FAFSA paper application delay for undocumented parents - when to expect processing?

paper FAFSAs are the WORST. i had to do that 2 years ago (diff reason) and it took like 10 weeks to process. call them!!

I'm going through the exact same situation with my brother right now! His paper FAFSA has been "processing" for over 2 months with undocumented parents. We finally got through to someone at Federal Student Aid last week and they said the paper forms with no parent SSNs require "special processing" that takes 8-12 weeks minimum. It's completely ridiculous - how are students supposed to make college decisions without knowing their financial aid??? Tell your cousin to contact each college's financial aid office IMMEDIATELY and explain the situation. Some schools gave my brother provisional aid packages based on his FAFSA information even though it wasn't officially processed yet.

I've been helping students in similar situations for years through our community college transition program. Unfortunately, paper FAFSAs with special processing conditions (like absent SSNs) are consistently delayed. Here's what I recommend: 1. Your cousin should call the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-433-3243 to request a status update and explain the urgency. 2. She should contact each college's financial aid office with copies of her paper FAFSA, parents' tax returns (with SSNs blacked out if needed), and a letter explaining the situation. 3. Ask specifically for a "special circumstances review" or "professional judgment" evaluation. 4. Request an extension on the enrollment deposit deadline if possible. Many schools have protocols for students with undocumented parents and will work with her if they know about the situation.

Just went through this last year with my sister. The paper FAFSA is a NIGHTMARE especially with undocumented parents. We literally never got her SAI score until JUNE even though we mailed it in January!!! The thing that finally worked was having the college financial aid office make a direct inquiry to FAFSA on her behalf. They have special channels that actually get responses. The main college she wanted to attend gave her a conditional aid package based on the info she provided directly to them. BTW your cousin should definitely apply for state aid too if that's available in your state - sometimes that process is easier than FAFSA for undocumented families.

I work in a financial aid office, and I can confirm that paper FAFSAs with special processing requirements are experiencing significant delays this year - even worse than usual. The 8-12 week timeframe mentioned is accurate. Some of our students have been waiting 14+ weeks. Your cousin should: 1. Request a verification code from the Federal Student Aid Information Center (1-800-433-3243). With this code, she can create an online account to check the status. 2. Contact each financial aid office directly with a complete copy of her paper FAFSA submission, plus supporting documentation (tax returns, W-2s, etc.). 3. Request a professional judgment review based on the processing delay. 4. Ask for an extension on her enrollment deposit deadline due to these extenuating circumstances. Many institutions have special protocols for handling these exact situations and can provide conditional aid packages while waiting for official FAFSA processing.

When I was trying to reach the Federal Student Aid helpline about my verification process, it was IMPOSSIBLE to get through. Kept getting disconnected or waiting for hours. I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an actual person at FSA in under 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ It worked way better than trying to call directly. The agent I spoke with was able to tell me exactly where my application was in the process and gave me a timeline. Might be worth trying for your cousin to get a status update without waiting forever.

Has your cousin checked if she's eligible for any emergency aid or special circumstance funds at the colleges? Most schools have emergency grants for situations exactly like this where the federal aid system is failing students. My brother got a $2,500 bridge grant from one school while waiting for his FAFSA to process.

One more suggestion: Your cousin should consider requesting a dependency override review at each school. While her situation (undocumented parents) doesn't automatically qualify for dependency override, the extreme processing delays combined with the inability to complete the standard electronic process sometimes allows aid administrators to use professional judgment to move forward with aid packaging using alternative documentation. Also, the current estimated processing time for special circumstance paper FAFSAs is 10-14 weeks according to our latest FSA update. I recommend she focus her energy on working directly with each school rather than waiting for the federal processing to complete.

I had 2 wait for my paper FAFSA 2 process last yr and it was AWFUL!!!! ended up having 2 choose a school with NO idea what aid i would get. TOTAL NIGHTMARE!!!!! I wish id known 2 bug the financial aid offices more like everyone here is saying. tell ur cousin 2 call EVERY DAY until they help her!!!!!

One clarification on my earlier advice: when requesting the professional judgment review, your cousin should specifically mention "special circumstances due to parent citizenship status and FAFSA processing delays" - this terminology will signal to the financial aid office exactly what kind of review she needs. Also, having her bring the following to each financial aid office will help tremendously: 1. Photocopy of the completed paper FAFSA 2. Proof of mailing (receipt if available) 3. Parents' tax returns with SSNs redacted 4. Her own tax information if she worked 5. A written timeline of her attempts to submit electronically and subsequent paper submission This documentation package will give aid administrators what they need to create a provisional aid package while waiting for official processing.