CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION STATUS REQUIREMENTS FOR FEMA ASSISTANCE
[https://www.fema.gov/press-release/20240822/citizenship-and-immigration-status-requirements-fema-assistance]


Release Date: 
August 22, 2024 

FRANKFORT, KY. – FEMA may provide direct and financial disaster
assistance to U.S. citizens, non-citizen nationals and qualified
non-citizens who were impacted by the May 21-27 severe storms,
straight-line winds, tornadoes, landslides and mudslides. Disaster
assistance may include money for temporary rental assistance, home
repairs, personal property loss, medical expenses, funeral expenses
and other serious disaster-related needs or expenses not covered by
insurance or other sources.

A non-citizen national is defined as a person in an outlying
possession of the U.S. (i.e., American Samoa or Swain’s Island) on
or after the date the U.S. acquired possession, or a person whose
parents are U.S. non-citizen nationals. All U.S. citizens are U.S.
nationals, but not every U.S. national is a citizen.

A qualified non-citizen includes:

	* Legal permanent residents (“green card” holders);
	* Non-citizens granted asylum;
	* Refugees;
	* Non-citizens whose deportation status is being withheld for at
least one year;
	* Non-citizens paroled into the U.S. for at least one year for urgent
humanitarian purposes or significant public benefit; 
	* Cuban/Haitian entrants;
	* Certain battered non-citizens or their spouses or children and
	* Certain victims of a severe form of human trafficking, including
persons with a “T” or “U” visa.

If an applicant does not meet the required citizenship or immigration
status at the time of application, the household may still apply for
certain forms of federal assistance if:

	* The parent or legal guardian of a minor child who is a U.S.
citizen, non-citizen national or qualified non-citizen applies on
behalf of the minor child, so long as they live in the same household.
The parent or legal guardian must apply as the co-applicant, and the
minor child must be under age 18 at the time the disaster occurred. 

All individuals, regardless of citizenship and immigration status,
affected by a major disaster may be eligible for crisis counseling
assistance, disaster legal services, disaster case management,
disaster supplemental nutrition assistance program and other
non-monetary, in-kind emergency disaster-relief programs. These
include medical care, shelter, food and water.

Many forms of disaster assistance, such as crisis counseling, legal
services, case management and short-term, non-cash assistance, such as
medical care, shelter, food and water are available to individuals and
families regardless of citizenship status. The deadline to apply for
FEMA assistance is Sept. 22, 2024.

Homeowners, renters, businesses, and nonprofit organizations can
apply for long-term, low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small
Business Administration (SBA) to cover losses not fully compensated by
insurance and other
sources. Apply online using the Electronic Loan Application (ELA) via the SBA’s secure website at
sba.gov/disaster
[https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/disaster-assistance].

For the latest information on Kentucky’s recovery from the May 21-27
severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes, landslides and
mudslides, as well as news releases, fact sheets and other helpful
documents in multiple languages, please visit fema.gov/disaster/4804
[https://www.fema.gov///C:/Users/sholmes1/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/5ERR14NM/fema.gov/disaster/4804]. Follow
FEMA at x.com/femaregion4 [https://x.com/femaregion4]and
facebook.com/fema
[https://www.fema.gov///C:/Users/sholmes1/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/5ERR14NM/facebook.com/fema].

To view information about how to apply for FEMA disaster assistance in American Sign Language with captioning
and a voiceover, please check the YouTube link
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZGpWI2RCNw].