New York unrivalled $2.1 billion of the state budget to make up for the exclusion of undocumented immigrants from federal aid during the COVID-19 pandemic. This $2.1 billion fund was an achievement of those workers who held hunger strikes and protestation across the state and city to push for the creation of the fund.

New York now be the the first state in the United States to give undocumented immigrants aid that other got in form of unemployment insurance, this goes to directly benefiting an estimated 92,000 people.

Due to non- filling of tax return some undocumented worker will not get the benefit of $15,600 but thanks to New York state they also come up with to give benefit what others got in stimulus payments, this move will also goes to benefitted an additional 200,000 people.

This chronicled move of New York State is very remarkable because both the Trump govt and Biden Harris administrations continued to exclude those undocumented individuals from govt aids of unemployment insurance and stimulus checks.

Who will get the benefit?

Funding is available to those who lost their job and income or became unemployed because of the pandemic caused by COVID-19 and was not eligible for any traditional unemployment benefits or federal aid under the various stimulus packages declared by federal govt.

How much benefits from the Program?

The benefit under the programs for Undocumented Immigrants will be $15,600, which is equivalent to $300 a week for a year, which is on matching the benefit received from unemployment insurance.

How to Claim the benefit?

If you want to get that benefit of award amount, the Excluded worker would have to file a tax return either in any of 2018, 2019, or 2020 using a valid United States individual taxpayer identification.

The excluded worker will also make it by acknowledge other information such as a letter from an employer documenting the dates of work and reason why the worker is no longer working for that employer.

What if I am not file my tax return?

Those who are not regular in filing of a tax return but who can provide the other documentation could get $3,200. That amount is more equivalent to the money that some received in the three rounds of stimulus payments: $1,200, $600, and $1,400.

Who is Eligible?

Eligible applicant must show that:

1. They Lived in NYS  before March 27, 2020 and have their continuously
2. Income does not exceed $26,800 in the last 12 months
3. Lost at least 50% or more of their  weekly work-related earnings or household income at any point in time between February 23, 2020 and April 1, 2021

How to apply for the benefit?

The application for those workers who are seeking to receive benefit from the EWF is now open. Eligible undocumented immigrants can apply on ewf.labor.ny.gov .

What documents need to submit with the application?

To establish their identity, an applicant must have to produce one or more documents and every applicant must establish 4 points or more. The details of the documents

• NYS Driver License (4 points)
• NYS Non-Driver ID Card (4 points)
• U.S. Passport (4 points)
• DNYC Card (4 points) - (Cards that expired in 2020 are valid until the end of 2021. Cards that expire in2021 are valid during the one-year renewal period following the expiration date.)
• Foreign-Issued Passport (3 points)
• NYS Learner Permit issued by NYS DMV (3 points)
• U.S. Military ID Card (3 points)
• Photo ID card issued by a local government in NYS, NYS government agency, or the federal government (3 points)
• Photo ID Card from a NYS Higher Education Institution (3 points)
• NYS In-Patient Photo ID Issued by Office of Mental Health (2 points)
• Expired U.S or Foreign-Issued Passport (expired by not more than two years) (2 points)
• Expired Foreign-Issued Driver License (expired by not more than two years) (2 points)
• Documents issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS): Arrival/Departure Record (I-94) or Notice of Action (I-797; I-797A; I-797D) (2 points) U.S. Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) Assignment Letter (2 points)
• Marriage Certificate (1 point)
• Divorce Judgement (1 point)
• NYC Parks and Recreation Membership Card (1 point)
• Birth Certificate Issued by a Foreign Country (1 point)
• Foreign-Issued Photo ID Card (1 point)
• Diploma or Transcript from a U.S. high school, college, or university (1 point)
• Non-Photo ID card issued by a local government in NYS, NYS government agency, or the federal government (1 point)
• Employer Photo ID Card (1 point)
• Photo identification card issued by a charitable organization registered with the Charities Bureau of the New York State Office of the Attorney General relating to eligibility for services or participation in the programs, issued in the ordinary course and for which eligibility was established prior to April 19, 2021 (1 point)
• Written Employment Offer, Pay Stubs, or Notice of Pay from an employer (1 point

Eligible document to proof identity Sourced from https://dol.ny.gov/EWFApply

What happen After my application?

Once your application is successfully submitted in the system of Department of Labor then they will start processing your application. If they need any other additional information or corrections, Department of labor will send you a text message on your registered telephone no or email which you provided at the time of filling application. The message will contain a link that advise you who to do sign-in to your account for details. Once you begin with sign-in, follow the instructions to see which documents you need to be corrected or resubmitted and why. You will provide a 7 days’ time to respond the email or text notification and provide all information which is requested.

How and When Will Payments Be Released?

All applicants whose application will approved will receive a one-time payment on a Visa prepaid card which be mailed to their address which was provided at the time of filling of application. This prepaid card has ATM access, and this can be used everywhere Visa debit cards are accepted in the U.S.

Braj Aggarwal, CPA accounting professionals are here to help you with the prequalification and paperwork. To learn more about our Accounting and bookkeeping services & payroll services or connect with our team by filling the form below or you call us on (+1) 718-426-4661 or email us on baggarwal@aggarwalcpa.com