Tax-paying immigrants are excluded from government aid

The arrival of the Coronavirus created social chaos and economic declines in the world. That is why governments reacted quickly to contain the massive crisis ahead.

Trump’s administration implemented emergency measures which involve social distancing and quarantines in different states of the country.

Therefore, the economic production has reduced substantially and thousands of people currently do not have a job to support their families.

The US government created a social security plan and earmarked a total of $ 2.2 trillion to help people who lose their jobs during the virus outbreak. This monetary aid is called stimulus check.

This help is mainly for families with multiple children, families with limited resources, elderly people, inter alia.

Stimulus checks

The stimulus check basically works like a tax refund. This means that everyone who pays taxes should receive this government aid.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the entity in charge of distributing monetary aid to all families who need it.

Important facts about stimulus checks:

• The government offers these checks to eligible families who meet all the requirements.
• The last time we used stimulus checks in the US was in the Great Recession of 2008.
• These checks are used to stimulate economic movement in the country amid the pandemic.
• Normally, these checks are mailed.
• The government decided to use the stimulus checks in March, 2020, due to the economic crisis caused by the Coronavirus.

Immigrants and stimulus checks

One of the requirements to obtain the check is to have a valid Social Security Number (SSN). This means that if immigrants do not have legal residence in the country yet, they will not be able to receive government aid.

There are several things to review regarding this situation:

• Normally, in order for immigrants to apply for legal residence in the country, they must pay annual taxes to demonstrate that they make positive contributions to the socio-economic development of the US.
• They must send evidence of tax payment to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to apply for legal residency (this evidence helps them with the probability of obtaining legal permit).
• If immigrants do not pay their annual taxes, they will not be able to claim the stimulus check.
• Many immigrants do not have a Social Security Number but pay their annual taxes in order to submit the residency application.

This means that thousands of immigrants who pay taxes will not be able to use the stimulus check for their families.

They have paid the taxes to contribute positively to the country, however, they cannot use government aid and this is the time when they need it the most.

According to the latest official report, approximately 4.3 million immigrants do not have a Social Security Number but pay their taxes annually in accordance with the laws established in the country. Therefore, they also hope to receive government aid in times of crisis.

The government implemented the Taxpayer Identification Number many years ago so that immigrants without a social security number can pay their annual taxes.

Just as the government created this identification number for everyone to pay taxes, they must support and help all immigrants who have paid taxes during the last couple of years.

A recent interview brings to our attention the opinion of an immigrant without legal residence who cannot claim her stimulus check even if she paid the annual taxes. She said: “Like thousands of people who don’t have legal status, we are left empty-handed in this crisis (…) I pay taxes, but the government does not consider that we should get help.”

It is very important that the government evaluates the critical situation in the country and can offer help to immigrants who are waiting for the answer to their immigration cases.

The crisis we are experiencing is unprecedented and therefore must be treated with great caution. The most important thing now is to preserve as many lives as possible and help our society so that we can come out of the crisis as soon as possible.

Immigration processes must be expertly guided to avoid any precarious situation.

If you have any questions about an immigration issue or relating to a case you may have currently in progress, then please don’t hesitate to contact us for a FREE Phone Consultation with one of our expert immigration attorneys.

Simply call Motion Law today at: (202) 918-1799.