California Dream Act CCCSFAAA Presented by: California Student Aid Commission
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Agenda CA Dream Act Legislation Eligibility Criteria Challenges Verification 2015-16 Dream Act Enhancements Resources Questions
The CA Dream Act The CA Dream Act was authored by Assembly Member Gil Cedillo In 2001 AB 540 passed In 2011 AB 131 passed In 2014 AB 2000 passed
Dream App Awards Dream Act Applicants may qualify for: Middle Class Scholarship Entitlement Cal Grants A & B Cal Grant C
Just the Facts Dream Act Applicants Awarded CCC Award Counts 2013/2014 6,956 3,473 2014/2015 8,195 3,952
New Legislation SB 1210 DREAM Loan Program Commencing 2015/16 Administered by UC and CSU campuses
Dream Act Criteria
Who is a Dreamer? A student who meets the requirements of AB 540 or AB 2000 Not FAFSA eligible Male students ages 18-25 who are registered with the Selective Service
AB 540 Eligibility Student attended CA high school for at least 3 years, and Student is a high school graduate (or CHSPE/GED), and Registered or enrolled at accredited institution of higher education in California File an affidavit stating that he/she will apply for legal immigration status as soon as possible
AAM AB 2000 2000AB 2000 Student secures 3 years worth of HS credits AND has a total of 3 or more years of attendance at a California elementary or secondary school is now eligible for AB 540 and may be awarded financial aid.
Award Eligibility Meets Dreamer Criteria Meets Cal Grant or Middle Class Scholarship factors Join CSAC for Cal Grant and MCS presentations
Who is Not A Dreamer? Temporary Nonimmigrant Visa Holders (F, J, H, L, A, B, C, D, E, etc.)
The U Visa is one Exception The U visa provides eligible victims with nonimmigrant status to temporarily remain in the US while assisting law enforcement Student does not file the Affidavit
Second Exception: Temporary Protected Status
Does John meet AB 540 eligibility requirements? Enrolled at a Community College Arrived in CA at 15 and attended a CA high school for 3 years Passed the GED at 18 Undocumented
Dream Act Applicant Challenges
The Challenges of a Dreamer Don t know which application to complete Fill out wrong application Afraid to Register for Selective Service Could be eligible for Dream Act one year, FAFSA the next
Start with the Dream App
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) DACA is a federal program that protects young undocumented applicants from deportation DACA issues SSN cards valid for work only The DACA program has specific criteria applicants must meet http://www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/consideration-deferredaction-childhood-arrivals-process/frequently-asked-questions
What is DAPA? DAPA=Deferred Action for Parental Accountability U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will not deport certain undocumented parents of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents May be granted temporary permission to stay in US Extends deferred action from 2 years to 3 Not yet available!
What do you do if you find a student has completed a FAFSA with a DACA SSN? School Calls Institutional Support 1-888-294-0153
Dream/FAFSA Renewals Last year awarded via Dream Act Application This year FAFSA eligible Call Institution Support
Register with Selective Service ATTENTION, UNDOCUMENTED MALES & IMMIGRANT SERVICING GROUPS! The Selective Service System has not now, or in the past, collected or shared any information which would indicate a man's immigration status, either documented or undocumented. The Selective Service System has no authority to collect such information, has no use for it, and it is irrelevant to the registration requirement. Consequently, there is no immigration data to share with anyone. You want to protect yourself for future U.S. citizenship and other government benefits and programs by registering with Selective Service. Do it today.
Important Information for AB 540 Students Males 18 to 25 must register with Selective Service for Cal Grant and other state aid: Do not need a SSN to register BEST WAY TO REGISTER: Answer Register me on CA Dream Act question 23a OR: Get registration form at U.S. Post office, or download at Caldreamact.org Students will receive a Confirmation by mail from the Selective Service
Key Points Students must meet AB 540 requirements and not be a citizen or eligible non-citizen AB 2000 expands the scope of students starting in 2015 Encourage students to start with Dream Application Dreamers experience challenges
Dream Act Application & 15-16 Enhancements
Financial Aid Consideration Dream Application gathers same data as the FAFSA Campuses can use the application to determine eligibility for other aid
NEW Resources Page
Getting Started
Updated Definition of AB 540
Additional Skip Logic Determination? s
Selective Service Question
Enhanced Helps and Hints
New Parent Signature Process Still requires a PIN Assigned separate PIN for each applicant Parent must still sign application every time student updates application However, process has been simplified!
Enhancements for Schools Cal ISIR reports Initial and Correction have merged into one report Correction Screen: Dependency questions that were blank due to application skip logic no longer need to be filled in by schools
Dream Act Verification
Dream Act Verification CSAC randomly selects 20% of completed Dream applications for income verification. Only awarded students are selected for verification.
How Do You Know?
Who Verifies AB 540 eligibility?
Key Points 20% of all Dream Applicants are randomly selected for income verification Financial Aid Office typically verifies using Federal Verification requirements Explore best practices at your college to improve processes
American River College Set small goals 1500 payments Develop efficient systems that work for you Manually processes Stay focused One woman shop Love the process and the reward of getting students paid!
Sierra Community College Student Ambassadors: Peer to Peer Counseling 4 months of training Trained by other students Students conduct FA application workshops Take 1:1 appointments Bi-lingual students paid more
Estephania has a message for you!
Thank You for Attending! Institutional Support is available at: 1-888-294-0153 or schoolsupport@csac.ca.gov