Citizens of Palau, The Federated States of Micronesia (Micronesia), and the Republic of the Marshall Islands (Marshall Islands) are eligible to apply to enter the United States under a special governmental agreement called a Compact of Free Association (CFA). This agreement outlines these countries’ relationship with the United States which allows people who are citizens of Palau, Micronesia, and the Marshall Islands to live, work, and go to school indefinitely in the United States as non-immigrants. Due to this unique agreement, most people who are citizens of Palau, Micronesia, or the Marshall Islands typically do not have United States visas, and do not have an expiration date on their stay in the United States.

People who are citizens of Palau, Micronesia, or the Marshall Islands AND are non-immigrants in the United States are considered lawfully residing and should be coded as lawfully residing. See 0011.03.24 (Non-Citizens - Lawfully Residing People).

Systematic Alien Verifications for Entitlements (SAVE) Process and Immigration Documents

People who are non-immigrants in the United States and citizens of Palau, Micronesia or the Marshall Islands usually will not have a United States immigration document that was issued by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) as evidence of their United States immigration status. Typically, people who are citizens of these countries enter the United States with only their passport from their home country. If the person has an unexpired foreign passport AND they used that passport to enter the United States, run the SAVE report using the biographic information from that passport (see Item #1 in the chart below).

People who are non-immigrants from these countries do not have an expiration date on their stay in the United States. Once the eligibility worker has run a SAVE report and confirmed that a person entered the United States as a non-immigrant from Palau, Micronesia, or the Marshall Islands, do not re-check their status in SAVE unless the person reports a change in their immigration status. See the chart below for information regarding the different immigration documents that people from these countries may present. Only apply this guidance to citizens of Palau, Micronesia, or the Marshall Islands.

Some people who are citizens of Palau, Micronesia, or the Marshall Islands may have other immigration statuses in the United States. Always run a SAVE report and do not make any assumptions about a person’s immigration status based solely on their country of citizenship. People who are citizens of these countries may be eligible for additional public benefits, depending on their U.S. immigration status. See 0010.18.11.03 (Systematic Alien Verification (SAVE)), 0011.03.03 (Non-Citizens - MFIP/DWP Cash), 0011.03.09 (Non-Citizens - SNAP/MSA/GA/GRH).

Below is information regarding the common immigration documents that people from Palau, Micronesia, or the Marshall Islands may present, and what to do with them.

Immigration Document	SAVE instructions
1. Applicant presents an unexpired foreign passport with an admission stamp because they presented that passport to enter the United States.	Enter the following information from the person’s unexpired passport into SAVE: - First and last name. - Date of birth. - Passport number. - Passport country of issuance.
2. Applicant presents an unexpired foreign passport which was issued while they were in the United States and the new passport was not presented to enter the United States.	Ask the person to present their original I-94 record. If they do not have the original I-94 record, the applicant can go to the Department of Homeland Security I-94 web site and print their I-94 record. Then the worker should enter the following information from the I-94 record into SAVE: - First and last name. - Date of birth. - I-94 number.
3. Applicant presents a form I-94 record (either the paper version issued by Customs and Border Patrol or a computer printout).	Enter the following information into SAVE: - First and last name, - Date of birth. - I-94 number.
4. Applicant presents a form I-94 record that is in their unexpired foreign passport.	Enter the following information into SAVE: - First and last name. - Date of birth. - I-94 number. - Passport number. - Passport country of issuance.
5. Applicant presents an unexpired Employment Authorization Document with Category code A08.	Enter the following information into SAVE: - First and last name. - Date of birth. - USCIS number or Card number on the Employment Authorization Document.
6. Applicant presents an expired Employment Authorization Document with Category code A08.	Submit a policy question. Under certain circumstances, USCIS will automatically extend an Employment Authorization Document for citizens of Palau, Micronesia, or the Marshall Islands for up to 180 days beyond the card’s expiration date. Submit a policy question so this can be verified.

NOTE: If the SAVE result returns that the person is a non-immigrant, they are considered “lawfully residing”.

If you have any case-specific questions, submit a policy question with a copy of the person’s immigration document(s) and SAVE report.


MFIP, DWP, GA:
People who are citizens of Palau, Micronesia, or the Marshall Islands and non-immigrants in the U.S. may be eligible for state-funded benefits if they meet all other eligibility criteria. See 0011.03.03 (Non-Citizens - MFIP/DWP Cash).

People who are citizens of Palau, Micronesia, or the Marshall Islands and qualified non-citizens may be eligible for federally-funded MFIP. See 0011.03.03 (Non-Citizens - MFIP/DWP Cash).


SNAP:
People who are non-immigrants from Palau, Micronesia, or the Marshall Islands may be eligible for state-funded benefits if they meet all other eligibility criteria. See 0029.07.03 (State Food Programs).

People who are citizens of Palau, Micronesia, or the Marshall Islands may be eligible for federally-funded food if they are qualified non-citizens and meet 1 other eligibility criteria. See 0002.53 (Glossary: Qualified...), 0011.03.09 (Non-Citizens - SNAP/MSA/GA/GRH).


MSA:
People who are ineligible for SSI due to non-citizen status are not eligible.


GRH:
People who are qualified non-citizens may be eligible. See 0002.53 (Glossary: Qualified...).