The U.S. Department of Education
matches the citizenship information that you enter on your FAFSA
with national records to determine if you are in one of the
following eligible categories:
1. U.S. Citizen or Naturalized U.S. Citizen
2. Permanent Resident of the U.S. with one of the following forms of documentation:
Permanent Resident Card (Form I-551).
An Arrival/Departure Record (CBP Form I-94) or Departure Record (Form I-94A, with the endorsement “Processed for I-551. Temporary Evidence of Lawful Admission for Permanent Residence. Valid until….Employment Authorized.”
A United States Travel Document annotated with “Permit to Reenter Form I-327(Rev. 9-2-03)."
3. Eligible Non-Citizen with one of the following documents:
Refugees: Form I-94 or I-94A with a stamp showing admission under Section 207 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), or U.S. Travel Document annotated with “Refugee Travel Document Form I-571
Victims of human trafficking: Certification or eligibility letter from the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), or a T-visa (e.g., T-2 or T-3) for a spouse, child, or parent of a trafficking victim.
Asylees: an I-94 or I-94A with a stamp showing admission under Section 208 of the IN, or United States Travel Document annotated with “Refugee Travel Document Form I-571 (Rev. 9-2-03).”
Parolees: an I-94 with a stamp that has not expired.
Cuban-Haitian entrants: I-94 with stamp “Cuban-Haitian Entrant (Status Pending).
If the U.S. Department of
Education does not confirm that you are a U.S. citizen or
National or an eligible non-citizen when processing your FAFSA,
we must verify your status before offering you any student
financial aid. We will ask you to provide documentation of
your current status. For example, if you are a Permanent
Resident, you will provide a photocopy of your Form I-551. Please note: the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) permits photocopying of documents for the
purpose of applying for student financial aid.
In
addition, if you are not a U.S. Citizen or Naturalized U.S.
Citizen, we must confirm your eligible status with USCIS or DHS before
offering you student financial aid. This will delay the
processing of your application for financial aid for up to 30
days.
If you
are in the United States on an F1 or F2 student visa only, or on
a J1 or J2 exchange visitor visa only, you cannot get federal or
university need-based student aid. Also, persons with G series
visas (pertaining to international organizations) are not
eligible for student financial aid.
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