<p>My parents divorced when I was a baby and I grew up in the US with my mom while my dad stayed in China. He had an aneurysm when I was eight, so aside from a language barrier (he doesn't speak English) he also has impaired cognitive processes and can't write or anything. Also, he is on disability so he doesn't make any money to contribute to my tuition anyway. I don't have any idea where he is or what he does. I have only seen him a handful of times, and it's always through a third party. My parents divorced through some way across continents but no "professional" has enough knowledge. My mom doesn't have an accountant or divorce lawyer, and we're not very open about it to my high school. We just don't know any professionals, and we're not a religious family. Does anyone have any advice on how to go about requesting the waiver?</p>
<p>You must contact the third party who knows where your father is to get the information. The college is going to want you to make any and all efforts to get the information</p>
<p>You can certainly request a non-custodial parent waiver for the Profile. This is done through each school individually. You will have to provide documentation of your lack of contact with your dad. Could this third party provide this documentation? </p>
<p>@thumper1 yes, but the problem is that this third party isn’t one of the professional types that is allowed to provide documentation (lawyer, clergy member, social worker, etc…). He is just my mom’s college friend.</p>
<p>To get a waiver, you will need some kind of documentation of the breach in your relationship between you and your dad. </p>
<p>I would suggest you contact one of your colleges by phone, and explain the situation. Ask them what to do.</p>
<p>But remember…anyone could say “I don’t know where my dad is. Can I get a waiver.” Colleges must verify that there is a solid reason for your waiver request. So call and ask. See what they might take as supporting documentation.</p>
<p>ETA…if your dad has never been listed on your school records, and the school folks have never had any contact with him, this could enable the school counselor to help you. However, if you have your dad listed on your school documents, that would be another whole story.</p>
<p>@thumper1 Wow! I hadn’t thought about the school thing. Thank you!! </p>
<p>Yes, that is a good suggestion. The HS wrote a letter on our behalf, attesting to non involvement. I would also get a letter from that 3rd party documenting what they know and what they facilitated. I don’t understand how you could have seen him through a 3rd party and how you also then don’t know where he is. Be clear about that. I don’t understand how it is that your mother doesn’t know how they got divorce, if that is what you are saying. I just think you need everything to be crystal clear. But I do know people who submitted letters like from your 3rd party.</p>
<p>@BrownParent by third party member I mean that my mom has to contact people to contact him because he never seems to be in the same place or have the same phone number. If we go through the third party, it will be a huge hassle because we have to translate everything to them and then they have to write it in chinese and translate it back into english and get it notarized but it has to go through the unemployment office or something and my dad still can’t write for himself or anything. I guess it’s just something we’ll have to do.
My dad forged her signature on the divorce papers when she had already come over and he was still in China so i don’t think she actually knows who did it
It’s a confusing situation but thank you for your input!</p>
<p>it’s possible to find him, it will just be incredibly exhausting and expensive</p>
<p>Well you have this third party to document past sparse contact and relay what they know of the relationship and his condition. That’s useful.</p>