Immigration

There are some resources that a person living in the US may be able to get no matter what his/her immigration status is. These include things like adult and child protective services, violence and abuse prevention, victim assistance short-term and emergency shelter, WIC, emergency Medicaid, among other things. A domestic violence organization in your area may have more information that can help you. [ STATE AND LOCAL PROGRAMS]

Here are some ideas:

Medical care – You might qualify for Medicaid while your INS application is pending. The Medicaid office should help you apply for what is called a “non-work Social Security number” so that you can get your benefits while your final application is pending. There is more information about this in the information I included at the bottom of this message.

The Social Security Administration says (on their website) that if you are a lawfully admitted, non-citizen, who doesn’t have a SSN yet, you can get a non-work SSN to get benefits. To get a number to meet a state or local government requirement, you must provide a letter, on letterhead stationery (no form letters or photocopies), from the government agency requiring you to get a number. Details are here https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10096.pdf. 

Again, you might want to double check that with your lawyer before you call them.

Here is contact info for Medicaid in your state:

[LOOK UP CONTACT INFO FOR THE STATE MEDICAID OFFICE]

Also, Planned Parenthood may be able to help you with medical care, as they seem to understand the social problems that women face. Go to www.plannedparenthood.org to find a Health Center near you. . There may be other community medical centers that can help you, so check with Planned Parenthood, or maybe look in the yellow pages.

HOUSING – You can probably apply for HUD housing without a SSN. The SSA website above says: “To apply for HUD housing – family members age 6 and older must give a Social Security number or get a letter from Social Security stating no number can be assigned.”

Here is some other information about Section 8 Housing:

https://www.hud.gov/topics/housing_choice_voucher_program_section_8

For a privately owned apartment, you might just need some kind of identification, like a passport, along with the court order that you have for spousal support. It will depend on the landlord.

You may also want to call Catholic Charities in [STATE], as they help immigrants in many ways. I do not know what their services in [STATE] are, exactly, but it might be worth a call. [LOOK UP CATHOLIC CHARITIES IN HER STATE]

[IF APPROPRIATE, INCLUDE INFO ABOUT U-VISA – SEE SAMPLE LANGUAGE FOR U-VISAS]