<p>As I was talking to my friend last night, he started crying, so I asked what was wrong. He told me he is an undocumented so he cannot go to college. He needs aid because his parents just don't have the money to pay for his tuition. Since he is illegal he cannot file the FAFSA or get any governemnt funds. Is there a solution?? I know there are some schools he can still apply and get aid but I still feel bad for him because apparently his dream schools require a FAFSA and the other stuff(idk what it is) to receive money. Please help him. He he is a top student and is well qualified for the top tier schools. It just sucks find out he cannoy attend school after seeing him bust his a$$ for years. </p>
<p>Their family applired for a green card and they were expected to receive it by this year but the quota got backed up? idk what that means but i think they issued a very limited number of green cards. His father and mother have been paying taxes and his dad has a SS number. Is there any way for him to receive aid? Also can he apply as a regular student (as long as the school does not require a SS)or does he have to do it as a international? Applying international may be a problem because he JUST found out about this so he didnt do TOEFL or whatever else internationals need to do. please help...</p>
<p>What state is he in and what school(s) does he want to apply to? Some states/schools are very strict with residency status, others not so much. Unfortunately, there probably is not be any way for him to obtain federal/state aid due to his status. He may be able to receive private/institutional scholarships though.</p>
<p>He is in the state of NJ. The two possibilities I know of are Rutgers and the CUNYs. They are cheaper than private schools and he may be able to work a little and earn maybe a few scholarships but nothing much. Even with, he might not be able to go. Also, with his grades, he can go to much better schools so I feel pretty sorry for him</p>
<p>He wants to attend BC,University of NC,Rochester,NotreDame,Emory,Cornell, or Wu St. Louis. Is it possible to get some sort of aid? Even a little? He is willing to work and try to win some scholarships. His parents can pay little less than 10 grand…</p>
<p>Yes he is a senior. Luckily, he has many people trying to help him excluding me. Therefore, he has a list of scholarships (worth not much) that do not require any citizenship or greencard status. Hopefully he’ll win many of them and garner up some money. </p>
<p>FooMonChew: yeah no help. Is it his fault? No. He worked just as hard and his parents work just as hard as legal citizens, in some cases harder. He did NOTHING wrong. He studied and worked his ass off just to get into a good school. </p>
<p>Does anyone know if those schools can help in one way or another?</p>
<p>What exactly does he mean by “undocumented”? If his family has a green card application in process (and he is included in that application) he may not be undocumented, but just hold a category of visa that doesn’t allow him to file the FAFSA. If that is the case, he needs to find out if he can study here in his current visa status, or if he would need to convert to an F-1 visa. He also needs to find out how much longer the green card application process is going to take. </p>
<p>Until he has a green card, unless there is a college or university in his state of residence that will consider him in-state, he is an international applicant. Some colleges and universities do have money for international students. Some don’t. He should take a look at the international student forum to see if there are any useful ideas.</p>
<p>He DID do something wrong. He knew that he was an illegal immigrant and continued to benefit from programs that he was not entitled to use. If he was an American citizen and had gone to a foreign country, they would probably not like to have to spend millions on his education from age 5 until graduation as well as provide other benefits. Maybe thats unfair, but that is how life is.</p>
<p>But this is beside the point.</p>
<p>No one is questioning how hard your friend and his family have worked, but there is a fairness issue that your friend will need to deal with if he tries to attend university in America. Depending on the state, he could be classified as an international student, with limited institutional funding and a lack of beneficial from the need-aware universities for international students. His best bet are merit-based aids that do not require FAFSA, and meeting the gap by applying to as many private scholarships as he can. He should also seek a lawyer and try to expedite his immigration status as quickly as possible. Colleges might turn a blind eye, but many employers will NOT especially in the current environment to his status.</p>
<p>I’ve heard that private colleges will still give institutional aid (merit based scholarships and need based grants) to international studnets or non-citizens. As a non-citizen he will not qualify for state and federal aid. If he can get his information together to be considered a “qualified non-citizen” he can get government aid. Check out the FAFSA website to see the qualifying factors.</p>
<p>I agree with FooMonChew and Bedouin. This person is doing something wrong, he’s living here illegally. Your friend might be a very nice, hard working person but his illegal status will not only affect his ability to go to college but it will greatly impact his ability to find a job.</p>
<p>I believe you when you say that he and his parents work harder than legal citizens. That’s true of most illegals, they do the lousy jobs for not very much money. You can’t expect your friend to have the perks of being a citizen when he is here illegally.</p>
<p>From what I know he came here with a visa but then his visa expired. A few years ago, he applied for a greencard and passed everything and is eligible for one. He is just in the process of waiting. Therefore I am guessing he is illegal.</p>
<p>Also, can he apply as a reg student or does he have to apply as an international? I don’t think he’s considered a international student as well since he has no papers(from what i know so far)</p>
<p>M2CK, the SUNY’s have a long history of “don’t ask, don’t tell” - if one graduates from a NY HS and has parents with a NY address, they assume and give instate tuition. But this kid is from NJ and idk what their publics do.</p>
<p>Cornell gives aid to international students, if he has the stats to get in. I believe that U of R does as well. Univ of Buffalo also gives international scholarships and they have a large number of international students and a good international advising office. If he is a first gen, minority, or low income student he might also qualify for the Acker Scholars program there. Idk what the CUNY’s do/give but it’s worth exploring their websites and sending out a few emails. </p>
<p>Btw, it does NOT sound like this kid is undocumented, just not a permanent resident yet.</p>
<p>OP - It doesn’t sound as though you have a true picture of your friend’s status. He may or may not be illegal (sounds to me as though he was here legally at one time, but perhaps not anymore?). He needs to figure out what his immigration status really is and if there is a way to fix it. Is it truly a matter of waiting it out or did something irreparably bad happen when he overstayed an expired visa?</p>
<p>I think your friend, and probably his parents, should seek the help of an immigration attorney if they are not already doing so. Once he knows what the road ahead looks like in regards to immigration status, he can figure out what to do about further education.</p>
<p>IMO, with virtually no real information there has been a rush to judgement here regarding this young man who had no choice about where his parents chose to live.</p>
<p>If he has been approved for a green card, he and his family should have received paperwork to confirm that they are just waiting for the card to be issued. I would agree that he needs to consult an immigration lawyer.</p>
<p>There is an Immigration and Naturalization Service 800 number that the friend can call to learn the status of his paperwork. It is almost constantly busy – I helped a friend to get through to this number. I called 88 times over three days but finally got through. It was helpful. </p>
<p>Immigration attorneys can also be very helpful. Alas, there are also many who are sharks who take a lot of money and don’t advance a case very far. I hope your friend will connect with others of his ethnicity (sorry, but it does make a difference) and see if he can find a college student of his same background who was successful in getting the paperwork done and use THAT kid’s attorney (ie, go with someone is recommended by someone who was successful). </p>
<p>An admissions officer at the colleges might be helpful in making contacts (for instance, if Emory has a Nigerian community, and your friend is Nigerian heritage, then ask the admissions office for helpful contacts). </p>
<p>Lastly, your friend should investigate if he is eligible to serve in the US Military or Coast Guard because those can be paths to full citizenship. </p>
<p>It is easy to grump about folks being here illegally (that is a valid point) – but, from what I have seen, the paperwork mill of the US Government can be horrifically slow, confusing and contradictory – so people who start out the process legally can have a very challenging time navigating all the steps and staying legal. The process can take years. </p>
<p>Lastly, I would encourage the student to contact his congressperson. IF the family is here legally (Dad has green card) and the student’s paperwork is simply in a constipated place, then a call from the congressperson may shake loose the needed papers.</p>
<p>i found out more about his situation. their family came here legally because his dad had a student visa but then for some reason the visa expired and they became illegal. Also, he is not just waiting. From what he told me there are three main steps to residency. they passed the first two and theyre waiting for the last one to be approved as well.</p>
<p>how does he apply to schools? internaiontal even though hes illegal or as a regualar student and leave out the ss number??</p>
<p>I was looking through the international admissions page for Cornell and I found this.
“Please note that candidates with applications pending for U.S. permanent residency must provide proof of permanent resident status to the Financial Aid and Student Employment Office by May 1 in order to be eligible for aid in the following fall semester.”</p>
<p>Does this mean that students who are pending for a green card are eligible for aid just like regular american students?</p>
<p>Why doesn’t your friend contact the Admissions and/or Financial Aid Offices of a couple of the universities he is interested in with a clear explanation of his status and find out what they have to say?</p>