By Dina Malual, Maine Equal Justice
Are you having difficulty paying for your rent, electricity, heat, food, or medicine? You are not alone. As costs go up, many people with low incomes are struggling to make ends meet, and General Assistance (GA) can help. GA helps people anywhere in Maine, including noncitizens, pay for necessities.
What it means to be “pursuing lawful process”
Non-citizens who are awaiting immigration relief are eligible for GA. To qualify as a noncitizen, in addition to showing proof of your income and monthly spending, you will need to prove that you are pursuing lawful immigration status. That means that you are “taking reasonable, good faith steps to apply for immigration relief within twelve months of arrival to the United States.”
For someone applying to GA for the first time, this can mean simply providing proof of your A-number and filling out an affidavit that says you are pursuing immigration relief (an affidavit is a sworn, legal written statement made under oath). However, if you have applied to GA before, you may be required to prove that you have applied for immigration relief within twelve months of arrival in the United States.
For example, if you are seeking immigration relief (such as asylum, U visas, or T visas) you could say on your application that you are working with an immigration attorney or “self-attest” (say) that you are taking reasonable, good-faith steps towards immigration relief. If you are self-attesting, you may be asked to complete the GA Affidavit for Pursuing Immigration Relief document. You can find this document on the Maine Department of Health and Human Services website, or you can ask for it at any GA office.
Many actions can be counted as reasonable, good-faith steps to apply for immigration relief. These include sending a change of address form to immigration court, providing a receipt of a Master Calendar hearing notice, or taking steps to find a lawyer or legal organization. You can also demonstrate your efforts by attending a relevant legal orientation or workshop, working directly with a legal professional, or finding information on your own about how to pursue immigration relief. Collecting documents for your immigration case and preparing immigration forms are other reasonable steps that will satisfy this requirement.
ADVERTISEMENT
Duration of General Assistance help
Noncitizens working towards immigration relief can only receive help from GA for a maximum of two years or 24 months until they obtain a lawful status. However, wait times in the legal process often last longer than two years, and individuals may lose GA help before obtaining status
For example, consider an individual seeking asylum who self-attests that she is working towards immigration relief. Long wait times for immigration determinations — often related to backlogs and federal immigration policy changes — mean she has to wait many months, sometimes even years, for answers. However, if she does not receive a determination after two years and remains in what is referred to as a “waiting period,” she is no longer eligible for GA until a judge grants her lawful immigration status.
You should not rush your immigration application to remain eligible for GA. If you are not working with an attorney and are coming to the end of your GA eligibility period, please reach out to Maine Equal Justice.
Handling a GA denial due to immigration status
Under the law in Maine, it is your right to apply for GA. You cannot be turned away from applying because of your immigration status, and you cannot be denied the right to self-attest. If you are denied GA help for any reason, you have the right to request a written denial letter. Within five days of receiving that letter, you can request an appeal.
If you face resistance at the GA office, there are specific responses you can use. If you are told that you are not eligible for GA, you can state that you would like to apply anyway and request a written decision. If you are told that you are better off applying for immigration relief, you can reply that you are currently working on your immigration relief, but at this time you would like to apply for GA.
You can also call the GA hotline and explain that you are unable to apply, especially if you are facing an emergency, such as an eviction. In urgent situations, call the hotline immediately at 1-800-442-6003.
Next steps after receiving a written denial letter
Once you receive a written denial, you only have five days to request a fair hearing. You must write to the GA administrator to request this hearing, and sending an email is perfectly acceptable. Make sure to include your name, address, and email in your message. You should also include the date of the decision that you are appealing. A written request can simply state that you are requesting a fair hearing because you believe you were wrongfully denied General Assistance on “mm/dd/yyyy.”
Your hearing should be scheduled within five business days of your request. You have the right to invite anyone to the hearing, including an interpreter, an informal representative, or an attorney. Maine Equal Justice can help in these situations.
To contact Maine Equal Justice for legal services, visit their online portal at maineequaljustice.tfaforms.net/f/contact-us. Additional legal support is available through Pine Tree Legal Assistance, which can be reached online at ptla.org/contact-us.
Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared in the early August 2026 print edition of Amjambo Africa.
