Citizenship & Immigration Status Document Submission
To be eligible to receive federal or state aid, students must be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen. The Department of Education matches all FAFSA applications with the Social Security Administration (SSA) on U.S. citizenship status. If U.S. citizenship or nationality cannot be confirmed, the student must provide documents proving U.S. citizenship or nationality, citizenship of the Freely Associated States, lawful permanent residence, or other eligible noncitizen status in order to satisfy the citizenship requirement for Title IV eligibility. If your documents do support your eligibility for federal aid, Questrom Financial Aid will make a copy of your documentation and continue to process and award your federal aid accordingly.
In order to complete the Citizenship/Immigration process, students will be required to submit…
- A signed 26-27 Citizenship & Immigration Status Affidavit
- A copy of one’s original Citizenship & Immigration documentation (front and back)
- A copy of one’s valid, government issued photo ID (front and back)
Acceptable Citizenship Documentation
Acceptable Citizenship Documentation
- A copy of your U.S. Passport, signed on the line which reads “Signature of Bearer”
- A copy of your U.S. Certificate of Citizenship or U.S. Certificate of Naturalization. This must be signed in two places: on the photo itself and also on the line which reads “True and Complete Signature of Holder.”
- A copy of your U.S. Passport card.
- If you are a U.S. Citizen who was born in the U.S., you may provide a copy of your Birth Certificate.
- If you were born abroad and at least one parent (adoptive of biological, with legal custody of you) became a U.S. Citizen before you reached the age of 18, you are probably a naturalized citizen under the Child Citizenship Act of 2000. Nevertheless, to establish eligibility for federal financial aid you must provide a signed U.S. Passport, a U.S. passport card, or a signed U.S. Certificate of Citizenship. If you have applied for but have not yet been issued a U.S. Passport or U.S. Certificate of Citizenship, you must provide a statement attesting to that fact. In that case, you must also submit ALL of the following documents: a written explanation of your status, a copy of your legal parent’s signed U.S. Passport or signed Certificate of Citizenship, and a copy of the front/back of your U.S. Permanent Resident Card, if in your possession. If you enroll at Boston University, either during orientation or your first week of classes, you will be required to present in person your recently obtained signed U.S. Passport or U.S. Certificate of Citizenship.
Acceptable Documentation for U.S. Permanent Residents
- A clear copy of the front and back of your U.S. Permanent Resident Card (not expired).
- A copy of your Machine-Readable Immigrant Visa (MRIV), which serves as temporary I-551.
Acceptable Documentation for Other Non-Citizens
If you are not a U.S. Citizen or US Permanent Resident, but believe you may still be eligible for federal aid, please provide clear copies of ALL (or as many) of the following documents as possible:
- All letters ever received from the Department of Homeland Security (often labeled I-797, I-797A, or I-797C). You may also provide any emails received from the Department of Homeland Security.
- The photo page of your current and previous foreign passport.
- All visa stamps for the U.S. in your current and previous passports.
- All I-94’s and I-94A’s (both current and previous). In addition to providing copies of the paper I-94’s in your passport, it is also advised that you retrieve and print an electronic copy of your I-94 from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection website.
- Your U.S. Employment Authorization Card.
- Your Form I-485 Application to Register Permanent Resident status.
- Once received, the above documents will then be matched with DHS records to verify that you hold a status that makes you eligible for the receipt of federal financial aid. Information on non-U.S. Citizens who qualify for federal student aid may be found on the U.S. Department of Education website.
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), Temporary Protected Status (TPS), and Undocumented Students
Undocumented students, and those in DACA or TPS status are not eligible for federal financial aid.
International Students
International students are not eligible for federal financial aid.
Citizenship & Immigration Documentation Submission Form

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