Citizenship and FEMA Eligibility

FEMA is committed to helping all eligible Texas households recover from Hurricane Beryl, including U.S. citizens, non-U.S. citizen nationals and qualified non-citizens.

You or a member of your household must be U.S. citizen, non-U.S. citizen national or qualified non-citizen to apply. Families with diverse immigration status, including adults who are undocumented, can apply as long as at least one family member is a citizen, non-U.S. citizen national or qualified non-citizen. For instance, if you are undocumented and have a child under 18 who is a U.S. citizen and lived in the household during the time of the disaster, you can apply for FEMA assistance.

A qualified non-citizen includes:

• 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)
• Cuban/Haitian entrant
• Certain non-citizens subjected to extreme cruelty or who have been a victim of a severe form of human trafficking, including people with a "T" or "U" visa.

For adults who apply on behalf of a minor child, the child must have a Social Security number and live with the parent or guardian who applies. The parent or guardian will not have to provide any information on their own immigration status or sign any documents regarding their status.

The minor child must be under age 18 as of the first day of the disaster incident period, July 5, 2024.

What if I still have questions?

See Citizenship and Immigration Status Requirements 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 requirements for FEMA disaster assistance.

How to Apply

Texans living in Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Jasper, Jackson, Jefferson, Liberty, Orange,Nacogdoches,Matagorda, Montgomery, Polk, San Jacinto, Wharton, and Walker counties can apply for assistance.

• Go online to disasterassistance.gov/
• Download the FEMA App for mobile devices
• Call the FEMA helpline at 800-621-3362 between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. Help is available in most languages. If you use a relay service, such as video relay (VRS), captioned telephone or other service, give FEMA your number for that service.
• Visit any Disaster Recovery Center. For locations and hours, go online to fema.gov/drc