<p>I am a holder of a TN Visa (a non-immigrant work visa for Canadian/Mexican citizens). However, I have lived in California all my life (and attended public schools only), and am now applying to college. I’m considered a California resident, but I’m neither a citizen nor a permanent resident. Actually, do I qualify as a Cal Resident? My dad’s been paying taxes, workin’, doin’ all the stuff a normal citizen does.</p>
<p>So, the question/predicament here is: Will Berkeley group me in the international applicant pool or under the same applicant pool as California residents? Will I receive the benefits of being an in-state student for admissions? Obviously, Berkeley holds international applicants to higher standards when it comes to admissions. Any input would be appreciated.</p>
<p>I’m almost in the EXACT SAME position!!! The difference, though, is that I have an L2-VISA and though I’ve lived here for 10+ years, I’m not from California. </p>
<p>-I’m assuming that there’s not much difference between the specific types of Visas. I went to see my financial aid counselor about this, and she kinda seemed to confirm that Visa type isn’t relevant.
-My green card is in process, and I have already been issued a working SSN number. Although this is evidence, 100%, that my green card will get here in just a few months, my counselor told me that isn’t enough. She needs to see the physical green card in order for me to be considered a resident.
-Regardless of the fact that I’ve been here for 10+ years, I’m not even considered out of state (I lived in the Midwest for 10+years, then came to Berkeley a few weeks ago). I’m considered international</p>
<p>EDIT: Yeah, it’s really crappy because my parents work and pay taxes just like everyone else, lol</p>
<p>Berkeley holds international applicants to higher standards when it comes to admissions. </p>
<p>This has changed…since like 3 years ago. If you are out of state or internatonal, it’s really easy to get in to Berkeley now.</p>
<p>though the numbers are up, the overall percentages are still pretty low. So, yes and no. More internationals get in today than yesterday, but the standards are still higher nonetheless.</p>
<p>I think…?</p>
<p>Plus, i’ll be applying for financial aid so unless i qualify as a cali resident for tuition purposes, it would be difficult for my family to meet the financial demands.</p>
<p>Under that Visa, are you legally allowed to even file a FAFSA? Because FAFSA is online now, it’s impossible to write in a margin/cross out boxes that don’t apply/leave notes, etc. regarding your complicated legal status; on the website, you either have an SSN and a green card number, or you don’t. If you click that you don’t have one, the page will automatically freeze and not let you go on to the next page.
Although on the application I also said I needed aid, Berkeley was never able to receive my FAFSA because I was never legally able to file one in the first place. </p>
<p>Now that I’m at Berkeley, I explained the situation to my financial aid counselor and she’s trying to help me work around the immigration stuff. But it’s tough…</p>
<p>No, for FAFSA, either you are permanent resident or not. However, for tuition purposes, I have read that with certain visas (specifically the H1/H4), you (as in people like us who have lived here all our lives) can qualify as a cali-resident. You just have to file the petition and explain your circumstances. You should take a look into that if you are paying international fees.</p>