Hi so I was born in China and moved here when I was four years old. When I finished filling out everything for my FAFSA, there was a mark (h) next to the student citizenship status. Because of this, I went to the social security administration office and they confirmed that I am a U.S citizen. Three weeks late, there is still a h next to the student citizenship status and the schools are emailing me to send them documents (passport, birth certificate etc). Is there a way that I can make the h disappear so I wouldn’t have to send all my documents to all of my schools?
thank you!
You only need to send in a document. Either the bio page of your US passport or others.
You need to contact each place and discuss this with them. Clearly, it is impossible for you to ship your original citizenship paperwork and/or passport all around the country! Many will accept photocopies of your documentation as sufficient evidence for processing financial aid, but when you do decide which place you will be attending, you will need to present the originals when you arrive on campus before the funds can actually be released.
Colleges don’t require original documents. They will accept a photocopy of your US passport or Consular Report of Birth Abroad.
Colleges are required by federal regulations to see the original citizenship document. Each school has its own policies. Some will accept a photocopy for the initial disbursement, but they have to see the document in person or they will have to return the federal funds. Because of the requirement to actually see the document, some colleges will not disburse aid at all until they see the original … they may package the aid, but not release it.