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Noncitizen veterans could get immigration legal help through VA grants
Representative Norma Torres’ bill would let the Department of Veterans Affairs fund outside groups that handle immigration cases for veterans who are not U.S. citizens.
Noncitizen veterans could get a new route to immigration legal help under a House proposal in Washington. H.R. 9375 would let the Department of Veterans Affairs, or VA, award grants to eligible entities that provide immigration legal services to noncitizen veterans.
Representative Norma Torres of California introduced the measure on June 18, 2026.
Why the help matters
For veterans who are not U.S. citizens, immigration questions can affect the basics: whether they can stay in the country, keep working and keep their lives stable after service. A legal problem that starts as paperwork can quickly become a housing, job or family problem if no one is there to sort it out.
The bill treats that gap as a veterans' services issue. Instead of leaving people to find help on their own, it would let the VA support organizations that already do this kind of work.
A grant program, not a status change
The VA would not be representing veterans in immigration cases itself, and the measure does not create citizenship or any new immigration status. Its narrower promise is funding, so more veterans may be able to reach legal help before deadlines or hearings turn into bigger problems.
The details are still open. The bill does not spell out grant amounts or which entities would qualify, only that the secretary could award grants for immigration legal services to noncitizen veterans.