Most lawfully present immigrants who meet Medicaid and CHIP program requirements, such as income and state residency, can enroll in Medicaid or CHIP after they have been in the United States with qualified status for 5 years or more. A list of “qualified statuses” can be found here.

Some groups of lawfully present immigrants do not have to wait five years before they may enroll in Medicaid and CHIP. These include refugees, asylees, and other humanitarian immigrants; veterans and military families; pregnant women and children in some states; and citizens of Compact of Free Association (COFA) communities.

Some lawfully present immigrants who are authorized to work in the United States cannot enroll in Medicaid, even if they have been in the country for five or more years.

Undocumented immigrants may not enroll in Medicaid or CHIP coverage although some states provide coverage to pregnant people regardless of immigration status by covering the “unborn child.” Some states also use state-only funds to cover some groups of immigrants regardless of immigration status.