. There are two groups of qualified noncitizens:
(a) those who are qualified, regardless of
when they entered the U.S. or how long they had a qualified status. Such
individuals are
1. persons granted asylum
under § 208 of the INA;
2.
Refugees admitted under § 207 of the INA;
3. persons whose deportation has been
withheld under § 243(h) or 241(b)(3) of the INA, as provided by §
5562 of the federal Balanced Budget Act of 1997;
4. veterans, their spouses, and their
children:
a. veterans of the United States
Armed Forces with an honorable discharge not related to their noncitizen
status;
b. Filipino war veterans
who fought under U.S. command during WWII;
c. Hmong and Highland Lao veterans who are
admitted for legal permanent residence (LPR) and who fought under U.S. command
during the Vietnam War;
d. persons
with noncitizen status on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces, other than
active duty for training; or
e. the
spouse, unremarried surviving spouse, or unmarried dependent children of the
noncitizen described in 130 CMR 504.003(A)(1)(a)4.a. through d.;
5. Conditional Entrants
under § 203(a)(7) of the INA in effect before April 1, 1980;
6. persons who entered as Cuban/Haitian
entrants under § 501(e) of the Refugee Education Assistance Act of
1980;
7. Native Americans with at
least 50% American Indian blood who were born in Canada pursuant to § 289
of the INA or other tribal members born in territories outside of the U.S.
pursuant to
25
U.S.C. 450b(e), under
Medicaid;
8. Amerasians as
described in § 402(a)(2)(A)(i)(V) of the Personal Responsibility and Work
Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA);
9. Victims of severe forms of trafficking;
and spouse, child, sibling or parent of the victim, in accordance with the
Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 (Pub.
L. 106-386);
10. Iraqi Special Immigrants granted special
immigrant status under § 101(a)(27) of the Immigration and Nationality
Act, pursuant to §
1244 of
Public
Law 110-181 or
§
525 of
Public Law
110-161;
11. Afghan Special Immigrants granted special
immigrant status under § 101(a)(27) of the Immigration and Nationality
Act, pursuant to §
525 of
Public Law
110-161; or
12. Migrants from the Federated States of
Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau who
legally reside in the United States pursuant to a series of treaties with the
United States known as the Compacts of Free Association (COFA), under Medicaid.
a. COFA migrants who adjust to legal
permanent residence (LPR) status will have a special five-year bar rule
applied. The individual will be subject to the special five-year bar rule,
unless they also have or had a status listed at
130 CMR
518.003(A)(1)(a). The
special five-year bar rule that applies will depend upon the date the
individual adjusted to LPR status.
b. COFA migrants who adjust to LPR status
after the change of law on December 27, 2020, will be able to use the date they
began residing in the United States as a COFA migrant or December 27, 2020,
whichever is later, as the first day for purposes of meeting the five-year
bar.
c. COFA migrants who adjusted
to LPR status before the change of law on December 27, 2020, will have the
five-year bar period begin on the date that they adjusted to LPR.
(b)
noncitizens who are qualified based on having a qualified status identified in
130 CMR 504.003(A)(1)(b)1. and who have satisfied one of the conditions listed
in 130 CMR 504.003(A)(1)(b)2. Such individuals
1. have one or more of the following
statuses:
a. admitted for legal permanent
residence (LPR) under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA); or
b. granted parole for at least one year under
section 212(d)(5) of the INA; or
c. are the battered spouse, battered child,
or child of battered parent or parent of battered child who meets the criteria
of section 431(c) of PRWORA; and also
2. satisfy at least one of the three
following conditions:
a. they have had a
status in 130 CMR 504.003(A)(1)(b)1. for five or more years (a battered
noncitizen attains this status when the petition is accepted as establishing a
prima facie case);
b. they entered
the U.S. prior to August 22, 1996, regardless of status at the time of entry,
and have been continuously present in the U.S. until attaining a status listed
in 130 CMR 504.003(A)(1)(b)1.; for this purpose an individual is deemed
continuously present who has been absent from the U.S. for no more than 30
consecutive days or 90 nonconsecutive days prior to attaining a status listed
in 130 CMR 504.003(A)(1)(b)1.; or
c. they also have or had a status listed in
130 CMR 504.003(A)(1)(a).