Hello. I am seeking financial aid, but I have stumbled upon a problem. My parents don’t live here in the U.S. They have never lived here. I currently live with a relative in the U.S. that provides me only with shelter, as I receive money directly from my parents for everything else. The issue is that they have a visa and frecuently visit me (They come from Mexico) and they do not want to sign my FAFSA application in fear of losing their visas. Has anyone ever encounter a problem as such? I have been unable to find much information. I really don’t want to miss this great opportunity but I don’t want to mess up their visa status.
If you are a U.S. Citizen or permanent resident, your parents must file the FAFSA in order for you to get financial aid. It does not matter if they are citizens. It does not matter if they do not live in the U.S. They must report their income from any where in the world. Your parents having a visa has nothing to do with applying for financial aid.
What your parents will not be able to do is use a FAFSA ID to sign your forms electronically.
they will have to sign the paper FAFSA signature page and your information will be sent to the federal processor via snail mail.
If they sign your FAFSA that will have NO effect on their visas at all!!! Why would it??? They’re not lying on FAFSA by signing it!!! They’re telling the truth!
As the link above explains, since they don’t have social security numbers, use all zeroes, and you submit the FAFSA electronically, but print out the parent signature page and mail it in, since they cannot create a FSA ID to sign.
@bradleyherrera - I can understand how your parents might feel nervous about putting their names onto any US documents right now. However, if they want you to be able to apply for need based aid that you are indeed eligible for, they have to do this. The other options would be for you to not attend college at all, or attend one that is affordable without aid. How do they feel about those choices?
It’s a turist visa. Thank you very much for taking the time to answer! You all have been very helpful. Of course I am a U.S. citizen and I’m definitely not using a real name. I’m from California. Again, thank you!
There’s no reason to think that your parents’ future tourist visas would be affected because their US Citizen child filed FAFSA. There’s no risk with this.
California public universities use FAFSA to give state and campus financial aid to California resident students.
Note that parent residency is normally used to determine residency for tuition purposes for most students right out of high school, but if you graduate from a California high school after three years of attendance, you can use the AB540 provisions to waive non-resident tuition and get resident financial aid (but additional form needed if you need to use AB540 provisions).
@bradleyherrera there are many, many American citizen students attending college here whose parents aren’t citizens and live elsewhere. A number of these kids were born here while their foreign parents were grad students in the US. Their parents sign FAFSAs and their tourist visas aren’t affected when they come to the US to visit their citizen student.
@bradleyherrera There is a hispanic forum here on CC that will have relevant advice for you. Also there is a great guide put out by the organization called “I’mFirst” that also has a website that my first gen students use all the time.