Thousands of Immigrants Will Lose Access to CalFresh This Week. Here’s What to Know

Starting Wednesday, tens of thousands of humanitarian immigrants across California will no longer be eligible for food assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, benefits that are still sometimes referred to as food stamps.

The changes in who’s eligible for benefits through SNAP — called CalFresh in California — are among the huge cuts to social safety programs in the United States enacted by President Donald Trump’s 2025 H.R. 1 spending bill”, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.”

Some states have already implemented these restrictions, but California will be following suit starting April 1.

Jump straight to: 

• Who will lose eligibility for CalFresh benefits starting April 1?
• Do impacted people lose benefits straightaway?

While not all immigrants will be pushed out of CalFresh, Trump’s bill specifically targets individuals like refugees and people claiming asylum in the U.S.

“There are people who have come here after escaping violence and persecution and torture,” said Jackie Mendelson, policy advocate with nonprofit organization Nourish California. “These are communities that we have historically said, ‘You are welcome here. We have the support for you. We’re going to help you get established in our country.’ And now, the federal government is abandoning them.”

Around 72,000 lawfully present immigrants in the state will be impacted, according to the Food4All Coalition, a statewide advocacy campaign, and the Alameda County Community Food Bank.

While exact numbers are not available for the Bay Area, the organizations in a news release estimate that over 5,000 of these individuals are in Alameda County alone.

Impacted groups already enrolled in CalFresh will not lose their benefits right away. However, they will not be able to continue using CalFresh when they recertify their benefits after April 1. For most households, recertification usually takes place every 12 months.

Keep reading to learn more about the bill’s impact on CalFresh, who will be most affected, and where you can find access to food in the Bay Area regardless of your situation or immigration status.

Who will no longer be eligible for CalFresh food benefits starting April 1?

According to the California Department of Social Services, the following groups will no longer be eligible to apply for new CalFresh benefits starting April 1:

• Asylees
• Refugees
• Parolees (unless they are Cuban and Haitian Entrants)
• Individuals with deportation or removal withheld
• Conditional entrants
• Survivors of trafficking
• “Battered noncitizens” (victims of abuse)
• Iraqis or Afghans with Special Immigrant Visas (SIV) who are not Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR)
• Certain Afghan Nationals granted parole between July 31, 2021, and September 30, 2023
• Certain Ukrainian Nationals granted parole between February 24, 2022, and September 30, 2024

According to CDSS, “if there are multiple people in your household with different immigration statuses, you will receive a notice showing who is approved and who is denied.”

Undocumented immigrants are not eligible for CalFresh.

Who is still eligible for CalFresh?

You are still eligible for CalFresh if you are:

• A citizen of the United States
• A U.S. national (for example, without citizenship but born in American Samoa or Swains Island)
• A Cuban and Haitian entrant (CHE) 
• A citizen of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, or Palau
• A Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) who has met the five-year waiting period or has an exemption from the five-year waiting period.

If your immigration status changes to one of the above (for example, you’ve become a lawful permanent resident), you may be eligible for CalFresh again and should contact your county worker to learn more.

What other changes to CalFresh eligibility should I know about now?

The changes to eligibility for certain lawfully present immigrants. This will be on top of the restrictions that kicked in in November 2025, “must have heating or cooling costs separate from their housing costs” to claim the Standard Utility Allowance. This does not apply to households that don’t include anyone over the age of 60 or someone with a disability.

There will be more changes to CalFresh eligibility coming on June 1, when some people receiving these benefits will need to complete new work or community engagement hours.

Will I lose my CalFresh benefits right away on April 1?

No: According to CDSS, your benefits will continue until your next recertification, “as long as you continue to meet all other non-immigration eligibility criteria” to receive CalFresh.

Most households recertify every 12 months, but some units may have longer periods than others. You can find out your recertification date on BenefitsCal.com.

At that appointment, “a county worker will determine if you are still eligible for benefits at that time,” CDSS said. According to the agency, you will then receive a notification if you no longer meet CalFresh requirements.

Nourish California’s Mendelson said that her organization anticipates they’ll “see the majority drop-off for all of these folks” in the next six months.

“It also means that beginning April 1st, if someone has one of these immigration statuses, and they have not yet applied for CalFresh, and they apply on April 1st, they will be denied benefits,” she said.

I still have questions about my CalFresh eligibility. Who do I go to?

You can call 1-877-847-3663 or visit a local office to receive help with any CalFresh questions you might still have.

Mendelson said people should also consider consulting with an immigration legal expert or attorney to learn more about their public health benefits.

The new SNAP eligibility restrictions are “on top of the fears some immigrants already had under the Trump administration and data sharing between agencies,” Mendelson said — which she sees as another part of a “greater fear and chilling effect that the Trump administration has been creating, attached to receiving public benefits.”

KQED has a thorough guide on finding free or low-cost legal aid in the Bay Area.

If I’m losing CalFresh, are there government programs I can still use?

The California Food Assistance Program

Some — but not all — humanitarian immigrants may be qualified for the California Food Assistance Program. For example, some battered noncitizens and certain parolees who will lose CalFresh eligibility starting April 1 may be eligible for CFAP.

CFAP uses the same application as CalFresh.

“At recertification, your county worker will determine your eligibility for CalFresh,” CDSS’ guidance reads. “If you are no longer eligible for CalFresh due to H.R. 1 but you are eligible for CFAP, your county worker will adjust your benefits at that time.”

According to the CDSS, “To be eligible for CFAP benefits, you must be ineligible for CalFresh benefits solely due to your immigration status under the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996.”

Examples of CFAP eligible individuals are noncitizens include:

• Legal permanent residents who have not met the five-year U.S. residency requirement or the 40 qualifying work quarters criteria
• Conditional entrants
• Battered or abused
• As of June 1, parolees who have not met the five-year waiting period or an exemption. 

Mendelson said advocates like her are “working to expand our food assistance program to remove immigration status as a barrier.” Starting Oct. 2027, for example, CFAP will be available for people 55 and older regardless of immigration status.

This kind of expansion, Mendelson said, “would actually protect immigrant communities from any future attacks by any future federal government.”

Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) 

The Women, Infants, and Children Program is not impacted by the changes going into effect on April 1. WIC provides support — including food assistance — for families with young children.

You can check if you are eligible for WIC benefits by taking the state’s assessment online.

Will applying to these programs impact my immigration status?

According to California’s Health and Human Services agency, the Trump administration has proposed removing a 2022 rule that “removes barriers to accessing public benefits for most immigrants.”

However, the Trump administration’s proposal is not yet in effect. That means that right now, using CFAP and CalFresh will “not affect your application for a U.S. visa or your family-based application for a green card,” according to CDSS.

If you have more questions about public charges, the CDSS guide suggests you reach out to a legal expert.

Where else can I find food assistance? 

KQED has a thorough guide on using food banks or food pantries near you. Keep in mind that most food banks are not the actual site to get your meals, but rather a distributor to participating food pantries, organizations, nonprofits and churches.

• Read in Spanish: Cómo encontrar un banco de alimentos o despensa cerca de usted en el Área de la Bahía

Many food banks serve people regardless of immigration status. For example, the SF-Marin Food Bank states on its website that it “is committed to serving residents regardless of their immigration status or identity” and as a non-government agency, does “not collect the immigration status of participants.”

“For food banks across the states, typically you don’t need to provide information to get food,” Mendelson said.

But she also said that anyone visiting a food bank that provides food through the Emergency Food Assistance Program — a federal project — “might have to” give some identifying information.

“So the best course of action is for folks to call their local food bank to ask about reporting requirements,” she said.

Some food banks, like the Alameda County Community Food Bank, also make home deliveries if you’re physically unable to get to the food bank location. ACCFB said late last year that it’s seeing a significant increase in home delivery requests right now, which Alameda County Supervisor Nikki Fortunato Bas has attributed to fears many immigrants have about leaving their homes amid threats of an immigration crackdown.

For a regularly updated map or tool, you can use:

• The California Association of Food Banks’ online tool, which lists all the major food banks in the state
• The state’s 211 hotline
• The SF-Marin Food Bank search tool
• CityTeam San Francisco
• Mission Action’s food assistance number, 415-633-6192
• Alameda County Community Food Bank; you can also call 510-635-3663
• Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano; you can also call for help at 855-309-3663
• Redwood Empire of Sonoma County; you can also text “FOOD” to 707-353-3882
• Second Harvest of Silicon Valley

Local trusted community organizations, like the Women’s Building in San Francisco and SIREN in the South Bay, are also a major way for people to connect to food resources, Mendelson said.

Once you find a spot, be sure to check out the food bank or pantry online before heading out. Note what hours they are open, and for how long.

Some locations are open to anyone from any city or county and accept walk-ins, but some may require people to register for a spot beforehand or live in a specific zip code.

Where can my family find CalFresh eligibility information in other languages?

CDSS has Q&A PDFs about the CalFresh changes in the following languages:

• Spanish
• Arabic
• Farsi/Dari
• Ukrainian
• Hmong
• Cambodian
• Armenian
• Chinese
• Hindi
• Japanese
• Korean
• Lao
• Mien
• Portuguese
• Punjabi
• Russian
• Tagalog
• Thai
• Vietnamese

This story contains reporting from KQED’s Carly Severn and Sara Hossaini.