1105.010.10.40 Immigrants From Micronesia, The Marshall Islands, and Palau – DSS Manuals

IM-11 February 24, 2025 ; IM-103 October 4, 2004

Micronesia, The Marshall Islands, and Palau have a Compact of Free Association (COFA) with the United States, meaning citizens of these nations are allowed to enter and leave the U.S. at will. Effective 3/9/2024, these individuals are eligible to receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits without any waiting period and are not subject to sponsor deeming.

These participants may become lawful permanent residents but are not required to do so. If they do become a permanent resident, then they remain eligible without a waiting period due to COFA status and must remain coded in the eligibility system as Micronesian, Marshallese, or Palauan.

Acceptable forms of documentation of these statuses are:

Birth certificate from Micronesia, The Marshall Islands, or Palau

Passport issued by Micronesia, The Marshall Islands, or Palau

I-94 with the following Class of Admissions (COA) codes: FSM or CFA/FSM (Federated States of Micronesia) RMI or CFA/RMI (Republic of The Marshall Islands) PAL or CFA/PAL (Palau)

Note : COFA immigrants are not routinely issued alien registration numbers and instead use their I-94 number.