You lost your job through no fault of your own. This could happen if:
- you were laid off because of lack of work
- your hours were cut back because of lack of work
- you were fired without good cause
- you quit your job with good cause, for example, unhealthy or dangerous working conditions
- you had to leave your job because of domestic violence
- you were forced to quit your job because of a very important personal reason

You are physically and mentally able to work.
You are looking for a job and willing to accept work right away.
You have not been able to find another job in your field of work (or something similar).
You collected wages in two different quarters of the "base period."

You earned the minimum wages required in at least one quarter and $1.00 of wages in another quarter (generally, anyone who works five months is monetarily eligible).
NOTE: Your "primary base period" includes the last four completed calendar quarters just before you filed your unemployment insurance claim. There are four calendar quarters in a year: January through March, April through June, July through September, and October through December. In some cases, the NMDWS will allow you to use another base period to qualify.
You worked in New Mexico (or your employer's base of operations was within New Mexico).

NOTE: If you worked in another state, you should apply for unemployment insurance in that state.
You did not file a different claim for UI benefits in New Mexico within the past year.

NOTE: You may file a new claim for UI benefits only once during a benefit year.

Who is not eligible for unemployment insurance (UI)?

You are not eligible for benefits if:

You quit your job without good cause, for example, you quit because you did not get along with your co-workers or you didn't like your job.
You were fired from your job with good cause, for example, you were fired because you did something wrong on purpose.
You lost your job because you were convicted of a felony or misdemeanor.
You are not looking for a new job.
You did not collect wages in two different quarters of your base period.
You were a worker in one of these categories:
- worker for a church or another religious organization
- trainee at a public or non-profit organization
- work-study jobholder at a college or university
- consultant who works independently
- real estate broker or insurance agent who works on commission only
- employee of a foreign government
- elected official or certain other government employees
- certain other excluded jobs

Your benefit year for a previous unemployment insurance claim in New Mexico has not ended.

Can I get unemployment insurance if I am not a U.S. citizen?

If you are not a U.S. citizen, you can get unemployment insurance if:

you were working legally when you lost your job
you are legally allowed to take a new job
you meet the other requirements for unemployment insurance

Undocumented immigrants or immigrants working without legal permission cannot get unemployment benefits.

Can I get UI benefits while I attend a job training program?

If you need new job skills in order to get hired, you can attend job training while you get UI benefits. The New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions (NMDWS) must approve your training program. You do not have to look for work while you take part in approved job training.

Can I get UI benefits if I work part-time while I look for a full-time job?

You may work part-time and still get unemployment insurance benefits as long as you report your earnings and continue to look for a full-time job. You still must be able, available for, and willing to accept full-time work. Your UI payments will not change unless your weekly earnings are more than 20% or one-fifth of your weekly benefit. If you earn more than one-fifth of your weekly benefit, your benefit check will be reduced for each dollar you earn over this amount. You will not receive any benefits if you earn wages equal to or in excess of your weekly benefit.

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