In December 2020, a second COVID stimulus bill became law in the United States. One important part of this bill decides who will get direct payments. Each eligible individual will receive a $600 check. Parents will also get a $600 check for each child (legal dependent).
Immigration Status and Stimulus Checks
All U.S. citizens and U.S. residents who have a valid Social Security number (SSN) and pay taxes are eligible for the payments if they meet the income requirements (see below).
You are still eligible for payments even if you are married to an undocumented immigrant. If you are married to an undocumented immigrant, you will get a $600 check for yourself and $600 for each child. However, your undocumented spouse will not receive a check.
If you have status under Temporary Protected Status (TPS) or Deferred Action For Childhood Arrivals (DACA), this means you have a valid SSN, and therefore are eligible for stimulus money.
Back Payments with 2020 Taxes
In March 2020, the CARES Act became law, and gave direct payments to U.S. citizens and residents. Those payments were $1200 per eligible individual and $500 per child. However, if you were a U.S. citizen or resident with a valid SSN who was married to an undocumented immigrant, you were not eligible for the payments from the CARES Act. This also prevented payments for your U.S. citizen children. Fortunately, the new law now allows you to request back payments when you file your 2020 taxes.
Income Requirements
To be eligible for a stimulus payment you must meet the following requirements:
Individual must make under $75,000 annually
Head of Household must make under $112,500 annually
Married couples filing jointly must make under $150,000 annually
Last updated: 1-13-2021
Immigration law is always changing. We will do our best to keep our website as up-to-date as possible, but the latest information might be more readily available at USCIS.gov. These pages were written to help you better understand your legal options, however, none of the information published by Catholic Charities Milwaukee should be considered legal advice. If you plan to open your own immigration case, hire an immigration attorney to consult you personally.
