305 ILCS 5/1-11: Citizenship.

To the extent not otherwise provided in this Code or federal law, all clients who receive cash or medical assistance under Article III, IV, V, or VI of this Code must meet the citizenship requirements as established in this Section. To be eligible for assistance an individual, who is otherwise eligible, must be either a United States citizen or included in one of the following categories of non-citizens:

(1) United States veterans honorably discharged and persons on active military duty, and the spouse and unmarried dependent children of these persons;

(2) Refugees under Section 207 of the Immigration and Nationality Act;

(3) Asylees under Section 208 of the Immigration and Nationality Act;

(4) Persons for whom deportation has been withheld under Section 243(h) of the Immigration and Nationality Act;

(5) Persons granted conditional entry under Section 203(a)(7) of the Immigration and Nationality Act as in effect prior to April 1, 1980;

(6) Persons lawfully admitted for permanent residence under the Immigration and Nationality Act;

(7) Parolees, for at least one year, under Section 212(d)(5) of the Immigration and Nationality Act;

(8) Nationals of Cuba or Haiti admitted on or after April 21, 1980;

(9) Amerasians from Vietnam, and their close family members, admitted through the Orderly Departure Program beginning on March 20, 1988;

(10) Persons identified by the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) as victims of trafficking;

(11) Persons legally residing in the United States who were members of a Hmong or Highland Laotian tribe when the tribe helped United States personnel by taking part in a military or rescue operation during the Vietnam era (between August 5, 1965 and May 7, 1975); this also includes the person's spouse, a widow or widower who has not remarried, and unmarried dependent children;

(12) American Indians born in Canada under Section 289 of the Immigration and Nationality Act and members of an Indian tribe as defined in Section 4e of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act;

(13) Persons who are a spouse, widow, or child of a U.S. citizen or a spouse or child of a legal permanent resident (LPR) who have been battered or subjected to extreme cruelty by the U.S. citizen or LPR or a member of that relative's family who lived with them, who no longer live with the abuser or plan to live separately within one month of receipt of assistance and whose need for assistance is due, at least in part, to the abuse; and

(14) Persons who are foreign-born victims of trafficking, torture, or other serious crimes as defined in Section 2-19 of this Code.

Those persons who are in the categories set forth in paragraphs (6) and (7) of this Section, who enter the United States on or after August 22, 1996, shall not be eligible for 5 years beginning on the date the person entered the United States.

The Illinois Department may, by rule, cover prenatal care or emergency medical care for non-citizens who are not otherwise eligible under this Section. Local governmental units which do not receive State funds may impose their own citizenship requirements and are authorized to provide any benefits and impose any citizenship requirements as are allowed under the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (P.L. 104-193).

In order to implement the federal Medicaid provisions contained in Public Law 119-21, and notwithstanding any other provision of this Section, any category of non-citizens or part thereof listed in paragraphs (1) through (14) of this Section shall not be eligible for medical assistance under Article V of this Code to the extent Public Law 119-21 and any corresponding federal regulations or requirements issued by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services excludes such category of non-citizens or part thereof from eligibility, federal financial participation, or other federal funding. This Section shall not require any category of non-citizens or part thereof to be funded at state-only cost under Article V of this Code, unless otherwise provided by State law. The Department shall amend 89 Ill. Adm. Code 120.310 to conform to the provisions of this paragraph effective October 1, 2026.