Will applying for CalFresh affect my immigration status or count as public charge?

This is an important question that many immigrants worry about. The good news is that CalFresh is NOT considered in public charge determinations. This changed back in 2021, and remains true in 2025. You can safely apply for CalFresh without it affecting your immigration status. Non-citizen parents can also apply for their citizen children without affecting their own immigration cases.

Thank you, that's such a relief to hear! My kids really need the food assistance. So just to be 100% clear - even if I'm applying for permanent residency, getting CalFresh won't hurt my case?

my cousin thought same thing but she got calfresh for 2 years now and had no problem with her papers, they just care about cash aid i think

NOT TRUE!!!! It depends on what immigration status ur applying for!!!! Some visa types DO count public benefits! Don't spread wrong info!

Immigration policy specialist here. To clarify: CalFresh (SNAP/food stamps) was permanently removed from public charge consideration in 2021. This means:\n\n1. CalFresh benefits DO NOT count as public charge\n2. You can safely receive CalFresh without immigration consequences\n3. Your children's benefits don't affect your case either\n\nThe only benefits that might affect public charge determinations are cash assistance programs (like CalWORKs) and long-term institutional care paid by the government. Even then, many immigrants are exempt from public charge rules entirely.\n\nI recommend applying for CalFresh if you need food assistance. Your family deserves to eat properly.

Thank you for this detailed information. I was really confused after seeing the conflicting responses. One more question - does it matter if I'm on a work visa or applying for asylum? Or is it the same rule for all immigration statuses?

This is correct info. My immigration attorney told me same thing when I was worried. CalFresh = OK, Cash aid = potential problem. But ALWAYS talk to immigration lawyer if you have access to one. Every case is different.

I was in the exact same situation last year and was terrified to apply, but my immigration attorney specifically told me CalFresh is safe. I've been receiving benefits for my family for 8 months now with no issues. I even mentioned it during my immigration interview, and the officer confirmed it wasn't a problem.\n\nThe application process was pretty straightforward - they asked about immigration status but that's just to determine eligibility, not to report you to anyone. If you're worried, you can always apply just for your citizen children.

That's so reassuring to hear someone was in the same situation! Did your children get more benefits than you did? I heard non-citizens might get less.

The rules about public charge changed a bunch of times and the county offices are terrible at explaining this stuff clearly!!! I tried calling my county office about this exact question last month and was on hold for TWO HOURS only to be disconnected. So frustrating!

Try using Claimyr next time you need to call the county. It holds your place in line and calls you back when a worker is available. Saved me so much time when I had questions about my mixed immigration status household. Check out their demo video at https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8 or go to claimyr.com. Works for most California county CalFresh offices.

One more thing to be aware of - when you apply, make sure you understand the household composition rules. For CalFresh, you need to include everyone who purchases and prepares food together. This might be different from other benefit programs. Mixed immigration status households can still receive benefits, but the benefit amount may be prorated based on eligible members. The application will ask for immigration status, but this is only to determine eligibility, not for immigration enforcement purposes.

This is really helpful, thank you. We all eat together - myself, my partner (also non-citizen), and our two citizen children. So we'd report all of us but maybe only the kids would be eligible? Our income is pretty low, about $2,800/month for our family of four.

With that income level for a family of 4, there's a good chance you'd qualify even if only the children are eligible. When you apply, make sure to also report all your expenses like rent, utilities, and childcare, as these can be deducted and might increase your benefit amount. The EBT card you'll receive can be used by anyone in the household to purchase food, regardless of who's technically eligible.

just apply online its super easy now u can do it from ur phone on benefitscal website

Thanks everyone for the helpful responses! I feel so much better about applying now. I'm going to submit my application this weekend and make sure to only include our necessary expenses. Really appreciate all the information and personal experiences shared here.

Good luck with your application! Just wanted to add one more helpful tip - if you run into any issues during the application process or have questions about specific documents needed, most counties also have community-based organizations that can help with CalFresh applications for free. They're often more knowledgeable about immigration-related concerns than the regular county staff. You can usually find them by searching "[your county name] CalFresh application assistance" or calling 211. It's great to see you taking this step to help feed your family!