Immigration Policy

Citizens Count Editor

As of 2023, immigrants made up about 7% of New Hampshire’s population. That includes both foreign-born naturalized citizens, legal non-citizen immigrants, and immigrants who are here illegally. New Hampshire’s immigrants come from a wide range of nations. The largest immigrant populations are from Canada and India.

Forty-seven percent of immigrants in New Hampshire have a college or postgraduate degree. 85% of them are proficient in English.

Refugees in NH

New Hampshire’s refugee program is run by the state Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and funded by the federal government. DHHS also works in partnership with nonprofit organizations, including Ascentria Care Alliance and the International Institute of New England. Refugees receive assistance with finding employment, school integration, and English language learning. They may also be eligible for cash assistance.

According to data from DHHS, there were 209 refugees resettled in New Hampshire in 2024. There were 404 refugees resettled in New Hampshire in 2023. Each year the countries of origin vary. For example, in 2024 the largest group of refugees (69) came from the Democratic Republic of Congo. In 2023 the largest group (165) came from Ukraine.

In January 2025, President Donald Trump issued an executive order freezing funds for refugee resettlement. Various agencies are challenging that executive order in court, but the future of refugee resettlement in New Hampshire is unclear.

Temporary immigration to NH

Each year, a couple thousand immigrants come to work in New Hampshire with temporary visas. Most of these immigrants are skilled workers on H-1B visas. A smaller number of immigrants work in New Hampshire temporarily on H-2A or H-2B visas, for agricultural or seasonal work. Occasional restrictions on these temporary work visas, for example during the COVID-19 pandemic, have sparked debate at the federal level.

Illegal immigration to NH

An estimated 15% of New Hampshire’s immigrants are in the country without legal status. That amounts to 1% of the general population.

These immigrants are not eligible for public benefits such as SNAP, Medicaid, or CHIP. (Some states have used state funds to offer coverage through those programs for immigrants here illegally.)

New Hampshire does not require employers to run prospective employees through E-Verify, a federal system that determines citizenship status. The Legislature has considered some bills on this topic, but many businesses oppose E-Verify because it is burdensome and not always accurate.

A 2025 right-to-know request from a state legislator showed three undocumented immigrant students attending the University of New Hampshire, although the university did not have information on the students' exact status in the immigration system. For example, those students may have been part of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The presence of these student sparked debate about the university's admission policies.

Drivers licenses for immigrants in NH

Immigrants who are in New Hampshire legally can apply for a non-citizen state driver’s license. This includes foreign college students or people in the state for business reasons. They will need to present documentation proving their legal status and must take a full driving test. Get more information.

Immigrants without legal documents cannot get a New Hampshire driver's license, although some other states will issue driver's licenses in those circumstances. In 2025 the New Hampshire Legislature passed a bill that makes those licenses issued in other states invalid in the Granite State..

ICE and immigration enforcement in New Hampshire

Generally speaking, state and local law enforcement only have the authority to enforce state and local laws – which excludes federal immigration law. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is the federal agency responsible for enforcing immigration laws.

However, under President Donald Trump state and local law enforcement can perform some immigration enforcement through the 287(g) Program. Law enforcement agencies must apply to join the program and put officers through related training.

As of May 2025, eleven law enforcement agencies in New Hampshire participate in the 287(g) Program and perform some immigration enforcement:

Belknap County Sheriff's Office
Candia Police Department
Colebrook Police Department
Gorham Police Department
Grafton County Sheriff's Office
Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office
New Hampshire State Police
Ossipee Police Department
Pittsburgh Police Department
Rockingham County Sheriff's Office
Troy Police Department

Gov. Kelly Ayotte has applauded these law enforcement agencies for cooperating with federal immigration enforcement. However, other police departments in New Hampshire have said they do not participate in the 287(g) Program because they are already understaffed and do not have the resources to take on additional responsibilities.

ICE holds immigrants at two detention facilities in New Hampshire: the Strafford County jail and the federal prison in Berlin. Some legislators have proposed state regulations for immigration detention facilities, but that idea has not gained traction.

Illegal crossings along the Canadian Border

In 2023 New Hampshire created the Northern Border Alliance, a program that facilitates extra law enforcement within 25 miles of New Hampshire's border with Canada. Gov. Chris Sununu supported the Northern Border Alliance as a response to illegal border crossings in the North Country. However, some legislators are skeptical there are enough crossings to merit so much focus.

The Northern Border Alliance has to report on its activities. In 2024 the Northern Border Alliance reported assisting Border Patrol four times.

U.S. Customs and Border Patrol has also staged several immigration checkpoints in places like Woodstock and Lebanon, along I-93. Those checkpoints were highly controversial, sparking legal actions by the ACLU. The New Hampshire Legislature has considered, but not passed, notification requirements for immigration checkpoints.

Sanctuary city ban

In May 2025, Gov. Kelly Ayotte signed two bills that block any local policies that would prohibit law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration officials. Lebanon and Hanover previously passed ordinances that asked local police not to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. A handful of other towns had "welcoming ordinances" that proclaimed their communities were friendly to undocumented immigrants. However, none of New Hampshire's major cities blocked immigration enforcement, so Gov. Ayotte's ban on "sanctuary cities" in New Hampshire is unlikely to have a major effect in the Granite State.

NH immigration field office

The Manchester field office for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is located in Bedford. It handles a range of services related to immigration but by appointment only. The office does not accept walk-ins. A request for an appointment should be made through the USCIS Contact Center.

(The Manchester field office should not be confused with the National Visa Center in Portsmouth, which is not open to the public. The National Visa Center is a processing facility and does not offer any direct services to immigrants.)

Immigrants who are looking for more assistance may wish to contact support groups or an immigration lawyer. A list of resources for immigrants in New Hampshire is available here.

Learn More

American Bar Association: Commission on Immigration

FAIR - Federation for American Immigration Reform

National Conference of State Legislatures: Immigration Legislation Database

ACLU - NH: Know Your Rights

This page was last edited on 2025-09-08

ADVOCATE FOR YOUR CAUSE

Comments

Janet

January 9, 2020

To understand the fight that is taking place right now over the border wall and the influx of illegal aliens, one needs to look no further than the United Nations Global Migration Compact, which 193 countries have signed. While I urge everyone to read this document, the sum and substance is that any individual in any country of the world has the right to migrate to the country of his or her choice and the host country is obligated to bend over backwards to accommodate the cultural, religious, and physical needs of these aliens.
Since President Trump refused to sign this agreement, the UN and liberal globalists such as George Soros and his Open Borders Society have been covertly organizing these caravans from South and Central America to storm our borders under the guarantee that they have the right to enter our country illegally and we have the obligation to accept them. We are obligated to house, clothe, feed, educate, provide medical treatment, attorneys, interpreters etc. The cost of illegal immigration to the American taxpayer (federal, state and local) according to Immigration Reform Law Institute (September 27, 2017) is $116 billion a year; “On the federal level, medical ($17.14 billion) is by far the highest cost, with law enforcement coming second ($13.15 billion) and general government services ($8 billion) third.”
So when Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer and the rest of the liberal globalists squawk about $5 billion to build a physical barrier to prevent these invaders from entering our country and forcing an untenable financial burden to we taxpayers we must question their motives. Are they working in the best interest of America? No they are not. They, like Angela Merkel are of the same globalist mindset.
“Nation states must today be prepared to give up their sovereignty,” said German Chancellor Angela Merkel to an audience in Berlin. She urged sovereign nation states not listen to the will of their citizens when it comes to questions of immigration, borders, or sovereignty.
And Pope Francis during his Christmas speech urged Christians to reject sovereignty and embrace globalism in order to make the world a better place.
After World War II there was a push for a New World Order whereby all countries would cede sovereignty so that the unelected and unaccountable United Nations would become the world governing body, forcing us to live under the tyrannical rule of the UN despots. Think about that for a moment. Without borders we have no sovereignty, without sovereignty we no longer have a Constitution or the rights and protections guaranteed in the Bill of Rights.
The plan was going seamlessly until the unexpected election of Donald Trump, the non-politician Nationalist who dared to uphold his oath “to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.” His election thwarted the globalist agenda. Politicians, world leaders and the media on a daily basis relentlessly attack him for his America First policy. Since his first day in office these anti American globalists have been feverishly trying to find ways to impeach and remove him from office.
The Democrats have become the face of the New World Order; Open Border activists who put us all at risk with their Catch and Release policies, their desire to abolish ICE and their taxpayer funded Sanctuary Cities and States. Our government has a duty under our Constitution to protect our citizens, yet these liberal politicians are actively protecting illegal aliens at the expense of the American people and in violation of American immigration law.
A republic founded upon the consent of the people can only survive with an informed electorate. Unfortunately, too many of the electorate today is ill informed, with much of their news obtained from sound bytes spewed from a left-leaning media. And George Soros, the self proclaimed Open Borders advocate has ties with more than thirty of these mainstream news outlets.
We the People will lose our republic unless we rise up and demand that our elected officials who took an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States be forced to uphold their responsibilities to America and Her interests first and foremost. And those who do not should under the laws of the United States be punished.

Alan

July 3, 2018

fallow the federal law's.if your here illegally you should be prosecuted as a felon.no country in the world would let you into there country without knowing who you are.to many drug dealers an criminals coming here an if you send your unaccompanied children here they should be sent back.An stop all welfare for anyone here illegally START FOLLOWING THE LAWS OF OUR NATION.AN STOP TRYING TO MAKE YOUR OWN WITHOUT GOING THRU CONGRESS

Jackie

June 21, 2018

The Trump administration claim it is only enforcing the law when separating minor immigrant children from their parents, but they have made a choice to interpret the law as they have and implement this policy. It is doing irreparable harm to these children, and goes against everything America should stand for. New Hampshire should do everything in its power to oppose the separation of families.

rich

September 25, 2014

Immigration Reform is like eating an elephant, its best leaving it alone. We have a system that appear to work, abet poorly.

Neil

February 8, 2013

One of the main issues facing the current Obama administration is Immigration reform. While ideas have been expressed on both sides, a concrete and over-arching plan has yet to be determined.

As New Hampshire's Home for Politics, the New Hampshire Institute of Politics & Political Library seeks to explore issues, like immigration, in a non-partisan, open and civil manner.

This Friday the 15th, we will be joined by Jose Jorge Mendoza, a professor at Worcester State University, who will discuss his interpretation of the Philosophy of Immigration.

This event is free and open to the public. For more information, go here.