ABSTRACT
From the Introduction: Of the 44.4 million foreign-born individuals residing in the United States in 2017, about one-quarter (10.5 million) were estimated to be unauthorized immigrants. Nearly two-thirds of unauthorized immigrants have resided in the United States for over 10 years. The degree to which unauthorized immigrants should be accorded certain rights and privileges as a result of their residence in the United States has long been the subject of congressional interest, which has been heightened amidst the coronavirus pandemic and the congressional response to its impact on the economy. Prior to 1996, there was no uniform rule governing which categories of foreign nationals (i.e., 'aliens' ) residing in the United States were eligible for which government-provided benefits and services. Title IV of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA, P.L. 104-193) established comprehensive restrictions on the eligibility of noncitizens for federal public benefits. These restrictions applied to the majority of non-naturalized (i.e., non-U.S. citizen) foreign-born persons, including lawful permanent residents (also known as green card holders), asylees and refugees, nonimmigrants, and unauthorized immigrants. This report focuses exclusively on the unauthorized population;it outlines their eligibility for federal benefits generally, and for benefits included in the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA;P.L. 116-127) and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act;P.L. 116-136) specifically.Aliens;Tax rebates;Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act;COVID-19 (Disease)
ABSTRACT
From the Document: Some policymakers have expressed concern that certain individuals, including some immigrants (referred to as noncitizens, foreign nationals, or aliens in law and throughout this Insight), are ineligible for direct payments under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act;P.L. 116-136). The statute refers to these payments as 2020 recovery rebates. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) refers to these payments issued in 2020 as Economic Impact Payments. [...] There are three main categories of individuals who are ineligible for these payments (not necessarily mutually exclusive): 1. children over 16 years old and adult dependents;2. certain noncitizens who have individual taxpayer identification numbers (ITINs) or are nonresident aliens;and 3. higher-income taxpayers (generally with income over $99,000 if single, $198,000 if married, with higher thresholds for those with qualifying children). Generally, receipt of these payments in 2020 will be based on individuals' eligibility using information from 2019 (or, if unavailable, 2018). This Insight provides an overview of one category of individuals who are ineligible for the 2020 recovery rebates--certain noncitizens who have ITINs or are nonresident aliens.Tax rebates;Aliens;COVID-19 (Disease);Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act