im 15 and wanna go to college but....

hey guys. so ya im an illegal immigrant and im 15. I attend a california private school but am on financial aid. none of them know of my struggle and always ignore their questions like "Where's ure drivers permit?" and stuff like that. My mom is a permanent resident and I wanted to know that if we paid the money reqired to apply, how long would it take>

also in california , can I apply for financial aid?? Currently im studying for my AP exams and am wondering if its all for nothing....

You can not apply for financial aid in California.

However, there is a program called AB-540 that allows undocumented immigrants who have attended a California High School for a minimum of 3 years and graduated to pay in-state tuition rates.

If you plan on attending a California Community College you will need to go to the schools admissions office and apply for an Arbitrary Student Number which will serve as your "Social Security #" when applying for admission.

As far as becoming a resident I am going to direct you to a very helpful forum on that subject http://immigrate2us.net/forum/index.php

Look under "I-130" and "Non-marriage bassed AOS"

keep in mind there are many factors that come into consideration.
-country of origin
-did you enter legally or without inspection.
-criminal record
etc, etc, etc.

If your mom is a permanent resident and you are 15 then why aren't you?

Talk with a lawyer. I think you might be able to adjust your status through your mom.

Yeah you should definitely be able to adjust your status through your mom.

Please excuse my ignorance but how much does it cost to apply for a permanent residence?

and about how long will it take for me to obtain my residence???

thank you guys for all ure answers. i came here when I was one or two and consider myself an American. Ive lived here for 14 years for God's sake and really wanna go to college. Having two documented sisters makes me feel strangely isolated too.

Hmm, I don't mean to sound nosy, but why are your sisters documents and you're not? Was the I-130 just not filed for you, or was there somethhing else? I don't even know if the fact whether you are EWI or overstay makes any difference in this matter.

As far as the costs, I would suggest you speak to a lawyer first, or at least your parents and get all the facts why you are still undocumented. There might be something that you should be aware of that might prevent you from filing I-130.

This is something that you need to discuss with an Immigration lawyer. If i were you, i would only go talk with a lawyer. Every one have their own circumstance and based on each circumstance, the answer might be diffrent.

So, go see a lawyer . Thats the best thing you can do.

Erase / Rewind

basically, like everyone has said you should go talk to an immigration lawyer.

Now, if you aren't able to fix your papers for some reason there are things you can do, and yuo're actually very lucky to be in California. I, too, study at a private high school in California but am going to attend Cal Poly Pomona in the fall.

First of all, when applying to college you have to be realistic about your options. For example, I didn't apply to any out of state or actually any other colleges that weren't in the Southern California area. Yes, this may limit your choices, but it is the only way in which you can truly benefit since other states do not offer you the same protection. Second, since you have studied in california schools all of your life you are eligible for the ab540 law. This is not scholarship or financial aid, it only permits you that in PUBLIC schools (not private) you pay the same amount of tuition as the rest of the in-state people. Now, I highlighted just Public because there are private institutions that may force you to pay as an international student or place you in that category. If you are planning to apply to private institutions, check if they have any aid available to you since $50,000 at this moment is not an option. Schools like Loyola Marymount, Occidental College, Claremont McKenna College, Pomona College, Pitzer College and USC have the opportunity for full or partial merit money. Although, Pomona and Claremont offer regular financial aid as well. However, these are extremely competitive programs and in most of them you only have one or two shots. So, you need to have the best grades possible and even that may not guarantee any spot. I preferred going to Cal Poly because it is a great school and its inexpensive.

Also, there are hundreds of scholarships that won't ask you for any citizenship requirements. MALDEF has an entire list of scholarships that you can sift through. Also, I was talking to a paralegal at MALDEF last week, and she also recommended asking private latino businesses for donations as well as fundraising.

Anyways, good luck. I hope this advice helped. And please, talk to an immigration lawyer!

do well in your school. nothing is all for nothing. there are always options after high school.