FAFSA complications for spouse with CR1 Visa - financial aid options?
I'm planning to return to college this fall, but my husband is currently going through the CR1 Visa process and we're completely confused about FAFSA. Should I file as married? Will his immigration status affect my financial aid eligibility? He doesn't have a SSN yet, only an ITIN. When I try entering that on the FAFSA form, it gives me an error. Has anyone dealt with this specific situation before? I'm worried about getting disqualified for aid or messing up his immigration process. Our combined income is about $42,000 but almost all documentation is under my name only right now.
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Dylan Cooper
You should definitely file as married since that's your legal status, but you'll need to contact the financial aid office directly about how to handle the ITIN vs SSN issue. FAFSA requires all applicants to report spouse income regardless of immigration status, but there are special procedures for spouses without SSNs. Your SAI will be calculated based on both incomes.
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Fatima Al-Farsi
•Thanks for the info! So even though he doesn't have permanent residency yet, I still have to include his income? That seems unfair since he can't benefit from any financial aid himself right now.
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Sofia Perez
I went through this exact situation last year. You absolutely need to file as married and include your husband's income. For the SSN field, FAFSA has a special procedure - you're supposed to enter all zeros (000-00-0000) where it asks for SSN, then submit additional documentation to your school's financial aid office. Make sure to explain the CR1 visa situation to them directly.
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Fatima Al-Farsi
•That's really helpful! Did you have any issues with verification after submitting with zeros? I'm worried they'll flag my application.
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Sofia Perez
•Yes, I was selected for verification, but it wasn't a big deal. I just had to bring my husband's ITIN documentation, our marriage certificate, and proof of the CR1 process to the financial aid office. They manually updated everything in their system. Your SAI might be higher than you expect though, since they count both incomes.
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Dmitry Smirnov
wait you can't just put zeros for ssn that's incorrect... my cousin did that and got rejected for fasfa. you need to call the financial aid dept of your school b4 submitting anything!!
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Sofia Perez
•The all zeros approach is actually the official guidance from Federal Student Aid for applicants with spouses who don't have SSNs. But you're right that talking to the financial aid office first is smart. Rules can be applied differently at different schools.
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ElectricDreamer
Just to add some clarity here - the Department of Education's official guidance is that you MUST include your spouse's income on the FAFSA if you're married, regardless of citizenship status. For the SSN field, there are several approaches depending on your specific situation: 1. If your spouse has an ITIN but no SSN, you should enter all zeros (000-00-0000) in the SSN field 2. You must then contact your school's financial aid office to explain the situation 3. Be prepared for verification - bring marriage certificate, ITIN documentation, and CR1 visa documentation Your Student Aid Index (SAI) will be calculated based on household income, which includes both your income and your spouse's. Immigration status doesn't disqualify you from aid, but it does impact how information is reported and verified.
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Fatima Al-Farsi
•Thank you for the detailed explanation! One more question - will this affect my husband's CR1 process at all? We've been told to be careful about applying for any government benefits during his immigration process.
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ElectricDreamer
•Great question. Financial aid for YOUR education is not considered a public benefit for HIM under the public charge rule. You applying for financial aid for your own education will not negatively impact his CR1 visa process. However, if you have any concerns, you might want to consult with an immigration attorney just to be certain about your specific situation.
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Ava Johnson
I spent HOURS trying to get through to someone at Federal Student Aid when I had this exact problem last year. Phones were always busy and the website was useless. Finally found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an actual FSA agent in like 15 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ The agent I spoke with confirmed exactly what others are saying - use zeros for SSN, include all income, and notify your school's financial aid office. Saved me weeks of stress!
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Fatima Al-Farsi
•Thank you! I'll check out that service. Been trying to call FSA for days with no luck. Did they ask for any specific documentation about your spouse?
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Ava Johnson
•They asked me to have the ITIN documentation and marriage certificate ready when I talked to the financial aid office at my school. The FSA agent also sent me an official email confirming the procedure that I could show my school, which was super helpful.
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Miguel Diaz
yall are forgetting about CSS Profile too!!!! Some schools require BOTH fafsa AND css profile and the css profile has different rules for non-citizen spouses!! happened to my sister and she lost out on aid because she filed css profile wrong!!
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ElectricDreamer
•This is an excellent point! The CSS Profile (used by many private colleges for institutional aid) does have different requirements than FAFSA. If your school requires the CSS Profile, you'll need to contact the College Board directly about how to report a spouse with an ITIN instead of SSN. The processes are different, and this could indeed affect institutional aid.
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Zainab Ahmed
Everyone here is focused on the technicalities but missing the bigger picture. The FAFSA system is NOT designed for mixed-immigration status families and it's a total nightmare to navigate. I've been through it and even with all the right documentation, my SAI came back way higher than it should have been because they counted my spouse's income but didn't consider the extra costs associated with the immigration process itself. Be prepared to appeal whatever aid package you get.
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Fatima Al-Farsi
•That's exactly what I'm worried about. We've spent thousands on the CR1 process that isn't reflected anywhere in the financial formulas. Did your appeal work?
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Zainab Ahmed
•Partially. I submitted a special circumstances appeal with documentation of all our immigration-related expenses. They adjusted my SAI by about 15%, which helped a bit but didn't fully account for everything. The financial aid officer told me off the record that they have very limited flexibility with federal formulas.
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Fatima Al-Farsi
Update: I finally managed to talk to someone at the Federal Student Aid office! Used the Claimyr service that was recommended and got through in about 20 minutes. The agent confirmed I should use zeros for the SSN and that I need to provide additional documentation to my school's financial aid office. They also said I should apply for a Professional Judgment review based on the special circumstances of our immigration process. Thank you everyone for your help!
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ElectricDreamer
•That's excellent news! The Professional Judgment review is exactly the right approach for your situation. Make sure to document ALL expenses related to the immigration process, as those can be considered as unusual expenses that may justify an adjustment to your SAI. Best of luck with your studies!
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Miguel Diaz
•congrats on getting thru!! make sure u get EVERYTHING in writing. my friend got verbal confirmation but then had problems later cuz nothing was documented. also ask for the agent's employee ID number just in case
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LilMama23
This is such valuable information for anyone in a similar situation! I'm bookmarking this thread. One thing I'd add - make sure to keep copies of everything you submit to your financial aid office. I've seen cases where documents get lost in the shuffle, especially with non-standard situations like this. Also, if your school has an international student services office, they might have additional resources or experience with mixed-status families even though you're not an international student yourself. They often deal with similar documentation issues and might be able to provide guidance or advocacy if you run into problems with the financial aid office.
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