Hi guys,
Im new to the states im here about 6 months, im a permanent resident and i asked in the college and they told me that im eligible for financial aid, but what i don’t understand is what should i put in Tax forms in FAFSA for the last years because i’ve been here only 6 months and i don’t have a tax return yet!
You fill out the FAFSA with the information you have, including earnings for the year asked (2016 if you fill out the FAFSA now, for this coming school year). There will be a question about taxes, and one of the options is ‘did not/will not file.’ If there is a follow up, you state that you were not required to file. You WILL be selected for verification, and will be required to provide info about your income, copies of paychecks, taxes filed in your previous country.
Ask the folks at the FA office is you need help filing out the forms.
How old are you? If you’re under 24, then you would be providing info about parents’ earnings for that year…even if those earnings were from another country. You’d also include any earnings you had.
Hi Thank you for your reply, so i will just put this option ‘did not/will not file’ and wait for verification 
Im 27, should i skip the part of parents ? because i live alone and my parents never been here in the US
If you state you are 27, the parent section should ‘gray out’ and you won’t answer those questions.
how are you being supported? that’s going to be an issue. usually when someone is newly arrived and awarded a green card it’s because someone has agreed to support you for a length of time.
you mention that you’re living alone. who is paying your rent? who is paying for your food?
since you are 27 and don’t qualify for Bright Futures, your aid options will be limited in Florida. is there a Community College or state school that you can commute to?
are you working now?
https://www.ua.edu/performingarts/
I would think with the new Performing Arts Center there will more internship opps as well.
the plans are fabulous.
there is also the Tuscaloosa Amphitheater that attracts top talents…maybe internship opps there, too.
Because someone has agreed to sponsor them doesn’t mean they actually receive money from that person. If the new immigrant makes money and supports himself, great. If not, the sponsor has to provide some support.
There are questions on the FAFSA that handle where the support is coming from. Florida also has a FL-SEOG, so if the OP could get a Pell grant, an SEOG, and a Fl-SEOG, he should have enough to go to a community college or a state directional.
Hi again, i don’t have a sponsor, im here because of the diversity visa program, and yes i have a full time job to pay my bills and im willing to start in Valencia community college.in Orlando
Sounds like you’re good to go
Okay, to circle back to the original question, you don’t have a tax return for 2016, the year used for the current FAFSA (if you are starting school soon). Answer the questions with the INCOME you had for 2016 and then check that you did not file a return and will not. That might get you through the FAFSA (able to file) but you’ll be asked for verification and will need to provide whatever proof you have of that income, and why you didn’t file. You may be asked to get a tax transcript from the IRS and you can do that if you have a SSN.
If you need help, go to the FA office at Valencia. A lot the questions will be blank because you just don’t have documents. It’s okay.