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Minnesota Family Investment Program Minnesota House Research Department Page 7 their immediate families are also exempt from this requirement if the worker verifies that the migrant family earned at least $1,000 in Minnesota within the last 12 months. Eligible families must be citizens of the United States, qualified noncitizens, or noncitizens otherwise lawfully residing in the United States. Undocumented noncitizens and nonimmigrant5 noncitizens are not eligible for MFIP. The state is prohibited by the federal TANF law from using its federal block grant to pay for MFIP benefits to lawfully present noncitizen families, unless they fall into one of the categories specified as eligible in the federal law. Noncitizen eligibility for MFIP cash benefits. The following table identifies the categories of noncitizens who are not eligible for MFIP, the categories for whom the state may use federal funds to provide MFIP cash benefits, and the categories for whom the state may not use federal funds, but instead use only state funds to provide MFIP cash assistance. The entry “N/A” in the table indicates categories where using state monies to provide cash assistance is not applicable, since federal TANF funds may be used to pay for the MFIP cash benefits of participants in those categories. MFIP Cash Benefits: Noncitizen Eligibility by Source of Funds Category of Noncitizen Eligible for federally funded cash portion? Eligible for state-funded cash portion? Undocumented noncitizens No No Nonimmigrant noncitizens No, but there are exceptions for citizens of COFA6 states No, but there is an exception for U visa holders7

5 A nonimmigrant is a person who is lawfully present in the United States, but who is not lawfully residing in the United States (because the person maintains a residence outside the United States). Nonimmigrants are generally admitted temporarily and for a limited purpose (e.g., tourists, foreign students). 6 Compacts of Free Association are international agreements that govern the relationship between the United States and the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau. 7 U visa holders are victims of certain crimes who have suffered mental or physical abuse and are helpful to law enforcement.