FAFSA confusion for 18-year-old living with me but not legally my dependent - mom in Mexico, father deceased

This is a tricky situation but you're not alone. Based on official FAFSA guidelines, your cousin would NOT qualify as an independent student just because he turned 18 and works. The criteria for independence for the 2025-2026 FAFSA are very specific (orphan, ward of court, homeless, veteran, etc.). Since his mother is still living, even though she's in Mexico, she would technically be considered his contributing parent. However, if she provides no financial support, this gets complicated. I recommend he schedule an appointment with his high school counselor and also call the financial aid offices at the schools he's applying to. They deal with unique situations like this all the time and can provide specific guidance.

You're dealing with what's called a "special circumstance" situation. Here's what you need to know: 1. On paper, your cousin MUST include his mother's information on the FAFSA since she's his surviving parent. 2. HOWEVER, after submitting the FAFSA, he should immediately contact each college's financial aid office for a "Professional Judgment Review" or "Dependency Override." This is a formal process where they can review special circumstances. 3. He'll need documentation: your tax returns showing you provide support, possibly a letter from a third party (school counselor, social worker, etc.) confirming his situation, and anything establishing his mother provides no support. Because he doesn't meet the strict criteria for independence (being over 18 and working doesn't qualify), you need to go through the official channels and follow proper procedure.

my nephew was in almost the same situation! his mom was in guatemala and dad not in picture. what we did was submit fafsa with moms info (had to call her for income which was super low anyway) and then immediately sent professional judgment letters to all his schools. 3 out of 4 approved the override and he got much better aid. definitely document EVERYTHING about your support situation. schools will want proof.

I've been through this exact process as a financial aid counselor. Here's what you need to do: 1. He should complete the FAFSA initially listing his mother. Since she's in Mexico, she likely has little to no US taxable income, which actually works in his favor. 2. He CANNOT simply claim independent status - that would be incorrect and could cause problems later. 3. AFTER submitting, he needs to request a dependency override at EACH school he applies to. This isn't done through FAFSA directly. 4. For documentation: get letters from professionals who know the situation (teachers, counselors, clergy), any court documents regarding father's death, your tax returns showing household members, and a personal statement from him explaining the situation. Important: Each school handles these overrides differently, so contact each one individually. Some have specific forms while others want letters.

The whole system is ridiculous! My friend went through something similar with her niece and they spent MONTHS getting documentation together only to have half the schools deny the override anyway. The people making these rules clearly have no idea what real families go through. Why should a kid who hasn't been supported by his mom for 5 YEARS have to jump through all these hoops??? It's maddening.

For what it's worth, you should definitely check out claimyr.com. I was in a somewhat similar situation with my younger brother last year and needed to speak directly with FSA about our options. After getting disconnected multiple times trying to reach them through the regular number, I used Claimyr and got through to an agent in about 12 minutes. They have a video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ. The FSA agent was actually able to note on his file that we had a special circumstance before we even submitted the application, which made the process with individual schools much smoother.

everyone keeps saying "dependency override" but from personal experience, those are INCREDIBLY hard to get approved. i work in a high school guidance office and we help seniors with fafsa every year. out of maybe 25 override requests ive seen in the past 3 years, maybe 5 got approved. schools are super strict about this. honestly? just put the mom's info in, put $0 for her income if she doesnt file US taxes, and move forward. financial aid offices know how to handle international parent situations. its way more common than you think.

UpdateI: After researching this further, I want to add something important: For the 2025-2026 FAFSA, there are new rules about who counts as a "contributor" (they don't use "parent" anymore). If his biological father is deceased and his mother is his only living parent, then she would be the contributor whose information is required, regardless of where she lives. One advantage: The new SAI (Student Aid Index) calculation under the simplified FAFSA gives more favorable consideration to single-contributor households, especially with low income. So if his mother in Mexico has minimal income, this might actually work in his favor for aid calculations.