SBA district offices in Arkansas
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) operates district offices to serve small business owners with counseling, loan programs, government-contracting assistance, and disaster relief.
⚠️ SBA loan programs closed to non-citizen owners in 2026
Since March 1, 2026 (7(a) and 504) and April 1, 2026 (microloans), SBA requires a business to be owned 100% by U.S. citizens or U.S. nationals. SBA’s “Ineligible Person” list covers undocumented owners — but also lawful permanent residents (green-card holders), asylees, refugees, DACA recipients and visa holders. An ITIN-only owner has no SBA loan path at all.
Two doors are still open: free SCORE / SBDC / Women’s Business Center counseling, which carries no citizenship requirement, and SBA disaster loans, which the 2026 notices did not touch and which still admit “qualified aliens”. Both are explained below, along with the non-SBA lenders that do accept an ITIN.
SBA offices serving Arkansas
| District | Office | Address | Phone | Counties served |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas | None | None | None |
What SBA district offices help with
- Free 1-on-1 business counseling via SCORE and SBDC partner organizations — open to everyone; no citizenship requirement
- SBA 7(a) loans — general-purpose loans up to $5M — U.S. citizens / U.S. nationals only since Mar 1, 2026
- SBA 504 loans — fixed-asset financing (real estate, equipment) — U.S. citizens / U.S. nationals only since Mar 1, 2026
- SBA microloans — up to $50K for startup costs — U.S. citizens / U.S. nationals only since Apr 1, 2026
- Government contracting — HUBZone, 8(a), WOSB, VOSB programs — 8(a) and HUBZone ownership requires U.S. citizenship (long-standing rule, not a 2026 change)
- Disaster loans — physical damage and economic injury — still open to “qualified aliens”, including green-card holders, asylees and refugees
- Export assistance — for businesses selling abroad
Who can actually use each SBA program (as of July 2026)
SBA rewrote this in 2026. The table below reflects SBA’s current SOPs — not the older guidance that most websites still repeat.
| Program | Undocumented / ITIN-only owner | Green-card holder (LPR), asylee, refugee, DACA | The rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7(a) and 504 loans | ❌ No | ❌ No — all named “Ineligible Persons” | 100% of owners must be U.S. citizens or U.S. nationals — SOP 50 10 8, effective Mar 1, 2026 |
| Microloans (up to $50K) | ❌ No | ❌ No | Same standard — SOP 52 00 B, effective Apr 1, 2026 |
| Free counseling — SCORE, SBDC, WBC | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | No citizenship requirement published (13 CFR 130 and 131; SBA’s counseling intake Form 641 asks no status question) |
| Free technical assistance from an SBA microloan intermediary | ❌ No | ❌ No | SBA grant-funded TA restricted to citizen / national-owned businesses — effective Apr 1, 2026 |
| Disaster loans | ❌ No | ✅ Yes — “qualified aliens” remain eligible | SOP 50 30 9: citizens, U.S. nationals and qualified aliens (8 U.S.C. § 1641(b)) |
| 8(a) / HUBZone ownership | ❌ No | ❌ No — SBA “does not consider holders of permanent visas and resident aliens to be citizens” | 13 CFR 124.105 and 126.103 — long-standing, not a 2026 change |
| Forming the LLC itself | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | No state requires citizenship or an SSN to form an LLC |
The counterintuitive part: a green-card holder is now ineligible for a 7(a) loan but still eligible for an SBA disaster loan. The two programs point in opposite directions. Do not reason from one to the other.
⚠️ Status of the change. On July 1, 2026 the Government Accountability Office found (B-338157) that SBA issued these notices without submitting them to Congress as the Congressional Review Act requires. The notices remain in effect — no court has enjoined them — but this is a live dispute. Confirm current policy with the district office before relying on it.
Where immigrant business owners can still get business capital
SBA’s door is closed, but CDFIs and nonprofit lenders are not — these state on their own pages that an ITIN is accepted.
⚠️ Ask which pot of money the loan comes from. Several of these lenders are also SBA microloan intermediaries. On their SBA-funded products the citizenship rule now binds them too; only their own non-SBA capital is still open to you.
| Lender | Where it lends | What its own page says | Published terms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kiva | US except NV and ND | “Kiva does not request or require your Social Security number as part of the application process.” | $1,000–$15,000, 0% interest, no fees, no collateral |
| DreamSpring | 27 states | “You must have a Social Security Number (SSN) or Tax Identification Number (ITIN).” | $1,000–$250,000+; 7.58–21.95% APR |
| LiftFund | Nationwide | “Their SSN or ITIN will be required to complete the application.” | Rates vary by product |
| LEDC | MD, VA, DC, Puerto Rico | “Yes, it is possible to access credit using your ITIN and an identity document.” | $1,000–$250,000; rates from 6.50% |
Beyond this list, ask a local CDFI directly: “do you lend to ITIN-only business owners, and is this loan SBA-funded or your own capital?” That second half of the question is the one that matters now.
Related procedural information
- Forming an LLC in Arkansas — state-specific LLC formation procedure
- ITIN — file taxes without SSN — required for LLC tax filings
- ITIN-friendly business banking — open business accounts under ITIN
- Find an immigration attorney — for visa-tied business cases (E-2, EB-5)
Last verified: 2026-07-11. General procedural information — not legal, tax, or immigration advice.
Recent fee, deadline, and contact context (2025-2026)
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) backed approximately $32 billion in 7(a) loans in FY 2024, with an average loan size of $479,000 and median of $150,000. SBA 504 loans (real estate + equipment) totaled $9.2 billion in FY 2024. SBA Microloans (loans under $50,000) totaled $96 million across 5,500+ loans averaging $17,000 each.
SBA guarantee fees on 7(a) loans range from 0% (loans under $1 million for FY 2025) to 3.5% of the SBA-guaranteed portion (loans over $1 million). SBA disaster loans carry a 4% interest rate for businesses with credit elsewhere or 8% for those without credit elsewhere; physical-damage repayment up to 30 years. Apply at sba.gov/disaster.
SCORE provided over 425,000 hours of free mentoring to small businesses in 2024. Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) — 950+ locations nationwide — served 1 million+ clients. The IRS Form SS-4 (Application for Employer Identification Number / EIN) is required before opening any business bank account; ITIN-holder LLC owners use Form SS-4 with the EIN-only option (no SSN required). Contact SBA toll-free at 1-800-827-5722 (Spanish line) or 1-800-877-8339 (TTY) Monday-Friday 9:00am-5:00pm Eastern Time.
USCIS Form I-9 employment verification is required for any non-owner employees you hire. State business licenses, payroll-tax registration, and unemployment insurance are administered separately — see your state’s Secretary of State and Department of Revenue.