<p>I'm filing for FAFSA right now. The question for when did I become a legal resident of California is really hard for me. I've lived here since December, 2011 with a F1-Visa, but I had my green card in December, 2012.</p>
<p>Does that mean that I need to put in the date I entered California or the date I got my green card?</p>
<p>Thanks, please reply.</p>
<p>You became a legal resident when you received your green card. Prior to that, you were just a visitor.</p>
<p>You don’t file for FAFSA, you file just for the FSA part (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). And you can’t submit it before January 1 for the school year beginning that year. It uses last year’s money numbers. You need to be sure you are filling out the 2013 FAFSA and not the 2012 FAFSA.</p>
<p>Thanks for your advice, so I need to wait for 1 years, right ?</p>
<p>The FAFSA determines your eligibility for federal aid. Once you have your green card, you are eligible to file the FAFSA. If you are in college now, speak with the financial aid office. You may be able to get aid for what remains of this semester, and you certainly would be able to qualify for at least a student loan for next semester. You will file the 2013-2014 FAFSA in January (or as soon after that as you can) using your income figures for 2012.</p>
<p>Whether or not you are considered a CA resident for state-based aid, or for aid from a public college or university there is a different story. If you are still in high school, your guidance counselor may be able to help you. If you are already in college, stop by the financial aid office and ask them what to do.</p>
<p>Congratulations on your new status!</p>
<p>Just to be clear . . . you will NOT wait a year. You will file the FAFSA this January, one month from now. You just have to wait until January for the new application to become available.</p>
<p>Nobody can file a FAFSA for 2013-2014 until January 1st, and that is when the window will open for you too.</p>
<p>However, you might need to further investigate whether you are considered in-state for tuition purposes if you’re applying to a California public university. And, different systems (UC vs CSU vs CC) might have different interpretations.</p>