Victory For Student Dreamers In Connecticut

April 26, 2018

Congratulations to our Dreamers.

In bipartisan votes, the House and Senate have approved legislation giving students who lack legal immigration status the right to access a student-generated financial aid pool. It’s common-sense legislation. These Connecticut students are required to contribute to this pool, and yet they have been denied access to the very money they have given.

In essence, Senate Bill 4, An Act Assisting Students without Legal Immigration Statues with the Cost of College, commonly referred to as the Dreamer Bill, gives students access to a pool of money that they have already paid into.

The bill now goes to the governor. The legislation extends eligibility for the aid to these students, to the extent allowed by federal law, if they meet certain residency, age and criminal history requirements and if they file an affidavit about their intent to legalize their immigration status with the institution they are attending.

SB 4 requires undocumented students to fulfill the following eligibility requirements to receive institutional aid:

  • meet the requirements for in-state student classification or be an honorably discharged veteran of the United States armed forces;
  • be 30 years old or younger as of June 15, 2012;
  • have been 16 years old or younger upon arrival in the United States and have continuously lived in the country since that time;
  • be free of felony convictions in all states;
  • have filed an affidavit with the institution they are attending stating that they have either filed an application to legalize their immigration status or will file one as soon as they are eligible.