Citizenship and FEMA Eligibility

FEMA is committed to helping all eligible disaster survivors in eight Arkansas counties recover from the severe storms of May 24-27, including U.S. citizens, non-citizen nationals and qualified non-citizens.

Disaster survivors in Baxter, Benton, Boone, Fulton, Greene, Madison, Marion and Randolph counties may apply for assistance from FEMA's Individuals and Households Program (IHP).

You or a member of your household must be a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national or qualified non-citizen to apply. Families with diverse immigration status, including adults who are undocumented, may still apply for assistance if:

• Another adult member of your household meets the eligibility criteria and certifies their citizenship status during the application process or signs the Declaration and Release form, or
• The parent or guardian of a minor child who is a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national or a qualified non-citizen applies for assistance on behalf of the child living in the same household. The parent or legal guardian must register as the co-applicant, and the child must be under age 18 as of May 24, 2024, the first day of the incident period.

U.S. Citizens

Anyone born in the U.S.; a person born outside of the U.S. to at least one U.S. parent; or a naturalized citizen.

Non-Citizen Nationals

A non-citizen national is a person born in an outlying possession of the U.S. - for example, the Republic of the Marshall Islands -- on or after the date the U.S. acquired the possession, or a person whose parents are U.S. non-citizen nationals. All U.S. citizens are U.S. nationals, but not every U.S. national is a U.S. citizen.

Qualified Non-Citizens

• A legal permanent resident ("green card" holder);
• An asylee, refugee or a non-citizen whose deportation is being withheld;
• Non-citizen paroled into the U.S. for at least one year;
• Non-citizen granted conditional entry (per law in effect prior to April 1, 1980);
• A Cuban or Haitian entrant;
• Certain non-citizens in the U.S. who have been abused, subject to battery or extreme cruelty by a spouse or other family/ household member or have been a victim of a severe form of human trafficking, including people with a "T" or "U" visa.

Resources

See Citizenship and Immigration Status Requirements for Federal Public Benefits for more information in multiple languages at fema.gov/assistance/individual/program/citizenship-immigration-status.

If you're unsure of your immigration status, talk to an immigration expert to learn if your status falls within the immigration status requirements for FEMA disaster assistance. Visit nvoad.org/ to learn about other voluntary organizations.

How to Apply for FEMA Assistance

Go online to DisasterAssistance.gov, download the FEMA App for mobile devices, or call toll-free 800-621-3362. The line is open every day from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. CT. Help is available in most languages. If you use a relay service, such as video relay service (VRS), captioned telephone service or others, give FEMA your number for that service. Application deadline is July 29. To view an accessible video on how to apply visit Three Ways to Register for FEMA Disaster Assistance - YouTube.

If you need a reasonable accommodation or sign language interpreter, please call FEMA's Civil Rights Resource Line: 833-285-7448 (press 2 for Spanish). Line is open Monday - Friday 6 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CT.

For the latest information visit fema.gov/disaster/4788. Follow the FEMA Region 6 X account at X.com/FEMARegion6 or on Facebook at facebook.com/FEMARegion6/.

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