Mental Health Care for New Immigrants: What You Can Use Now

Community health centers. The federal Health Resources and Services Administration funds about 1,400 health centers running more than 16,600 sites, and they treat mental health and substance use as well as medical and dental needs. HRSA's rules say no patient may be denied service because they cannot pay, and sliding-fee discounts are based only on income and family size, with a full discount at or below the federal poverty guideline unless the center charges a small nominal fee. In 2025 the federal government tried to treat health centers and several mental health programs as benefits limited by immigration status; on Sept. 21, 2026, a federal court vacated that notice in a case brought by 20 states and Washington, D.C. Search our community clinic finder or HRSA's locator by ZIP code.

988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Call, text or chat 988 any time. Services are in English and Spanish, and calls connect to interpreters in more than 240 languages at no cost. SAMHSA says you are not required to give personal information to get support. 988 involves 911 only when someone is in immediate physical danger. In New York City, NYC 988 (formerly NYC Well) says callers are never asked to disclose their immigration status.

NYC Care. NYC Health + Hospitals runs NYC Care for New Yorkers who do not qualify for or cannot afford insurance. It is not insurance: fees are set by family size and income and start at $0, with no monthly fees. Mental health is among its listed services. NYC Care says, "We do not record information regarding your immigration status," and that its application information is not shared with immigration officials. Call 1-646-692-2273.

For children in NYC schools, school-based health centers in more than 300 schools provide mental health counseling at no cost, regardless of insurance or immigration status. For treatment referrals, SAMHSA's free, confidential National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357 and FindTreatment.gov can point you to programs that charge on a sliding scale; the helpline does not ask for personal information.

The 2025 federal budget law changed Medicaid and CHIP for immigrants starting Oct. 1, 2026. Federally funded coverage is now generally limited to US citizens and nationals, green card holders, Cuban and Haitian entrants, and citizens of the Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau living here under the Compacts of Free Association, according to CMS guidance dated April 8, 2026. Before that date, refugees and asylees qualified with no waiting period. After it, refugees, asylees, parolees and trafficking survivors lose federal Medicaid unless they also hold one of those qualifying statuses.

Green card holders generally still wait five years before full Medicaid, with exceptions such as veterans and some military families. HealthCare.gov says the wait does not apply to green card holders who used to be refugees or asylees. Two things did not change: emergency Medicaid, which covers treatment of an emergency medical condition for people who meet income and residency rules but lack an eligible status, and the state option to cover lawfully residing children and pregnant people without the five-year wait.

In New York, the state uses that option for children and pregnant people. New York moved refugees, asylees, parolees and survivors of domestic violence or trafficking who were affected by the Oct. 1 change from Medicaid to the Essential Plan, and says their benefits did not change; coverage for children, pregnant people and new mothers did not change either. Questions go to NY State of Health at 1-855-329-8850.

Starting Jan. 1, 2027, only green card holders, Cuban and Haitian entrants and COFA migrants can get premium tax credits on the Marketplace. Other lawfully present immigrants, including people with Temporary Protected Status, work permits or many visas, can still buy a plan but at full price. DACA recipients have not been eligible for Marketplace coverage since Aug. 25, 2025, and undocumented immigrants cannot buy Marketplace coverage, though they can apply for family members who qualify. Open enrollment for 2027 runs Nov. 1, 2026, to Jan. 15, 2027; our open enrollment guide covers costs and deadlines.

Public charge is the test immigration officers use when someone applies for a green card or certain visas. A final rule effective Sept. 18, 2026, rescinded the 2022 rule. For benefits received or applied for on or after that date, Medicaid and other means-tested benefits can be considered, but USCIS says receiving them is never enough on its own to deny someone. For benefits received before Sept. 18, 2026, officers consider only cash assistance and long-term institutional care. Refugees, asylees and several other groups remain exempt by law. Medicaid received by family members is generally not counted against the applicant.

Older lists saying Medicaid, clinics and crisis counseling never count are out of date; USCIS has archived them. A coalition of 22 states and Washington, D.C., sued in September 2026 to block the rule, and it remains in effect. Because the stakes depend on your status and plans, talk to an immigration lawyer or a Justice Department-accredited representative before you drop coverage for yourself or your child. A mental health crisis should never wait on that conversation: call 988.

Federal law requires any health program that receives federal health funding, including hospitals that take Medicare and doctors paid by Medicaid, to provide language help for free. The interpreter must be qualified, and a provider may not make you bring your own or pay for one, or rely on your child to interpret except in an emergency. At check-in, say: "I need an interpreter in [your language], at no cost." A 2025 executive order naming English the official language did not change these laws. If you are refused, you can file a complaint with the HHS Office for Civil Rights within 180 days, online or at 1-877-696-6775.

HIPAA limits what providers can share with any law enforcement agency to specific legal paths, such as a court order or a qualifying subpoena, but it is not an absolute shield. In January 2025 the federal government rescinded the policy that limited immigration enforcement at hospitals and clinics, and ICE supervisors now decide those cases one at a time. Sharing of Medicaid enrollment data with ICE has been the subject of an ongoing federal lawsuit by a group of states.

Some protections are firmer locally. New York's attorney general says providers in the state are not legally required to collect or report patients' immigration status, cannot deny care because of it, and may not give patient health information to law enforcement, including ICE, except in limited circumstances. NYC Care and NYC 988 state that they do not record or ask about immigration status.

Haiti's Temporary Protected Status designation ended July 27, 2026, according to USCIS. A change in status can change which coverage you qualify for, so check with your state's Medicaid office or marketplace and get legal advice about your own case. Whatever your status, health centers, 988 and emergency rooms remain open to you.

Our directory lists more than 600 Black therapists and Black psychiatrists. Ask any therapist whether they have worked with Caribbean or African families. For how stress and depression often show up in immigrant families, and how to raise it with a parent, read our guide to Caribbean families and mental health. If your child is being targeted at school, see what to do when a child is bullied for being African or Caribbean.