Tuition Dream is reality
Gov. Cuomo made good on his promise to undocumented youth. If all goes well, beginning this fall, undocumented students attending public colleges in New York will qualify for the same state student financial aid available to U.S. citizens and permanent residents.
The New York Dream Act will make the New York State Tuition Assistance Program available to undocumented students as well as to students with U (for crime victims) and T status (for trafficking victims), those with Temporary Protected Status and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, refugees and asylees. To qualify, the student must have either graduated from a New York State high school after having attended for two years, or attained a state High School Equivalency Diploma. The student must enroll in the City University of New York or the State University of New York within five years of graduation or attainment of the equivalency diploma.
QI lost my home-country passport and my citizenship interview is coming soon. Will I have a problem getting naturalized? I have a copy of my passport and I filed an affidavit of loss with my country’s consulate. Since immigrating to the United States I have never traveled abroad.
Charina Espino, the Bronx
AIf you have your green card or other government-issued ID, not having your passport shouldn’t be a problem.
Typically, naturalization applicants need their foreign passport to show travel history. Separate from that purpose, having a passport is not a requirement for naturalizing. Applicants must prove that they have been physically present in the United States for half the five (or in some cases three) years prior to naturalizing. Sometimes U.S. Citizenship and Naturalization Service officers question applicants about long trips abroad. However, for most applicants, USCIS will accept their approximation of travel history.
In your case, the copy of your passport should convince the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services naturalization officer that you meet the physical presence requirement. Naturalization applicants can find their arrival and departure history for the past five years at I94.cbp.dhs.gov. For you, the search should show no travel. Print that page and bring it to your naturalization interview.