A loophole in the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is reportedly enabling Texas students with non-citizen parents to apply for college financial aid ahead of the March deadline, as reported by the New York Post.
This issue has been present since the latest version of the online federal financial aid form was introduced in December, which initially prevented parents without a Social Security number from adding their financial details to complete the form.
The U.S. Department of Education has now provided a temporary solution, allowing students to complete the financial aid application without a parent's signature. According to the report, students who utilize this option will receive an email confirmation of their completed FAFSA form, enabling them to submit their applications to colleges and universities before the deadline.
As per KSAT, students choosing this path will need to provide the missing information once the loophole is rectified, which the Department of Education anticipates will occur before March 15. The report underscores the importance of obtaining parental signatures, as applications will be rejected without them.
The Department of Education has advised students without urgent deadlines to wait until the form is officially corrected before completing it. College counselors are reportedly assessing each student's situation individually before advising whether to wait or proceed with the form.
The New York Post cites Every Texan, a left-leaning think tank, estimating that one in four children in Texas has at least one parent who is not a legal U.S. citizen, and these parents often lack Social Security numbers.
The FAFSA is widely regarded as the optimal route for approximately 1.6 million Texan college students seeking government funding for higher education.
The federal government's decision to implement this temporary loophole represents the first acknowledgment by the Department of Education of the glitch and its potential impact on immigrant households. However, some immigration advocates have argued that the process is confusing.
The number of Texas families expected to exploit this temporary loophole remains uncertain.
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