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Page 3 of 5 4. When does the 5-year waiting period begin? The 5-year waiting period begins on the date the alien obtains status as a qualified alien or enters the U.S. in a qualifying status under 8 USC 1613.1 5. Post-OBBB, will individuals who adjust from a status not eligible for SNAP under Section 6(f) of the FNA to lawful permanent resident (LPR) status now need to wait 5 years after adjusting to LPR status to receive SNAP? Not necessarily. Per current policy, aliens who adjust status to LPR from one of the groups exempt from the 5-year waiting period in section 403 of PRWORA (8 USC 1613), are not required to wait for 5 years after becoming an LPR.2 The chart below shows alien groups and whether they are subject to the 5-year waiting period after adjusting their status to LPR. Alien Group Pre-LPR-Adjustment Subject to 5-year Waiting Period After Adjusted Status to LPR3 Refugees No Individuals Granted Asylum No Deportation Withheld No 1 These groups include lawful permanent residents, asylees, refugees, parolees, individuals granted withholding of deportation or removal, conditional entrants, Cuban or Haitian entrants, battered aliens, and alien victims of a severe form of trafficking, Certain American Indians born abroad and Hmong or Highland Laotian tribal members. 2 Refugee, individuals granted asylum, deportation withheld, Cuban and Haitian entrant, Amerasian, individual in a SNAP-eligible alien group with a military connection, individual in a SNAP-eligible alien group who is under age 18, American Indian born abroad, and Hmong or Highland Laotian tribal member. 3 An individual has “adjusted status to LPR” when they have received an approval notice and Permanent Resident Card (Green Card) from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). An individual is not considered an LPR if they have applied to adjust status and have not yet received a decision. through their guidance portal, except to establish historical facts. incorporated into a contract. USDA may not cite, use, or rely on any guidance that is not available Guidance documents lack the force and effect of law, unless expressly authorized by statute or