Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

You must have an eligible immigration status to be eligible for assistance with health coverage and to enroll in a private health plan through DC Health Link if you are not a US citizen or national. There are different rules for which groups of immigrants are eligible for Medicaid and which groups can apply to purchase private insurance and enroll in a health plan through DC Health Link. The following groups may be eligible to enroll in a health plan through DC Health Link:

Immigration Status:

• Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR/Green Card holder)
• Asylee
• Refugee
• Paroled into the U.S.
• Granted an employment authorization document (EAD), also called a work permit or I-766
• Individual with Non-immigrant Status includes workers visas (such as H1, H-2A, H-2B), student visas, U-visa, T-visa, and other visas
• Cuban/Haitian entrant
• Conditional entrant granted before 1980
• Battered spouse, child or parent
• Victim of Trafficking and their spouse, child, sibling, or parent
• Special Immigrant Visa holders from Iraq or Afghanistan
• Granted Withholding of Deportation or Withholding of Removal, under the immigration laws or under the Convention against Torture (CAT)
• Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Self-Petitioners
• Member of a federally-recognized Indian tribe or American Indian born in Canada
• Citizens of the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, and Palau who are living in one of the U.S. states or territories (referred to as Compact of Free Association, or COFA migrants)
• Lawful Temporary Resident
• Temporary Protected Status (TPS)
• Deferred Enforced Departure (DED)
• Special Immigrant Juvenile Classification
• Family Unity beneficiary, including those who are under section 1504 of the Legal Immigration and Family Equity (LIFE) Act Amendments

Applicant for certain statuses:

• Adjustment to Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR/Green Card holder) status
• Special Immigrant Juvenile Classification
• Victim of Trafficking Visa
• Children under 14 with a pending application for asylum, for Withholding of Deportation or Withholding for Removal under the immigration laws or under the Convention against Torture (CAT)