1. Higher Education for Immigrant Students -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Roberto E. Treviño Department of Educational Leadership / College of Education University of North Texas / Denton, Texas 76203-1337 (Office) 940.565.2940 / (Home) 940.566.5265 (E-Mail) rtrevino@coe.unt.edu / drtrevino@earthlink.netrtrevino@coe.unt.edudrtrevino@earthlink.net Alejandra Rincón Emergency Immigrant Education Program / Houston ISD mrincon@houstonisd.org (713) 779-1866 (W)

2. Presentation Outline I) Categories of Immigrants II) Issues when working with immigrant students III) Provisions of House Bill 1403 IV) Financial Aid (FAFSA-What to watch for) V) Description of the Coalition 1) History, Mission & Purpose 2) Areas of Work VI) Current national legislation & other states’ initiatives

3. Categories of Immigrants Non-immigrants Undocumented students Non-residents Workers w/ visa (H1-B) Intl Students (F1) Tourist visa (B2) In-state tuition only for H1-B and H-4 Entered to the U.S very young with parents Entered with documents and they expired (tourist or work visa) Entered with no documents Members of families with mixed immigration statuses Can not apply for permanent residency unless there is an amnesty In-state tuition under HB 1403 Immigrants In-state tuition Spouse or minor child of permanent resident or citizen Notice of Action Taken (I-797) Has filled petition for alien relative (I-130) “Family reunification” NACARA/TPS VAWA/SAW HRIFA/Cuban Ad. Act Residents (in the process) Students who have applied for permanent residency Students with visas Undocumented

4. Issues when working with immigrant students Immigration Status (Varies greatly) School Refugees Tourist visas (B2) Temp. Protected Status Work visas (H-4) I.e. Africans (Sudanese) I.e. Europeans (Bosnia) I.e. Colombians I.e. Salvadorans I.e. Asians (Pakistan) Not eligible for federal aid Disqualified for most scholarships Eligible for state financial aid (Texas Grant) under HB 1403 Undocumented Paperwork in process Permanent Resident Citizen Immigration Status (Varies greatly) Family Immigration Status (Funding eligibility) Colleges Immigration Status Student Privacy Fear to disclose information that could affect family Lack of trust that information will not be shared Forced to use false S.S numbers or documents

6. Higher Education for Immigrant Students

7. FAFSA-What to watch for –STEP ONE –Question 8. Social Security Number (If you don’t have one write the ID number given by the university or provide your TAX ID number) –Question 13. If you are undocumented mark that you are “not a citizen or eligible non-citizen”. If you have started the process with INS provide the “A” number that they have assigned to your case. –Question 24. Write down the state where you have lived during the past 12 months. This question asks about the place where you have established domicile. –Question 34. If you are not a permanent resident, you don’t qualify for “work-study”. –STEP TWO –Question 36. Complete this if you support yourself. If you have not filed your taxes yet, choose option C: “I will not file”. –Question 42. Provide an estimate of how much you earned during the year, even if you didn’t receive the W-2 forms. If your salary is based on tips, provide the amount.

8. Higher Education for Immigrant Students FAFSA-What to watch for –STEP FOUR –Question 60-63. Write down your parents’ names and social security numbers. If they don’t have one, just write 000-00-0000. –Questions 64. Write down the number of people that live in your parents’ household. Count yourself, even if you don’t live with them. Include also your parents’ other children & other people that live with your parents and who receive their financial support. –Question 66. Write down the state where your parents have lived for more than 12 months. This question is related to your domicile and not your immigration status. –Question 70. If your parents have not filed their taxes yet, choose option C: “My parents are not going to file”. –Questions 76-77. Provide an estimate of how much your parents earned during the year, even if they didn’t receive the W-2 forms. If their salary is based on tips or is paid in cash, provide the estimated amount. –STEP SIX –Question 86. Write down the information of the universities that you have applied for. Remember that if you are using the ID number given by one given university, you will have to fill out a different FAFSA for each university. If you are using your Tax ID number, you can write here up to six universities where you want to apply.

9. History :The Coalition of Higher Education for Immigrant Students was formed during the fall of 1999 to support immigrant students in Southwest Houston. Since January of 2000, the Coalition has broadened its focus to assist immigrants from the Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan areas. Mission :To identify and remove the barriers to higher education for targeted immigrant students Purpose : To promote research and policy development, build collaborative partnerships, secure funding and conduct community outreach to provide broader educational opportunities for immigrant students.

10. Collaborative Partnerships Areas of work Prairie View A&M Stephen F. Austin University U. of Houston-Downtown U. of Houston-Central University of North Texas Texas Southern University Houston Community College San Jacinto Comm. College Career & Technology (CATE) Student Support Services District offices Communities in Schools National Association of Hispanic Nurses Mexican Consulate Society of Hispanic and Professional Engineers Educational Outreach A Career Day- City wide event Career Days at universities College Nights at High Schools Immigration Forums at schools Tutoring classes Parent conferences Summer Programs College Board Conference Communities in Schools summit Counselors’ workshop Counseling & Support Services Through appointments at HS Through follow up calls Through mail outs Center for Immigration Research- University of Houston-Central HCC board (May 2000) Higher Ed. Cord. Board (July 2000) House Bill 1403 (Spring 2001) State Representative R. Noriega HR 1918 (Student Adjustment Act) Community Organizations School district offices StudentsLegislative efforts Counselors Students Parents C B A - Collaborative Partnerships B - Outreach C - Counseling Research Colleges & Univ.

11. Higher Education for Immigrant Students National Legislation (Student Adjustment Act HR 1918) To qualify a student would be required to meet all the following criteriaTo qualify a student would be required to meet all the following criteria: Is under 21 years old Is attending Secondary School at 7th grade or above or applying for or attending college Has lived in the US for at least 5 years Has maintained good moral character during the last five years

12. Higher Education for Immigrant Students National Legislation (Student Adjustment Act HR 1918) Repeals Section 505 of the IIRIRA of 1996 thereby eliminating a restriction on a state’s ability to provide in-state tuition or higher education benefits to residents without regard to immigration status Adjustment of Status is permanent Immigrant must be physically present in US on the day of enactment Information furnished by applicant may not be used for other purposes Proof of extreme hardship not required Adjustments under the Act exempt from numerical limitations Applicants are eligible for federal education assistance and for most other federal programs

13. Higher Education for Immigrant Students Other states’ initiatives California. A bill passed (AB 540) this past October 12/01. All provisions are the same as in HB 1403. Utah. Exemption From Nonresident Tuition (HB 144) bill was approved by the House Education Committee. North Carolina commissioned a study to see if it can afford to pass such a law while activists in Georgia are pushing for proposals in their state. Some community colleges in Arizona, Illinois, and Kentucky are acting locally to allow undocumented students to pay in-state tuition

14. Higher Education for Immigrant Students Other states’ & colleges countermoves City University of New York (CUNY) ended their 12 year policy of allowing undocumented immigrants who attended a New York high school to pay the in-state tuition. Wisconsin Governor Scott McCallum vetoed a legislative decision allowing aliens to pay in-state tuition arguing that the 1996 immigration law prohibits benefits to aliens unless the same benefit is provided to all US citizens

15. Higher Education for Immigrant Students Visit our website at: www.go2college.org Dr. Roberto E. Treviño Department of Educational Leadership / College of Education University of North Texas / Denton, Texas 76203-1337 (Office) 940.565.2940 / (Home) 940.566.5265 (E-Mail) rtrevino@coe.unt.edu / drtrevino@earthlink.netrtrevino@coe.unt.edudrtrevino@earthlink.net Alejandra Rincón Emergency Immigrant Education Program / Houston ISD mrincon@houstonisd.org (713) 779-1866 (W)