The new Free Application for Federal Student Aid promises to be an easy process for all students, especially those from immigrant families. For the first time, students with undocumented parents were told they would be able to fill out the form online.
we should have known better. A student with an undocumented parent constantly receives an error message from the FAFSA portal and struggles to create her FAFSA ID for a parent who does not have a Social Security number. When I call the FAFSA Helpline, I get a message saying, “There is a problem. Please try another time. Please try a different browser.”
As I have seen as a college advisor, the online process has only worked for a small number of qualified students. Some were asked to send their parents’ documents for verification.
Many of these students are still waiting for approval and are unable to complete the FAFSA form. Delaying your FAFSA application can delay receiving your financial aid package and potentially result in less financial aid to cover your college costs. Their FAFSA applications, which currently reflect the country’s immigration policy, are forever stuck in limbo due to legislative and bureaucratic delays.
I would not be surprised if these student documents were included among the FAFSA program’s thousands of unread emails, indicating its widespread failure.
Related: “Simpler” FAFSA complicates college planning for students and families
These are not the only obstacles my students face when pursuing a college education. And that only emphasizes the need for help from someone familiar with the system and the frustrations it brings.
Sadly, New York City lacks college advisors like myself who can serve the growing number of immigrant students. We need to secure funding to hire more advisors. Because no matter how well we prepare our high school students for academic success at the next level, we also need people trained at the intersection of immigration and education to get them there.
For nearly a decade, the New York State Youth Leadership Council (YLC) and its team of educators, Teach Dream, have been urging city officials to increase support for immigrant students in schools.
Finally, in 2021, we launched an Immigration Liaison pilot program as a collaborative project with the State University of New York Initiative on Immigration and Education. The program created positions for school employees with experience working with and supporting immigrant youth, undocumented students, their families, and caregivers.
The pilot began at three public high schools in New York City, including the one where I work. In the second year, two middle schools were added to his school. However, funding for the program ended last June, leaving many of us to carry out this work informally.
Twenty years ago, I was an undocumented student in high school and my status prevented me from completing the FAFSA. I did some research to find out if I was eligible for a scholarship. I made some inquiries to college admissions counselors in the Tri-State.
Like many students, I wanted to be the first in my family to earn a college degree, but my research results were disappointing.
I’ll never forget one of the answers I received. The admissions counselor told her that she needed to contact the office for “special education accommodations,” as if immigration were a disability.
Since then, federal and state immigration policies have changed, creating more options for immigrant students. In 2012, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA) made it possible for eligible immigrants like me to obtain work permits and Social Security numbers.
In 2016, New York State changed its licensure rules to allow DACA recipients like me to earn professional certification in teaching, allowing me to continue my career as a math teacher with the Department of Education. And in 2019, the New York State Senate passed the Jose Peralta New York State DREAM Act, making undocumented students in New York eligible for state aid for higher education.
However, despite all these changes, in New York state, illegal immigrants make up only 2 percent of students enrolled in higher education, even though they make up approximately 14 percent of the state’s total population. It’s not even enough.
How many more people would get into college if they had someone in high school to properly guide them through the college application process?
Related: Opinion: I am a college access expert.I had no idea filling out the new FAFSA would be so difficult.
Schools across the country, at every grade level, don’t have enough counselors and staff to navigate the complex and often confusing immigration system.
All schools are required to have a state or city-funded immigration liaison. Securing funding is like working with the FAFSA and requires persistence and patience.
Worth it. This winter, I walked a student through the process of creating a FAFSA ID for her mother’s girlfriend. She then tried again and again for a month until her mother succeeded.
My student then filled out the FAFSA form in 10 minutes. Currently we are waiting to see if she will be able to get financial aid to attend college.
My work as an immigration liaison never ends. I wish more people would join me.
Juan Carlos P.picturerez is a project researcher and university advisor for the CUNY Initiative on Immigration & Education. international high school in New York City.
The story of immigrant students and the FAFSA produced by hechinger reporta nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education.. Apply Hechinger Newsletter.
