I-551 or the date of 
    inspection on the stamp on INS Form I-94 will indicate the date status 
    was granted; if the date is missing on Form I-94, file INS Form G-845 
    and Supplement along with a copy of the pertinent documents with the 
    local INS office to verify the date status was granted.
    Amerasian Immigrants
         *INS Form I-551 (Alien Registration Receipt Card, commonly 
    known as a ``green card'') with the code AM6, AM7, or AM8; or
         Unexpired temporary I-551 stamp in foreign passport or on 
    *INS Form I-94 with the code AM1, AM2, or AM3.
        Seven or Five-Year Limit: Where eligibility is limited to aliens 
    who were admitted as Amerasian immigrants within the previous seven or 
    five years, the date on the INS Form I-551 or the date of inspection on 
    the stamp on INS Form I-94 will indicate the date of admission; if the 
    date is missing on Form I-94, file INS Form G-845 and Supplement along 
    with a copy of the pertinent documents with the local INS office to 
    verify the date of admission.
        Expired or Absent Documentation: If an applicant presents expired 
    documents or is unable to present any documentation evidencing his or 
    her immigration status, refer the applicant to the local INS office to 
    obtain documentation of status. In unusual cases involving applicants 
    who are hospitalized or medically disabled, or who can otherwise show 
    good cause for their inability to present documentation, and for whom 
    securing such documentation would constitute an undue hardship, if the 
    applicant can provide an alien registration number, you may file INS 
    Form G-845 and Supplement, along with the alien registration number and 
    a copy of any expired INS document presented, with the local INS office 
    to verify status. As with any documentation of immigration status, you 
    should confirm that the status information you receive back from INS 
    pertains to the applicant whose identity you have verified.
        Receipt for Replacement Document: If an applicant presents a 
    receipt indicating that he or she has applied to the INS for a 
    replacement document for one of the documents identified above, file 
    INS Form G-845 and Supplement, along with a copy of the receipt and a 
    copy of any expired INS document presented, with the local INS office 
    to verify status. Upon return receipt of information from INS, confirm 
    that it pertains to the applicant whose identify you have verified. You 
    should ask to see the replacement document at a later date.
        Applicants with Disabilities and Nondiscrimination: If an applicant 
    has a disability that limits the applicant's ability to provide the 
    required evidence of immigration status (e.g., mental retardation, 
    amnesia, or other cognitive or mental impairment), you should make 
    every effort to assist the individual to obtain the required evidence. 
    In addition, you should not discriminate against applicants on the 
    basis of race, national origin, gender, religion, age or disability. 
    See Nondiscrimination Advisory, Attachment 2 to Interim Guidance.
        Local INS Offices: A list of local INS offices and their addresses 
    is set forth in Attachment 1 to the Interim Guidance. Attachment 1 also 
    includes a copy of INS Form G-845 and the Supplement thereto to be used 
    to verify immigration status pursuant to the Guidance.
    
    EXHIBIT A TO ATTACHMENT 6--SSA GUIDANCE ON CERTIFICATION OF 40 
    QUALIFYING QUARTERS
    
        Section 402 of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity 
    Reconciliation Act of 1996 (``the Act'') generally limits the 
    eligibility of legal immigrants for certain federal public benefits, 
    but sections 402(a)(2)(B) and (b)(2)(B) provide an exception for 
    aliens lawfully admitted for permanent residence who have worked or 
    can be credited with 40 quarters of qualified work. The law provides 
    that the worker's own quarters and quarters worked by a parent while 
    the alien was under age 18 or by a spouse during the marriage if the 
    alien remains married to the spouse or the marriage ended by the 
    death of the spouse may also be credited to the individual in 
    determining the number of qualifying quarters.
        Implementing this requirement will be challenging for the 
    individual immigrants, program administrators, and the Social 
    Security Administration (``SSA''), which is the primary source of 
    qualifying quarters information. SSA has developed an automated 
    system to provide, on an overnight basis, information on qualifying 
    quarters for work covered under the Social Security Act and certain, 
    but not all, work
    
    [[Page 61413]]
    
    not covered under the Social Security Act. Verification of quarters 
    of coverage for most applicants and current recipients will be 
    accomplished primarily through this automated system.
        SSA's automated system is being revised to include additional 
    available information on qualifying quarters from noncovered work. 
    The following interim procedures for determining whether the 40 
    quarters of qualified work exception is met should be followed until 
    you have access to the SSA automated system. This interim process 
    authorizes certification of eligibility pending verification through 
    the automated system. (This guidance does not supersede program 
    requirements; programs should refer to statutes, regulations, and 
    agency guidance governing certification of eligibility.)
        Under these interim procedures, the individual's attestation to 
    40 quarters is sufficient provided the immigrant, alone or in 
    combination with his parents and/or spouse, has spent sufficient 
    time in this country to have acquired 40 quarters of qualified work. 
    The individual need only state that he or she, alone or in 
    combination with his or her parents and/or spouse, has met the work 
    requirement. No further documentation of earnings is required at 
    application. These interim procedures should be used when the legal 
    immigrant does not qualify under other exemptions of the Act (e.g., 
    refugees, asylees, or deportees with five years of limited 
    eligibility, or applicants with a claim to eligibility based on 
    military service).
        Although the automated system is now available, each state must 
    approve an addendum to the current Computer Matching and Privacy 
    Protection Act agreement they maintain with SSA before access to the 
    system can be approved. When you sign the agreement, SSA will 
    provide further guidance defining covered/noncovered qualifying 
    quarters, how to use the system when making determinations, and how 
    to resolve problems arising from discrepancies.
        After the agreement addendum is signed and access to the system 
    approved, you should contact SSA to schedule a quarters of coverage 
    verification for each individual you conclude has met the 40 
    quarters exemption using these interim instructions. SSA will report 
    back a qualifying quarters of coverage history for each individual 
    and applicable family member requested. SSA will provide additional 
    guidance and the name of the contact for scheduling verification.
    
    Interim Procedures
    
        To determine eligibility based on 40 qualifying quarters, the 
    State agency/benefit provider should ascertain the applicant's 
    understanding as to the following:
        1. How many years has the applicant, the applicant's spouse 
    (during their marriage if they are still married or the marriage 
    ended by the death of the spouse), or the applicant's parents 
    (before the applicant turned 18) lived and/or worked in this 
    country.
        (If the answer to 1 is a total of less than 10 years, the 
    applicant cannot meet the 40 qualifying quarter requirement. Stop at 
    this point.)
        (If the total equals 10 years or the applicant alleges they 
    commuted to work in the U.S., then proceed to question 2.)
        2. In how many of the years reported in answer to question 1, 
    did the applicant, the applicant's spouse, or the applicant's parent 
    earn money through work.
        (If the state agency/benefit provider or the applicant needs 
    further information about what constitutes a ``quarter of coverage'' 
    in those years, they may wish to refer to the attached chart.)
        Verify, from INS documents, the date of entry into the country 
    of the applicant, spouse and/or parent. If the dates are consistent 
    with having 10 or more years of work, no further documentation is 
    required at this time; the state agency/benefit provider should 
    conclude that the immigrant meets the 40 qualifying quarters of work 
    exception pending verification from SSA. Inform the applicant 
    (subject to each program's requirements and due process 
    considerations) that he/she may have to repay any benefits to which 
    he/she is not found to be entitled after verification. Keep a record 
    of each individual certified pending verification from SSA.
        If the dates of entry are inconsistent with having 10 or more 
    years of work, deny benefits and notify the applicant of his/her 
    right to appeal the denial of benefits.
        The applicant shall also provide, for purposes of future 
    verification, the full name, social security number, date of birth, 
    and sex of each individual (self, parent or spouse) whose work 
    history is relevant to the determination of eligibility. In 
    addition, obtain a release form signed by each such individual (copy 
    attached) giving SSA permission to release information concerning 
    that individual's entire quarters of coverage history to the state 
    agency/benefit provider and/or the applicant. This form shall be 
    retained in the case file to document the individual's consent.
        As noted earlier, these are temporary instructions and you 
    should schedule verification of all cases processed under these 
    guidelines with SSA. In its response, SSA will provide available 
    information about qualifying quarters of work. Consult the SSA 
    guidelines for using the system if the immigrant believes the 
    information from SSA is inaccurate or incomplete. If SSA action is 
    required, SSA will give the individual a document indicating that 
    the number of quarters is under review. Refer to the requirements of 
    your program to determine whether an immigrant may receive benefits 
    during the period of SSA's review.
    
    Establishing Qualifying Quarters
    
        The term ``quarter'' means the three calendar month period 
    ending on March 31, June 30, September 30, or December 31 of any 
    year.
        Social Security credits called ``quarters of coverage'' 
    (``QCs'') are earned by working at a job or as a self-employed 
    individual. Each earner can be credited with a maximum of four 
    quarters each year.
        For 1978 and later, credits are based solely on the total yearly 
    amount of earnings. All types of earnings follow this rule. The 
    number of creditable QCs are obtained by dividing the individual's 
    total yearly earned income by the increment amount for the year up 
    to a yearly maximum of four. The amount of earnings needed to earn a 
    credit increases and is different for each year. For 1978 through 
    1997, the amount of earnings needed for each credit is:
    
    1978...............................................................$250
    1979...............................................................$260
    1980...............................................................$290
    1981...............................................................$310
    1982...............................................................$340
    1983...............................................................$370
    1984...............................................................$390
    1985...............................................................$410
    1986...............................................................$440
    1987...............................................................$460
    1988...............................................................$470
    1989...............................................................$500
    1990...............................................................$520
    1991...............................................................$540
    1992...............................................................$570
    1993...............................................................$590
    1994...............................................................$620
    1995...............................................................$630
    1996...............................................................$640
    1997...............................................................$670
    
        A current year quarter may be included in the 40 quarter 
    computation. Use the yearly amount shown in the chart as the divisor 
    to determine the number of quarters available up to a yearly maximum 
    of four. FOLLOW YOUR AGENCY GUIDELINES REGARDING COUNTING A QUARTER 
    THAT HAS NOT ENDED.
        If you need to use quarters before 1978:
         A credit was earned for each calendar quarter in which 
    an individual was paid $50 or more in wages (including agricultural 
    wages for 1951-1954);
         Four credits were earned for each taxable year in which 
    an individual's net earnings from self-employment were $400 or more; 
    and/or
         A credit was earned for each $100 (limit to a total of 
    four) of agricultural wages paid during the year for years 1955 
    through 1977.
        QUALIFYING QUARTER FROM NONCOVERED EARNINGS WILL ALSO BE 
    DETERMINED USING THE ABOVE GUIDELINES.
    
    EXHIBIT B TO ATTACHMENT 6--DOD GUIDANCE ON IMPLEMENTATION OF VETERAN 
    AND ACTIVE DUTY EXCEPTION
    
        This fact sheet provides guidance for implementing certain 
    sections of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity 
    Reconciliation Act of 1996 (``the Act'') concerning exemptions for 
    active duty service members and veterans and their family members. 
    The Act limits the eligibility of certain aliens to receive public 
    benefits. Under various provisions of the Act, a qualified alien who 
    is lawfully residing in a state and is (1) a veteran (per 38 U.S.C. 
    101(2), 107, 1101, or 1301) with an Honorable Discharge (not on 
    account of alienage) and who fulfills the minimum active-duty 
    service requirements of 38 U.S.C. 5303A(d); (2) on active duty 
    (other than active duty for training) in the United States Armed 
    Forces; or (3) a spouse, unmarried dependent child, or unremarried 
    surviving spouse of such an individual, is eligible for particular 
    programs.
    
    [[Page 61414]]
    
    Honorably Discharged Veterans
    
         A discharge certificate, DD Form 214 or equivalent, 
    that shows active duty in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, 
    or Coast Guard and character of discharge ``Honorable'' is 
    acceptable to qualify for the veteran exemption without further 
    inquiry, unless the certificate appears to have been altered or is 
    otherwise irregular. A discharge certificate that shows character of 
    discharge as anything but ``Honorable'' is not acceptable for 
    purposes of this exemption and need not be referred to the VA. 
    (Note: A character of discharge ``Under Honorable Conditions'' is 
    NOT an ``Honorable'' discharge for these purposes.) A discharge 
    certificate that shows ``Honorable'' and any other branch of service 
    or any other type of duty (e.g., ``Active Duty for Training,'' 
    ``Inactive Duty for Training,'' etc.) should be referred to the 
    local VA regional office for determination as to veteran status.
         If veteran status is claimed but the individual has no 
    papers showing service or discharge, refer the inquiry to the local 
    VA regional office to determine veteran status.
         If a discharge certificate, DD Form 214 or equivalent, 
    shows an original enlistment in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast 
    Guard, or Maine Corps before September 7, 1980, there is no minimum 
    active-duty service requirement. If a discharge certificate, DD Form 
    214 or equivalent, shows two or more years of continuous active duty 
    in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, or Marine Corps, the 
    individual meets the minimum active-duty service requirement. If 
    such a discharge certificate is not available, or if it shows 
    active-duty service of less than two years with an original 
    enlistment after September 7, 1980, refer the inquiry to the local 
    VA regional office to determine satisfaction of the minimum active-
    duty service requirement.
         Applications for exemption based on status as a spouse, 
    unmarried dependent child, or unremarried surviving spouse of an 
    honorably discharged veteran require a determination of the 
    veteran's status and a determination that the applicant is a spouse 
    or child. Status of the veteran may be established by possession of 
    a discharge certificate showing an ``Honorable'' discharge. If the 
    applicant is not in possession of a discharge certificate, refer the 
    question of veteran status to the VA for a determination. The 
    determination as to whether the individual is a spouse or an 
    unmarried dependent child should be made based on your agency 
    guidance for marital and dependency status. VA will not make spousal 
    or dependency findings in these cases.
         Applications for exception based on status as an 
    unremarried surviving spouse of a veteran or active-duty personnel 
    further require the following findings (set forth in 38 U.S.C. 
    1304), in addition to a determination that the surviving spouse has 
    not remarried:
    
    --that the surviving spouse was married to the veteran or active-
    duty personnel within fifteen years after the termination of the 
    period of service in which the injury or disease causing the death 
    of the veteran was incurred or aggravated;
    --that the surviving spouse was married to the veteran or active-
    duty personnel for one year or more; or
    --that a child was born of the relationship between the surviving 
    spouse and the veteran or active-duty personnel, either during or 
    before the marriage.
    
    Members on Active Duty
    
         Active duty as a member of the Armed Forces means the 
    individual is on full time duty in the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, 
    Marine Corps, or Coast Guard. It does not include full-time National 
    Guard duty.
         Service members on active duty shall establish their 
    status by presenting a current Military Identification Card (DD Form 
    2 (Active)) that lists an expiration date of more than one year from 
    the date of determination.
         If the Military Identification Card is due to expire 
    within one year from the date of the determination, the service 
    member shall verify active duty by showing a copy of his or her 
    current military orders. If the service member is unable to furnish 
    a copy of his or her military orders, active duty may be verified 
    through the nearest RAPIDS (Real Time Automated Personnel 
    Identification System) (located at many military installations) or 
    by notifying the following office in writing (which can be 
    transmitted by facsimile): DEERS Support Office, ATTN: Research and 
    Analysis, 400 Gigling Road, Seaside, California 93955-6771, Fax 
    Number: (408) 655-8317.
    
    Reserve Members (not on active duty for training)
    
         Active duty for training is temporary full-time duty in 
    the Armed Forces performed by members of the Reserves, Army National 
    Guard, or Air National Guard for training purposes. Active duty for 
    training does not establish eligible status. However, a discharge 
    from active duty for training may establish veteran status and 
    should be referred to VA for a determination.
         A Member of a Reserve Component shall establish status 
    by showing a current DD Form 2 (Reserve) [red] and military active 
    duty orders showing such person is on active duty, but not on active 
    duty for training. No other method for verifying this status is 
    currently available.
    
    Spouse, Children, or Unremarried Surviving Spouse of Active Duty 
    Members or Veterans
    
        Step 1. Establish that the individual is a spouse, dependent 
    child, or unremarried surviving spouse of an active duty member or 
    veteran.
         The determination as to whether an individual is a 
    spouse of an active duty member or veteran should be made based on 
    your agency guidance. Possession of a current Military 
    Identification Card showing that the individual is married to a 
    veteran or active duty member may be considered as evidence of 
    marriage to the member.
         The determination as to whether an individual is an 
    unremarried surviving spouse of an active-duty member or veteran 
    should be made based on agency guidance, in accordance with the 
    following requirements (set forth in 38 U.S.C. Sec. 1304), in 
    addition to a determination that the surviving spouse has not 
    remarried:
    
    --the surviving spouse was married to the veteran or active-duty 
    personnel within fifteen years after the termination of the period 
    of service in which the injury or disease causing the death of the 
    veteran was incurred or aggravated;
    --the surviving spouse was married to the veteran or active-duty 
    personnel for one year or more; or
    --that a child was born of the relationship between the surviving 
    spouse and the veteran or active-duty personnel, either during or 
    before the marriage.
    
         The determination as to whether an individual is an 
    unmarried legally adopted or biological dependent child of an 
    honorably discharged veteran or active duty member of the Armed 
    Forces should be made based on your agency guidance. Possession of a 
    Military Identification Card may be considered as evidence that a 
    child is dependent on the veteran or on the active duty member of 
    the Armed Forces for his or her support and is under the age of 18 
    or if a full time student, under age 22.
        Step 2. Determine that the member is on active duty or is a 
    veteran.
         A spouse or child in possession of a Military 
    Identification Card with an expiration date of more than one year 
    from the date of its presentation presumptively meets the active 
    duty requirement for his or her spouse or parent respectively.
         If the Identification Card is due to expire within one 
    year, the spouse or child must provide a copy of the military orders 
    for his or her spouse or parent as applicable to establish the 
    active duty status of the service member. If married to a reserve 
    member or if an unmarried child of a reserve member, the orders must 
    show that the service member is on active duty and not on active 
    duty for training.
         For dependents not possessing military orders but 
    possessing an Identification Card with an expiration date less than 
    one year from the date of presentation, active duty status can be 
    verified by contacting RAPIDS or the DEERS Support Office.
         If a dependent child does not possess a Dependent 
    Military Identification Card, status may be ascertained through the 
    nearest RAPIDS station or by contacting the DEERS Office at the 
    address provided above.
         A spouse or child showing a discharge certificate, DD 
    Form 214 or equivalent, that shows active duty in the Army, Navy, 
    Air Force, Marine Corps or Coast Guard and character of discharge 
    ``Honorable'' is acceptable to establish the veteran status of his 
    or her spouse or parent respectively without further inquiry, unless 
    the certificate appears to be altered or irregular. If veteran 
    status is claimed, but the spouse or child does not have papers 
    showing service or discharge, refer the inquiring to the local VA 
    regional office for determination.
    
    Attachment 7--Interim Guidance; Federal Means-Tested Public 
    Benefits
    
        The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act 
    of 1996 (the ``Act'') provides that qualified aliens entering the 
    United States on or after August 22, 1996, are ineligible for
    
    [[Page 61415]]
    
    federal means-tested public benefits during the first five years they 
    are qualified aliens, unless they fall within a specific exception. 
    (With limited exceptions, non-qualified aliens are ineligible for such 
    benefits regardless of when they entered the United States.) All 
    qualified aliens are eligible for federal means-tested public benefits 
    after the expiration of such five-year period, unless the State in 
    which the alien seeks benefits has imposed additional restrictions on 
    eligibility.
        The Department of Health and Human Services and the Social Security 
    Administration have interpreted the limitations on eligibility for 
    federal means-tested public benefits to apply only to mandatory 
    spending programs of the federal government in which eligibility for 
    benefits, or the amount of such benefits, or both, are determined on 
    the basis of income, resources, or financial need of the individual, 
    household, or family. See 62 FR 45,256 (August 26, 1997); 62 FR 45,284 
    (August 26, 1997). Under the HHS and SSA interpretations, TANF, 
    Medicaid, and SSI are federal means-tested public benefits that are not 
    otherwise exempted under the Act. You should consult with the 
    appropriate federal agency overseeing the benefit program you 
    administer to determine whether the program is a federal means-tested 
    public benefit program.
        The eligibility of qualified aliens for federal means-tested public 
    benefits turns on whether they entered the U.S. before August 22, 1996, 
    the number of years since they obtained qualified alien status, their 
    particular immigration status, and the specific benefits they are 
    seeking.
        1. Determine whether the qualified alien entered the United States 
    before August 22, 1996, by reviewing the documents evidencing his or 
    her immigration status or, if the documents do not indicate whether the 
    alien entered before August 22, 1996, by reviewing additional 
    documentation pursuant to guidance provided by the agency or department 
    overseeing your program. Further determine whether the qualified alien 
    obtained qualified alien status prior to August 22, 1996. See 
    Attachment 6 for a list of documents evidencing qualified alien status 
    and guidance on how to derive relevant dates from those documents. In 
    addition to the documents listed in Attachment 6, an alien who was in 
    the United States before August 22, 1996, in a nonimmigrant or other 
    lawful status, but who subsequently obtained qualified alien status, 
    may present INS Form I-94, which is stamped with the date of entry, to 
    demonstrate entry prior to August 22, 1996.
         If the applicant entered the United States before August 
    22, 1996, and obtained qualified alien status before that date, he or 
    she is eligible for all federal means-tested public benefits for which 
    he or she satisfies all programmatic eligibility requirements. You 
    should not engage in any further verification of immigration status for 
    these persons.
         If the applicant entered the United States before August 
    22, 1996, but obtained qualified alien status after that date, you must 
    verify that the alien was continuously present in the United States 
    from the latest date of entry prior to August 22, 1996, until the date 
    he or she obtained qualified alien status. In general, any single 
    absence from the United States of more than 30 days, or a total of 
    aggregated absences of more than 90 days, should be considered to 
    interrupt ``continuous presence.'' To verify continuous presence, you 
    should follow guidance provided by the agency or department overseeing 
    your program, which may call for an applicant to present additional 
    documentation such as tax returns, bills, rent receipts, or a letter 
    from an employer. If the applicant can demonstrate continuous presence, 
    he or she is eligible for all federal means-tested public benefits for 
    which he or she satisfies all programmatic eligibility requirements.
         If the applicant entered the United States before August 
    22, 1996, and obtained qualified alien status after that date but was 
    not continuously present in the United States from the latest date of 
    entry prior to August 22, 1996, until obtaining such status, determine 
    if he or she is eligible under Paragraphs 2 and 3 below.
         If the applicant entered the United States on or after 
    August 22, 1996, and is a qualified alien, determine if he or she is 
    eligible under Paragraphs 2 and 3 below.
        2. With certain exceptions listed below, an applicant who entered 
    the United States on or after August 22, 1996, and has attained 
    qualified alien status, or who entered the United States before August 
    22, 1996, and obtained qualified alien status after that date but did 
    not remain continuously present in the United States from the latest 
    date of entry prior to August 22, 1996, until obtaining such status, is 
    ineligible for all federal means-tested public benefits during the 
    first five years after he or she obtained qualified alien status. Thus, 
    unless the applicant falls within one of the excepted categories listed 
    below, such an applicant is only eligible for federal means-tested 
    public benefits for which he or she satisfies all programmatic 
    eligibility requirements if five years have passed from the date the 
    applicant attained qualified alien status. Determine the date on which 
    the applicant attained qualified alien status by reviewing the 
    documents evidencing his or her status or, if the documents do not 
    indicate the date he or she obtained such status, by filing INS Form G-
    845 and Supplement along with a copy of the document with the local INS 
    office.
        As noted above, the following categories of aliens are exempt from 
    this five-year ban:
        a. Refugees, asylees and aliens whose deportation or removal has 
    been withheld--see Attachment 5 to Interim Guidance for definition and 
    documentation;
        b. Qualified aliens lawfully residing in any state who are 
    honorably discharged veterans and who fulfill minimum active-duty 
    service requirements, or who are on non-training active duty in the 
    U.S. Armed Forces, or who are the spouse, unmarried dependent child, or 
    unmarried surviving spouse of such a veteran or active service member, 
    provided that, in the latter case, the marriage satisfies the 
    requirements of 38 U.S.C. 1304--see Attachment 6 and Exhibit B thereto 
    to Interim Guidance for definition and documentation;
        c. Cuban/Haitian entrants, as defined in section 501(e) of the 
    Refugee Education Assistance Act of 1980;
        d. Amerasian immigrants admitted to the U.S. pursuant to section 
    584 of the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs 
    Appropriations Act of 1988; and
        e. With respect to SSI and Medicaid benefits, American Indians born 
    in Canada and to whom the provisions of section 289 of the INA apply or 
    members of an Indian tribe (as defined in section 4(e) of the Indian 
    Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act).
        3. Under the terms of the Act, the five-year ban does not apply to 
    the following benefits or assistance:
         Medical assistance under Title XIX of the Social Security 
    Act (or any successor program to such Title) for care and services that 
    are necessary for the treatment of an emergency medical condition (as 
    defined in Sec. 1903(v)(3) of such Act) of the alien involved and are 
    not related to an organ transplant procedure, if the alien involved 
    otherwise meets the eligibility requirements for medical assistance 
    under the state plan approved under such Title (other than the 
    requirement of the receipt of aid or assistance under Title IV of such 
    Act, SSI benefits under
    
    [[Page 61416]]
    
    Title XVI of such Act, or a state supplementary payment);
         Short-term, non-cash, in-kind emergency disaster relief;
         Assistance or benefits under the National School Lunch 
    Act;
         Assistance or benefits under the Child Nutrition Act of 
    1966;
         Public health assistance (not including any assistance 
    under Title XIX of the Social Security Act) for immunizations with 
    respect to immunizable diseases and for testing and treatment of 
    symptoms of communicable diseases whether or not such symptoms are 
    caused by a communicable disease;
         Payments for foster care and adoption assistance under 
    parts B and E of Title IV of the Social Security Act for a parent or 
    child who would, in the absence of the Act's prohibition on payment of 
    federal means-tested public benefits to qualified aliens during the 
    first five years after entry into the U.S. with qualified alien status, 
    be eligible to have such payments made on the child's behalf under such 
    part, but only if the foster or adoptive parent(s) of such child is a 
    qualified alien;
         Benefits covered by Attorney General Order No. 2049, 61 
    F.R. 45985 (Aug. 30, 1996), re: government-funded community programs, 
    services or assistance that are necessary for protection of life or 
    safety;
         Programs of student assistance under Titles IV, V, IX, and 
    X of the Higher Education Act of 1965, and Titles III, VII, and VIII of 
    the Public Health Service Act;
         Means-tested programs under the Elementary and Secondary 
    Education Act of 1965;
         Benefits under the Head Start Act; and
         Benefits under the Job Training Partnership Act.
    
    [FR Doc. 97-29851 Filed 11-14-97; 8:45 am]
    BILLING CODE 4410-10-M
    
    
    

Document Information

Effective Date:
10/29/1997
Published:
11/17/1997
Department:
Justice Department
Entry Type:
Notice
Action:
Notice of interim guidance with request for comments.
Document Number:
97-29851
Dates:
This Interim Guidance is effective October 29, 1997.
Pages:
61344-61416 (73 pages)
Docket Numbers:
AG Order No. 2129-97
PDF File:
97-29851.pdf