Determination of Situations that Demonstrate a Substantial Connection Between Battery or Extreme Cruelty and Need for Specific Public Benefits (July 24, 1997) [pdf]

The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA), as amended by the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, provides that certain categories of aliens who have been subjected to battery or extreme cruelty in the United States are “qualified aliens” eligible for certain federal, state, and local public benefits. To be qualified under this provision, an alien must demonstrate, among other things, that there is a substantial connection between the battery or extreme cruelty and the need for the public benefit sought.The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA), as amended by the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, provides that certain categories of aliens who have been subjected to battery or extreme cruelty in the United States are “qualified aliens” eligible for certain federal, state, and local public benefits. To be qualified under this provision, an alien must demonstrate, among other things, that there is a substantial connection between the battery or extreme cruelty and the need for the public benefit sought. Through this notice, the Attorney General declares what circumstances demonstrate such a substantial connection.