With the passage of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 foreign nationals must be aware of the following new regulations:
- Foreign nationals are barred from accepting federal benefits such as Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income, and food stamps.
- Foreign nationals may be barred from access to programs that receive state funding, such as AFDC, Medicaid, Title XX block grants and state funded relief measures.
- Foreign nationals are ineligible for prenatal assistance such as the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program.
- Foreign nationals that have accepted any of these benefits must repay the expenses and obtain a receipt to use when reentering the U.S.
- Foreign nationals arrested for even minor criminal offenses are subject to detention pending a deportation hearing.
- F-1's and J-1's must not let their I-20 or DS-2019 expire as they will become out of status.
- Persons who accumulate 180 or more days out of status will be subject to three-year bar to reenter the U.S. Those for 365 days or more will be barred for ten years.
- Consulates may require that the student provide a transcript when they are applying for a new visa.