Physical presence in California solely for educational purposes

If you don’t want people to be confused, you need to post one version of whatever’s actually going on in your life. We have a saying here – “Garbage in, garbage out” – which means that the advice you get is only going to be as good as the information you you post. Your story is bouncing around like a ping pong ball. You’ve stated that you arrived in CA in Jan. 2016, got married that same month to a woman who’s been a resident of CA for 5 years, that you and your wife have an income of ~$10k between you, your parents “gift” you $4k/month, you have $200k in savings, and you want to know how to get a federal Pell grant (which isn’t intended for couples who have a $60k income and $200k sitting in a bank account).

Then you asked if the money from your parents would be counted as income if you called it a loan. When someone said no, you asked if you’d have to give any grants back if your parents forgave the loan after you graduate. The $200k savings was a typo, you said; you really only have $20k in your savings. Then the situation was a “hypothetical.” Now it’s all a misunderstanding.

Whatever papers you fill out for the college need to be filled out accurately. If you don’t care whether or not you lose your degree, go to jail, or get deported, that’s up to you. But you may want to show a little more concern for your wife.