question about enrolling in college

[jw07 0]

Hi everyone,

I will be sending off my application soon for AOS,as a Canadian married to a USC while on visit,in tourist status.However,i'd like to enroll in college here as an in district student (not international) and i'm wondering if that is possible to do while my case with USCIS is pending? For example,on the college application where it asks for my citizenship status,i do not want to check "visitor/tourist" nor F-1 etc,but i do not know wether i can technically check the box "permanent resident of US" since my case will be pending and i will not have yet been granted that status (unless by miracle of a speedy case,doubtful) ...Ok,so hope this made sense,and somebody here can shed some light,or knows what i should do in this situation.

Thanks in advance!

[Dr_LHA 3]

Believe you will not qualify for in state tuition until you have your Green Card. However this question is best posed to the school, it is up to them after all. Clearly you cannot represent yourself as a permenant resident. If you do they will simply ask for your Green Card, and what do you do when you don't have it?

[hcj 0]

You have to talk to the school. Different states (presuming it's a public university) and different schools have different policies for who is considered in-state and who is considered out-of-state for tuition purposes.

[flutter95 4]

I looked in to the schooling thing too, for me where I wantedt o go I had to have the green card to be calssed as PR and they made me try for federal aid which came back as a no no cause you have to be a green card holder for that also.

[heathius 0]

My wife enrolled in school while on a K-1 before we filed for AOS. It should be no problem for you. If you can't find the right classification on the school application form, then you should talk to a school advisor to find out what status to put on your application form (some schools have a special application process for pending immigration cases).

The school will most likely want to see proof of immigration status upon enrolling. They will classify it as out-of-state tuition to start with. They will change it to in-state tuition once you establish residency in the state you are living in (has nothing to do with permanent resident or green card status). Most states require you to live there for one year, and maybe get some additional items like a driver's license to establish state residency. You should check with your state government to get their requirements for establishing residency. In-state tuition is much cheaper, so it is worth looking into ASAP.

[Nancy2015 2]

The school will most likely want to see proof of immigration status upon enrolling. They will classify it as out-of-state tuition to start with. They will change it to in-state tuition once you establish residency in the state you are living in (has nothing to do with permanent resident or green card status). Most states require you to live there for one year, and maybe get some additional items like a driver's license to establish state residency. You should check with your state government to get their requirements for establishing residency. In-state tuition is much cheaper, so it is worth looking into ASAP.

State residency for tuition purposes has a lot to do with the green card. If you have resided in some state for 10 years in H1-B, F-1 or some other non-immigrant status, you will still be considered non-resident for tuition purposes. State residency clock starts ticking at the point you become permanent resident. Most schools will require you to have had a green card one year and one day prior to being eligible for in-state tuition, others may only ask for 6 months. But the amount of time that you've lived in the state as a non-resident alien (and this includes pending AOS status) will not be credited towards the required period of legal state residency for tuition purposes.

This is the general rule - I have been looking into this a lot. There may be exceptions, and I strongly encourage everyone to contact schools directly. Most schools will have this information on their websites.

[Ladylethal 12]

But getting a Federal Aid for tuition goes against the affidavit, right? Meaning that she can enroll and get federal tuition but then they'll knock right at her door and charge her husband for it.

[Dr_LHA 3]

But getting a Federal Aid for tuition goes against the affidavit, right? Meaning that she can enroll and get federal tuition but then they'll knock right at her door and charge her husband for it.

FAFSA loans/grants arn't means tested are they?

[russ 1]

This is the general rule - I have been looking into this a lot. There may be exceptions, and I strongly encourage everyone to contact schools directly. Most schools will have this information on their websites.

Marriage trumps everything in many states. In Florida, if your spouse is a resident, you will also be considered a resident.

Galina has had in-state tuition (based upon marriage and establishing residence) here for the last 2 semesters. Her grad school admission coming soon, pending her GRE next week.

In most cases, spouses should be entitled to in-state tuition. It has nothing to do with a green card.

Check with the school - there are many weird special cases. You may need to apply as an international student, even though you are considered a resident for tuition purposes. (these things are not always related to each other).

[athena_ny 1]

But getting a Federal Aid for tuition goes against the affidavit, right? Meaning that she can enroll and get federal tuition but then they'll knock right at her door and charge her husband for it.

Uh, no. Not a means-tested benefit.

[rebeccajo 14]

But getting a Federal Aid for tuition goes against the affidavit, right? Meaning that she can enroll and get federal tuition but then they'll knock right at her door and charge her husband for it.

FAFSA loans/grants arn't means tested are they?

No it isn't.

[MPGGPM 0]

If "Russ" was able to get his wife enrolled at her university as a resident of Florida, and be able to pay the lower tuition, it's hard to argue his points, and hopefully you will be able to do the same.

However, I still tend to agree with some others in that it will be up to the particular college/university to determine your status. I think BEFORE you fill out the application to register, you better contact your college and speak to them.........to be sure.

One thing I disagree on that Russ said is............it is MORE than marriage. (the point about marriage "trumping" everything in Florida) In his case, his wife is living in Florida ...that's a big distinction, and the university she is attending apparently agreed that the 2 , together, qualified her as a resident.

In my own wife's case, coming one time on an F-1 from Turkey, regardless of whether she was married to me or not, the University she attended, did NOT classify her as a resident, whether she was married to me or not, and even though she lived in Florida for almost a year with me, before she left for Turkey. They classified her as an "International Student".

Below is an excerpt from a University webpage. The key point on is that it is up to the "university", to determine your status.

Florida state statute Section 1009.21 defines the requirements for "in-state" status. Generally a person is considered a Florida resident for the purpose of paying taxes, voting or other legal purposes after residing in the state for a designated length of time.

However, state statute specifies additional requirements for a student to be classified as an in-state resident for tuition purposes. Most importantly: Living in or attending school in Florida will not, in itself, establish legal residence for tuition purposes.

Your initial residency classification is determined by the Office of Admissions when you apply to the university. Failure to provide all relevant information and required documentation in the residency section of the admission application could result in a non-Florida or "out-of-state" resident classification for tuition purposes.

Edited April 12, 2007 by MPGGPM

[together2love 0]

But getting a Federal Aid for tuition goes against the affidavit, right? Meaning that she can enroll and get federal tuition but then they'll knock right at her door and charge her husband for it.

FAFSA loans/grants arn't means tested are they?

No it isn't.

So there is no problem for a PR to go to college using grants provided by the university? Is that correct? Cause that would be really good to know. . . I wasn't going to go to grad school here because I thought I wouldn't be eligable to receive grants.

[Dr_LHA 3]

So there is no problem for a PR to go to college using grants provided by the university? Is that correct?

Correct. No problem. In fact a large amount of grad students in US universities are not even Permanent Residents, but rather "non-resident alien" F-1 visa holders, and are still eligible to get grants/scholarships.

[Priscila and Christopher 0]

I live in Iowa and I enrolled into College 5 months after I arrived in here... I was married for 2 months only! The college in here only requires residency for 3 months for tuition purposes. So, it really depends on the college and State of your residency.

Concerning to the Federal Aid for tuition, you only need to be a Permanent Resident to be eligible... The affidavity of support won't take it from ya!

Cila