Dear fellow community members and readers of the Dallas Vietnamese Weekly,

In the large metropolitan areas of Texas, it is not hard to see tearful embraces at the airport. These are the moments when families reunite after 10, 15, even 20 years of waiting on a sponsorship petition. Families step off the plane with a green card in hand, hair streaked with gray, deep lines etched at the corners of their eyes. They spent nearly all of their youth back home waiting for the day they could set foot in the United States.

These families carry a very simple “American Dream”: the land of the free, peaceful and full of opportunity, with a modern health care system ready to care for them, support for old age, and above all, a future for their children and grandchildren. But the reality of the first days in America often brings some disappointment: failing health, limited English, a different culture, and a legal system and public services that are completely unfamiliar.

Many sponsors and newcomers alike hold the belief: “As soon as you have a green card, every benefit will be ready the day you step off the plane.” In this issue, Charlie writes for fellow community members who have just arrived, and for the sponsors who are opening their arms to welcome them. The American Dream is real, but it has never been easy, so don’t let the truth shatter you. The American Dream only breaks when people passively wait for something whose time has not yet come and then fall into disappointment. Knowing clearly what to do, what to wait for, and sometimes that waiting itself is the key, is how you build a firm footing for the years ahead in a foreign land.

1. The first ninety days: Building a foundation

Once the joy of reunion settles, the first task for a newcomer is not to find a way to reach public benefits, but to quickly establish legal standing and self-reliance in the United States. The following small tasks, done in order within the first 90 days, will lay the foundation that determines how well you integrate and protect yourself later:

Social Security Number (SSN): Make sure the person who prepared the application checked the box to request an SSN on the visa application in Vietnam, and still watch for the card to arrive in the mail. If you have not received the card after 2 weeks, the sponsor should take the newly arrived relative to the nearest Social Security Administration (SSA) office to handle it. The SSN card is the first key to everything that follows, from opening a bank account and filing taxes to getting a job and benefits.

State ID or driver’s license: If you are a fellow community member in Texas, make an appointment and go to the Texas Department of Public Safety (Texas DPS) to get an ID card or take the driver’s test. A state-issued ID means you don’t have to carry your passport or original green card for daily errands or when flying to other states.

Open a bank account of your own: Choose a large bank with many branches in many states and open a bank account in the newcomer’s own name so they can get used to the financial system, to transactions, and begin building a personal credit history.

Get an initial general health check-up: Don’t wait until you get sick to rush to find a doctor. The sponsor should take the newly arrived relative for a general check-up as soon as possible, to learn about any underlying conditions (blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease) and set up continuing medical follow-up. An initial visit also gives the newcomer an experience of how the American health care and insurance system works, so they adapt faster when they truly need a doctor.

Start learning English right away: The first 90 days are a time to get familiar with everything, before you get swept up in the daily struggle to earn a living. Sign up for free English as a Second Language (ESL) classes at community colleges or local centers. Learning English at 50 or 60 is not about earning a diploma, but about confidently saying hello, going to the market on your own, and telling a doctor in your own words where it hurts.

Charlie also has a sincere reminder for sponsors: help your newly arrived relatives get to know their documents and, where possible, explain what each one means. Sponsors should absolutely not hold on to all of their relatives’ original documents (green card, SSN card, passport). Helping them stand on their own two feet is how both sides are freed from a long-term burden.

2. Five years of waiting: The legal rule for most immigrants

The biggest barrier that surprises many families is the “Five-Year Bar” on means-tested public benefits.

You should know that this is not a new rule, nor the current administration “making things difficult.” It is a law that dates back to 1996. Under federal law, most lawful permanent residents who entered the United States after August 22, 1996 must reside lawfully in the United States continuously for at least 5 years before they can qualify for programs funded by the federal budget. The two largest programs subject to this rule are:

Full Medicaid: free health insurance for low-income people, and SNAP (Food Stamps): food purchasing assistance administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Only a few exceptions are not subject to the five-year bar, such as U.S. veterans, active-duty military (and their family members), or people who entered the U.S. as refugees or asylees. For ordinary family-based immigration (F1, F2B, F3, F4, IR), the five-year bar is mandatory.

During the first 5 years, if a new immigrant applies for full Medicaid or SNAP, the application will almost certainly be denied automatically by the system. Texas, unlike California or New York, has no state-funded programs of its own that extend to all immigrants. Understanding that this is a general legal rule helps newcomers avoid wasting time, avoid being exploited by scammers, and above all avoid feeling “wrongly rejected” or let down.

3. The health care gap and the reality of Medicare

For fellow community members who reunite with family after age 65, the health insurance gap in the first 5 years is the most urgent problem to solve.

A very common misunderstanding in the community is: “If you have a green card and you’re 65, you automatically get Medicare.” This is completely wrong from a legal standpoint. Under the rules of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS):

A permanent resident who wants to enroll in Medicare (even by paying the premium themselves) must have lived lawfully and continuously in the United States for 5 years. As for cost: Medicare Part A (hospital insurance) is premium-free only if the person or their spouse has worked and paid Social Security taxes for 40 credits (about 10 years of work in the U.S.).

So, a person who has just received a green card, even at 66 or 70, who has not lived 5 continuous years in the U.S. and whose spouse also has no work credits, is simply not yet eligible for Medicare. This creates a dangerous health insurance gap if it is not handled properly.

What is the solution for this 5-year gap? A person with a new green card can enroll in health insurance on the Health Insurance Marketplace under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) as soon as they arrive, through a special enrollment period due to a change in circumstances.

However, pay special attention to the cost assistance: the monthly Premium Tax Credit is no longer available to people whose income is below the federal poverty level. Beginning with the 2027 plan year, this subsidy is only for citizens or permanent residents with income between 100% and 400% of the poverty level. For newly arrived green card families with very low income (below the poverty level), they can still buy plans on the Marketplace, but they must pay the full price, with no government reduction. The sponsor’s family should work out this real cost in advance or step in to help, rather than assume the newcomer will automatically get subsidies that bring the premium down to something very low, only to be disappointed and left without health coverage.

4. Work to earn credits

If the first 5 years are a period of “waiting and self-reliance,” then having solid footing in old age depends entirely on what the new green card holder does starting today: work and earn Social Security credits.

Under Social Security Administration (SSA) rules for 2026, each time you work and have $1,890 in taxable earnings, you earn 1 credit. In a year, each person can earn at most 4 credits (equivalent to minimum taxable earnings of $7,560 per year). To receive a pension and premium-free Medicare Part A in old age, you need to accumulate 40 credits (equivalent to 10 years of work).

For fellow community members who arrive in the U.S. in their forties or later, finding a suitable job that pays taxes is extremely urgent. Don’t look down on small jobs or modest monthly pay, because the credits you earn today will turn into health coverage and financial independence for you in retirement. Opportunity is wide open in America: a small job today can be a stepping stone to great success later, so always seize opportunities and build up a little at a time for the future.

5. The “public charge” burden is behind you: Don’t be afraid, and don’t do wrong

Another vague fear that often grips people who have just reunited with family is the worry about losing a green card because of “Public Charge.” Charlie wants to reassure you again:

Under the rules of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), “Public Charge” applies only when a visa or a green card application is being reviewed. For a person who already holds a green card and entered lawfully, receiving lawful assistance when they are eligible does NOT cause them to lose their green card or be deported.

However, there are two things you absolutely should not do:

Don’t ask strangers to “run your application” for benefits: Many “middleman” services promise to get cash assistance or Medicaid for new green card holders within the first 5 years by lying about income or hiding the sponsor’s information. This is federal fraud. When discovered, the person whose name is on the application will have to repay every dollar, pay heavy fines, and it will directly affect their later citizenship application.

Don’t cancel insurance on your own: Sponsors should not rush to remove a newly reunited relative from their own insurance before a lawful replacement plan is ready. Doing so creates a very dangerous gap in coverage if an accident happens.

The American Dream after a decade of waiting is not a paradise where everything is free. The real American Dream is when we bravely face the truth: knowing that the first 5 years require self-reliance and careful planning, then step by step going to work to earn credits, learning a few more sentences of English, taking care of your health, and building a rightful place for yourself.

Charlie advises new green card holders and their sponsoring families to sit down together in the very first weeks. Work out that 5-year gap proactively: How will we buy health insurance? What will it cost? What light job can earn 4 credits a year? Careful preparation today will take the place of confusion and disappointment tomorrow.

Wishing your new steps on American soil to be peaceful, steady, and rewarded with sweet results!

If you or your families have questions about immigration, insurance, Social Security, or related matters, Charlie is glad to receive them through the newspaper, or at [email protected], and will answer them in upcoming issues.

Charlie Nhan Tran, MBA