<p>I am a student living outside USA. I am currently doing my undergraduates in Bangladesh and I plan to transfer my credits to USA. . I am also a US permanent resident(green card holder). I became one only last year. My family has not moved in. So we did not fill any US tax returns yet. I am having problems filling up FAFSA and CSS profile. Could someone kindly help me? University of Chicago, for instance, requires Parents' 2012 Signed Tax Returns. Since we my parents did not start living and hence have no earning in USA, we have no US tax returns. What should I do? Should I send a copy of tax returns of the country where I am currently living?</p>
<p>US permanent residents are taxable on their worldwide income. So you may have a US filing requirement.</p>
<p>Do your parents file a tax return in Bangladesh, if so use that income, converted to USD</p>
<p>If the schools require a 2012 tax return, and your parents are also permanent residents of the U.S., then you have no problem. Get the U.S. tax forms when they become available in January, and have your parents file the return!</p>
<p>Internal Revenue Service website that</p>
<p>U.S. Citizens and Resident Aliens Abroad
“If you are a U.S. citizen or resident alien, the rules for filing income, estate, and gift tax returns and paying estimated tax are generally the same whether you are in the United States or abroad. Your worldwide income is subject to U.S. income tax, regardless of where you reside.”</p>
<p>So according to this we are supposed to file taxes for 2012. It’s just that even though my mother is a permanent resident of Us, my father is not. My father is however is the only earning member in my family. My mother does not work. So they are not
filing any Fed. tax return. My parents file tax return with Bangladesh tax
dept. So I still don’t know whether we have a tax filing requirement.</p>
<p>I also had a confusion while filing up the fafsa pdf form.</p>
<p>Free Application for Federal Student Aid
July 1, 2012 — June 30, 2013</p>
<p>Question 79:
For 2011, have your parents completed their IRS income tax return or
another tax return listed in question 80?</p>
<pre><code>My parents have already completed their return. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
My parents will file but have not yet completed their return
My parents are not going to file
</code></pre>
<p>Question 80:
What income tax return did your parents file or will they file for 2011</p>
<pre><code>IRS 1040
IRS 1040A or 1040EZ
A foreign tax return (See notes 2)
A tax return with Puerto Rico, another U.S. territory or Freely Associated State
</code></pre>
<p>Notes 2:
If you filed a foreign return, convert all monetary units to U.S. dollars, using the exchange rate that is in effect today.</p>
<p>From what i understood, I should check “My parents have already completed their return” for question 79 and “A foreign tax return” for question 80. Am I correct? I am still very confused.</p>
<p>I sincerely apologize for my late reply. I really appreciate all your help. Thank you.</p>
<p>Because your parents are married, they can file a US tax return based on your father’s income. Your dad needs to let the IRS know that he is willing to be treated as a US person for tax purposes. Sorry, I can’t remember the exact wording. Read through the documentation at [Internal</a> Revenue Service](<a href=“http://www.IRS.gov%5DInternal”>http://www.IRS.gov) for people who are living outside the US.</p>
<p>Your mother may have the option of filing the US paperwork in the status of “married filing separately”, and then use your dad’s foreign return numbers for his part of the applications. Also, there are forms for people who aren’t required to file taxes based on low income. However given that your mom is a permanent resident who isn’t in the US, that option might not be open to her.</p>
<p>Frankly, I’m much more concerned about you and your mom losing those green cards if you don’t get yourselves here quickly enough. How much time do you have left? Perhaps it would make more sense to just come here, establish yourselves here, and then worry about college.</p>
<p>How easy is it for you to get to Dhaka? The counselors at the EducationUSA advising center there should be able to help you sort some of these issues out: <a href=“http://www.educationusa.info/Dhaka[/url]”>http://www.educationusa.info/Dhaka</a> If no one in that office has worked with a citizen or permanent resident lately, they have colleagues in other offices who have who can advise them.</p>
<p>Wishing you all the best!</p>
<p>DEADLINES FOR YOUR 2011 US TAX ABROAD:</p>
<pre><code>April 17, 2012 – US tax filing deadline and due date for all taxes owed
June 15, 2012 – US tax abroad deadline for expats
June 30, 2012 – Foreign Bank Account Form is due (FBAR, or Form 90-22.1)
October 15, 2012 – Final tax deadline for US tax abroad IF you have already applied for an extension
</code></pre>
<p>[US</a> Tax Abroad: The Must Know Deadlines in 2012](<a href=“http://www.greenbacktaxservices.com/blog/us-tax-abroad-deadlines-2011/]US”>http://www.greenbacktaxservices.com/blog/us-tax-abroad-deadlines-2011/)</p>
<p>The deadline has passed ages ago. My uncle (an US citizen) who was basically dealt with all our papers related to the green card and helped figure things out keeps saying my parents do not need to file for taxes. I still don’t get it and deadline has passed, anyway.</p>
<p>Thanks for your concern regarding our green card. We took the permission from the US gov. So we didn’t have to go to US easier. My brother and I will,hopefully, move in next year. Mum has to come and go. Stay for atleast 6months every year. Our greencard is valid for the next 9 years. So, hopefully things won’t go wrong. But obviously, it would be whole lot easier if our family just got settled in the states. </p>
<p>I live in Dhaka. So visiting EducationUSA advising centre will be very easy. I guess I can do that after my final exams end (I’ll be a transfer). I still don’t which universities I should apply to. Public university no longer makes sense since I might always have to pay the out of state. I guess private universities are my best option, provided they offer sufficient scholarship.</p>
<p>Thank you for all your support.</p>
<p>What state does your uncle live in? Check the in-state policies at the public colleges and universities there. If he can help you find a place to live, and a job, you may be able to establish in-state status on your own. This varies by state, and sometimes even by institution within that state. If you can qualify as a resident that way, you could move here in January, work for a year, and start up at a local community college early in 2014. That could be the least expensive way to get your education.</p>
<p>I can easily live with my uncle and his family. He lives in North Carolina. My uncle suggested the same thing when I was there in 2011. He suggested I should start studying in a local community colllege by spring’11. We could easily pay the OOS fee in community college. My uncle suggested I shouldtransfer later to a 4 year university somewhere in NC. Since I was already studying in a good university in Bangladesh I just wasn’t ready to study in a community college. Some even suggested that I should just work in US until i become a state resident. But I knew I would get depressed if I take another gap year. I already took one before. So I came back. </p>
<p>It seems applying to USA would have been a whole lot easier if I was considered an international student. What do international students do? Do they apply to only private universities since they public universities are expensive for internationals?</p>
<p>I have been thinking that I should just consider myself as an internationals. Except scholarships like they do and see what happens.</p>
<p>It is much harder for true internationals because of the money issue. A US citizen or permanent resident who has been educated abroad will have the complication of the foreign academic records, but at least they are eligible for federal aid, and they can get a job anywhere. International students are limited to aid from the institution itself, and have severely restricted work options.</p>
<p>At some point, you will have to either move here or give up that green card. To be perfectly honest, there never is a “good” time to move. It always is possible to find a reason to not move. Adjusting to life here is not easy. You have huge advantages in that your family is willing to let you move in with them, and that they are in a state where the public universities are excellent. You really should reconsider your uncle’s offer. Do not underestimate the community college option. If you complete an associates degree that has a formal articulation agreement with one or more of the NC public universities, you will be admitted automatically.</p>
<p>Shadowcat, are you certain about that status? Normally INS will not really accommodate extended leaves without a I-279 re-entry permit.
So it’s only valid conditional on that permission. After 6 months, technically they <em>can</em> revoke it (unless you applied for the re-entry permit prior.)</p>
<p>As to where to apply, that depends on what you can afford, and what kind of academic track record you have. The annual FAFSA maximum of student loans and or grants that are federally guaranteed aren’t actually very much money ($5500 a year in first year, but more like $7500 in Sr. year) and won’t cover your costs at any “away” school where you have to board, just so you know. So you either will want to go to university in the city where your family or uncle is living, OR be prepared to cover the price if there are FAFSA snags.</p>
<p>You should also know that sometimes there is a problem when one parent is living abroad, even if it’s the non-custodial parent. For example, my son had a green card and had lived in the US with me for 7 years prior to going to university. The university (Michigan) still treated him as an international student because his estranged father lived in another country. I was able to successfully prove that his “ties” (including finances) to all other countries were severed, and now he’s considered in-state.</p>
<p>UMich, because it’s a popular international choice, is stricter about residency status than most schools. However, I just wanted to warn you that your father’s status could be brought to bear on your status as either an international or a domestic student. At some schools, like Michigan, where there is a cap on international students accepted (about 6%) it can make a difference in your chance for admissions.</p>
<p>So if your father is able to obtain status, it might be worth doing ;)</p>
<p>^I was away from the computer an hadn’t posted that…see you made comments after about NC – hadn’t read those. Sorry for any confusion.</p>
<p>@happymomof1 - I know what you mean about there being no “good time” for moving in to a new country. I couldn’t make it last time. Hopefully, things will be different next year. I plan to apply to NC state this time. It’s good university. If I get decent scholarship maybe I’ll be able to afford it. Sorry, I was unable to thank you for PM message. I don’t have enough posts to send PMs yet. Anyway, thank you for sending me the usernames of all those students/parents who had a situation of similar to mine. I have been going through their posts one at a time. I just hope I can find something related to my tax return issue.</p>
<p>@kmcmom13 – I am absolutely certain about my status regarding the greencard. I don’t remember the exact forms that we had to fill. But my uncle made sure we completed all the formalities before we left so that our green cards are not revoked. </p>
<p>My academic records are not so bad. I didn’t study in the Bengali curriculum. I completed my GCE examinations which are conducted by London Examinations, Edexcel International. I got 10 As in my O’levels and 4 As in my A’levels. I have a CGPA of 3.92 in my current university. My SATs are, unfortunately, just above average. I got a total of 2090. I never took SAT 2 since the universities I am applying to do not require it. My IELTS score is 8 out of 9. Anyway, my point is I want to apply to universities where I have a relatively good chance of getting accepted. Since I seem to be out of luck when it comes to the tuition fees in public universities, I have decided to apply to a few more private universities than I originally intended to.</p>
<p>The fact that my father living abroad can make me an international student is obviously scary. So far all the universities that I have researched accept a student as domestic if he/she is a green card holder. If I am classified as an international student because of my father then I am in serious trouble. I am financially depend on my father. So I don’t think I will able successfully severe ties with Bangladesh where he lives. </p>
<p>Lately, I am spending so much time on researching that I didn’t manage to write a single thing for my essays. With the transfer deadline approaching, I am not sure how I’ll be able to figure out my problems related to FAFSA and CSS profile and complete all my applications at the same time. </p>
<p>Anyway, thank you for all your help. I really need all the support that I can get.</p>
<p>shadowcat2 -</p>
<p>Transferring is always a tricky business. Transferring from outside the US is even more challenging. If you don’t get in anywhere this year, or if you can’t afford any of the places where you are admitted, what will you do? Move to the US, get a job, work on establishing residency in a state where the public universities are likely to be affordable? Stay where you are until you graduate, with all of the travel that entails to preserve your status?</p>
<p>Please do come up with a back-up plan.</p>
<p>Well, I talked to dad and told him how difficult it might be to financially afford a college in USA. He said that if things don’t go well then he wants me to complete my undergraduates in Bangladesh and then move to USA for good. To preserve my status, I’ll have to travel to USA next year. He says he will be able to afford. I guess this is my back up plan. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate all your help. Really, thank you.</p>
<p>Shadow cat, please check with the universities to which you’d like to apply about whether they would grant you instate status after a normal year of living in the US but having a father abroad. Michigan is unusually strict because it is a popular destination for international and out-of-state students, plus it’s and a state school with very expensive out-of-state fees. UNC and UVA may be similar, but may not be as strict about whether they would charge you international fees.</p>
<p>That said, I’d rather you be prepared with a backup plan than not be aware of potential red tape. Finishing your undergrad in your country and then applying for masters level work n the US might be a much better plan financially. Your stats are solid and there’s always a chance you could receive fellowship funding! </p>
<p>Best wishes. I hope your path is smooth.</p>
<p>I have read elsewhere that Texas and Missouri are easier places to be awarded instate status after a year there as a student. I not know if that information is accurate. It may depend on the particular public university, so check each of them.</p>
<p>What are you studying? How much longer until you complete your degree if you stay in your home country? What type of career would you hope to pursue once you settle here?</p>
<p>If you are studying medicine, it almost certainly is worth the expense and hassle to travel back and forth to maintain your green card. Once finished, you could come here for your residencies, take the exams, and be licensed here. If your degree is in another field, and you will finish in only one more year, then yes, try to do that. If you are studying at a science and tech university, and graduates from there are regularly hired by multi-nationals and/or admitted into graduate programs in their degree fields at top universities all around the world, then the expense and hassle of staying until you complete your degree may be worth it. Nursing is another field where there is a short-fall of staff so it may be possible to get a job with a foreign degree. If your family members here have a business that you expect to join, studying wherever they want you to is what matters, so staying at your current university could work.</p>
<p>For any other degree program, university, or set of career goals, whatever it is that you study there will be very nearly worthless here. Sorry. There are many, many foreign-educated teachers, lawyers, and engineers driving taxis, managing hotels, and running diners (the owner of my favorite corner cafe is an engineer from Korea). If your career field requires licensing, you need to complete your degree where you will be best prepared for the state or national exams. If your career requires internships to get good jobs, you need to be where the internships are possible. </p>
<p>So you see, I am firmly on the “get here now” side. Waiting for grad school only works if that grad school degree will actually get you a job AND if you will have the money to pay for it. </p>
<p>The simple truth is that in the US, the average college student is in her mid-twenties, working full-time, and studying part-time. Students who have the luxury of studying full-time, living at their college/university, and graduating in only four years are in the minority. If by moving here sooner you can improve your long-term career and life prospects, at the cost of working more and taking a bit longer to complete your degree (but earning a more useful degree), you will be in good company.</p>
<p>I am so sorry that it took me almost a month to reply to this message. I was busy with my final examinations. Trust me, I completely your honesty in your last message. I was no in way offended. I want to be as realistic as possible when it comes to moving and studying in USA. To answer your previous questions, I am currently doing Bachelors in Economics and Social Science. It will take about 1 and half year for me to complete my degree here in Bangladesh. I want to work in Non-Government Organizations as Economists. To be completely honest, I want to settle in USA for next couple of years, get my citizenship and some job experience and finally come back to Bangladesh. I don’t know what future holds for me, but this is my current plan. My uncle says Economics is a bad major choice if I want to work in USA. So I have been thinking I might try to do a double major in Economics and Accounting/Finance. My dad says that I should at least try to transfer my credits for now. If I don’t get enough scholarship, then he wants me to complete my degree here as soon as possible and move to USA for good.
Right now, my concern is filling up tax sections of the Fafsa and CSS profile properly. My uncle keeps on insisting that my mum doesn’t need to file for taxes in USA. My dad is not a permanent resident yet, so is not worried about that. My mum doesn’t work anywhere. So although she files taxes here in Bangladesh, she doesn’t really need to pay much/anything. My mum mostly has some fixed assets and dad is the only earning member of my family. I wished there was still time to file taxes somehow. But it’s already too late. I am not sure how to submit US tax returns to some colleges when I don’t have any. At times like this, I wish I didn’t have to apply to any university. It’s way too confusing and I can’t seem to concentrate on my actual studies here.
Anyway, thank you. Once again, I am sorry, it took so long to reply. I hope you understand how much I appreciated all your help.</p>
<p>As long as your mother had less than $3,700 in gross income, she’s got no US filing requirement as someone married filing separately. Your father isn’t a US citizen or permanent resident, so has no US filing requirement. </p>
<p>For FAFSA purposes, most colleges want a non-filer statement for people in that situation. You might email <a href=“mailto:college-aid@uchicago.edu”>college-aid@uchicago.edu</a> and ask them what they want.</p>
<p>@allyphoe- thank you for the information regarding the 3700 dollars gross income. I need to check with my parents. Thank you!</p>