FAFSA international spouse verification nightmare - should we have excluded him?

thats a tough situation... my cousins went thru something similar with her husband being canadian. they waited like 3 months before it got fixed. does your husbnad have a SSN?

This is actually a really common issue with international spouses on FAFSA applications. When a non-resident spouse doesn't have an SSN, the verification process takes substantially longer because they have to use alternative documentation. According to FAFSA guidelines, if your spouse has any financial contribution to your household - even if you file as head of household - they should technically be included on the application. However, there are exceptions for separated spouses that might have applied in your case.

Update: I talked to my daughter's high school counselor today about potentially removing my husband from the application. The counselor called our local university's financial aid office to ask about this. They strongly advised AGAINST making any changes now! The financial aid officer said removing a spouse at this point would trigger a red flag and lead to even more investigation and delays. So I guess we're stuck waiting...

Have you tried calling the Federal Student Aid Information Center directly? Sometimes getting to a higher-level representative can help move things along. I had a disaster with my son's FAFSA verification last year when they couldn't match his tax information, and after weeks of waiting, I finally got through to someone who actually knew what they were doing and fixed it in minutes.

I was in the exact same situation last year trying to reach FSA about a verification issue with my Parent Plus loan application. After weeks of frustration and disconnected calls, I found a service called Claimyr that got me through to an actual agent in under 20 minutes. They basically wait on hold for you and call you back when they have a rep on the line. Saved me hours of hold time. Check out their demo video: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ or their site claimyr.com. Worth it to actually talk to someone who can check your file status.

For the current 2024-25 FAFSA, there are specific guidelines for reporting international spouses. If you file as Head of Household and your spouse lives in another country, you technically can qualify for the simplified needs test which may allow you to exclude his information. However, making that change now that verification has started is problematic. For next year's 2025-26 FAFSA, consider consulting with a financial aid professional before submitting. With your specific tax situation and your husband living internationally, you might qualify for exceptions that weren't explained to you. The new FAFSA has different rules about who counts in your household size versus who provides financial information.

OMG the verification process is COMPLETE GARBAGE!!!! I've been dealing with this for my international ex for TWO YEARS IN A ROW. They NEVER explain what's taking so long and meanwhile ur kid doesn't get their money!!! The whole system is designed to make us fail I swear. Best advice: BUG THEM CONSTANTLY. Call every single day until someone helps you.

Financial aid advisor here - I'd recommend contacting the financial aid office at your daughter's school directly. They often have direct access to the Central Processing System and can see more details about where your application is stuck in verification. They also have the ability to exercise what's called "professional judgment" in some cases. While they can't override the federal verification requirements completely, they can sometimes process an institutional aid package or offer emergency funding while you wait for the federal verification to complete.

One important note: Make sure your husband's documents were translated properly if they were in Spanish. I've seen cases where verification gets stuck because documents weren't translated according to FSA requirements. All foreign language documents need certified English translations, and sometimes the certification itself causes delays if it doesn't meet their standards.

I'm so sorry you're going through this! I'm new to this community but facing a similar situation with my stepdaughter's FAFSA. Her biological father lives in Canada and we're hitting the same verification wall. Reading through everyone's responses here has been incredibly helpful - especially the advice about contacting the school directly for professional judgment and the tip about certified translations. I had no idea that translation certification could be causing delays. Thank you all for sharing your experiences, it's making me feel less alone in this process. AstroAlpha, I really hope you get this resolved soon - two months is absolutely ridiculous!

As someone who went through this exact nightmare last year, I feel your pain! My husband is from the Philippines and we also got stuck in verification hell for months. A few things that eventually helped: 1) Document EVERYTHING - keep records of every call, email, and submission date. 2) Try calling FSA first thing in the morning (8am EST) - I had better luck getting through then. 3) Ask to speak to a "verification specialist" specifically, not just general customer service. 4) Consider having your daughter's school submit an appeal for "unusual circumstances" due to the verification delay. My son's college was able to provide temporary aid while we waited. The whole system is broken when it comes to international spouses, but don't give up! It will eventually get resolved, even though it feels hopeless right now.