Since the peak year of 1993 applications by noncitizens for SSI have steadily declined despite continued high immigration. Between 1993 and 1996 applications by noncitizens declined by 28 percent, from 162,000 to 117,000. This is 40 percent greater than the decline in application by citizens. Awards of benefits to noncitizens have declined 30 percent between 1993 and 1996, from 115,700 to 81,100 2. Most disabled and aged citizens qualify for Social Security and therefore are eligible for no, or only a small, SSI benefits.
Immigrants are poorer than native born.
Immigrants in general have median incomes only about 70 percent that of native born. Given their poverty rate, noncitizens use SSI at a much lower rate than native born. Noncitizens receiving SSI are 9 percent of the noncitizens in poverty. Native born receiving SSI are 13 percent of the native born in poverty. Noncitizens have a poverty rate more than twice that of native born.