Dilemma

Applying to College
1

<p>I was filling out a college app and ran into a dilemma.</p>

<p>Background: I am a US citizen (born here). Parents are waiting for their green card but are currently out of status. (Immigration application has been filed years ago but due to immense backlog in native country, application has taken years to be processed. They are currently waiting for biometrics and interview.)</p>

<p>The app has this section for student info:</p>

<hr>

<p>D. If you are a US citizen, Permanent Resident, or holder of a valid visa permitting you to remain permanently in the US, and are under 24 years old, please select the option that applies to you.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>I am under 24 and I do have at least one parent or US court-appointed legal guardian who is a US citizen, Permanent Resident,or holder of a valid visa permitting permanent residency in the US. This person's permanent legal residence is in (state) and s/h currently lives in (state).</p></li>
<li><p>I am under 24 and I do not have a parent or US court-appointed legal guardian whose permanent legal residence is in (state). I currently do not live in (state).</p></li>
<li><p>I am under 24 and I do not have a parent or US court-appointed legal guardian whose permanent legal residence is in (state), but I myself will have lived in (state) for at least 12 consecutive months prior to my anticipated enrollment.</p></li>
</ol>

<hr>

<p>My first instinct is to tell the truth and choose #3. What will the repercussions be?
My parents are afraid that if I pick #3, more questions will be asked that will be hard to answer.
If I pick 1, it then asks for the person's name and address. </p>

<p>This is a state U. And FWIW, my parents are good people and they do pay taxes.
Any advise greatly appreciated.</p>

2

<p>You can’t lie about this stuff. You are a legal US citizen. Your parents are not.</p>

<p>If #3 describes your situation, then choose this option.
If #3 describes your situation, then choosing any other option is deceitful and a lie.</p>

3

<p>So they are considered “out of state” even if they do reside here?</p>

4

<p>My other question is - will my financial aid be affected if my parents are out of status/undocumented?</p>

5

<p>Depends on the state. In a few, as long as you’ve attended 3 years of high school there, you’ll be considered in state. In most states, however, you are not in state unless you are a permanent resident or citizen.</p>

6

<p>I think this is just the simple test to qualify you as “in-state” for the U. #3 seems to fit, if you have lived in the state for 12 consec months prior to anticipated enrollment. Same as if a child of citizens or perm residents had moved away from the family home in another state and lived in your state for those 12 months.</p>