The second open-enrollment period of the Affordable Care Act's (ACA) HealthCare.gov federal exchange is less than a month away, but documented immigrants and naturalized U.S. citizens should be prepared to encounter application problems.

HealthCare.gov's new EZ application for health insurance coverage will not be for naturalized U.S. citizens and legal immigrants. The EZ application process has been touted to be a simpler online application process for the federal exchange's consumers. But with legal immigrants and naturalized U.S. citizens not included in the EZ application process, Latinos and Asians are more likely to be in long enrollment queues during the second-enrollment period, which starts on Nov. 15.

According to the Obama administration, immigrants are not being ignored but are limited to the ACA's legal requirements. The administration said the documented immigrants and naturalized U.S. citizens are categorized into "complex cases."

Advocates of immigrant rights are speaking out against the exclusion of legal immigrants and naturalized U.S. citizens from the EZ application.

"The whole idea was that HealthCare.gov was going to be a seamless and easy process, but that doesn't seem to be the case for immigrants," said Alvaro Huerta, an attorney at the National Immigration Law Center, via The Associated Press. "I think this is happening because the federal government hasn't taken the steps necessary to resolve issues with their verification system."

Healthcare.gov officials stated improvements have been made for immigrants to receive health insurance. Undocumented immigrants are not eligible for the ACA's benefits, but documented immigrants will encounter an updated and longer list of documents that people can use to confirm eligibility.

"I wouldn't say by any means that we have achieved the best we can, but I do think we have taken appropriate steps across the board," said Andy Slavitt, top technology official for HealthCare.gov. "I would suspect in future years we will be able to do more and more electronically."

The documented immigrants and naturalized U.S. citizens can still enroll for health insurance but will encounter a lengthier application process than those using the EZ process. Families with a member that's an immigrant or naturalized citizen are also not eligible for the EZ application.

"The immigrant community has been a particular thrust, and more of a passion, for us," Slavitt said. "These are the people our team spent time with all of the year. If we don't make it easier for them on the front end, it will mean spending more time with them on the back end."

The second open-enrollment period ends on Feb. 15, 2015. Six million more people are expected to enroll. According to HealthCare.gov, individuals without health insurance will pay a higher penalty fee than in 2014. For 2015's rates, the penalty is 2 percent of the individual's income or $325 per adult/$162.50 per child, whichever is more."