Citizenship and Alien Status Requirements for the Medicaid Program

Date:  October 26, 2004 

 

21 

Trans. No.  04 OMM/ADM-7 

 

Page No. 

 

 

To be PRUCOL, the immigrant must possess or obtain documentation 

that establishes that he or she is permanently residing in the 

United States with either of the following: 

 

•

 

the knowledge and permission of the USCIS; or  

 

•

 

the knowledge and acquiescence of the USCIS. 

 

 

These concepts are important and are explained further, below. 

 

Permanently residing in the U.S. with the knowledge and 

permission of the USCIS: 

 

This means that the USCIS “knows” that the immigrant is present 

in the U.S. and has granted its permission for the immigrant to 

remain in this country, at least for the time-being; that is, the 

USCIS is not contemplating enforcing the immigrant’s departure at 

this time.  As a general rule, immigrants will be permanently 

residing in the

 

U.S. with the knowledge and permission of the 

USCIS when the USCIS has granted the immigrant a particular 

immigration status.  The immigrant will have a document or form 

issued by the USCIS that indicates the particular immigration 

status that the USCIS has granted.  The USCIS provides different 

documents and forms to immigrants, depending upon that 

immigrant’s specific immigration status.  In some cases, an 

immigrant may also have a document issued by an immigration court 

that permits the immigrant to remain in this country.   

 

Permanently residing in the U.S. with the knowledge and 

acquiescence of the USCIS: 

 

This means that the USCIS “knows or can reasonably be expected to 

know” that the immigrant is present in the U.S. and, although the 

USCIS may not have officially granted the immigrant permission to 

remain in this country, as demonstrated by a particular USCIS 

document or form granting a particular immigration status, the 

USCIS, through its silence or inaction, is apparently acquiescing 

in the immigrant’s presence here, at least for the time-being.  

These immigrants will not have any USCIS document or form 

establishing that the USCIS has granted them a particular 

immigration status.  However, the immigrant can be expected to 

present documentation of his or her contacts with the USCIS.  

This documentation must be sufficient to establish that the USCIS 

has knowledge of the immigrant’s presence in the U.S. or, given 

all the facts and circumstances of the particular case, one may 

reasonably conclude that the USCIS knows that the immigrant is 

here.  For example, the immigrant may have a copy of his or her 

letter to the USCIS applying for a particular immigration status 

and documentation, such as a return receipt for certified mail, 

showing that the USCIS would have received this letter.  The 

USCIS’s acquiescence in the immigrant’s presence in the U.S. may 

be established when the USCIS, despite having been notified of 

the immigrant’s presence in this country, fails after a 

reasonable period of time to respond to the immigrant’s letters 

or fails to take any action to enforce the immigrant’s departure 

from the U.S.   

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Date:  October 26, 2004 

 

22 

Trans. No.  04 OMM/ADM-7 

 

Page No. 

 

 

Both of these concepts are explained below, with specific 

reference to the PRUCOL categories listed at pages 19 and 20 of 

this directive.  For most of these PRUCOL categories, the USCIS 

will have issued the immigrant a document or form showing that 

the USCIS has granted the immigrant a particular immigration 

status.  As noted, however, immigrants may be found to be PRUCOL 

even in the absence of a USCIS document or form granting an 

immigration status. 

 

1. VERIFICATION OF PRUCOL STATUS FOR IMMIGRANTS TO WHOM THE USCIS 

HAS ISSUED DOCUMENTS OR FORMS GRANTING AN IMMIGRATION STATUS: 

 

a. Immigrants to whom PRUCOL categories (a)-(k) apply: 

 

 

When an eligibility worker verifies immigration documents 

for PRUCOL categories “a” through “k”, documentation is fairly 

straight forward. By referring to the desk guide “DOCUMENTATION 

GUIDE FOR PRUCOL ALIEN CATEGORIES” (Attachment B-2 of this 

directive and/or Desk Guide Attachment D-1: “Category 3”) the 

worker needs only to match the appropriate document presented to 

the category of PRUCOL “a through k”.  

 

For example: When an individual presents an I-797 Notice of 

Action indicating an I-130 Petition for Alien Relative has been 

approved, the worker would review  page 5 of the desk guide 

“Documentation Guide, Immigrant Eligibility for Health Coverage 

in New York State” (Attachment D-1 of this directive) to 

determine the type of USCIS document the worker is reviewing. 

 

Reproduced below is the relevant portion of page 5 of the desk 

guide highlighting the I-797 and I-130: 

 

U. S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Documents 

I-94

        Arrival Departure Card 

I-181

     Memorandum Of Creation of Record   

             of Lawful Permanent Residence 

I-210

     Voluntary Departure 

I-220B

   Order of Supervision 

I-130     Petition for Alien Relative 

I-140

     Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker 

I-327

     Reentry Permit for permanent  

             residents 

I-551

     Legal Permanent Resident Card,  

            Resident Alien Card or “green card” 

I-571

            Refugee Travel Document 

I-688

            Temporary Resident Card 

I-688A

          Employment Authorization For Legalization 

                    Applicants 

I-688B

          Employment Authorization Card 

I-766

            Employment Authorization Card 

I-797            Notice of Action (I-797C current version) 

DD-Form 2

  Military Identification Card 

DD-214

        Report of Separation Military Discharge 

                    Document 

 

Next, the worker would turn to page 3 of the desk guide 

“Documentation Guide Immigrant Eligibility for Health Coverage in 

New York State” (Attachment D-1 of this directive)under “Category 

3: Persons who are Permanently Residing under Color of Law 

(PRUCOL)”. The worker can then identify the category of PRUCOL by 

matching the documentation to the category.  In this particular 

example, the worker would conclude that the appropriate PRUCOL 

category is (e), “Persons on whose behalf an immediate relative 

petition has been approved and his or her families covered by one 

petition”, as illustrated below: 

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