Applying for Food Stamps/SNAP While Waiting Visa

[Winky 4]

I need advice. I am a US citizen and I want to apply for emergency food stamps. I live with my mother-in-law and since her boyfriend is in jail, all the money she earns goes to the rent and we barely make it for food. I can't help her yet because I have a baby and I don't trust anyone with babysitting my child, except my mom and my sisters. But they are not willing to babysit my son. I want to know if getting food stamps will affect my husband's visa processing in some way.

Edited June 25, 2013 by Winky

[Penguin_ie 5,994]

Not directly, but obviously you will need to find a co-sponsor.

[NickD 203]

As far as I know, any US citizen can apply for food stamps, but the immigrants cannot. In regards to petitioning for my wife and her daughter, had to provide a certified financial statement to prove I had the cash to pay all those fees and properly support my wife and stepdaughter well above the poverty wages.

Had no problems with that, had plenty of assets and cash, but kind of told me, it's time for them to change that poem written on that Statue of Liberty. That is all BS today, they only want your rich.

Living with your mother-in-law is confusing, where? Is she naturalized? Can only apply for food stamps in the good old USA as a US citizen.

[Winky 4]

Not directly, but obviously you will need to find a co-sponsor.

I already have a co-sponsor. His income is awesome. Plus, we already send all his recent taxes to the embassy and we are now waiting for the visa.

[Robert&Denia 1]

You should be fine

[Winky 4]

NickD, thank you for sharing. The thing is that we live in a two bedroom apartment. My mother in law and her boyfriend pay rent, electricity and water bills half and half and we didn't worried much about the food budget. Both of them are not here legally but that's not important. The problem is that her boyfriend got arrested unjustly and my mother in law cannot carry the burden of paying everything by herself. I cannot work yet because the baby is two months and no one in my family wants to babysit him. We are hoping that either her boyfriend gets out of jail or that my husband gets his visa so he can come and help us out. But, time is ticking and nothing comes out it. So, I'm not sure if applying for government assistance right now is the right thing to do. I don't want to cause a problem with my husband's visa. We are in the final part of the journey and I don't want to mess it up.

Edited June 25, 2013 by Winky

[NickD 203]

All I can say as a US sponsor, was never asked that question, but sure ask those questions to the immigrant applicant. Also noticed people at grocery stores using this WIC program for baby food. Something else to look into.

Wife and I do a lot for our grandkids, a shame your family is not the same way. Don't they realize that is all they are going to leave behind?

[newacct 688]

any US citizen can apply for food stamps, but the immigrants cannot.

Immigrants can if they are eligible. It will not affect their green card application.

[NickD 203]

Immigrants can if they are eligible. It will not affect their green card application.

Have to admit, my real experience in this subject is carefully reading that I-864, but not even sure when that imposed forced to sign contract takes effect. But think it takes effect when that immigrant first receives their green card.

What little I know about this subject, when my wife came here, she got a job with the local hospital working in patent assistance. She earned her pay because she was bringing in around 2 million dollars worth of business to her employer. And unlike the USCIS, we were also going through that, she would fill out all those governmental forms for these people in need. Another contrast to bringing her here, most were illegals that had children born here and as such were US citizens by law. And while deporting the husband was customary, would never deport the mother because of the child.

The mother was never permitted to work by law, so the only solution was to get private or public aid for the child, mother could live off of that. Again, a strong contrast we were going through with the USCIS, really a contradiction.

Her job was giving her migrain headaches, we worked together at night of college courses so she learned how to become a medical interpreter, higher pay and not nearly the stress of working with a ton of governmental agencies.

She also had to work hard to pass that civics test, ha, with friends and family, most said, I can't could never pass that test, but they don't, like me, don't have to take it, because we were born here. We have the right to remain stupid. This really hit home to me, along with the fact that she still has to maintain citizenship in her home country to visit her mom.

Something none of us had a choice in, where we were born, and something that all governments including ours really places a very strong emphsis on.

When I think about this, our governments are a bunch of idiots, and wonder why we need leaders in the first place. Ironically we slaves can get alone just fine with peoples from other countries. Something our leaders know very little about.

[Winky 4]

I need advice. I am a US citizen and I want to apply for emergency food stamps. I live with my mother-in-law and since her boyfriend is in jail, all the money she earns goes to the rent and we barely make it for food. I can't help her yet because I have a baby and I don't trust anyone with babysitting my child, except my mom and my sisters. But they are not willing to babysit my son. I want to know if getting food stamps will affect my husband's visa processing in some way.

Bump for this thread. Thank you for sharing your opinion. Things turned out okay and I don't have the need to apply for food stamps anymore.