I have a work permit but my FAFSA was not approved, what do I do!!!!

Paying for College
1

<p>Hello</p>

<p>Me and my family have a work permit but right now our green card is still being processed. I brought my I-94 departure card at the college I'm planning on attending this fall. Unfortunately my FAFSA was not approved because i'm still on the H4 status. School is approaching fast and I need to know if there is any way that I can get some money for college this year. About 3 months ago we received a letter from the immigration saying that our green card will be fully processed and complete in, at least, 3 to 4 months. Well, it's been more than 3 months and the first day of college is in less than 2 weeks. What if our green card doesn't come? We've been waiting for such a long time that I kinda lost all hope in it, so I'm trying to come up with other options to pay for my tuition. </p>

<p>I'm really trying to rely on the Secret and still trying to keep positive thoughts :) But I'm having a more difficult time brushing off this problem as college gets closer.</p>

2

<p>Since you have a work permit, why don’t you defer enrollment for a semester and start after you have your green card? I know that this seems awful right now, but over the long term, starting a semester (or two) later than you originally planned isn’t that bad.</p>

3

<p>Even if your FAFSA was approved it may not result in the school awarding you enough aid to pay your fall semester bill. The only thing that would be guaranteed is a Pell grant if your EFC came back low enough and $2750 in federal loans for the first semester. And it would also take some time for your school to process your FA award, certify your loans, etc. I think you really need to make another plan now - either defer your enrollment until spring or plan on paying it out of pocket or through private loans. Talk with your FA office to see if you have any other options - some schools do have a monthly payment plan that might work until your FAFSA is accepted.</p>