This docume4nt is an annotation with footnotes and explanatory text of the U.S. code sections that determine which immigration are qualified immigrants eligible to access federal and state public benefits. It assists readers in understanding which forms of immigration status or in some circumstances (particularly battered immigrants and human trafficking victims) pending immigration status an immigrant must have to be eligible for many federal and state public benefits. Which benefits a qualified immigrant can receive and when they are eligible to receive any given benefit will vary by benefits program, the immigrant’s immigration status, whether they have a pending application for certain forms of immigration relief, the state the victim resides in and when they first entered the United States. This document is intended to be used together with NIWAP’s public benefits maps and charts which provide detailed information by immigration case type and by state. Additionally, this document discusses the special exemptions from deeming rules that apply to cases involving certain battered immigrants.