Receiving Stimulus Checks as a Non-Immigrant

2020 has been a year, unlike any other. All of our lives have derailed from what we had planned for the year — stuck in a foreign country, graduating at home in pyjamas, working remotely for the first time… We all more or less faced some unexpected obstacles in this extraordinary year.

Workers across the U.S. have been put on leave, experienced pay reductions, even unemployment. Many people have to live much more frugally, and some have straight up fallen into poverty.

The individuals are not the only ones suffering. Countless small and mid-sized businesses, even large corporations, have filed for bankruptcies since the drastic fall in consumers’ purchasing powers.

The U.S. government has sensed the dangerous signs of a recession. To restore the purchasing power among consumers, the government issued stimulus checks with a maximum amount of $1,200 starting in March. Until August, the IRS has issued a total of 153 million deposits, totalling $2.69 trillion.

Congress has been under discussion for the second round of stimulus package. The amount is projected to be only half of the first one, $600. Specialists have said that the checks will not be released until two weeks after the legislation is signed. People would be receiving the packages in January at the earliest.

Until this Friday, the lawmakers still have not agreed upon each other. The federal government risked a shutdown on Friday at midnight. Luckily, a stopgap bill extended the government funding till Sunday night.

Can I Receive a Stimulus Package Without Being a Citizen?

If you are studying in the U.S. or working as a foreign national, you may have worried that accepting a stimulus check would count as a “Public Charge,” which would negatively impact your status. Luckily, this is not the case!

A stimulus check does not count as a public charge. You are eligible for a stimulus check as long as you: have been living in the U.S. for more than five years, have a Social Security Number, do not make more than $99,000 if you are single, and you and your spouse make no more than $198,000 combined.

How Do I Apply?

If you have filed for taxes, or the IRS has your bank information, all you need to do is wait and be patient. If you have not filed for taxes, you can register online at the IRS website. https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/economic-impact-payments

Who Receives the Checks First?

If the IRS already has your bank information, it is more likely to receive stimulus checks relatively early. If the IRS does not have your information already, you will likely receive the stimulus later in the form of a check or a prepaid debit card.

When the first wave of checks was dispersed, more than half of the eligible population received the package before the end of March. Meanwhile, more than 12million people may not even receive a cent since the IRS has no way of contacting them, and they did not register online.

 

关于非公民的刺激资金领取

2020年对于大家来说都是不平凡的一年。世界上所有人的生活都因为突如其来的疫情脱离了我们预想的轨道。被困在海外无法回家，毕业生面临毕业就失业，上班族第一次长期居家办公…我们都面临了各种各样意想不到的困境。很多员工因为疫情，面临停工，减薪，甚至失业。许多人都过起了拮据的生活，有的甚至直接掉出了温饱线。

不光是老百姓受尽了苦，无数的中小企业，甚至大企业，都因为消费者支出变少，无法继续盈利，彻底退出了舞台，成为了时代的眼泪。

美国政府也深知这种状态的危险。如果消费者继续颓靡，企业也继续受创，美国经济将陷入不可阻挡的衰退。美国政府为了刺激消费，在三月开始发放最多每人1200美金的经济刺激金。截止到八月，美国税务局发放了1.53亿份刺激资金，总额超过2690亿美金。

国会已经开始讨论是否要进行第二轮经济刺激。这次的支票比上次打了对折，只有600美金。专家表示，如果方案通过，至少要立法两周后，这些钱才能陆续发放。现在看来，至少要一月这些钱才能拿到老百姓手里。

直到本周五，国会内部还没有达成一致。美国联邦政府一度因此险些停摆，好在在最后关头特朗普通过了临时法案，能让政府资金撑到周日晚。

我不是美国公民，可以领取刺激资金吗？

许多留学，留美工作的朋友们都担心领取刺激资金会被算作使用公共负担，会影响自己未来的身份情况。许多朋友们含泪放弃了三月收钱的机会。不要担心！如果新一波资金的要求和上次一样，只要你：住在美国多于五年，有社会安全号（SSN），单身收入不超过9.9万美金，夫妻收入不超过19.8万美金，就可以心安理得地拿钱！

怎么申请资金

如果你报过税，那在家躺着等钱到账就可以了。如果你没有报税的记录，那么请通过IRS官网进行登记。

发钱时，谁能优先领取？

已经在税务局注册自己银行信息的朋友们大概会率先收到资金。其余的朋友们都会收到纸质支票，或者预付过的银行卡。

三月份第一波资金发放的时候，超过一半的人在四月结束前就收到了钱。但也有一千二百万人可能一分也拿不到，因为税务局没有他们的联系方式，而他们也没有注册报名领取资金。

离我们听到国会的决定可能只要两天。怎么样，是不是期待地搓手手啦？