<?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>
<regulation prefix="Regulation" num=".09" citation="COMAR 07.03.17.09" title_num="07" subtitle_num="03" chapter_num="17" heading="Citizenship and Immigrant Status.">
  <paragraph num="A.">
    <text>An individual may not participate in the Program unless the individual is:</text>
    <paragraph num="(1)">
      <text>A United States citizen;</text>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(2)">
      <text>A United States non-citizen national as defined in Regulation .02B of this chapter;</text>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(3)">
      <text>A Native American born in Canada who possesses at least 50 percent of blood of the Native American race to whom the provisions of Immigration and Nationality Act §289 apply as defined in 8 U.S.C. §1359 or a member of an Indian tribe as defined in 25 U.S.C. §450(e);</text>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(4)">
      <text>Lawfully residing in the United States, and:</text>
      <paragraph num="(a)">
        <text>Was a member of a Hmong or Highland Lao tribe at the time the tribe assisted the U.S. armed forces during the Vietnam War;</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(b)">
        <text>Is the spouse or surviving spouse of an individual described in §A(4)(a) of this regulation; or</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(c)">
        <text>Is an unmarried biological or legally adopted dependent child of an individual described in §A(4)(a) of this regulation if the child is:</text>
        <paragraph num="(i)">
          <text>17 years old or younger,</text>
        </paragraph>
        <paragraph num="(ii)">
          <text>21 years old or younger and a full time student, or</text>
        </paragraph>
        <paragraph num="(iii)">
          <text>Disabled and 18 years old or older if the child was disabled and dependent on the individual described in §A(4)(a) of this regulation when the child was younger than 18 years old; or</text>
        </paragraph>
      </paragraph>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(5)">
      <text>Both a qualified alien as defined in Regulation .02B of this chapter and an eligible immigrant as described in §§B—F of this regulation.</text>
    </paragraph>
  </paragraph>
  <paragraph num="B.">
    <text>Time Limited Eligibility. An immigrant is an eligible immigrant if the individual has:</text>
    <paragraph num="(1)">
      <text>Been admitted to the United States as a refugee under §207 of the Immigration and Nationality Act;</text>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(2)">
      <text>Been granted asylum under §208 of the Immigration and Nationality Act;</text>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(3)">
      <text>Had the immigrant's deportation or removal withheld under §243(h) or §241(b)(3) of the Immigration and Nationality Act;</text>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(4)">
      <text>Been granted status as a Cuban and Haitian entrant as defined in §501(e) of the Refugee Education Assistance Act of 1980;</text>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(5)">
      <text>Been admitted to the United States as an Amerasian immigrant under 8 U.S.C. §1612(a)(2)(A); or</text>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(6)">
      <text>Been certified by the United States Department of Health and Human Services Office of Refugee Resettlement as a victim of a severe form of trafficking in persons in accordance with Public Law 106-386 Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000.</text>
    </paragraph>
  </paragraph>
  <paragraph num="C.">
    <text>Work Quarters. An immigrant who is lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence under the Immigration and Nationality Act is eligible if the individual:</text>
    <paragraph num="(1)">
      <text>Has worked 40 qualifying quarters of coverage as defined under Title II of the Social Security Act; or</text>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(2)">
      <text>Can be credited with the qualifying quarters.</text>
    </paragraph>
  </paragraph>
  <paragraph num="D.">
    <text>Military Connection. An immigrant who is a qualified alien is eligible if the individual is:</text>
    <paragraph num="(1)">
      <text>An honorably discharged veteran of the U.S. armed forces who fulfills the minimum active duty service requirements of 38 U.S.C. §5303A(d), including an individual who died in active military, naval, or air service;</text>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(2)">
      <text>On active military duty, other than active duty for training in the U.S. armed forces;</text>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(3)">
      <text>The spouse or unmarried dependent child of an individual described in §D(1) or (2) of this regulation if the:</text>
      <paragraph num="(a)">
        <text>Marriage fulfilled the requirements of 38 U.S.C. §1304; and</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(b)">
        <text>Spouse has not remarried; or</text>
      </paragraph>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(4)">
      <text>An unmarried biological or legally adopted dependent child of an individual described in §D(1) or (2) of this regulation if the child is:</text>
      <paragraph num="(a)">
        <text>17 years old or younger,</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(b)">
        <text>21 years old or younger and a full time student, or</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(c)">
        <text>Disabled and 18 years old or older if the child was disabled and dependent on the individual described in §D(1) or (2) of this regulation when the child was younger than 18 years old.</text>
      </paragraph>
    </paragraph>
  </paragraph>
  <paragraph num="E.">
    <text>An immigrant who is a qualified alien and who was lawfully residing in the U.S. on August 22, 1996, is eligible if the individual was born on or before August 22, 1931.</text>
  </paragraph>
  <paragraph num="F.">
    <text>An immigrant who is a qualified alien as defined in Regulation .02B of this chapter is eligible if the individual:</text>
    <paragraph num="(1)">
      <text>Is disabled as described in Regulation .02B of this chapter;</text>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(2)">
      <text>Has resided in the United States as a qualified alien for 5 years or more, beginning on the date of the immigrant's entry into the United States; or</text>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(3)">
      <text>Is a child younger than 18 years old.</text>
    </paragraph>
  </paragraph>
  <paragraph num="G.">
    <text>While waiting for acceptable verification, an immigrant is ineligible until the household provides acceptable proof, except if the:</text>
    <paragraph num="(1)">
      <text>Local department has sent a copy of a document furnished by the household to INS for verification;</text>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(2)">
      <text>Applicant or local department has sent a request to the Social Security Administration (SSA) for information about the number of quarters of work as described in §C of this regulation, SSA has responded that the individual has fewer than 40 quarters, and the individual provides documentation from SSA that SSA is investigating to see if SSA can credit more work quarters; or</text>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(3)">
      <text>Applicant or local department has submitted a request to a federal agency for proof of information that has a bearing on the individual's immigrant status.</text>
    </paragraph>
  </paragraph>
</regulation>