[La Lydia]

If you enter this country legally as, say, the elderly relative of a legal immigrant, you are entitled to the $1,011 per month SSI payment unless the government bothers to invoke the sponsorship rule, which it rarely does. There are newspapers in Asia that are dedicated entirely to telling people how to immigrate here legally and sign up for SSI. Yeah, let's expand the family reunification policy of the 1996 immigration bill to include the elderly of the entire world so we can sign them up.

[ncpatriot]

Guess we need to notify our representatives of this.

[Skooz]

For 2009, the monthly federal benefit rate for SSI is $674.00 not $1011.00.

And illegals cannot qualify for SSI (yet).

[Shery]

This is outrageous! And my son is paying thousands yearly to try to get his wife’s immigration paperwork through so she can become a legal citizen!

[central_va]

Soylent Green

[sportutegrl]

In addition, you can be a “deemed qualified alien” if, under certain circumstances, you, your child or parent has been subjected to battery or extreme cruelty by a family member while in the United States.

Beat your kids, get SSI.

[Oatka]

"Cuban or Haitian entrant" under Section 501(e) of the Refugee Education Assistance Act of 1980 or in a status that is to be treated as a "Cuban or Haitian entrant" for SSI purposes.

I remember when a bunch of Haitian refugees landed in the States. The report said 5,000. They also reported that 4,000 immediately went on SSI. Take a look at parts of Miami to see the result. The Cubans, on the other hand, opened up a ton of bodegas and restaurants and got cracking. The Haitians didn't.