Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic has taken over the world, everything has come to a sudden standstill. From corporate offices to the biggest educational institutions – everything has stopped working. Funnily enough, cafes, restaurants, and fast food joints have been operating at limited capacity because people need to eat. International students who are here in the United States on an F1 visa may also find themselves without an on-campus job since campuses have also shut down. Let’s see-> Do F1 visa students get a stimulus check?
F1 visa holders are eligible to get a stimulus check. However, unlike naturalized citizens of the United States of America, they need to jump through a lot of hoops to be eligible for the stimulus check.
What Are Stimulus Checks?
Stimulus checks have been an impetus provided by the government of the United States of America to all their residents and citizens so that they can pay their bills and shop for food while offices and places of work have been shut down. Due to the economic instability brought on by COVID-19, people have also lost jobs since they have been laid off or their company itself has gone bankrupt.
People are swimming in debt and many are on the verge of losing their houses, so the government of the United States of America came up with the idea of stimulus checks to help keep the American people safe.
Living in a foreign country is hard, especially with the economic downturn. International students cannot expect parents to send them unlimited money but to survive, these students also need some sort of financial help. The citizens of the United States get a stimulus check. To know if F1 visa holders can get them too, keep on reading.
The Relationship Between The Stimulus Checks And Immigrants In The USA
The situation seems bleak for immigrants. It feels like this stimulus check option is only for the naturalized citizens of the United States of America. However, with a little bit of legwork, immigrants can also get access to a stimulus check. In case you have an H1B visa or are dependent on someone with an H1B visa, you are also eligible to get a stimulus check.
To be on the receiving end of this financial aid, an immigrant will need to have a non-immigrant with you, with a valid social security number. At the same time, to be eligible for a stimulus check, you will also need to file a tax return.
Children And Stimulus Checks
The best part about the stimulus check is that children can also get one, as long as they are qualified for it. So, in case a family is struggling a lot with their expenses, they can also count their children as dependants and receive a higher amount of money. However, there are certain criteria that the citizens of the United States of America need to meet before they can receive their stimulus check.
If they do not meet these guidelines then they will not be eligible for a stimulus check. A child can have a valid social security number. But a parent needs to be in charge of the social security number while having their own social security number as well. So, in case a child will have a social security number and the parent does not have a social security number, then they will not get the stimulus check.
General Stimulus Check Criteria And Guidelines
A citizen of the United States of America needs to have a valid social security number to be qualified for a stimulus check. You will also need to have filed taxes from the year 2019. If you have not filed taxes from 2019, then the tax return from 2018 might also be considered.
People who have an ITIN will be disqualified from getting their hands on a stimulus check. Concurrently, if someone is an H4 visa holder, then both their significant other and them will need to have a valid social security number to qualify for a stimulus check.
Substantial Presence Test And The Stimulus Checks
This sub-criteria only applies to immigrants in the United States of America. This relates to the specific amount of time a person (non-immigrant) citizen of the United States of America has been staying in the country. So, a non-immigrant will have to complete at least 21 days of stay in the United States of America.
Over 3 years, they would also have needed to spend at least 183 days in the United States of America. These 3 years need to be 2019, 2020, and 2021. Your stay should cover the physical presence for the entire 2020 period, as well as an additional 4 months in 2019 and 1/6 in 2018.
How To Get The Stimulus Checks?
The stimulus checks went into distribution on April 15, 2021. So by now, people can expect the stimulus checks to be already deposited into their bank accounts. In case you have not gotten a stimulus check deposit in your bank account then you might not have filed your taxes. In case people were not able to file their taxes, then they might not get a direct deposit but a physical check delivered to them in the mail.
So, in case you did not get a direct deposit, you will need to be on the lookout for a check to come to you via mail especially if you have not filed your taxes or if you have not mentioned anything about direct deposits.
Conclusion
Since the pandemic started, people have been left motionless. To help people, the government of the United States of America has offered to help their people by providing them with stimulus checks which are also applicable to F1, H1B, and H4 visas, provided that they have proper documents to back it up. F1 visa holders need to have a valid social security number, and they also need to file their tax returns. Upon completing these steps, an F1 visa holder will be labeled a “resident alien” by the IRS, and an F1 visa holder will be able to get their stimulus checks.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How much will a married couple get in their stimulus checks?
A married couple will be qualified for a stimulus check of $2,400 if they have a valid social security number.
2) Is the stimulus check a monthly payment?
No, the stimulus check is a one-time payment and not a recurring payment.
