FAFSA parent residency date field won't accept 00/0000 - undocumented parent issue

u can't put zeros. i just put the date my mom moved to our state even tho shes not a resident and it went through

The FAFSA is asking for when your parent became a legal resident of your STATE, not their immigration status. So you would enter the month and year that your mom began living in your current state. This has nothing to do with citizenship or immigration status - it's just asking how long she's lived in your state for state aid eligibility purposes.

THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO TRIP PEOPLE UP!!! I got stuck on the exact same question last year with my dad. Spent hours on hold with FSA trying to get an answer. Your parent's immigration status should NOT affect your eligibility for federal aid as long as YOU are a citizen or eligible non-citizen. But they make everything confusing on purpose.

Financial aid counselor here. I work with many students who have undocumented parents. When the FAFSA asks for "Date the Parent Became a Legal Resident," they are specifically asking about STATE residency, not immigration status. Enter the month/year your parent began living in your current state. Your undocumented parent will need an ITIN (Individual Taxpayer Identification Number) instead of an SSN for the FAFSA. If they don't have one, they should enter 000-00-0000 in the SSN field. This won't affect your eligibility as long as YOU have eligible citizenship status. The 2025-2026 FAFSA specifically has notes clarifying this, but they're easy to miss.

my cousin had same problem last yr. she just put the date they moved to our state and everything went fine. shes getting pell grant and everything now. dont worry about it too much

I got really confused on this part too! I kept thinking they were asking for proof of my parents' citizenship, but my school's financial aid office told me it's just asking when they started living in our state. So if your mom moved to California in January 2015, you'd put 01/2015. It's for determining eligibility for state grants and in-state tuition rates. My parents have been in the same state my whole life so I just put my birth year lol. Hope this helps!

I work with students on FAFSA applications regularly, and this is a common point of confusion. The terminology is misleading. For clarification: 1. The FAFSA is asking for STATE residency date, not immigration status 2. For the parent SSN field, an ITIN is acceptable if they have one 3. If no ITIN, enter 000-00-0000 (this will not affect your eligibility) 4. The student's eligibility is based on THEIR citizenship status, not the parent's The question is there because some state financial aid programs have residency length requirements. For example, some states require 12 or 24 months of residency to qualify for in-state tuition rates and certain state grant programs.

my dads undocumented too and i just put when he started living in our state. nobody ever followed up or asked for proof so dont stress

I had this exact same issue when I was filling out my FAFSA! The wording is super confusing but everyone here is right - it's asking for STATE residency, not immigration status. I put the date my mom moved to our state and had zero problems. My financial aid office even confirmed this was correct when I asked them about it later. Don't let this stress you out too much - you're definitely not alone in being confused by this question! The FAFSA could really use clearer language on this part.

Hey! I went through this same exact situation last year and I totally understand the panic. The FAFSA wording is SO misleading - it sounds like they're asking about immigration status but they're really just asking when your parent started living in your current state. I put the date my mom moved to our state (she's also undocumented) and everything went through fine. I even got selected for verification later and they never questioned that date at all - they only wanted tax documents and household info. You're not lying by putting the state residency date, that's literally what they're asking for! The whole system is just poorly worded. Don't let this one confusing question derail your whole application - you've got this!