Massachusetts has experienced a spike in the number of migrants arriving from other countries over the past year, a situation that has strained state resources and is set to cost taxpayers over $1 billion during each of the next several fiscal years.

The families who have arrived through the federal immigration system, either through sponsorship or humanitarian parole programs, are assessed for federal eligibility for a range of benefits, including food stamps, supplemental nutrition, cash assistance, and support for elderly or disabled children.

Undocumented immigrants who have illegally entered the country are not eligible for state benefits like the state-run shelter system or state-backed assistance programs.

Every family that has legally arrived in the United States must go through an application process and there are various eligibility requirements, including income levels, a spokesperson for the Executive Office of Health and Human Services told the Herald in a statement.

“Families in (emergency assistance shelter) are also connected with work authorization services so they can transition to jobs and out of the shelter system as soon as possible,” the spokesperson said.

Jeff Thielman, president and CEO of the International Institute of New England, a resettlement agency that largely works with Haitians, said his organization believes that if the state invests “some support” into arriving refugees and immigrants, then they will more quickly move off benefits.

“The folks that we see come in here, they are eager and hungry to work, and so as soon as they get a little bit of assistance, they’re ready to go. They’re in the workforce, and they want to work. They have come here to work and contribute,” he said.

Just over 3,600 out of the 7,500 families in the state-run shelters entered as migrants, refugees, or asylum seekers as of Oct. 3, according to the Healey administration.

State budget writers reported spending $858 million on the state-run shelter system in fiscal year 2024 and costs in fiscal year 2025 are expected to exceed $1 billion.